ABA Journal

Chadbourne & Parke Freezes Hiring of Laterals, Nonlawyers

Chadbourne & Parke informed its lawyers and staffers in a memo yesterday that some of them may have to be reassigned to busier practice areas because of a hiring freeze. The freeze won’t affect the firm’s 2009 summer associate class, the National Law Journal reports. It applies only to lateral…

Oct 29, 2008 1:55 PM CDT

Blog Comments Can Tank Job Prospects

Blogging may help law students blow off some steam or connect with others, but it could harm their job search, warns a law firm recruiting manager. Writing in the Am Law Daily, Lynne Traverse of Bryan Cave gives an example. A student interviewing for a summer associate position listed her…

Oct 29, 2008 12:22 PM CDT

Looking for Simpler Life, Lawyer Burns Harvard Law Diploma

Ever want to ditch the rat race? Burn your diploma and take a vow of simplicity? If you thought about it, but could never quite muster the courage to strike a match, you can live vicariously through “Jack,” a Washington, D.C., a 30-something lawyer who announced on his blog in…

Oct 28, 2008 8:11 PM CDT

Thelen Leaders Seek Vote to Dissolve, Hope to Close By Dec. 1

Updated: Citing crippling economic factors and the impact of partner losses, the partnership council of Thelen recommended in a meeting today that the law firm’s partners vote to dissolve. The firm hopes to shut down by Dec. 1. Partners have seven days to vote on dissolution. Thelen attributes its troubles…

Oct 28, 2008 8:08 PM CDT

Harvard to Waive 3rd Year Tuition for Students Pursuing Public Interest Careers

A new program at Harvard Law School that will waive third-year tuition for students who commit to five-year public interest careers is attracting more interest than expected. More than 100 first-year students have signed up for the program, although they can still change their minds about participating, reports the Harvard…

Oct 28, 2008 4:38 PM CDT

Law Firms Advised to Try Discounted and Alternative Fees

Law firms that survive the troubled economic times will be willing to discount fees and try alternative billing arrangements such as success fees. That was the message of a panel discussion held last week by the defense bar group DRI, the National Law Journal reports. The story recounts comments by…

Oct 28, 2008 1:43 PM CDT

Landlords Fear Law Firm Layoffs

Associates aren’t the only professionals fearing law firm layoffs. The idea also troubles landlords, who rely on law firms to pay top dollar for office space that offers technology upgrades and flexible floor design. In Chicago, firms are willing to pay more than $50 a square foot, compared to average…

Oct 28, 2008 1:23 PM CDT

Law Firm Consultant Issues ‘Grimmest Ever’ Forecast

The situation likely will get worse for many law firms struggling to cope with the economic firestorm before it gets better, a well-known legal consultant predicts. In a Hildebrandt International client advisory described by director James Jones as “the grimmest one I’ve ever written,” he says layoffs can be expected…

Oct 27, 2008 7:46 PM CDT

When the Boss Turns Quiet: Warning Signs of a Layoff

If your boss suddenly stops talking to you, it may be a warning sign that you will soon be laid off. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) talked to job coaches and management consultants to put together a list of warning signs. They include: • Your boss stops making small…

Oct 27, 2008 3:48 PM CDT

Law Firms Learn the Hard Way that Layoff News is Likely to Leak

Law firms should assume firm-wide memos explaining layoffs will be leaked and write them with outside readers in mind, according to a public relations expert. Karen Schwartzman, president of Polaris Public Relations in Boston, told the National Law Journal that “the rumor mill is fierce.” She said layoff memos should…

Oct 23, 2008 2:05 PM CDT

Big-Firm Lawyers Posed for Hottie Calendar

It may not have the sexy appeal of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, but a new hottie lawyers calendar features photos that may be just as interesting, at least to the Massachusetts legal community. The calendar features 12 lawyers from the state. There isn’t a one wearing a swimsuit. The…

Oct 23, 2008 11:44 AM CDT

Pro Bono Pros and Cons

Remarks made earlier this month by Dennis Jacobs, chief judge of the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, riled up both our readers and Erwin Chemerinsky, law school dean at the University of California at Irvine. Jacobs told a Federalist Society gathering in a speech that “much…

Oct 22, 2008 8:12 PM CDT

Legal Market Predictions: Double the Extreme

After a week in London, home of four of the world’s six largest law firms, the founder of the social networking company Legal OnRamp brought home his observations and predictions about the U.S. legal market in the context of a financial crisis. Drawing from lessons that arguably can be learned…

Oct 22, 2008 5:23 PM CDT

Law School Free for UC Irvine’s Entering 2009 Class

Students who enroll at the University of California’s new law school in Irvine next fall will get their legal education for free. The law school is giving full tuition scholarships worth about $100,000 to its first 2009 class of about 60 students, the National Law Journal reports. Charles Cannon, assistant…

Oct 22, 2008 2:34 PM CDT

NY Mortgage Lawyer Killed in Parking Lot Shooting

A Long Island mortgage lawyer who recently began making high-interest loans was shot and killed yesterday in a restaurant parking lot. The 44-year-old James DiMartino, who practiced in Holbrook, N.Y., was shot in the head “in broad daylight,” the New York Post reports. DiMartino’s longtime friend, James Donovan, told the…

Oct 22, 2008 2:13 PM CDT