Labor & Employment

BigLaw ‘Ghetto’? Former Staff Attorney Raps Covington’s D.C. Office

A former staff attorney at Covington & Burling’s office in Washington, D.C., contends that the law firm is improving its diversity profile by hiring black lawyers for low-level “ghetto” positions. And, if that’s true, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog suggests, Covington may not be the only BigLaw firm to…

Mar 18, 2008 5:30 PM CDT

Record $26M for Bullied U.K. Lawyer

A London lawyer who was harassed and bullied by her colleagues at an asset management firm has won a record judgment of a little over $26 million to cover her lost income and benefits, psychiatric care and damage to her future prospects. It is reportedly more than twice the previous…

Mar 13, 2008 6:50 PM CDT

Hard-Fought Attorney Union Campaign in Minn. AG’s Office

Ground zero in a union-organizing effort that has attracted international attention might strike some as an unlikely venue. But the 135-lawyer Minnesota attorney general’s office is a worker-rights hot spot. Nearly one-third of the staff lawyers allegedly have left, either of their own volition or because they were forced out,…

Mar 13, 2008 4:06 PM CDT

New Rules for Dealing With Federal Judges Who Have Issues

Updated: New rules adopted today by the Judicial Conference of the United States for the first time provide uniform national standards for dealing with federal judges whose health or behavior may interfere with their ability to perform their jobs. The rules (PDF)—which, unlike prior standards, are binding—“cover such topics as…

Mar 11, 2008 7:34 PM CDT

New Law Firm Perk: Lactation Room

An Indiana law firm has converted a conference room into a lactation room for nursing mothers, providing them with a private and comfortable place to pump breast milk and a refrigerator in which to keep it. Although a new state law now requires employers of more than 25 to offcer…

Mar 10, 2008 5:09 PM CDT

N.Y. Attorney Must Repay Pension from 5 School District Jobs

A New York lawyer who was reported simultaneously as an employee of five Long Island school districts must repay the state pension he is getting as a result of this claimed employment, the state comptroller says. In an opinion released today, Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli says Lawrence Reich, who reportedly…

Mar 8, 2008 1:32 AM CST

AG Now Seeking Lawyer-Pay Info from 700-Plus N.Y. School Districts

An ongoing probe by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo into the way school districts pay their lawyers has now expanded to request information from all of the more than 700 school districts in the state. It has also expanded to seek information not only about the way the districts…

Mar 6, 2008 9:35 PM CST

Nice Perk for N.Y. School Lawyer: Lifetime Medical Coverage

Updated: A 71-year-old retired lawyer in New York had a part-time school district job during his final few years of practice that many attorneys might find appealing. Jerome Ehrlich was not only paid a $60,000 annual salary for his part-time employment in 2005 and 2006 but is to receive lifetime…

Mar 6, 2008 7:46 PM CST

Job Bias Complaints Up 9 Percent

Complaints of job discrimination filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rose 9 percent last year, the highest one-year increase since 1993. The agency received 82,792 private sector discrimination charges, the most filed since 2002, the Associated Press reports. There were 30,510 complaints of race discrimination, amounting to 37 percent…

Mar 6, 2008 7:13 PM CST

Starbucks Settles Worker Suit as 1,000s Seek Overtime Pay

An undisclosed settlement between Starbucks Corp. and 350 assistant managers who claim they were required to work unpaid overtime was approved yesterday by a federal judge in Houston. But the Seattle-based international coffee chain, which has a reputation of paying workers generous benefits, is still facing other federal suits by…

Mar 5, 2008 5:48 PM CST

Longtime DA in Ga. Gets 6 Years in Payroll Scheme

A 24-year veteran district attorney in northeast Georgia was sentenced today to a six-year prison term for payroll fraud in which two other Piedmont Judicial Circuit employees, including his wife, allegedly were involved. Tim Madison, who resigned last year during an investigation by state authorities, also was sentenced to six…

Mar 5, 2008 1:21 AM CST

DA Fires Veteran Utah Prosecutor Who Opposed Her in Election

A county district attorney in Utah has reportedly fired a veteran prosecutor who was an opposing candidate in the primary of her 2006 election campaign. Prosecutor Kent Morgan says he was fired on Monday by a “kangaroo court” in the office of Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller, reports…

Mar 5, 2008 12:50 AM CST

DNA Poised to Show Its Civil Side

After changing criminal law, tests are ready for workers’ comp, toxic tort cases

Mar 1, 2008 8:55 PM CST

Former Miami City Attorney Seeks $300K Severance Pay

After resigning as Miami’s city attorney earlier this month, at the same time that a misdemeanor plea agreement concerning his office expenses was announced, Jorge Fernandez is reportedly still hoping for a significant payday. An employment contract provision says he will be paid six months of severance, regardless of why…

Feb 29, 2008 9:52 PM CST

N.Y. AG’s Lawyer-Pay Probe Expands to 172 School Districts

An ongoing New York state probe of double-dipping by private lawyers representing school districts in Long Island has been expanded to Westchester County. After previously asking all 124 Long Island school districts to provide information about the way they have paid their lawyers, the state attorney general’s office is now…

Feb 29, 2008 6:53 PM CST