Careers

Good-Looking Lawyers Make More Money, Researcher Says

A researcher studying the impact of beauty has found that good-looking lawyers—like other professionals—make more money than their colleagues with lesser looks. Economist Daniel Hamermesh of the University of Texas based his conclusion on the photographs of graduates of an unnamed law school. Those rated attractive in the photos went…

Jan 2, 2008 2:31 PM CST

Weighty Solutions Offered by Ex-Overeating Lawyer

It will cost lawyers $99 a week for 52 weeks to lose weight with the help of someone who has been there, done that—Mark Leventhal, a former lawyer who shed 50 pounds and started Leventhal Weight Loss. Leventhal will work around lawyers’ busy schedules to meet and coach them at…

Jan 2, 2008 11:24 AM CST

Building Your Dream Practice

Want to specialize? Be patient, pull overtime.

Jan 1, 2008 9:37 PM CST

Headhunter Safari

Don’t shoot yourself in the foot when stalking a recruiter

Jan 1, 2008 9:16 PM CST

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Tech exec set to graduate from law school ponders whether to enter a practice

Jan 1, 2008 9:06 PM CST

1L Advice: Don’t Base Summer Job Search on ‘Big-Firm Cachet’

An assistant dean at Northwestern University School of Law is warning 1Ls searching for summer jobs that it’s unlikely they will land first-year summer associate positions at big law firms. The odds favor students at top-ranked schools or those with technical backgrounds, and even then it’s difficult to land one…

Dec 21, 2007 1:10 PM CST

County Attorney Gets Flack for Self-Promotion

The county attorney in Phoenix has spent more than $2.5 million in public money on public service announcements since taking office three years ago. That may not raise eyebrows, except that Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas is in almost every ad, the East Valley Tribune reports. The presence of Thomas…

Dec 17, 2007 9:33 PM CST

D.C.‘s Top Lawyer Resigns

Washington D.C.’s top lawyer resigned Monday, reportedly amid growing frustration that the mayor was leaving key legal decisions to his general counsel. D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer, who was spearheading the District’s defense of its gun ordinance in the U.S. Supreme Court, did not give a reason for her resignation,…

Dec 17, 2007 7:45 PM CST

Voting Rights Chief Steps Down

The Justice Department lawyer in charge of voting rights stepped down on Friday following allegations that he helped suppress African-American votes. McClatchy’s D.C. bureau relates John Tanner’s job change to controversy over the politicization of Bush administration’s Department of Justice. Tanner came under fire in October for a comment that…

Dec 17, 2007 6:51 PM CST

Obama Played ‘Strong, Silent Type’ in Court

Presidential contender Barack Obama, known for his oratorical skills, played the “strong, silent type” when he was practicing law, according to a feature Monday in the Chicago Sun-Times. The paper reviewed cases Obama worked on while he was at Miner Barnhill & Galland and found that other than making introductions,…

Dec 17, 2007 4:47 PM CST

Top French Attorneys Need US or U.K. Legal Degree

To get a top job at a law firm in France, a law degree from a well-regarded American or British law school is virtually required. That’s because France has no law school viewed as first-rank, so BigLaw firms looking for French lawyers view the foreign law degree as a virtual…

Dec 14, 2007 4:32 PM CST

NALP: 75% of Part-Timers Female

Although law firms today routinely offer part-time schedules to attorneys of both sexes, part-time law practice remains an unusual career choice and a largely female enclave. About 75 percent of part-timers are female, according to a recent study by NALP (formerly known as the National Association for Law Placement). And…

Dec 13, 2007 9:50 PM CST

Obit Blames Lawyer’s Death on Stress of Law Firm Job

An obituary apparently written by a lawyer’s widow blames his stressful law firm job for his heart attack. “Robert Bruce Evanick (always known as Bruce to those who loved him—and those who employed him and exploited his work ethic)—died Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 4, 2007. A massive heart attack killed him,”…

Dec 13, 2007 2:20 PM CST

Bar Chief’s Glass Ceiling Theory: Assumptions and Slights

Lorelie Masters has her theory about why so many women leave law firms or fail to advance into partnership positions. She attributes the problem to “the soft bigotry of low expectations,” or, in the words of Legal Times, the theory of assumptions and slights. Masters, president of the Women’s Bar…

Dec 13, 2007 1:36 PM CST

Lawyer Depression Comes Out of the Closet

Lawyers suffer greater rates of depression and alcohol abuse than the general population, but fear of going public caused many to battle their problems in isolation. That’s beginning to change, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). The ABA and other bar groups are questioning the emphasis on billable hours…

Dec 13, 2007 12:13 PM CST