Corporate Law

Fenwick Hires Nonlawyer as Venture Fund Matchmaker

Fenwick & West has taken the unusual step of hiring a nonlawyer to help introduce startup clients to venture capital funds. Darrell Kong will also help refine business plans for startups, the Recorder reports. The Mountain View, Calif., law firm hopes Kong will help it double its venture-backed clients by…

Nov 12, 2007 11:59 AM CST

‘Attorney at Blah’: JD Earns Extra $20/Hour in Doc Review

CORRECTED: The job is similar, but the pay is different: temp work, in something akin to document review, without a law degree, is dull, thankless work that earns $10 an hour. With a juris doctor degree and a bar admission, temp work brings in $35 an hour–enough to earn a…

Nov 9, 2007 10:44 PM CST

Insurance Brokerage: Possible Industry Bribery Issues

An insurance brokerage says it is receiving inquiries from federal investigators about possible bribery issues. And it doesn’t appear that Aon Corp. is the only such company being queried, reports Bloomberg. Aon has reportedly hired an unspecified law firm to look into the matter and make sure it is in…

Nov 9, 2007 9:30 PM CST

Ace Private Equity Attorney: Super-Smarts Aren’t a Job Requirement

Charlie Geffen readily admits he’s something of a workaholic. But, the British lawyer says, it doesn’t take an academic whiz to be one of the world’s most successful private equity practitioners. Instead, diligently learning the rules is what it takes to get through law school, and, especially in his practice…

Nov 9, 2007 4:58 PM CST

N.Y. Mortgage Appraisal Probe Spotlights Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac

Updated: New York’s top law enforcement officer obviously isn’t afraid to take on the big guys. Having filed suit last week against one of the nation’s biggest mortgage lenders over an alleged scheme to promote inflated appraisals, in alleged violation of lending regulations, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is now…

Nov 7, 2007 9:12 PM CST

CA Jury Gives 6 Banana Workers $3.3M

A California jury has awarded $3.3 million to six Central American laborers who say they suffered health problems as a result of a pesticide used by the American company in the 1970s on the banana plantation on which they worked. However, another six laborers among the plaintiffs in the groundbreaking…

Nov 6, 2007 12:30 AM CST

BigLaw Relaxing Bank Suit Standards?

As the subprime mortgage meltdown and a resulting global credit crunch have created a surge of litigation against lenders, some of the world’s major law firms are caught in a quandary. Traditionally, they have represented banks. But now that litigating against banks is a hot practice area, many are relaxing,…

Nov 5, 2007 11:18 PM CST

Aussie Lawyer to Clients: Don’t Flush Fees Down the Gurgler

An Australian lawyer has written a book about the top 10 mistakes that small and medium-size businesses frequently make in their legal matters. And among the mega-mistakes, he says, is spending money on litigation. For the best-represented clients, the focus should be on talk rather than legal action, writes Paul…

Nov 5, 2007 6:35 PM CST

Oops: Top Lateral Lured from UK Rival is Retiring

The London office of Hogan & Hartson reportedly has been stunned by the news that the head of its city corporate team—a partner it stole from rival Shearman & Sterling’s London office less than 18 months ago—is leaving law practice. Although Jonathan Coppin announced last month that he planned to…

Nov 5, 2007 5:44 PM CST

Outside Law Firms Still Don’t Get It, In-House Counsel Say in Survey

Although the law firms doing corporate work understand that they need to focus on servicing the needs of in-house counsel, they still don’t know how to do so. That is the gist of what in-house counsel say in a recent survey, according to Fred Krebs, the president of the American…

Oct 31, 2007 6:10 PM CDT

Still-Quirky Garage Law Firm Grows Up

A law firm in South Wales that started out in business in a one-room office over a garage five years ago has grown up since then and now has what many might consider a “real” law office. However, SRBlegal still opts to operate in a nontraditional setting, setting up shop…

Oct 31, 2007 4:58 PM CDT

Survey Says US-Style Litigation Coming to UK

Although class actions have long been unique to America, that is starting to change—and fast, one major U.S. law firm is predicting. It is basing this projection, in part, on what potential corporate defendants themselves expect to see happening in Europe soon. A survey sponsored by St. Louis-based Bryan Cave…

Oct 31, 2007 1:19 AM CDT

David Boies Testimony at Issue in Tyco Appeal

Testimony from a well-known lawyer hired to investigate the finances of Tyco International was improperly used to convict ex-CEO Dennis Kozlowski, his lawyer argued yesterday. Lawyer John Martin told a New York state appeals court that lawyer David Boies should not have been allowed to testify about a conversation he…

Oct 26, 2007 6:24 PM CDT

Indicted Baker & McKenzie Partner Resigns

A now-former corporate partner of Baker & McKenzie has resigned following his indictment last week in a federal securities fraud case involving alleged corporate kickbacks. The megafirm says in a written statement today that Martin Weisberg, 57, has resigned effective immediately, reports the New York Times in its DealBook column.…

Oct 25, 2007 11:36 PM CDT

Big Biz Scoring System for Law Firm Hires

Two big-name companies based in Switzerland are now using a new scoring system to determine what law firms to hire. Zurich, a well-known insurance carrier, announced this week that it rates law firms on about 10 factors, including cost, responsiveness and “personalities,” reports Legal Week. “The insurer now hopes to…

Oct 25, 2007 3:30 PM CDT