In-house Counsel

Experts Explain: How to Help Company Records Custodians Help You

Lawyers seeking documents from corporate records custodians will find that time spent explaining their requests pays dividends. Although the litigation process may seem clear to the attorneys involved, it can be an unusual, confusing and frightening experience for the company employees asked to provide documents in discovery, two experts point…

May 16, 2008 8:13 PM CDT

Founders & Gen’l Counsel Sued By SEC in Broadcom Options Backdating Case

Broadcom Corp.’s two founders, its general counsel and a former chief financial officer were all named as defendants today in a civil complaint filed over options backdating by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in federal court in California. The four “perpetrated a scheme from 1998 to 2003 to fraudulently…

May 14, 2008 9:08 PM CDT

Law Firms Will Have to Work Harder for Hefty Profits, Competitor Predicts

Despite rich profits recently reported by some of the nation’s biggest and best-known law firms, the legal work landscape is changing for the vast majority of corporate practitioners. Faced with budget caps and ever-increasing scrutiny of what they spend, general counsels of client companies are flexing their considerable muscle to…

May 1, 2008 4:01 PM CDT

How Attorneys Can Avoid Big Claims Over Bankrupt Clients

When struggling companies go under in a big way, bankruptcy trustees today are increasingly looking to their accountants and lawyers to ante up at least some of the missing money So professionals should keep a wary eye out for red flags that should warn them, early in the representation, that…

Apr 23, 2008 6:46 PM CDT

Most GCs Happy With Job, Many Looking to Hire In-House Counsel

Despite headaches created by increased corporate compliance requirements and tension with outside auditors, the vast majority of lawyers at the helm of corporate legal departments are happy with their jobs. Some 85 percent of the nation’s chief legal officers and general counsels say their careers are rewarding, according to an…

Apr 17, 2008 8:24 PM CDT

Coke Reviews Diversity at Outside Law Firms, Honors Shook Hardy

The Coca-Cola Co. sent a questionnaire to its 18 outside law firms asking about their diversity practices, then honored Shook, Hardy & Bacon for good results. The soft drink company awarded Shook Hardy its “Living the Values” award at a dinner in Atlanta last week, according to the Fulton County…

Apr 17, 2008 6:10 PM CDT

GCs Take Career Hit in Backdating Scandals

General counsel at 14 Silicon Valley companies have seen their careers slide under the taint of backdating scandals. The Recorder (sub. req.) investigated the fate of general counsel at 39 Silicon Valley companies that restated financial results because of backdating. Four of them faced government charges, and 10 more either…

Apr 17, 2008 2:59 PM CDT

Suit Claims Boss Waterboarded Worker as Motivational Tack

A suit by a sales employee claims his boss subjected him to waterboarding as part of a “team-building exercise.” Chad Hudgens, part of a 10-person telephone sales team, said he had volunteered for the exercise, devised by his supervisor during a slow sales week, but had no idea what he…

Apr 14, 2008 3:54 PM CDT

Hiring of Former Pentagon GC Not Big News to Chevron

Chevron Corp. has hired William “Jim” Haynes II, the former Pentagon general counsel criticized for his role in approving harsh interrogation techniques, but the company didn’t rush to publicize its new acquisition. Chevron informed its management committee it had hired Haynes as its chief corporate counsel on Feb. 27, but…

Apr 11, 2008 2:14 PM CDT

How to Avoid ‘Parent Trap’ Issues

While those who are parents aren’t a protected class, employers seeking to be family-friendly can ironically stumble into legal pitfalls if they aren’t careful. When disciplining a worker who is a caregiver for children or other family members, it’s important to focus on the rule and the offense, just as…

Apr 10, 2008 11:43 PM CDT

How to Make Workers Act Nice (Even if They’re Not)

Angry, unpleasant, rude fellow employees, in legal settings and elsewhere, make life a lot less pleasant—and less productive. Increasingly, companies and law firms recognize this fact, and some have even made it a rule, formally or informally, that colleagues can’t behave badly in the workplace. But requiring everyone at least…

Apr 9, 2008 6:50 PM CDT

E-Discovery Rule Changes Boost Legal Outsourcing to India

Changes to federal rules governing the discovery of electronic documents have boosted legal outsourcing to India. E-discovery is producing thousands of pages of documents in lawsuits that require a careful—and potentially expensive—review, Time Magazine reports. The cost of document review by lawyers is only about $1 a page in India…

Apr 4, 2008 2:37 PM CDT

Goodyear Loses Bid to Keep Sealed Deposition Testimony Secret

Lawyers representing Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. could be on the hot seat under a federal judge’s order allowing them to be questioned about deposition testimony in a case that was settled under a confidentiality agreement. The March 18 decision by U.S. District Judge Rudi Brewster of San Diego comes…

Apr 2, 2008 12:05 PM CDT

At Some Companies, Purchasing Agents Help Choose Outside Law Firms

Some corporations are so intent on cost-cutting that their purchasing or procurement departments are involved in decisions to hire outside counsel. Ron Friedmann, president of Prism Legal Consultants Inc., told GC Mid-Atlantic that more purchasing departments are getting involved because corporate managers believe lawyers aren’t watching the bottom line. “When…

Apr 1, 2008 2:42 PM CDT

New Century GC Sounded Early Warning About Subprime Exposure

The general counsel of New Century Financial Corp. warned of unsound lending practices in a 2004 memo that was apparently ignored, according to a bankruptcy examiner’s report. General counsel Stergios “Terry” Theologides warned in the memo that New Century evaluated borrowers’ ability to repay loans based on initial teaser interest…

Mar 31, 2008 1:27 PM CDT