Change in BigLaw ranks leads to shrinking prevalence of $160K starting pay

Coveted starting salaries of $160,000 for associates were prevalent at large law firms in 2009, when nearly two-thirds of BigLaw starting salaries were at that level. The pay picture is quite different in 2014. Now, only 27 percent of the starting salaries paid by large law firms are at $160,000,…

Oct 9, 2014 9:10 AM CDT

Baker Botts joins open office trend, moves junior associates to interior area

Like a number of other well-known law firms, Baker Botts has been rethinking the concept of office space. A growing open office trend focuses on grouping employees and arranging work space in a way that encourages productivity and collaboration. It also often results in fewer offices, smaller individual work spaces…

Sep 18, 2014 5:15 PM CDT

Which law firms have the most satisfied summer associates?

The law firms with the most satisfied summer associates are Foley Hoag and Boston-based Choate Hall & Stewart, according to new survey results. Both law firms received a perfect 5 based on associate ratings in nine areas, the American Lawyer (sub. req.) reports. More than 3,600 associates responded to the…

Sep 18, 2014 6:15 AM CDT

Perkins Coie lawyer who fought ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ dies in bike accident

A Perkins Coie associate who helped challenge the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy has died in a bicycle accident. Sher Kung, 31, died Friday morning when a truck making a left turn struck her as she was riding her bike to work in downtown Seattle, report the Seattle Times,…

Sep 2, 2014 10:55 AM CDT

Which midlevel associates are the happiest?

Midlevel associates are feeling happier these days. An American Lawyer survey (sub. req.) of midlevel associates found satisfaction levels are up slightly from last year, reaching the highest level in a decade. Midlevel associates were most satisfied at Nutter McClennen & Fish, followed by Paul Hastings; Cozen O’Connor; Williams &…

Aug 28, 2014 1:19 PM CDT

Lawyers offer tips on how to adapt to the ongoing disruption in the legal market

It’s no secret that the legal industry has undergone a radical shift over the last few years as clients are demanding better, faster and cheaper legal service. It’s a shift that continues to develop and could yet take some unexpected twists and turns. While that can be scary for many…

Aug 7, 2014 11:54 PM CDT

Lawyer’s helmetcam video takes viewers along on high-flying Motocross race

From Monday to Friday, John G. George Jr. is a hardworking civil litigation associate at Beirne, Maynard & Parsons. But by burning the midnight oil on work nights the Texas attorney is often able to make time for adrenaline-inducing dirt bike rides on weekends, when he participates in amateur Motocross…

Jul 17, 2014 10:25 PM CDT

Cahill Gordon announces summer bonuses of $5K to $15K

BigLaw associates expect bonuses at the end of the year, but summer bonuses can be a pleasant surprise. Now that a major New York-based law firm has announced that it will pay midyear bonuses, however, other BigLaw associates will be hoping their employers follow suit, says Above the Law. Cahill…

Jul 10, 2014 5:20 PM CDT

Instead of telling everyone you’re the ‘Best & Brightest,’ listen more to the people in the trenches

I really, really wish lawyers would stop using the expression “Best & Brightest” to describe themselves. For example, the “Recruiting the Best & Brightest” page at Covington & Burling’s website. When I was a college freshman in 1976, the first book we were assigned to read in an American Presidency…

Jul 10, 2014 1:30 PM CDT

8 Steptoe litigators leap to Chicago trial boutique, which hopes to expand further

Updated: Eight litigators have exited Steptoe & Johnson for Williams Montgomery & John, their new firm announced Wednesday. Led by Christopher J. Barber, the three-partner, five-associate group focuses on complex litigation, arbitration and trial work. They are expected to add substantial depth to the nearly 50-year-old Chicago commercial trial boutique,…

Jun 11, 2014 7:15 PM CDT

3 lawyers face legal ethics case in claimed mid-trial DUI arrest setup of opposing counsel

A claimed set-up of a Florida lawyer for a drunken-driving arrest last year has resulted in formal legal ethics charges against three attorneys. C. Philip Campbell was trying a high-profile defamation case at the time, and Adams & Diaco was representing the opposing side. Partners Robert Adams and Stephen Diaco…

Jun 5, 2014 5:29 PM CDT

A Tale of 2 Associates: How polish and attention to detail can win the motion

Jun 1, 2014 8:30 AM CDT

14 lawyers exit Bingham for other BigLaw firms

After what a law firm spokeswoman refers to as a “challenging 2013,” a group of 14 lawyers, including nine partners, are leaving Bingham McCutchen for other BigLaw firms. Among those departing are Richard Fries, the chief of Bingham’s real estate practice, who is en route to Sidley Austin, and partner…

May 30, 2014 7:10 PM CDT

These 4 types of summer associates may get no offers

It’s now the season for summer associates to show their skills and personalities in an effort to get a permanent job offer from their law firms. Above the Law offers some reassurances—nearly all will get job offers. But the blog also has some words of warning in a post about…

May 29, 2014 12:55 PM CDT

Recent admittee sues law firm founder, says he sent graphic email, spoke of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’

Within months of being admitted to practice in Oregon last year, a new lawyer was not only gaining experience as an attorney at a small suburban Portland law firm but being sexually harassed by its well-known founder, a lawsuit alleges. Beginning in December, plaintiff Andrea R. Meyer says, Ross Day…

May 21, 2014 3:45 PM CDT