Law firm versions of big-box stores; IRS summer hours; Airbnb for the bar exam?

Some law firms have a “big box” model, New York City-based law firm consultant Bruce MacEwen writes at Adam Smith, Esq. Which is to say that they are highly specialized in one practice area, have a great depth of resources and expertise in that practice area and are deeply invested…

Jun 14, 2013 1:30 PM CDT

Seyfarth Shaw opens 2 offices in Australia

Seyfarth Shaw has recruited eight partners from three different law firms to open two new offices in Australia. The offices, which are in Sydney and Melbourne, are part of a global strategy to offer major corporate clients a one-stop shop for dealing with international labor and employment matters, Reuters reports.…

Jun 12, 2013 6:50 PM CDT

Former BigLaw partner: I faced ‘incredible obstacles’ that male lawyers didn’t have to deal with

A former BigLaw partner who recently settled a lawsuit over the alleged “boys club” at the last major firm for which she worked says it wasn’t just Greenberg Traurig where women lawyers face challenges that their male counterparts don’t. “At every stage,” Francine Griesing told attendees at a Manhattan conference…

Jun 11, 2013 4:00 PM CDT

Which law firms gained and added the most lawyers last year?

DLA Piper added the most lawyers last year, in terms of head count, while Ice Miller had the largest percentage gain. Those are among the revelations on a chart compiled by the National Law Journal as part of its articles on the top 350 law firms. Overall, these top firms…

Jun 11, 2013 10:35 AM CDT

Legal recruiter sues Davis Polk, seeks $1.4M for Clifford Chance hires

A legal recruiter sued Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York state court last week, contending that he was the “procuring cause” for the law firm’s hire of a practice leader and a group of 17 lawyers from Clifford Chance and seeking compensation. Alan Metz says he was excluded from…

Jun 10, 2013 8:20 PM CDT

Criminal defense solo Gerald Shargel becomes a BigLaw partner at age 68

Criminal defense lawyer Gerald Shargel is making an unusual move to BigLaw, at age 68. After four decades of solo practice in which he frequently represented business owners and politicians accused of corruption, as well as celebrities in hot water and alleged organized crime figures, he is joining Winston &…

Jun 10, 2013 5:55 PM CDT

Three Orrick execs are leaving; 21 staffers laid off

Three high-ranking executives are leaving Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, just a few months after Mitchell Zuklie took over as chairman of the law firm. Leaving the firm are chief human resources officer and U.S. executive director Gera Vaz, chief operating officer Reid Horovitz and chief knowledge officer Peter Krakaur, report…

Jun 10, 2013 1:15 PM CDT

Firms with blogs have seen increased revenue; is there a correlation? (video)

Kevin O’Keefe, founder of the social media company LexBlog, says that his company’s annual State of the AmLaw 200 Blogosphere report is showing that AmLaw 200 firms with blogs are reporting more revenue growth. “But is it blogging, or is it the behavior that brought about the blogging that’s bringing…

Jun 6, 2013 4:00 PM CDT

Was Apple betrayed by a lawyer at its own firm?

While working for Morgan Lewis & Bockius, an environmental litigation partner reportedly participated for years, with his wife, in the affairs of a tech company that has since become a significant issue for the law firm and a major client. Now unusual questions are being raised: Was now-former partner John…

Jun 4, 2013 7:05 PM CDT

Former Utah AG resigns from new job at Troutman Sanders, cites ‘just too hard’ commute and schedule

The former attorney general of Utah has resigned his new job as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Troutman Sanders, calling the commute to work and his national speaking schedule “just too hard,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports. “I just decided I couldn’t do it anymore,” Mark Shurtleff…

Jun 3, 2013 9:12 PM CDT

Merged law firm Norton Rose Fulbright launches

The merger of Fulbright & Jaworski and London-based Norton Rose became official today. The firm will have nearly 3,800 lawyers in more than 50 cities, making it one of the world’s top 10 legal practices by number of lawyers, according to a press release. The Wall Street Journal Law Blog…

Jun 3, 2013 12:28 PM CDT

Meet 6 law firm leaders, each with a different story, each at the top of her game

Reporters’ phone calls steadily interrupted Madeline Cahill-Boley’s first days as managing partner of midsize, San Diego-based law firm Sullivan Hill Lewin Rez & Engel in 2008. And while she knew it would be a topic broached during the interviews, Cahill-Boley wasn’t prepared for the surge of questions about her gender.…

Jun 1, 2013 10:20 AM CDT

Do women’s initiatives work?

Jun 1, 2013 10:10 AM CDT

Letters: Deconstructing the envelope

Jun 1, 2013 9:50 AM CDT

Judge OKs $19.5M settlement over claimed Dewey mismanagement

A federal judge in New York has approved a settlement between the bankruptcy estate of Dewey & LeBoeuf, an insurer and its former chair over claimed mismanagement of the now-defunct law firm. The insurer, XL Specialty Insurance Company, will pay the lion’s share of the $19.5 million settlement approved Thursday.…

May 31, 2013 4:45 PM CDT