Associates

A Majority of Surveyed Midsize Firms Plan to Add Lawyers

Managing partners at 26 midsize law firms are in an optimistic mood. A majority of the surveyed partners expect to add lawyers, to increase billing rates, and to post increased profits per partner, the National Law Journal (reg. req.) reports. The NLJ sent the survey to law firms with fewer…

Nov 9, 2012 5:43 PM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Ideas on Fixing Long Lines at Polling Places; America’s Funniest Lawyer

How Should Obama ‘Fix That’? University of Califorina, Irvine, law professor Richard Hasen wrote at Election Law Blog about how he thinks President Barack Obama could make good on his promise to ‘“fix” the problem of outrageously long lines at polling places. “I am thinking that a bipartisan commission should…

Nov 9, 2012 2:30 PM CST

Law School Says Lead Plaintiff in Job Stats Suit Against It Turned Down a Full-Time Law Firm Job

A California woman who says she can’t find work as a lawyer and is suing the law school she graduated from turned down a $60,000-a-year job from a Southern California law firm shortly after graduation, Thomas Jefferson School of Law says in a court filing. Anna Alaburda, the lead plaintiff…

Oct 30, 2012 2:00 PM CDT

Retaliation Claim Allowed in ‘Macho Culture’ Suit by Fired Dechert Associate

A former Dechert associate who maintains he was fired partly because of the firm’s macho culture will be allowed to proceed with a retaliation claim. Ariel Ayanna claims the firm retaliated against him, for taking leave to care for his children and mentally ill wife, in violation of the Family…

Oct 19, 2012 1:55 PM CDT

Texas Law Firm Hikes First-Year Lawyer Pay to $185K

Dallas-based law firm Bickel & Brewer will hike base pay for first year associates in 2013 to $185,000. Name partner William Brewer spoke to Texas Lawyer’s Tex Parte Blog about the $10,000 boost over this year, an increase that will also be paid to all of the firm’s associates. “The…

Oct 19, 2012 11:33 AM CDT

Ex-Crowell Associate Tells Sentencing Judge He Is ‘Consumed with Remorse’

After a tearful apology, a former Crowell & Moring associate was sentenced Wednesday to four to 12 years in prison for stealing $10.7 million from clients. Douglas Arntsen, 34, said he was “consumed with remorse,” the New York Law Journal reports. He had entered a guilty plea earlier this month…

Oct 18, 2012 2:15 PM CDT

Despite Brutal Legal Job Market, Some Well-Known Law Firms are Hiring in the Midwest

Although the overall market for legal hiring could hardly be called robust, it is perhaps improving in the Midwest; and in certain high-demand niche practice areas, experienced attorneys are even being sought-after. Tucker Ellis, based in Ohio, added 21 new attorneys lawyers this year, 16 in its downtown Cleveland office.…

Oct 10, 2012 3:30 PM CDT

To Survive, Firms Will Have to Get Serious About Costs, Get Off the Lockstep Treadmill

The recent reports from Citi and Wells Fargo indicating that law firms are fighting a losing battle in the expense-versus-revenue war can hardly be surprising. The economy continues to sputter, clients look to reduce their own expenses (which means less revenue for law firms), and law firms already have cut…

Oct 9, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Ex-Crowell Associate Pleads Guilty in $10.7M Client Theft; Where Did the Money Go?

A former Crowell & Moring lawyer has pleaded guilty to stealing $10.7 million from two clients, an investment fund and a real estate management company. Douglas Arntsen, 34, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to grand larceny and a scheme to defraud in exchange for an agreement to pay restitution and serve…

Oct 3, 2012 11:22 AM CDT

Law Grad Set to Begin BigLaw Career Was Among Those Killed in Nepal Plane Crash

A law grad who was about to begin work as an associate at Allen & Overy was among the 19 people killed on Friday in a plane crash in Nepal. Ben Ogden, 27, was on a three-week hiking vacation when he died, the Am Law Daily reports, citing a story…

Oct 1, 2012 12:48 PM CDT

Prosecutor: Former Crowell Attorney Accused of Stealing $7M Seeks to Qualify for Release in 6 Months

A former Crowell & Moring real estate attorney accused of embezzling $7 million from a client and then fleeing to Hong Kong is trying to get into a prison boot camp that could qualify him for release in six months, a prosecutor says. Assistant District Attorney Sophi Jacobs said in…

Sep 28, 2012 3:58 PM CDT

Criminal Defense Associate Played a Role in Creation of New CBS Legal Drama ‘Made in Jersey’

In all honesty, Creston P. Smith isn’t much of a television watcher, except when the Baltimore Orioles are trying to make the playoffs. But he’s planning to record a new legal drama that premieres Friday on CBS, to watch later and see if any of the scenarios he talked about…

Sep 28, 2012 1:35 PM CDT

For 2nd Year, Most Summer Associates Land Full-Time Jobs, Surveys Say

Despite anxieties over whether law was a good career choice, surveys show the hiring of summer associates is stabilizing. American Lawyer’s Summer Hiring Survey and an informal poll of of 21 law firms by Am Law Daily show that 96.5 percent of the summer associates working for large law firms…

Sep 26, 2012 10:57 AM CDT

Tips on Acing the Callback to Land a BigLaw Job

Once an interviewee has made a good impression, there’s an inevitable callback. Now is the time to show would-be employers whether you’ll be a good fit with the rest of the group, says Grover Cleveland in a guest post at the Careerist. In addition to initiative and attention to detail,…

Sep 26, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Writer Recounts Career-Changing Revelation: Those Who Made Partner at Cravath Loved Their Work

James B. Stewart is a New Yorker staff writer and the author of a half-dozen books. But he was an associate at Cravath Swaine & Moore back in 1976, when $16,500 was a top New York salary for a newly minted Harvard Law School graduate like himself. His assignments were…

Sep 24, 2012 9:26 PM CDT