Careers

Law Firm Mentor: Friend or Foe?

To a starry-eyed new associate or young partner, a law firm mentor can be one of the big benefits of starting out in practice with far more seasoned colleagues. However, not every mentor is an associate’s friend. And, from the mentor’s standpoint, too, having an associate as a protege may…

Jan 23, 2008 6:33 PM CST

January Remains a Popular Month for Lateral Hires

Law firms often make lateral hires in January after the books have been closed for the previous year, and 2008 is no different. Lawyers with practices in bankruptcy and corporate finance appear particularly popular as lateral hires, the National Law Journal reports. And bankruptcy lawyers will remain in demand in…

Jan 23, 2008 1:57 PM CST

Abe Lincoln’s Self-Study Route to Law Practice a Vanishing Option

It still is possible, in a handful of states, for an individual to pass the bar and work as an attorney without ever actually having attended law school. But, as a practical matter, such self-study of the law is a dying career option available only to a few individuals favored…

Jan 22, 2008 8:59 PM CST

1st Legal Outsourcing Summit: Good Contracts Needed in Growing Industry

A first-time summit in New York City last week of Indian legal process outsourcing companies and their counsel shows how the industry—which could result in some $4 billion in foreign legal work being sent to India by 2015—is growing. However, some issues in the fledgling industry remain unresolved, such as…

Jan 22, 2008 7:30 PM CST

Which Lawyers Love Their Jobs?

Young lawyers who love their work practice in a variety of areas. But one thing many have in common is that they wanted to be attorneys from a young age, according to the London Times. “I always wanted to be a lawyer. I was always thinking about it and looking…

Jan 22, 2008 5:51 PM CST

Candidates Rap ‘Slumlord’ Representation, Corporate Lawyering

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama traded jabs about each other’s legal careers during the contentious Democratic debate yesterday. Obama described Clinton as “a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart” during the 1980s while he was working as a community organizer in Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reports. Clinton replied…

Jan 22, 2008 5:25 PM CST

Five Law Firms on List of 100 Best Places to Work

Many law firm associates are quick to complain about grueling hours and tough bosses, but the picture isn’t as bad as some make it out to be, if Fortune Magazine’s list of 100 best places to work is any indication. Five law firms have made the list, with ranks ranging…

Jan 22, 2008 5:01 PM CST

$1K Offered for Best Work/Life Essay, $5K for Legal Profession Essay

A $1,000 prize is being offered by the Ms. JD law blog and the Project for Attorney Retention for the best essay of 1,500 words or less on work/life balance. The contest is intended to address the question: “How Do We Close the Gap Between Baby Boomers and Millennials on…

Jan 18, 2008 7:47 PM CST

More Flex Options for BigLaw Women to Make Partner

Increasingly, BigLaw firms reportedly are offering a variety of flexible options to allow women lawyers to make special arrangements they may need during early child-rearing years, yet still stay on a pathway to partnership. For Gabrielle Higgins, for instance, that meant an 18-year partnership track, due to her decision to…

Jan 17, 2008 10:28 PM CST

Law Grad, 32: Don’t Do What I Did

A 32-year-old Boston University law graduate is on a one-woman crusade to save others from making the same mistakes she made. High on Kirsten Wolf’s list of don’ts is spending the time—and especially the money—she did to get a law degree. Now saddled with $87,000 in educational debt that she…

Jan 16, 2008 10:39 PM CST

Retire in Your 40s? Yes, at U.K. Megafirm

Retiring at age 40-something probably isn’t a realistic goal for most lawyers. But in a move that may be viewed with envy by partners at some U.S. firms, one of Britain’s biggest and best-known law shops has announced a new retirement plan that makes this possible for some. Prompted by…

Jan 15, 2008 10:06 PM CST

Racy Billboard Gets Lawyer New Work ... at Playboy

A controversial billboard featuring scantily clad models promoting a divorce lawyer’s Chicago matrimonial practice didn’t stay up for long. But it put attorney Corri Fetman, 44, on target for a new career at Playboy. In addition to offering advice to readers as the magazine’s “Lawyer of Love” columnist, Fetman also…

Jan 11, 2008 11:19 PM CST

Legal Researcher Studies Prostitution Economics

An economist and author who is a research fellow at the American Bar Foundation has circulated preliminary data from a controversial study on Chicago prostitution. A draft analysis co-authored by Steven Levitt, who wrote Freakonomics, found street prostitutes on average make less than $20,000 a year, the Chicago Tribune reports.…

Jan 11, 2008 4:36 PM CST

BigLaw Associate Moonlights as ER Doc

As if being a BigLaw associate wasn’t more than enough work for any ordinary attorney, one such California lawyer is moonlighting at a night job … as an emergency room physician. Okey Onyejekwe earned his M.D. degree in 2000 from Ohio State University, and began working in the emergency room…

Jan 7, 2008 10:52 PM CST

Legal Careers Lose Their Allure, Drop to Dentistry Status

College grads who want wealth and social status are passing up law and medicine for careers in investment banking. A career at a hedge fund or private equity firm can offer financial rewards that outpace earnings at even the biggest law firms. Partners at the nation’s largest 100 firms made…

Jan 7, 2008 11:52 AM CST