A letter to young women lawyers about ‘SADNESS’ in the law

My dear sister (in law), welcome to our profession of stress, anxiety, depression, negativity, endangerment, sickness and suicide (also known as "SADNESS"). In addition to the SADNESS, many of us carry secrets, scars and an insatiable longing for change. They all dishearten, discourage and divide us in devastating ways. Yet you can prepare for and overcome them.

May 8, 2024 2:15 PM CDT

Judge ordered removed for ‘troubling inability to conform his behavior’ to judicial standards

A California judge who hoped to find the “mole” cooperating with ethics investigators sought a review of employee emails and the hiring of outside counsel to complete the investigation, according to a May 2 decision ordering his removal from office.

May 8, 2024 10:10 AM CDT

Former top prosecutor in St. Louis ‘remains elusive,’ says state auditor who can’t find her

The former top prosecutor for St. Louis “remains elusive,” and “her whereabouts are currently unknown,” according to a May 6 press release by the Missouri state auditor.

May 7, 2024 2:23 PM CDT

BigLaw partner alleges federal judge once assaulted and taunted him, requiring his recusal

A partner at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith is alleging that a federal judge pushed him and challenged him to a fight when they were working at the same law firm in 2008.

May 7, 2024 12:30 PM CDT

Bosses mandated them back to the office. They took legal action instead

After more than two years of fighting against return-to-office mandates, workers are fed up with their bosses’ inflexible policies and are taking their battle to court.

May 7, 2024 10:30 AM CDT

BigLaw associate identified as good Samaritan fatally shot at McDonald’s

An associate at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith was fatally shot at a McDonald’s in Houston on Saturday after trying to calm an angry customer who was dissatisfied with his order, according to Houston police.

May 7, 2024 9:17 AM CDT

Larger law firms had ‘buoyant performance’ in first quarter of 2024; revenue, demand and rates are up

Law firms had a robust first quarter of 2024, helped by growth in billing rates, according to two reports released within the past week.

May 7, 2024 8:51 AM CDT

Family members struggle to help University of Chicago law grad who became homeless

Many states are trying to figure out how to help people like 44-year-old lawyer Rob Dart, who is living on the streets of Los Angeles after rejecting his medication for psychosis.

May 6, 2024 11:32 AM CDT

Fighting the bots is the new attorney niche

Updated: From lookalike photos to hallucination errors to copyright infringement, the rise of lawsuits against generative artificial intelligence tools reveals a growing frustration with our silicon assistants. Naturally, lawyers are here to help.

May 6, 2024 9:00 AM CDT

BigLaw firm introduces coaching and support for lawyers who have ADHD

There are law firms in which Carrie Garber Siegrist, a senior associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Goodwin Procter, might have had to be secretive about her diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD. But at Goodwin Procter, Garber Siegrist says, she feels embraced and supported.

May 6, 2024 8:55 AM CDT

Slate for 2024-2025 term announced by ABA Legal Ed Section

The ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has announced its 2024-2025 council slate.

May 3, 2024 1:34 PM CDT

Lawyer’s new book traces today’s true-crime fascination to salacious 1800s murder trial

The case of Polly Bodine is the subject of Alex Hortis’ new book, The Witch of New York. But a whodunnit is only part of the story that Hortis, the associate university counsel at the University of Maryland Baltimore, sets out to tell. The book’s subtitle shares the rest: “The cursed birth of tabloid justice.”

May 2, 2024 2:16 PM CDT

Judge should be censured for street brawl, conflict of interest, New York judicial conduct commission says

A New York judge should be censured for engaging in a street brawl with his neighbors and for participating in matters involving an attorney who was buying the judge’s law practice, according to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

May 2, 2024 9:11 AM CDT

District attorney ‘humbled by my own stupidity’ after failing to stop for police, calling officer name

A district attorney for a county that includes Rochester, New York, issued a video apology Sunday night after she failed to pull over for a traffic stop and called an officer a name after she drove into her garage about a half-mile away.

May 1, 2024 2:01 PM CDT

5 ways motherhood has leveled up your lawyer skills

From one mom to another, you may feel like you’re losing, but let’s discuss all that you have gained from motherhood. Here are five ways that being a mother has enhanced your skills as a lawyer.

May 1, 2024 8:58 AM CDT