In-house Counsel

Acquitted In-House Lawyer Warns of the ‘Criminalization’ of Law Practice

An in-house lawyer acquitted on charges of obstructing a government agency’s inquiry told lawyers on Monday that she learned an important lesson during the ordeal. “If you’re going to write letters to agencies,” Lauren Stevens said, “have your outside counsel sign them.” Corporate Counsel has a story on the speech…

Oct 3, 2012 11:15 AM CDT

Four Reasons Why GCs Fire Their Law Firms

Thirty percent of surveyed general counsel dropped at least one of their law firms last year, and the reasons for firing fell in four main categories. The American Lawyer summarizes the findings by UK-based market-research firm Acritas, which based its research on phone interviews with a couple thousand general counsel…

Oct 2, 2012 11:54 AM CDT

Skadden Partners with Companies and Legal Aid Groups to Bring ‘Critical Mass’ to Pro Bono

In an effort to make more effective use of the lawyer resources at its disposal, the Washington office of Skadden Arps has announced that it’s partnering with in-house teams at LivingSocial, Northrop Grumman and Cisco Systems and with three legal aid groups to better assist low-income residents with legal needs.…

Sep 25, 2012 11:15 AM CDT

Nearly a Third of Surveyed Lawyers Anticipate Hiring in Fourth Quarter

Nearly a third of law firms and corporations plan to hire full-time legal professionals in the fourth quarter, according to a survey of 200 lawyers with hiring authority. Half of those surveyed by Robert Half Legal were from law firms of 20 or more employees, and half were from corporations…

Sep 14, 2012 11:56 AM CDT

Top LSU Lawyer Resigns From $275K General Counsel Job, Will Now Work as Law School Prof

After more than a decade on the job, the general counsel of Louisiana State University system resigned Thursday from his $275,000-a-year position, effective Friday, in what is apparently the latest move in a continuing shake-up that began after new members appointed by Gov. Bobby Jindal took control of the system’s…

Sep 7, 2012 3:58 PM CDT

Few Lawyers Report Being ‘Very Satisfied’ with Alternative Fees, Survey Finds

More lawyers are using alternative fees, but they aren’t embracing them wholeheartedly, a recent survey has found. Only 26 percent of legal departments and 11 percent of law firms reported they were “very satisfied” with alternative fees, according to the survey by ALM Legal Intelligence. Corporate Counsel interviewed Kris Satkunas,…

Aug 28, 2012 12:05 PM CDT

Gov’t Lawyer Sued re Claimed Decade of Abuse After Girl, 10, Was Placed with Convicted Killer Aunt

A woman allegedly held captive and abused for a decade by an aunt who is a convicted killer has filed a civil rights suit against the city of Philadelphia and a government lawyer and social worker. Beatrice Weston contends that her torment could have been avoided either through a background…

Aug 21, 2012 9:15 PM CDT

Cybersecurity Is Top of Mind for General Counsel and Co. Directors

For the first time in 12 years of surveying general counsel and corporate directors of public companies, data from the “Law and the Boardroom Study” show that data security is the top concern. The annual survey by FTI Consulting and Corporate Board Member reached out to 1,957 general counsel and…

Aug 15, 2012 10:07 AM CDT

Women and Minority General Counsel Are Gaining Ground at Fortune 500 Companies, Study Shows

The number of women in top legal spots at Fortune 500 companies is on the rise and accelerating, according to an annual survey by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. Women now hold general counsel positions at 21 percent of companies in the Fortune 500. The study showed there were 108…

Aug 13, 2012 10:42 AM CDT

Former GC for Teamsters Local Gets Prison Time in $184K Expense Reimbursement Scheme

A former general counsel for a Teamsters local has been sentenced to prison time for a $184,000 expense-reimbursement scheme. Kevin Clor, 40, was given a term of between 32 months and eight years Wednesday by a Manhattan Supreme Court judge after pleading guilty in June to 34 counts of grand…

Aug 8, 2012 10:02 PM CDT

Law Firms Are Looking to Hire In-House Counsel for Lateral Positions

A July hiring surge among Pennsylvania law firms featured an unusual trend–lateral lawyers moving back into private practice from in-house counsel positions. A number of factors may be combining to encourage such moves. Among them, there is a dearth of lawyers in certain practice areas, such as corporate law and…

Aug 6, 2012 12:00 PM CDT

Twitter General Counsel Acknowledges ‘Mess Up’ in Reporter’s Banishment

Twitter has done an about-face and reinstated the account of a reporter kicked off the website for tweeting the corporate email address of an NBC executive. Twitter and NBC are partnering to share Olympics coverage, the New York Times report at its Media Decoder blog. Twitter suspended the email account…

Aug 1, 2012 3:35 PM CDT

Want Quality? Learn to Operate

Let’s talk about two doctors, and consider who is the most talented, the most important. Brenda Brain Surgeon is the chief of Neurosurgery at Mass General Hospital. Brenda has nimble hands, deep insight, and a calm demeanor. She excelled through four years of medical school, six years of residency, and…

Jul 26, 2012 6:45 PM CDT

Former Penn State President Claims Ex-GC Didn’t Seek Outside Advice or Prepare Him for Grand Jury

Former Penn State president Graham Spanier defended his response to allegations against Jerry Sandusky in a letter to university trustees that criticized the school’s then-general counsel for failing to hire an experienced law firm during the grand jury probe. Spanier said he wouldn’t have ignored child sexual abuse complaints because…

Jul 24, 2012 11:42 AM CDT

General Counsel Compensation Falls in 2011; Average Base Pay and Bonus Is $1.7M

Fortune 500 general counsel saw an average loss of 1.8 percent in base pay last year and much bigger drops in equity compensation. The average base pay was $611,411, Corporate Counsel reports. The average base pay combined with nonequity bonus was $1.7 million, down 5.7 percent. The losses in equity…

Jul 18, 2012 12:13 PM CDT