Associates

Afternoon Briefs: Another firm trims salary cuts; lawyer is accused of writing $400K in bad checks

Kelley Drye trims some salary cuts Kelley Drye & Warren is reducing 10% pay cuts to 5% cuts for associates, special counsels and staff earning more than $100,000. Reductions in equity partner draws will stay in place for now. (Above the Law, Bloomberg Law) Las Vegas lawyer is accused of…

Sep 3, 2020 4:16 PM CDT

Skadden is latest firm to announce layoffs; experts say more law firms will follow

As several law firms announced layoffs this week, consultants warned of more bloodletting ahead. One consultant spoke of overcapacity among nonequity partners. Others said staff members are at risk as lawyers working at home are becoming more self-sufficient.

Sep 3, 2020 1:37 PM CDT

Surveyed midlevel associates discuss snacks, decor, boring work and burnout

Midlevel associates waxed philosophical, critiqued office food and decor, and discussed burnout in verbatim comments collected in an American Lawyer survey.

Sep 3, 2020 1:03 PM CDT

Layoffs hit furloughed staffers at 2 BigLaw firms, lawyers and staffers at another

Updated: Layoffs are hitting workers at Baker McKenzie, Davis Wright Tremaine and Venable.

Sep 2, 2020 9:33 AM CDT

Lawyer is accused of sexually assaulting associate and abusing another, offering custody for sex

A prominent Chicago lawyer who once chaired a screening committee for guardians ad litem is facing felony charges that accuse of him of sexually assaulting an associate at his firm, sexually abusing another and fondling a woman while telling her that she had to “do a little extra” to get custody of her children.

Sep 1, 2020 11:35 AM CDT

Summer associate—said to be ‘like a dude in heels’—was victim of gender bias and bullying, suit says

A summer associate last year at Howard & Howard's Chicago office alleges in a bias lawsuit that she was subjected to “a culture of gender discrimination and bizarre bullying tactics” by the law firm.

Aug 31, 2020 8:30 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Bankruptcy classes more popular; John Pierce representing teen in Kenosha shootings

More law students are taking bankruptcy classes Some law professors are reporting the demand for their bankruptcy classes is booming. Ronald Mann, a Columbia Law School professor, told Thomson Reuters Legal that more than a hundred students are enrolled in his fall 2020 bankruptcy course—three times as many as last…

Aug 28, 2020 4:22 PM CDT

Growing number of law firms at least partly roll back salary cuts

Salary cuts are easing for lawyers and staffers at many law firms that adopted austerity measures to controls costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aug 26, 2020 3:54 PM CDT

These law firms ranked highest for midlevel associate satisfaction; transparency ratings increase

O’Melveny & Myers is ranked No. 1 for satisfaction by midlevel associates responding to a survey by the American Lawyer.

Aug 25, 2020 3:10 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Steve Bannon charged; more BigLaw firms trim pay cuts

Steve Bannon charged with defrauding donors President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Stephen Bannon is among four people charged with defrauding donors to an online crowdfunding campaign called “We Build the Wall.” Bannon is accused of receiving more than $1 million of Build the Wall funds through a nonprofit he…

Aug 20, 2020 4:52 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer is accused of $20M money laundering scam; BigLaw firm trims salary cuts

Lawyer is charged in alleged $20M cryptocurrency scam Lawyer Scott Hughes, 44, of Newport Beach, California, has been accused of helping launder at least $20 million in an alleged cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme. The indictment unsealed Tuesday claims that Hughes and four other defendants promised guaranteed returns for phantom investments in…

Aug 19, 2020 4:29 PM CDT

Lawyer is accused of leading cop on high-speed chase, suggesting pizza outing after arrest

Updated: A Florida lawyer was held at gunpoint and forced out of her car after allegedly leading a Florida Keys deputy on a high-speed chase, according to an arrest report. She later suggested that they go out for pizza, the report said.

Aug 18, 2020 11:13 AM CDT

Ohio associate with a love of writing wins ABA Journal’s 2020 Ross essay contest for legal fiction

A short story about the first lawyer in a close-knit Black family has been named the winner of the 2020 ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction. The author is Daniel M. Best, an associate at Gallagher Sharp in Columbus, Ohio.

Aug 14, 2020 1:36 PM CDT

More work shifted to law partners as demand for legal services dropped, new report says

Are partners hoarding legal work in challenging times? That is one of the questions raised by a new report that found that the average growth in billed rates reached record highs in the year’s second quarter, even as demand for legal services plummeted.

Aug 13, 2020 2:11 PM CDT

Pay is at least partly restored at these law firms; some lawyers will get bonuses

Associates and staffers at some law firms are getting good news after seeing lower paychecks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jul 30, 2020 12:06 PM CDT