Large Firm

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

Chicago-Based Consumer Law Firm to Wind Down in 38 States After $2.1M Settlement with Illinois AG

A Chicago-based consumer law firm described by the Illinois attorney general as a “front” for collecting hefty fees rather than a provider of actual assistance to struggling individuals is winding down its operations in some 38 states after agreeing to pay a $2.1 million refund to its customers in the…

Jul 27, 2012 5:27 PM CDT

5th-Year Steptoe Patent Litigation Associate Stars in Adidas Ad With Redskins Quarterback

Tremayne Norris isn’t giving up his day job as a patent litigation associate … yet. But the fifth-year associate at Steptoe & Johnson’s office in the nation’s capital says he’s looking forward to more acting gigs after being cast in a starring role with Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III in…

Jul 26, 2012 8:25 PM CDT

NLJ Survey: Slow Progress for Women Partners in BigLaw

An examination of partnership data from more than 200 large law firms shows that women make up about 15 percent of the equity partner rolls. If equity and nonequity partners are lumped together, the percentage rises to 18.8 percent, according to the National Law Journal. Using data compiled from its…

Jul 24, 2012 2:41 PM CDT

Dewey’s Executive Partner Earns $190K in First 2 Months of Chapter 11 Wind-Down

One of two partners who remain at Dewey & LeBoeuf has been paid $190,000 since the law firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 28, according to a court filing in the Manhattan case. Executive partner Stephen Horvath also was reimbursed $23,563 for expenses incurred during the firm’s wind-down,…

Jul 23, 2012 10:54 PM CDT

Dewey Clawback Plan to Be Revised to Address Partner Concerns

Dewey & LeBoeuf’s proposed $103.6 million clawback settlement will be revised after several former partners expressed misgivings about fairness. Dewey’s chief restructuring officer, Joff Mitchell, told partners in an email on Thursday that the plan will be modified, report the Wall Street Journal Law Blog and the Am Law Daily.…

Jul 20, 2012 1:51 PM CDT

Bankruptcy Partner Will Be New Chairman at Morrison Foerster

Morrison & Foerster has elected a new chairman to succeed Keith Wetmore. Larren Nashelsky, who co-chairs the firm’s bankruptcy and restructuring practice, will take over in October when Wetmore’s fourth three-year term ends, report the Recorder, Reuters and a press release. Nashelsky joined Morrison & Foerster as the firm’s first…

Jul 20, 2012 11:46 AM CDT

Canadian Appeals Court Dismisses Law Partner’s Age Discrimination Case, Says He’s Not an Employee

Calling a lower court’s decision that a longtime partner of a prominent law firm was its employee, for the purpose of applying age-discrimination rules, “legally insupportable,” a Canadian appeals court has dismissed John Michael McCormick’s case against Fasken Martineau DuMoulin for lack of jurisdiction. “There can be no doubt that…

Jul 19, 2012 9:06 PM CDT

Trustee Balks at Dewey Plan to Pay $450K in ‘Morale’ Bonuses to Remaining Workers

The U.S. bankruptcy trustee isn’t going along with a plan by Dewey & LeBoeuf to pay up to $450,000 in “morale” bonuses to retain 52 workers who are winding down its operations. U.S. Trustee Tracy Hope Davis noted her objections in a court filing (PDF) on Wednesday. Dewey had claimed…

Jul 19, 2012 3:30 PM CDT

Ex-Client Sues Duane Morris, Says Senior Partner’s Failure to Disclose Conflict Cost Him $92M

A former chief executive officer of SecureNet has sued Duane Morris for malpractice, contending that a senior partner of the over 700-attorney law firm failed to disclose a conflict when representing him in his 2010 sale of a controlling interest in the credit card processing company. Plaintiff Marc Potash says…

Jul 18, 2012 3:45 PM CDT

Retiree Group Claims Dewey Clawback Plan Protects Leaders at Expense of Other Partners

A group of Dewey & LeBoeuf retirees claims a proposed $103.6 million clawback settlement is unfair because it protects firm leaders from lawsuits and caps payouts by highly compensated partners. Annette Jarvis of Dorsey & Whitney is representing the group of 53 retirees or their survivors, all from the LeBoeuf…

Jul 18, 2012 1:02 PM CDT

Ropes & Gray Is First US Law Firm to Get OK to Open Office in South Korea

Two U.S.-based law firms are poised to become the first to open law offices in South Korea. Ropes & Gray and Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton were the first and second law firms to receive approval Monday to open offices there, the Wall Street Journal’s Deal Journal blog reports. Clifford…

Jul 17, 2012 10:29 PM CDT

Dewey’s Dilemma: To Shred, or Not to Shred? And Who Pays for Shredding or Continued Storage?

After a century in business, as far as its predecessor law firms are concerned, Dewey & LeBoeuf has a lot of client files in its possession. More than 100,000 boxes of documents are stored in one Brooklyn, N.Y., facility. Hundreds of thousands more can be found in locations stretching over…

Jul 12, 2012 7:27 PM CDT

Dewey & LeBoeuf Estate Seeks $103.6M Clawback From Bankrupt Firm’s Former Partners

In a settlement proposed Wednesday to some 700 former partners of Dewey & LeBoeuf, those in charge of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy under which the firm is being wound down are asking for a $103.6 million clawback. The partners have until July 24 to decide whether to accept the settlement,…

Jul 11, 2012 10:55 PM CDT

Weil Gotshal Seeks OK of $431.6M Legal Bill for Lehman Bros. Bankruptcy, Won’t Seek Fee Enhancement

Weil Gotshal & Manges has asked a federal bankruptcy judge in Manhattan to OK more than $430 million in fees for representing Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in a record-breaking bankruptcy case over a period of three-and-a-half years. During that time, lawyers and staff billed approximately 747,000 hours in the largest…

Jul 9, 2012 10:49 PM CDT