Associates

With addition of 17 lawyers, Baker McKenzie picks up most of this firm’s corporate team

Baker McKenzie has added 17 corporate and tax lawyers from Munger, Tolles & Olson, including nine partners from the Los Angeles law firm.

Apr 24, 2024 3:02 PM CDT

It’s a quick goodbye for many departing associates, new NALP Foundation report finds

Eighty-two percent of associates who left their law firms in 2023 did so within five years of hiring, a figure that is at “an all-time high,” according to a report released Wednesday by the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education.

Apr 11, 2024 9:09 AM CDT

Which BigLaw firms are increasing lateral associate hiring the most? One made legal headlines last year

As a whole, BigLaw firms have reduced lateral hiring of associates over the last two years, a phenomenon documented in a report by the National Association for Law Placement.

Apr 4, 2024 11:24 AM CDT

Recruiter Major Lindsey blackballed associate for suing law firm, showing ‘bogus’ commitment to diversity, suit alleges

A Black associate who sued a BigLaw firm for alleged discrimination and retaliation has now filed a second lawsuit claiming that legal recruiter Major, Lindsey & Africa blackballed her as a result.

Apr 3, 2024 10:36 AM CDT

For second year in a row, law firms pull back on lateral hiring of lawyers

Law firms continue to cut back lateral hiring of lawyers following the talent wars of 2021, according to a report by the National Association for Law Placement.

Mar 27, 2024 11:35 AM CDT

New Reed Smith pay structure sorts associates into ‘the A squad and the B squad,’ blog says

Updated: Reed Smith has confirmed that it is changing the compensation structure for associates, but it’s not getting into specifics after a leaked memo said the law firm was creating two tiers of associate pay based on billable hours.

Mar 26, 2024 9:53 AM CDT

Flush with incoming associates, law firms pulled back on 2024 summer associate hiring, rivaling Great Recession levels

Law firms that recruited law students in 2023 for summer associate programs in 2024 took a cautious approach, resulting in one of the softest recruiting seasons since the Great Recession, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Association for Law Placement.

Mar 12, 2024 12:22 PM CDT

Boosted by spike in negotiated rates, law firms return to profitability, report says

Law firms returned to profitability in 2023 as “worked rates” accelerated throughout the year, according to the Law Firm Financial Index report for the fourth quarter of 2023 by the Thomson Reuters Institute.

Feb 13, 2024 3:16 PM CST

This is the No. 1 reason associates stay at their law firms, new study says

Compensation is the top reason associates stay at their law firms, according to a new study by the NALP Foundation.

Feb 8, 2024 9:03 AM CST

BigLaw associates ‘have never had it better;’ they are working fewer hours, survey says, and making more money

Lawyer head count is growing, while productivity is declining, according to a year-end survey of more than 130 larger law firms released this week by Wells Fargo’s Legal Specialty Group.

Feb 1, 2024 12:56 PM CST

Jurors rule for Davis Polk in former associate’s retaliation suit; defense called his claims a ‘conspiracy theory’

Federal jurors ruled for Davis Polk & Wardwell in a suit by a fired Black associate who claimed the law firm retaliated against him after he complained about racial disparities. At trial, he said he was the target of a “secret scheme” to oust him.

Jan 29, 2024 2:50 PM CST

Should law firms focus more on work-life balance? Survey finds ‘wide gaps’ in opinions of associates, partners

Lawyers would like to see a greater emphasis on training and mentoring at their law firms, according to a survey released this week by recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa and Law360 Pulse.

Jan 24, 2024 2:26 PM CST

UK law firm’s ‘Switch On/Switch Off’ program allows ‘chunk of time off’ for reduced pay

U.K. law firm Slaughter and May's "Switch On/Switch Off” program for associates is different than reduced-hours programs offered by U.S. firms.

Jan 23, 2024 3:49 PM CST

BigLaw firm concluded partner’s email to Black associate wasn’t racist because ‘he treated other people terribly too,’ suit alleges

Updated: Complaints about discriminatory conduct at Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders “were often ignored, and, when they were not, met with gaslighting, apathy or swift retaliation,” according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by a fired Black female associate.

Jan 17, 2024 2:16 PM CST

Contract requiring exiting lawyer to pay fee for every client he takes can’t be enforced, top state court says

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a law firm can’t enforce a contract provision that required departing lawyers to pay $1,052 for each client they take with them when leaving.

Jan 17, 2024 9:48 AM CST