Europe

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

Retention Rates for Trainee Lawyers High at Top U.K. Law Firms

Retention of trainee lawyers is high at many of the top British law firms. Eighteen out of London’s top 25 law firms retained more than 90 percent of their trainee lawyers hired in March, Legal Week reports. Six firms held on to all of their trainees. The firms that made…

Jan 18, 2008 1:31 PM CST

Lawyers Can Trade Vacation Days at Allen & Overy

Seeking to address work-life balance issues, the U.K. law firm Allen & Overy is allowing lawyers to trade vacation days. Lawyers and staffers can sell part of their vacation time back to the firm or can buy extra days. The number of days that can be traded is based on…

Jan 18, 2008 1:18 PM CST

US Jury Consultants Help U.K. Lawyers

It’s a relatively common practice in the United States for trial lawyers to seek help from jury consultants when preparing arguments and selecting jurors. But the idea is still a bit unusual in Britain. Now, however, an increasing number of lawyers in the U.K. are looking to consultants from the…

Jan 16, 2008 6:22 PM CST

New ‘Big Brother’ Software Will Monitor Workers’ Facial Expressions

Privacy advocates, rev your engines: Microsoft is developing what a British newspaper describes as “Big Brother” software that will allow employers remotely to monitor their workers’ productivity, competence and physical well-being to a degree never before seen. Among other data, wireless sensors will provide employers with workers’ heart rates and…

Jan 16, 2008 4:41 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

Academic Booted From School Soccer Team Sues for Discrimination

An Oxford University don has sued the renowned British institution for employment discrimination, contending that she was excluded from a staff soccer team that is considered a department of the university because she has children. An economics lecturer at the university’s Balliol College, 40-year-old Cecile Deer is also an expert…

Jan 15, 2008 4:38 PM CST

Lawyer Sentenced for Denying Holocaust

A former lawyer who represented a Holocaust denier was sentenced today by a German court to 3 ½ year in prison today for her own views. Sylvia Stolz was sentenced for denying the Holocaust, disparaging Germany and insulting a court, the Associated Press reports. Stolz was banned from the first…

Jan 14, 2008 8:05 PM CST

Married Twins Make Case for New Adoption Law

A British peer has brought to the attention of his colleagues the case of two twins, separated at birth, who he says later met and married, unaware of their biological relationship. Although the two were granted an annulment in the highly unusual case after they discovered the truth, it highlights…

Jan 11, 2008 8:08 PM CST

Lawyer Says Subprime Suits Could Be ‘Bigger Than Enron’

A lawyer at a well-known British firm says a wave of lawsuits being filed over subprime mortgage issues could eventually exceed the scope of the litigation over the infamous Enron debacle. “In terms of the potential numbers of lawsuits, the subprime crisis could be bigger than Enron,” Tim House, an…

Jan 11, 2008 4:49 PM CST

Ooh La La! DLA Piper Raids Proskauer in Paris, Promotes 69 to Partner Firmwide

One of the world’s biggest law firms has raided the Paris office of Proskauer Rose, snatching up seven lawyers to boost its French operations. News of the DLA Piper raid, which was reported today by Legal Week, follows word from another United Kingdom legal publication that the more than 3,600-attorney…

Jan 10, 2008 11:47 PM CST

Is Reed Smith Mulling N.Y. Merger?

An international law firm headquartered in Pittsburgh reportedly may be seeking to strengthen its New York presence and insurance coverage practice by merging with a New York City-based boutique. Reed Smith, which has some 1,500 attorneys in more than 20 offices worldwide after recent mergers, may now be considering bringing…

Jan 10, 2008 10:18 PM CST

Court Bans Bad Neighbor from Living in His Own Home

A man who reportedly made his next-door neighbors’ daily lives a hellish experience for years is now banned from residing in his own home. After 40-year-old Carl Bridson finishes serving a six-month sentence for harassment, he will only be able to visit his home for brief periods scheduled in advance,…

Jan 10, 2008 5:05 PM CST

Lawyer Says Spain Aided Interrogation of Two Guantanamo Detainees

A lawyer has told a London court that Spanish authorities took part in the interrogations of two British residents at Guantanamo Bay. Spain is seeking to extradite the two men, Jamil el-Banna and Omar Deghayes, who were freed from Guantanamo last month. The country wants to prosecute the men based…

Jan 9, 2008 4:38 PM CST

Successful Solo’s Advice to Others: Save, Plan, Be Brave

A decade after he ventured out on his own at age 40, one successful lawyer now has some advice to offer others on how it can be done. Save your money, put together a business plan, enlist your spouse’s support and then … take the plunge, says Richard Kemp, who…

Jan 9, 2008 12:41 AM CST