In-house Counsel

Apple CEO, Law Firm May Play Role in GC Case

A well-known law firm and the CEO of Apple Inc. may provide evidence in the civil fraud case against the company’s former general counsel, Nancy Heinen. CEO Steve Jobs has been subpoenaed for a deposition in the Securities and Exchange Commission case against Heinen, who is accused of participating in…

Sep 21, 2007 12:56 PM CDT

Corporate Monitors Costly, Influential

Corporate monitor agreements with the U.S. Justice Department vary to such an extent that they can have a big impact on companies that agree to them. The agreements can last for months or years, they may or may not give the company a say in the monitor’s selection, and they…

Sep 20, 2007 1:43 PM CDT

CLOs Feast on Meaty Stock Options

In-house lawyers are taking home bigger paychecks and bigger bonuses, according to a 2007 survey by legal consulting firm Altman Weil. But bigger still are the stock options some receive. The median annual salary for chief legal officers in 2007 was $300,000 and the median bonus was $157,400, up 14.3…

Sep 19, 2007 6:20 PM CDT

EU Court: No In-House Counsel Privilege

Highlighting the differences between American law practice and international law practice, the second-highest court in the European Union ruled today that attorney-client privilege does not apply to communications between companies and their in-house counsel. Contending that attorney-client privilege applied, a Dutch chemical company and lawyers’ groups had sought to exclude…

Sep 17, 2007 11:42 PM CDT

Home Depot GC to Work as Store Clerk

The new general counsel of Home Depot will soon be working as store clerk for several weeks, in a standard initial assignment for executives at the home improvement retail chain. So Jack VanWoerkom, who is responsible for all company legal functions worldwide, will soon be helping customers in Boston find…

Sep 17, 2007 8:27 PM CDT

Skadden Tops Corporate Counsel Lists

The usual names top Corporate Counsel’s list of law firms most often used by Fortune 250 companies. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom got the most mentions overall. Leading the lists by practice area: –Kirkland & Ellis, in commercial law and contracts litigation. –Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, in…

Aug 20, 2007 11:40 AM CDT

How Public Law Firms Would Benefit GCs

General counsel have long complained that lawyers have no incentive to deliver services economically. The focus on generating profits through hourly billing produces an incentive to pad lawyer hours and maximize work, they argue. That focus could change if ethics rules changed to allow lawyers to sell shares in their…

Aug 14, 2007 1:15 PM CDT

Qualcomm GC Resigns

On the heels of several legal setbacks, Qualcomm has announced the resignation of its general counsel, Lou Lupin. He will be replaced on an acting basis by former U.S. attorney Carol Lam, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. She joined Qualcomm in February. The company said in a press…

Aug 13, 2007 7:25 PM CDT

Anger, Frank Talk Help Promote Diversity

Working to diversify the legal profession–which lags significantly behind corporate counterparts–requires, as a first step, talking clearly about the issue. And sometimes anger helps. Or so Stanley Stallworth found about six years ago, as he was on the verge of making a diversity presentation to the executive committee of the…

Aug 10, 2007 10:01 PM CDT

Taser Talks Tough, Settles Quietly

Taser International Inc. talks a tough game concerning its litigation strategy in cases brought over its controversial stun guns. “The word has gotten out: Taser doesn’t settle,” said the company’s general counsel, Doug Klint, in an April interview with Bloomberg. “Anyone who sues us is in for a fight.” But…

Aug 2, 2007 8:02 PM CDT

Unlicensed Gen’l Counsels are Unusual

Does a general counsel of a corporation have to be a licensed lawyer? To many, the answer to that question would seem to be a no-brainer: Yes. But a small number of general counsels have chosen not to maintain active law licenses, and are now fielding questions in the wake…

Aug 2, 2007 6:41 PM CDT

Google’s Top Lawyer Settles With SEC

Google’s chief in-house legal officer has agreed to pay $700,000 to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission complaint that he failed to prevent misleading accounting statements when he worked at a different company. David Drummond agreed to the settlement on Thursday, PC World reports. The charges relate to his work…

Jul 23, 2007 1:06 PM CDT

Slowdown for Fast-Track Pa. Lawyer

Only a year ago, Michael A. Adler was on a seeming fast track to major career success. For one thing, he had been named a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” by a legal publication in 2006, and had been elected as a Republican committeeman in Lower Merion Township in suburban…

Jul 20, 2007 12:24 AM CDT

Top GCs Earning $1.5 M on Average

Fueled by big bonuses, the average cash compensation for the 100 best-paid general counsel increased to $1.5 million last year. Average salaries were about $560,000 while average bonuses were $1 million, according to Corporate Counsel magazine. Stock awards provided another big boost to compensation, with an average grant of $1.1…

Jul 18, 2007 1:03 PM CDT

Corp Clients Trim US/Foreign Firm Rosters to Save $$

Major medical insurers have been leveraging their purchasing power for decades, negotiating fee discounts from medical providers by promising a large volume of business from insured individuals. Now in-house counsel at major corporations are routinely applying similar tactics to legal providers, sending work to a smaller number of law firms…

Jul 6, 2007 6:06 PM CDT