Top Antitrust Regulator to Join Cravath

The nation’s main antitrust regulator is moving to a New York law firm. Christine Varney will leave the antitrust division of the Department of Justice later this year to join Cravath Swaine & Moore, where she is expected to work on antitrust issues in mergers and acquisitions, reports the DealBook…

Jul 6, 2011 8:44 PM CDT

Edwards Angell Talking with Wildman Harrold About Possible Merger

A Chicago law firm and Boston-based Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge have confirmed that they are discussing a possible merger. If Edwards Angell and Wildman Harrold Allen & Dixon tie the knot, that will add another 150 or so lawyers to the Edwards firm’s approximately 500-attorney roster, reports Crain’s Chicago…

Jul 6, 2011 7:57 PM CDT

‘New Reality’ Leads to Unusual Jobs for BigLaw Recruiting Manager and Ex-Prosecutor

Laid off in 2009 from her job as a recruiting manager for Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Janet Raiffa initially found what Fox News calls the “new reality” of the unemployment market depressing. But even though she now works six jobs to earn a fraction of what she did at Orrick,…

Jul 6, 2011 5:43 PM CDT

Before iPad Rollout, Proskauer IS Chief Considered Apps, Cloud, Permitted Uses

Proskauer Rose had to wrestle with a lot of questions before it gave its lawyers a choice between new iPads and desktops, or a Hewlett-Packard laptop. InfoWorld lists the issues: Should lawyers pay for apps? Which ones are mandatory? Can lawyers use iPads for personal entertainment? And how do you…

Jul 6, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Allen & Overy ‘Quite Pleased’ with $1.87B Revenue Record

Boosted by a new Australia practice, London-based Allen & Overy saw its gross revenue rise to a record $1.87 billion in the fiscal year that ended at the end of April 2011. The magic circle firm is “quite pleased” with the year’s financial results, managing partner Wim Dejonghe tells the…

Jul 5, 2011 11:39 PM CDT

Legal Malpractice Claims Rise in 2011; Real Estate Practitioners Most at Risk

Legal malpractice claims are up in 2011, according to a survey of the insurance brokerages that provide three-quarters of the coverage to large and midsize law firms in this country. They blame the difficult economy and struggling real estate market for the increase, reports the Am Law Daily. Claims are…

Jul 5, 2011 10:05 PM CDT

In Era of ‘Superstar Megarainmaker,’ Law Firms Show Top Partners the Money to Lure Them Elsewhere

A decade ago, a top business producer at a major law firm might earn five times what the average partner was paid. Today, a heavy hitter might make 10 times as much, as law firms open their checkbooks to pay top partners top dollar, especially when they are part of…

Jul 5, 2011 7:31 PM CDT

Clifford Chance Revenue Rises 2 Percent, Partner Profit Jumps 8 Percent to $1.6M

Clifford Chance has announced its 2010-11 financial results, which included a 2 percent increase in law firm revenue and an 8 percent rise in average profit per equity partner. It is now just over 1 million pounds, after a 25 percent PEP leap to 933,000 pounds in the prior fiscal…

Jul 5, 2011 7:11 PM CDT

Canadian Law Firms Sturdier Than US Firms During Recession

Law firms in Canada appear to have weathered the Great Recession without suffering the damage experienced by their counterparts in the United States. Canadian firms may have felt some pain, but the threat of collapse didn’t enter the equation, Lawyers Weekly reports in part two of a series on the…

Jul 5, 2011 6:54 PM CDT

Clement Has No Regrets Over Abrupt Exit from King & Spalding

Former Solicitor General Paul Clement, who made headlines two months ago when he resigned his BigLaw partnership on principle and moved to a small firm, says he has no regrets about the decision. That may be in part because Clement’s practice didn’t skip a beat. He found a home quickly…

Jul 5, 2011 5:25 PM CDT

Partner Leaves DLA to Launch Firm Focused on International Human Rights Issues

Washington-based governmental affairs lawyer Jared Genser last week left DLA Piper to start his own firm aimed at helping companies, nonprofits and governments establish humanitarian projects. The firm, Perseus Strategies, will consult and provide public relations strategies relating to international development, global health advocacy and alleviating poverty, the Washington Post…

Jul 5, 2011 11:15 AM CDT

O’Melveny Moves Up Leadership Vote; Defections Continue with A&O Acquisition

Updated: Will O’Melveny & Myers chairman Arthur Culvahouse Jr. step down before the end of his term in 2013? The answer is unclear, Thomson Reuters News & Insight reports. Culvahouse’s term ends in February 2013, but a vote on the person who will eventually replace him could come as early…

Jul 1, 2011 1:16 PM CDT

Many Top Law Firms Have an Aversion to Blogs

Some law firms have embraced blogging with a vengeance. Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton has 25 blogs, for example. It is followed by Hunton & Williams, with 23; and Reed Smith, with 17. But some of the largest law firms aren’t blogging at all, the National Law Journal reports in…

Jul 1, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Law Job Stagnation May Have Started Before the Recession—And It May Be a Sign of Lasting Change

The legal profession is undergoing a massive structural shift—one that will leave it dramatically transformed in the coming years.

Jul 1, 2011 9:40 AM CDT

Withdrawing from Controversial Case Was Awkward for King & Spalding, But That’s About All

Jul 1, 2011 7:30 AM CDT