Baker’s San Diego Outpost Continues to Shrink; Is Office Closing a Possibility?

Corrected: The San Diego office of Baker & McKenzie has only eight lawyers remaining after two of its intellectual property litigators jumped this week to Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo. Partners Howard Wisnia and James Conley are making the move, the Daily Journal (sub. req.) reports. At one…

Jan 12, 2012 1:40 PM CST

Senior Cravath Partner Makes Rare Lateral Leap

A senior partner of Cravath Swaine & Moore has made a rare lateral leap to another law firm. Jeffrey Smith, who founded the firm’s environmental practice group 20 years ago as a lateral hire (also unusual at Cravath), left his role as head of that practice group to join Crowell…

Jan 11, 2012 11:59 PM CST

Judge Axes $77M Suit Filed Against Kasowitz by Ex-Associate with ‘Superior Legal Mind’

Ruling from the bench yesterday, a New York judge dismissed a $77 million lawsuit filed against Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman by a former first-year associate who said he was unfairly fired by the firm in 2011. Because Gregory Berry signed a valid release after reaching a $27,000 severance agreement…

Jan 11, 2012 11:21 PM CST

Former BigLaw Partner Gets 2 Years in ‘Greek Tragedy’ Tax Evasion Case

John J. O’Brien told a federal judge in Manhattan today that he never expected to get away with failing to pay $2.5 million in tax on $10.8 million in income he earned as a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell. “I never believed for one minute that I was going to…

Jan 11, 2012 7:23 PM CST

Report: Ex-SEC Enforcement Leader, Now a BigLaw Partner, Will Pay $50K re Work for Accused Swindler

A former enforcement chief at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s office in Fort Worth, Texas, has reportedly agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a civil complaint by the U.S. Department of Justice that he violated federal ethics rules by representing a Ponzi schemer too soon after leaving the SEC. In…

Jan 11, 2012 12:26 AM CST

Davis Polk to Expand London Office Practice with Freshfields Partner, Perhaps Others

Following the lead of several other well-known Wall Street law firms, Davis Polk & Wardwell announced that it is expanding its English law practice at the firm’s office in London. Capital markets specialist Simon Witty of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer will join the London office in April, but it isn’t known…

Jan 9, 2012 10:24 PM CST

2nd Circuit Axes Refco Lawyer’s Conviction in $2.4B Fraud Case, Says Judge Erred re Juror Note

Convicted by a federal jury in New York in 2009 and sentenced to seven years in a $2.4 billion corporate securities fraud case, a former Mayer Brown partner today won a vacation of his conviction. Because Joseph Collins was denied his constitutional right to be present at every stage of…

Jan 9, 2012 8:21 PM CST

DLA Piper Throws Wrench in Reed Smith’s Calif. Expansion with 5-Partner Raid

Five Silicon Valley, Calif.-based partners departed Reed Smith this week to join DLA Piper’s 100-plus lawyer office in the area. The group’s move, which decreased the firm’s count to as few as four partners in Silicon Valley, “throws a serious wrench in Reed Smith’s expansion efforts in Northern California,” the…

Jan 6, 2012 9:35 PM CST

US Law Firm Mergers Rebound In 2011

In the strongest showing since 2008, last year saw 60 mergers and acquisitions among U.S. law firms. Three of the year’s biggest deals came in the fourth quarter, boosting the annual total 54 percent over 2010, Altman Weil MergerLine reports. Of the 17 new combinations, five involved the acquisition of…

Jan 5, 2012 6:59 PM CST

Orrick to Split Transactions and Litigation Groups In Attempt to Boost Profit

Clarified: Leaders at Orrick Herrington & Suttcliffe approved a five-way split of the firm’s transactions and litigation groups last month in an effort to boost profitability and re-brand its marketing efforts. The action, effective Jan. 30, comes as the firm prepares for the retirement in two years of chairman and…

Jan 4, 2012 9:44 PM CST

Hanging a Shingle: How to Start Your Own Law Practice

Podcast Transcript: This ABA Journal Podcast is brought to you by WestlawNext, building on the strengths of Westlaw to bring you the next evolution of legal research. Their most significant innovation in 30 years, it’s a complete research system that gives you confidence you’ve found the most relevant information. And,…

Jan 3, 2012 2:39 PM CST

Kill Bill: At Pfizer, Mum’s the Billable Word

Jan 1, 2012 8:10 AM CST

Federal Judge Calls Blago Lawyer’s New-Trial Motion ‘Harebrained,’ Says Contempt Ruling Could Result

Updated: A federal judge today sharply scolded a lawyer for pointing a finger at the forewoman of a jury that convicted former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich in a political corruption case, reports the Chicago Tribune. A motion signed by Lauren Kaeseberg that sought a new trial for Blagojevich based on…

Dec 19, 2011 5:59 PM CST

Ex-BigLaw Partner Collapses in Court as Judge Warns of Likely Jail Time for Drunk-Driving Case Lies

Things went from bad to worse for a solicitor in a major London law firm after he apparently had a few too many alcoholic drinks and crashed his Range Rover last year. Found later at home by police, where he tested over the limit, Francis Bridgeman said he had been…

Dec 19, 2011 2:36 PM CST

Sold as a Slave to US Family, Egyptian Girl Grows Up to Become a US Citizen

Sold as a slave by her family in Egypt and smuggled into the United States, at age 10, to work for a Cairo family living in California, a young girl has grown into a young woman with a bright future. Shyima Hall, now 22, was rescued at age 13 by…

Dec 16, 2011 11:04 PM CST