Home Depot Lays Off an Estimated 17 In-House Legal Staff

An unnamed source who reportedly was among those adversely affected says perhaps 17 in-house legal staff are included in Home Depot’s layoff of 500 corporate employees late last month. The downsizing involves 10 percent across-the-board cuts in departments throughout Home Depot’s corporate headquarters, notes the Fulton County Daily Report. “Some…

Feb 21, 2008 8:39 PM CST

Hedge Fund Sues Over General Counsel’s $10M Bonus

A hedge fund has filed a lawsuit claiming that a $10 million bonus awarded to the general counsel of Transmeta Corp. is “outrageous, illegal and unconscionable.” The stockholder’s derivative suit was filed by Riley Investment Management, which owns about 7 percent of Transmeta and has offered to buy the company,…

Feb 12, 2008 11:45 AM CST

Onetime Law Firm Gofer Now a Corporate Counsel

When Ryan Swift got a job as a gofer, making sure the coffee machine was filled and fetching sandwiches for lawyers at Holland & Knight in Atlanta, his mother told him he just needed to get his foot in the door. It turns out she was right. “I told them…

Feb 11, 2008 10:35 PM CST

GC of Troubled Sallie Mae Resigns, Says He Wants to Spend Time With Family

Sallie Mae’s general counsel Robert Lavet resigned at the end of January, in advance of two investor lawsuits against the student lender. Lavet told Corporate Counsel he resigned to spend more time with his family. “Obviously it was a difficult year, but I just decided I needed some time off”…

Feb 7, 2008 3:04 PM CST

As In-House Lawyers Struggle With E-Discovery, Vendors Ready to Help

Many in-house counsel are ill-prepared to deal with e-discovery, but it’s not for lack of companies willing to help. E-discovery vendors crowded the exhibition floor at LegalTech New York this week, while educational sessions focused on how to prepare for electronic database searches. A survey by Kroll Ontrack released to…

Feb 6, 2008 2:38 PM CST

Ex-GC to Be Sentenced this Month for Insider Trading

The former general counsel of semiconductor maker Amkor Technology Inc. faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 28 for insider trading. At one time, Kevin Heron was in charge of insider trading compliance for the company. But he was convicted July 19 based on evidence…

Jan 8, 2008 1:19 PM CST

GCs Back Obama With Campaign Cash

The nation’s top general counsel have poured more money into the campaign coffers of Barack Obama than any other candidate. Corporate Counsel’s analysis of Election Commission records shows general counsel in the top 100 gave Obama $20,600, Hillary Clinton $14,500, Christopher Dodd $13,000, John McCain $10,900, Rudy Giuliani $6,900, and…

Jan 7, 2008 12:13 PM CST

The Hammer Goes In-House

Latest chapter in corporate fraud probe has SEC going after general counsel

Jan 1, 2008 7:58 PM CST

Seventeen Percent

Jan 1, 2008 4:53 PM CST

D.C.‘s Top Lawyer Resigns

Washington D.C.’s top lawyer resigned Monday, reportedly amid growing frustration that the mayor was leaving key legal decisions to his general counsel. D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer, who was spearheading the District’s defense of its gun ordinance in the U.S. Supreme Court, did not give a reason for her resignation,…

Dec 17, 2007 7:45 PM CST

Have Law, Will Travel

New breed of firms provides lower-cost, high-skill help

Dec 1, 2007 5:14 PM CST

Boston Archdiocese Replaces Firm with In-House Counsel

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is changing the face of its legal representation, axing its longtime but controversial law firm and replacing it with an in-house counsel. Critics have long called for the archdiocese to replace its law firm, which for years defended the archdiocese against individuals who claimed…

Nov 30, 2007 10:11 PM CST

In-House Lawyer Files Age Bias Suit

A 52-year-old former staff lawyer for Philip Morris has filed a suit that contends he was fired for being too old and for complaining about others who were dismissed for the same reason. D’Arcy Quinn maintained he had stellar performance reviews until he turned 50, when he was told he…

Nov 29, 2007 2:31 PM CST

GC Scolded for Backdating Warning Lands New Job

The former general counsel of KLA-Tencor who sparred with the company’s then-CEO over stock options backdating has been named the new top lawyer for another Silicon Valley company. Stuart Nichols will make $250,000 a year at his new employer, MIPS Technologies, the San Jose Mercury News reports. He is also…

Nov 28, 2007 2:24 PM CST

Simpson Thacher Lawyer Hired as KKR General Counsel

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has tapped a lawyer who worked on many of its biggest deals as general counsel. He is David Sorkin of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, the New York Times reports. The newspaper says the move is an indication that the private equity firm may be moving forward with…

Nov 21, 2007 3:02 PM CST