In-house Counsel

BigLaw Turns to Alternative Billing; Is Greed a Reason?

The billable hour has long troubled in-house lawyers who say the billing method discourages efficiency and associates who complain of being judged based on the amount of time they spend on matters. Now, as alternative billing arrangements are starting to be used, sometimes, at some big law firms, one commentator…

Jan 30, 2009 12:12 PM CST

Why Outside Counsel Budgets Should Be Like Shared Cookies

There is a tried-and-true method to make sure children are fair when dividing a cookie. One child divides the cookie in half, and the second child chooses which half to eat. A similar method can be used by in-house counsel trying to get an accurate budget from outside law firms…

Jan 29, 2009 7:43 PM CST

Ex-General Counsel of GE Unit Settles Gender Bias Case

The former general counsel of a General Electric subsidiary has settled her employment discrimination case against the company. The terms of the settlement between GE and Lorene Schaefer are confidential, according to a press release. Schaefer, the former general counsel of GE Transportation, had alleged in her May 2007 lawsuit…

Jan 27, 2009 7:09 PM CST

Detroit’s Top Lawyer Resigns Over ‘Ghetto Court’ Remark

The chief of Detroit’s law department has resigned in a flap stemming from her reference to one of the city’s courts as “a ghetto court.” Kathleen Leavey, who is white, made the comment in a meeting last week with court staffers, according to the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit…

Jan 20, 2009 12:42 PM CST

At Least 19 Lawyers on List of 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics

A crusading prosecutor who has accused Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich of trying to sell the Senate seat held by Barack Obama is one of the more high-profile lawyers on a list of the 100 most influential people in business ethics. But his fame doesn’t compare with that of Obama himself,…

Jan 15, 2009 5:56 PM CST

How 1st-Year Volunteer Stint Made Harvard Grad a Nonprofit Powerhouse

A first-year volunteer stint, working to found an after-school tutoring program for students at a nearby public school, nearly resulted in Earl Martin Phalen’s quitting Harvard Law School. But, despite being engrossed in Building Educated Leaders for Life, which he co-founded with a classmate in 1992, Phalen decided to stay…

Jan 8, 2009 8:09 PM CST

How to Monitor Telecommuters Electronically—and Legally

As employers increasingly allow employees to telecommute, legal issues arise about whether to monitor electronically their at-home work and, if so, to what degree. For those who do decide to monitor at-home employees, it’s a good idea to buy them a computer to be used only for work, reports Corporate…

Jan 6, 2009 10:40 PM CST

Double-Edged Rules

Proposed accounting changes alarm corporate counsel

Jan 1, 2009 6:50 AM CST

Corp. Counsel Alarmed By Proposed Accounting Changes

The Financial Accounting Standards Board probably expected some flak when it announced in June its intent to broaden required disclosures on the potential costs of corporate litigation. What the board got, however, was a fusillade. Unprecedented backlash has been growing since the FASB, the private nonprofit group that develops generally…

Jan 1, 2009 1:34 AM CST

In-House Tax Lawyer Acquitted of Filing False Return for his Ex-Employer

The former global tax manager for the Bechtel Corp. has been acquitted on charges he was responsible for a false tax return filed by the company. A federal jury in California acquitted Mark Muntean after deliberating for slightly more than an hour, the Recorder reports. Prosecutors had claimed Muntean advocated…

Dec 19, 2008 4:07 PM CST

Unexpected Legal Tabs Irk Law Firm GCs

Unexpected bills can put a law firm on the hot seat or bounce it from a corporate legal roster, according to general counsel dishing on pet peeves. Speaking on a panel last week in Boston, Laura Peabody of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Inc. told of a $35,000 bill for a…

Dec 9, 2008 6:38 PM CST

75% of GCs Expect Lower 2009 Budgets

Most general counsel responding to a survey are expecting lower budgets next year and voicing concern about outside counsel costs. Nearly 75 percent of general counsel responding to a November survey (PDF) by legal consultants Altman Weil said their legal departments are facing budget cuts averaging 11.5 percent next year,…

Dec 9, 2008 4:59 PM CST

Most In-House Lawyers Surveyed Expect to Reduce Outside Law Firms

Most on the in-house lawyers at large companies responding to an informal survey say they expect to cut back on the number of outside law firms they use over the next five years. About 57 percent of in-house counsel at companies with revenues of at least $1 billion said they…

Dec 1, 2008 6:13 PM CST

How to Avoid the In-House Ax—and Recover, If It Falls

As law firm layoffs become relatively commonplace news, it isn’t just attorneys in private practice who are nervously wondering where the ax might fall next. In-house lawyers are at risk of losing their jobs, too—and likely will have more trouble finding new corporate jobs, compared to their law firm colleagues.…

Nov 19, 2008 10:34 PM CST

Flip Side of Law Firm Merger Mania: Clients Wonder, What About Our Rates?

For years, it has been the accepted wisdom that major corporations want to use fewer law firms in order to control legal costs, and many BigLaw firms have taken that message to heart, adding to their attorney rosters and expanding their geographic range by merging with other legal partnerships. But…

Nov 18, 2008 9:14 PM CST