Business Development

Attorney O’Quinn’s Estate OKs $46M Settlement With Former Clients

If John O’Quinn had been around to defend himself, it’s possible that attorney Terry Scarborough would still be fighting for a settlement on behalf of almost 3,500 clients of the famed trial lawyer. But after O’Quinn’s death in an auto accident in October his estate has agreed to pay $46.5…

Dec 21, 2009 7:10 PM CST

Some Top Lawyers Bill More than $1,000 an Hour for Bankruptcy Work

A few lawyers are billing more than $1,000 an hour for bankruptcy work in Manhattan and Delaware courts. The top billers for the year ending in August 2009 were Pleasantville, N.Y., solo Alan Harris and tax partner Bernie Pistillo of Shearman & Sterling and, the American Lawyer reports. Harris charged…

Dec 16, 2009 4:41 PM CST

Debevoise Sues to Collect $6M Bill; Client Cites 50 Lawyers, ‘Subpar’ Work

Engaged by a timber company in 2005 to follow up on another law firm’s work and prepare a corporate litigation matter for trial, Debevoise & Plimpton promised in a representation letter to work “as cost-effectively as possible.” But then the firm went ahead with a great deal of duplicative and…

Dec 9, 2009 8:43 PM CST

Practice Pitfalls

When it comes to potential ethics or malpractice hazards, watch where you’re going, or look out below

Dec 2, 2009 5:39 AM CST

Not Sending Clients Copy of Retainer a Costly Mistake for Law Firm

Delay in providing clients with a full copy of the applicable retainer agreement for their matter has cost a New Jersey law firm a six-figure sum. Reversing an earlier award of $163,000 to Alpert Butler & Weiss for unpaid legal fees and the cost of pursuing their collection action, a…

Nov 30, 2009 7:54 PM CST

DOJ Drops All Money-Laundering Charges Against Miami Lawyer

Federal prosecutors asked Wednesday to dismiss the drug money-laundering case against Miami criminal defense lawyer Ben Kuehne. “I have had throughout a deep and abiding belief that things would turn out well in the end,” Kuehne said in a statement provided to the Miami Herald. “However, I did not know…

Nov 25, 2009 8:32 PM CST

Court Fines Insurer & Lawyer for Appealing Duty to Defend

An insurance company that not only refused its contractual duty to defend a policyholder but appealed a trial court’s ruling that the duty to defend was not a close case has been hit with a $2,500 sanction by a Georgia appellate court. And Atlanta attorney Dennis Brown of Buckley Brown…

Nov 25, 2009 12:34 AM CST

What In-House Counsel Want: Relationship Building and Quick Answers

Sometimes legal costs aren’t the most important thing to in-house counsel selecting their outside lawyers. In-house lawyers also want law firms that are willing to take the initiative to build the relationship, according to a National Law Journal report on a recent panel discussion in Boston. The panel at the…

Nov 23, 2009 7:42 PM CST

Levi’s Is Paying Orrick a Flat Fee to Handle All But Its IP Work

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe is earning a flat fee to handle all of the legal work worldwide for Levi Strauss & Co., with just one exception. Levi’s is paying Orrick an annual fee in monthly increments for all but its brand protection work, the Recorder (sub. req.) reports. Townsend and…

Nov 23, 2009 1:30 PM CST

64% of Law Departments Have or Will Implement Rate Freezes, Survey Says

Companies are trying to cut their legal budgets, and it’s affecting in-house lawyers whose salaries are frozen and outside law firms asked to reduce rates and offer alternatives to hourly rates. Alternative fees have been touted as the up-and-coming way to reduce outside legal costs. But law departments are trying…

Nov 20, 2009 3:30 PM CST

Struggling South Florida Divorce Lawyers Offer Discounts, Accept Credit Cards

Business is off by as much as 35 percent for some South Florida divorce lawyers, spurring discounted rates and creative payment plans. The economy is forcing many lower-income couples to put off divorce, lawyers tell the Miami Herald. Sometimes a couple can’t afford to live independently, or one spouse relies…

Nov 20, 2009 2:09 PM CST

Law Firm Price Wars Break Out as Some Try ‘Loss Leader’ Bids for Work

Price wars have broken out among large law firms. Desperate to bring in new business, some firms are offering “loss leader” bids that may turn out to be unsustainable, according to managers of 15 large law firms responding to a survey summarized at the Legal Business Development blog. Legal business…

Nov 19, 2009 5:24 PM CST

‘Star Associate’ Alleges Breakdown Over Work Conditions, Sues Sedgwick & Partner

A former associate in the New York office of Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold has filed a disability discrimination suit against the firm and an a partner he alleges was abusive, contending that he was driven to a breakdown with overwork and mistreatment and then abruptly fired when he had…

Nov 6, 2009 7:20 PM CST

Judge Reels Over Receiver’s $11M Bonus Request in Mutual Benefits Case

When Chief U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno first saw the bonus requested by the court-appointed receiver in charge of collecting assets for investors who lost some $837 million in the Mutual Benefits viaticals fraud, he thought it was just over $1 million. Then Moreno realized that he’d misread the figure.…

Oct 30, 2009 10:17 PM CDT

Ex-Client Sues Seyfarth, Seeks Treble Damages & Legal Fees

In a legal malpractice suit filed against Seyfarth Shaw and four current and former lawyers of the law firm, a former client is seeking not only standard-issue relief but treble damages and attorney fees under a Massachusetts consumer protection statute. Plaintiff PCG Trading contends Seyfarth withdrew from its representation of…

Oct 30, 2009 8:56 PM CDT