Career & Practice

Chat Over Red Sox Hat Led Suffolk Grads to Start Law Practice in Garage

It all began with a conversation over a Red Sox baseball cap at an Arizona bar review course. Realizing they rooted for the same team, Christopher Corso and John Rhude started talking. Although both are graduates of Suffolk University Law School in Boston, they had never before met. That was…

Mar 26, 2010 5:14 PM CDT

Discipline Urged for Faegre Partner Over Minnesota Twins Stadium Deal Conflict

Discipline has been recommended for a Faegre & Benson real estate partner over his work on a Minnesota Twins stadium deal. Mark Savin represented a then-owner of the land on which the stadium now sits at the same time that other lawyers at his firm represented Hennepin County in an…

Mar 26, 2010 4:36 PM CDT

How Do You Handle e-Evidence at Trial? It Depends

Suppose the defendant in a case you’re judging has produced a document with a certain hash value (used to index items in a database) that the plaintiff wants to use at trial. On the eve of trial, however, the defendant, having noticed the hash value on the document is different,…

Mar 26, 2010 3:33 PM CDT

Lawyer Claims Panic Attack Led Her to Accept $350K Settlement from Clifford Chance

A former Clifford Chance associate seeking to reopen a $350,000 bias settlement with the law firm claims a panic attack and pressure from her lawyer led her to accept the deal. Caroline Memnon made the allegations in court papers filed under seal, but the Am Law Daily has copies of…

Mar 26, 2010 3:14 PM CDT

Inexpensive Web Tools and Straight Talk Help Build Client Relationships

North Carolina divorce attorney Lee Rosen loses sleep at night over his payroll, particularly when business is slow. Rosen confessed his fear to a packed crowd of lawyers at the ABA Techshow seminar, Crossing the Digital Divide: eMarketing to Clients and Prospects. Many of those in attendance Thursday, mostly solo-…

Mar 26, 2010 1:57 PM CDT

Research Cases, Dictate to a Virtual Legal Assistant and Never Lose Your Way, iPhone JDs Say

The crowning glory of the ABA Techshow’s Mac user track on Thursday, according to presenters Jeff Richardson and Reid Trautz, was a lively display that highlighted the top 60 applications that should be on every lawyer’s iPhone. The iPhone application store recently surpassed 100,000 apps—and iPhone users are moving in…

Mar 26, 2010 1:44 PM CDT

Former Sedgwick Associate Files Suit Seeking $32K Unpaid Origination Fee

A former associate at Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold is suing the law firm in a dispute over $32,000 and one month’s pay. Megan Doan filed suit this week, claiming she is entitled to 30 days’ wages and $32,000 owed for for bringing a new client to the firm, the…

Mar 26, 2010 1:19 PM CDT

Attorney Suspended for 6 Months Due to Paralegal’s Alleged Embezzlement of $80K

A New Hampshire attorney has had his license suspended for six months because his paralegal allegedly embezzled $80,000 from clients. Joseph Ritzo breached his duty to safeguard client settlement funds and to ensure that his paralegal was performing her job in compliance with the law, the state Professional Conduct Committee…

Mar 25, 2010 10:01 PM CDT

Plaintiff Lawyers Vie for Coveted Lead Counsel Role in Toyota Litigation

Some 100 lawsuits have been filed against Toyota Motor Corp. throughout the United States, blaming the automaker for alleged injuries ranging from fatal accidents to diminished vehicle value after widespread reports of claimed sudden-acceleration problems with some models. But by the time the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation reaches…

Mar 25, 2010 8:26 PM CDT

Top Law Firm Taps Ex-Partners to Lead Client Survey

When a renowned London-based law firm sought feedback from major clients, it decided to put former partners in charge of the survey project. Ex-partners are in an ideal position to seek information from clients about Linklaters’ legal work and prospects for expanding the relationship because they know a considerable amount…

Mar 25, 2010 5:18 PM CDT

Suit by Fired Davis Wright Secretary Says Overwork After Layoffs Caused Panic Attacks

A former secretary at Davis Wright Tremaine in Portland, Ore., claims in a lawsuit that she was deluged with work after layoffs, causing panic attacks that got her fired from the law firm. The suit filed in Oregon state court by Nancy Topolski seeks almost $1 million in damages and…

Mar 25, 2010 12:10 PM CDT

Lawyer Jailed in Lieu of $7.5M Bail in Alleged Real Estate Fraud

A California lawyer is in jail in lieu of $7.5 million bail, accused of participating in a fraudulent property transfer scheme that allegedly reaped $2.2 million in loans and involved the filing of falsified real estate documents. Investigators in the San Francisco County case also contend that San Jose attorney…

Mar 24, 2010 9:22 PM CDT

Sidley Austin Represents Plaintiffs in Another School Funding Challenge

Lawyers for plaintiffs challenging the local funding system for Illinois schools say a 1996 state supreme court ruling doesn’t bar their suit because of new mandates for education. The 1996 Illinois Supreme Court decision said school funding disparities were related to the legitimate state goal of promoting local control of…

Mar 24, 2010 5:32 PM CDT

From Snow Cones to Law Practice: Solo Makes the Best of Bad Marketing Ideas

According to solo practitioner David Koller, even a bad marketing idea may help his fledgling legal practice. The intent, he says, is to generate referrals. Before starting his legal practice last year, Koller writes in the Legal Intelligencer, his only prior business experience was making snow cones from his Snoopy…

Mar 24, 2010 2:38 PM CDT

Report Finds Power Shift and Declining Support for Law Firm ‘Up or Out’ Model

The recession has driven a power shift that now favors in-house counsel over the law firms they hire, a new report has found. About 75 percent of general counsel and law firm partners said the balance of power now lies with law firm clients, according to the report (PDF). A…

Mar 24, 2010 10:30 AM CDT