K&L Gates in Merger Talks with Australian Firm Middletons

K&L Gates confirmed Thursday that it is in merger talks with the 200-lawyer Australian firm Middletons. In a joint statement published Thursday by the Am Law Daily, K&L Gates chair Peter Kalis and Middletons national managing partner Nick Nichola said, “Our leadership teams believe that the client-driven consolidation and globalization…

Aug 17, 2012 2:38 PM CDT

9th Circuit Cites ‘Egregious’ Ethics Violation, Denies Attorney Fees for McGuireWoods

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that McGuireWoods can’t collect fees for work it did to help secure a $49 million settlement in an antitrust case against the publishers of BAR/BRI. The panel’s ruling Aug. 10 (PDF) upholds a decision by U.S. District…

Aug 14, 2012 2:10 PM CDT

Restored Factory Sees Shift from Tin Works and Kerosene Lamps to Back-Office Support

More than a hundred years ago, the sprawling building in Wheeling, W.Va.’s once-thriving coal and steel area, housed factory workers making tin products and kerosene lanterns. Now, after a top-to-bottom restoration that pays homage to the building’s industrial past, the building is home to a busy back-office-support operation for San…

Aug 13, 2012 4:16 PM CDT

Innovation Initiative Is Inspiring ‘Cultural Awakening’ at Nixon Peabody

Looking for a way to make his firm less reactive and more proactive, Nixon Peabody partner Jeffrey Lesk worked a new factor into annual evaluations. Each year, Lesk asks his fellow partners in the tax credit finance group to come up with a new idea for a client product, fee…

Aug 13, 2012 2:13 PM CDT

Sparks Continue to Fly at Apple vs. Samsung Patent Infringement Trial

A hard-fought megabucks patent infringement battle between Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. continues to strike sparks at trial in federal court in San Jose, Calif. Lawyers for both sides regularly snipe at each other outside the courtroom, and an exasperated U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh has taken on…

Aug 10, 2012 9:03 PM CDT

Dewey Retirees Seek Independent Trustee, Claim ‘Pre-Bankruptcy Insiders’ Control Firm’s Windup

Contending that the same “pre-bankruptcy insiders” who oversaw the downfall of Dewey & LeBoeuf are still effectively controlling the windup of the once-storied law firm, a group of retirees is petitioning the a Manhattan federal court to appoint an independent trustee or examiner to look out for other partners’ interests…

Aug 9, 2012 9:22 PM CDT

John Quinn Faces Off with Federal Judge in Apple v. Samsung iPhone Case; Apple Seeks Severe Sanction

Updated: A name partner of litigation powerhouse Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has gotten crosswise with the federal judge hearing the the hard-fought patent case beween Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and counsel for his opponent is now trying to knock John Quinn out of the trial arena.…

Aug 2, 2012 5:37 PM CDT

Herbert Smith Raids Chadbourne for 6-Partner Litigation Team to Open NY Office for UK Megafirm

Herbert Smith has announced that it will open its planned New York office in September with a six-partner litigation team from Chadbourne & Parke. Headed by Thomas E. Riley, who is the chief of Chadbourne’s litigation department, the group focuses on products liability litigation and tobacco litigation, reports Legal Week.…

Aug 2, 2012 12:08 PM CDT

Mongolia or Bust: A New ‘It’ Country Draws Adventurous Lawyers to BigLaw

Aug 1, 2012 6:40 AM CDT

Lesson from Dewey: Look Closely at Your Own Firm’s Finances

Aug 1, 2012 6:30 AM CDT

Ex-Perkins Coie Partner Must Arbitrate Pay Dispute With His Former Firm, Federal Judge Rules

A federal judge in California has put a damper on a would-be class action by a former partner over pay practices at Perkins Coie. An arbitration clause in the partnership agreement between the law firm and Harold DeGraff is binding, held U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S White on Monday. However,…

Jul 31, 2012 10:28 PM CDT

Ex-BigLaw Associate Sentenced to Record 12 Years Says ‘Excitement’ Drove $37M Insider-Trading Scheme

Sentenced to a record 12-year prison term for insider trading, a former BigLaw associate–who admittedly revealed to his partners in white-collar crime confidential information from four of the six law firms at which he worked–says he carried on with the long-running scheme largely for the thrills he got from it.…

Jul 31, 2012 5:28 PM CDT

Cooley ‘Flooded With Resumes’ in Santa Monica; Will Nearby Waves Help New Outpost Make a Splash?

Although new hires at Cooley’s new office in Santa Monica, Calif., will probably spend more time surfing the Internet than the nearby Pacific Ocean, proximity to the waves will be a plus factor in the firm’s search for additional attorneys to fuel an ambitious growth plan there, the Hollywood Reporter…

Jul 31, 2012 3:41 PM CDT

Most of Dewey’s Bonus Plan Wins Court Approval

A bankruptcy judge in Manhattan has approved most of a plan to pay nearly $700,000 in bonuses to Dewey & LeBoeuf employees assisting in the wind down of the law firm. Judge Martin Glenn disagreed with just one part of the plan: a proposal to set aside up to $100,000…

Jul 31, 2012 1:54 PM CDT

As BigLaw Firms Hold Steady on Attorney Headcount in DC, Consultant Points to ‘Vulnerable’ Partners

The biggest law offices in Washington, D.C., have been holding steady on lawyer headcount. Eight out of the top 10 have maintained or slightly reduced their attorney rosters since the end of 2011. Two firms, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Steptoe & Johnson, increased their stable of lawyers…

Jul 30, 2012 5:21 PM CDT