Associates

Afternoon Briefs: Prison contraband hidden in footballs; Kamala Harris’ husband gets teaching job

Sensing technology detects football contraband tossed into prison Footballs and packages tossed into a Mississippi prison yard early Monday morning contained cellphones, marijuana, cigars and barbecue chicken wings. Officials at the South Mississippi Correctional Institution confiscated the contraband. The prison’s sensing technology detected the breach. (The Associated Press) Kamala Harris’…

Dec 11, 2020 4:17 PM CST

Law firms mostly fall in line with associate bonus scale; Boies Schiller offers 2 options

Most of the larger law firms that announced year-end associate bonuses this week fell in line with the prevailing bonus scale. Typically, law firms are paying bonuses ranging from $15,000 to $100,000, based on class year. Many are adding special bonuses.

Dec 11, 2020 1:30 PM CST

Former BigLaw associate sues law firm for alleged pregnancy discrimination

A former labor and employment associate at Fox Rothschild has filed a lawsuit alleging that she was fired in December 2018 because of her pregnancy.

Dec 4, 2020 2:08 PM CST

Which law firms announced bonuses this week?

The law firm bonus scale set by Baker McKenzie this year is gaining acceptance as more law firms announced bonuses this week. Larger firms are paying year-end bonuses ranging from $15,000 to $100,000, and many are adding special bonuses.

Dec 4, 2020 11:51 AM CST

As worst-case scenarios for law firms fail to materialize, some trends emerge, new report says

With better-than-expected results for 2020, some law firms are prepaying expenses for 2021 and considering how lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic will apply in the coming year, according to a 2021 client advisory by Citi Private Bank and Hildebrandt Consulting.

Dec 1, 2020 12:26 PM CST

Cravath announces two bonuses of up to $140K and Paul Weiss follows

A BigLaw firm known for setting the market rate for associate bonuses announced Monday that it will pay two bonuses this year. Cravath, Swaine & Moore will match last year’s scale for year-end bonuses.

Nov 24, 2020 10:25 AM CST

After getting attorney feedback, Goldberg Segalla revamps installment-payment bonus program

Goldberg Segalla has said it has made “significant changes” to a planned bonus program that required bonuses to be paid in installments and docked associates for billable hour credit when clients didn’t pay up.

Nov 23, 2020 8:52 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: COVID-19 cited in halt to execution; ‘not qualified’ Jones Day associate confirmed to bench

Judge delays execution after lawyers contract COVID-19 U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss has delayed the federal execution of Lisa Montgomery because her lawyers contracted COVID-19 after visiting her in prison. The lawyers, Amy Harwell and Kelley Henry, “remain very ill today,” and they are unable to prepare a clemency petition,…

Nov 19, 2020 4:15 PM CST

Lawyer for Trump campaign complains of ‘abusive’ voicemail from Kirkland associate, asks to withdraw

A lawyer representing the Trump campaign in a federal election case in Pennsylvania asked to withdraw from the representation Monday, a day after she sought sanctions against Kirkland & Ellis for an associate's “abusive” voicemail message.

Nov 17, 2020 12:05 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Law students pledge not to work for Trump firms; women deported after OB-GYN complaints

Law students pledge not to work for Trump election firms A group of law students and new lawyers is circulating a pledge not to work or interview with law firms that represent the Trump campaign and GOP allies. Targeted law firms are Jones Day, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, King…

Nov 13, 2020 3:55 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Jeffrey Toobin fired over Zoom exposure; lawyer alleges rape by cop in Breonna Taylor case

Jeffrey Toobin is fired after Zoom incident The New Yorker has fired legal journalist Jeffrey Toobin after he reportedly exposed himself on a Zoom call last month. Toobin has said he thought he was off camera, and he “made an embarrassingly stupid mistake.” Toobin is also taking some time off…

Nov 12, 2020 3:24 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer sentenced in veterans charity thefts; lawyer accused in romance scams

Lawyer gets prison time for stealing from veterans charity Former Connecticut lawyer Kevin Creed was sentenced Monday to 3½ years in prison for stealing about $1.4 million from a veterans charity that he founded. Creed, 69, of Litchfield, Connecticut, had faced as many as 20 years in prison after his…

Nov 11, 2020 4:46 PM CST

Cuts in lawyer head count and expenditures ‘buoyed profitability metrics’ at law firms, report says

Demand for legal services decreased for the last two quarters, but austerity measures implemented by law firms have them well positioned for profitability, according to a report issued this week.

Nov 11, 2020 3:57 PM CST

Baker McKenzie kicks off BigLaw bonus season; how much will its associates receive?

Baker McKenzie is the first law firm to announce 2020 bonuses this year. The firms plans to pay its U.S. associates bonuses that match last year’s bonus scale. The amounts could increase, however.

Nov 11, 2020 10:50 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: District attorney is accused of plotting truck theft; husband and wife lawyers sue over gun photo

District attorney is accused of hiring his kids, conspiring to steal truck Lee County, Alabama, District Attorney Brandon Hughes has been charged with illegally hiring his children and lying to a special grand jury and an ethics commission. Hughes is also accused of conspiring to steal a pickup truck by…

Nov 10, 2020 4:39 PM CST