Large Firm

Judge Tosses Indictment of In-House Lawyer Accused in Wellbutrin Probe, Cites Prosecutor Error

A federal judge has dismissed an indictment that had accused a former in-house lawyer of obstructing a probe into Wellbutrin off-label marketing, citing a grand juror’s “elephant in the room” question and a prosecutor’s incorrect response. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Roger Titus of Maryland allows prosecutors to seek…

Mar 24, 2011 5:08 PM CDT

Skadden Beefs Up Its White-Collar Criminal Defense Team

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom is adding another litigator to its white-collar criminal defense practice with the acquisition of Michele Roberts. Recently the law firm has “pulled in a rash of high-profile criminal-defense lawyers,” according to the Wall Street Journal Law Blog. They include solo litigator Allen Ruby, former…

Mar 23, 2011 1:31 PM CDT

Ex-Ice Miller Associate Files ERISA Suit, Says Disability Payments re Motorcycle Accident Botched

A former associate of Ice Miller has filed an ERISA suit against the Indianapolis-based law firm contending that it messed up the long-term disability payments he was supposed to receive after a 1987 motorcycle accident that left him unable to work there due to cognitive impairment. Michael Bailey, 50, is…

Mar 22, 2011 10:52 PM CDT

Supreme Court to Decide if Sullivan & Cromwell’s Mailroom Mix-Up Bars Capital Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a mailroom mix-up at Sullivan & Cromwell that resulted in a missed deadline bars the habeas appeal of a death row inmate. The court granted cert today in Maples v. Allen, the Associated Press reports. Former Solicitor General Gregory Garre of…

Mar 21, 2011 7:44 PM CDT

Law Firms Need to Act More Like Businesses and Hire Accordingly, Prof Says

Law firms need to start acting more like businesses, a management professor says, and they could start by hiring “business-savvy nonlawyers” for leadership roles. Writing for the Washington Post’s Capital Business column, George Washington University business professor James Bailey says law firms need to beef up their executive teams by…

Mar 21, 2011 12:42 PM CDT

Three Letters—LLP—Helped Spur Howrey’s Downfall, Columnist Says

Updated: The conventional wisdom is that Howrey failed because of a quick expansion and partner dissatisfaction spurred by fluctuating profits and a lack of transparency. Washington Post columnist Steven Pearlstein suggests an additional reason for the demise of Howrey, as well as several other large law firms: the letters LLC…

Mar 21, 2011 12:16 PM CDT

Warren Christopher, Lawyer and Ex-Secretary of State, Dies at Age 85

Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher has died at the age of 85. The cause of death was kidney and bladder cancer, according to an announcement by Christopher’s law firm, O’Melveny & Myers. He was a senior partner there. The Washington Post, the New York Times and the Associated Press…

Mar 21, 2011 11:18 AM CDT

Associate Lateral Hires Jumped 61 Percent Last Year

After lateral hiring stalled at law firms in 2009, it got a big jump start in 2010. Lateral hiring increased by 38 percent last year, mostly fueled by a 61 percent increase in lateral associate hires, according to an April story in the NALP Bulletin, a publication of the NALP…

Mar 21, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

BigLaw Partner as Plaintiff Wins Multimillion-Dollar Verdict in Suit over Oil Company Sale

A Vinson & Elkins bankruptcy partner had a court win in Houston on Tuesday that could add $116 million to his bank account. D. Bobbitt Noel Jr. was a plaintiff rather than a lawyer in the suit against a Dallas billionaire, the New York Lawyer reports. Jurors found the defendant…

Mar 18, 2011 1:07 PM CDT

Several BigLaw Firms Close Their Tokyo Offices for Now; Others Embrace Telecommuting

Several large U.S. law firms have temporarily closed their offices in Tokyo, while others that didn’t formally shut down are helping their personnel who want to work elsewhere. Executives at several large banks and law firms are renting space in cities such as Osaka or Fukuoka that are even farther…

Mar 18, 2011 12:05 PM CDT

What to Do with 9,000 Abandoned Cases in One County? Chief Judge Isn’t Sure, Researches Options

Lawyers aren’t supposed to stop working on cases without filing motions to withdraw. But that’s what attorney David J. Stern reportedly has said he plans to do, at the end of the month, according to letters he sent to chief judges concerning approximately100,000 foreclosure cases throughout Florida. Among them are…

Mar 17, 2011 10:07 PM CDT

Consultant: Howrey Didn’t Have to Fail, Despite Low-Paid Partners; New Jobs for 18 More Lawyers

Howrey didn’t have to fail, a consultant tells the American Lawyer. But low pay, as the firm’s income plummeted over the past two years, exacerbated a crisis in partner confidence that put the 55-year-old legal partnership into a death spiral. Thus, although Howrey was on track to regain a solid…

Mar 17, 2011 5:07 PM CDT

DLA Piper Opens Wilmington, Del., Office With 10-Lawyer Team from Edwards Angell

It isn’t easy for out-of-state lawyers to get admitted to practice, even temporarily, in Delaware. So, tired of hiring local counsel on a regular basis, megafirm DLA Piper is opening a Wilmington office with a 10-lawyer team from Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, reports the Am Law Daily, relying on…

Mar 17, 2011 12:11 AM CDT

As Howrey Closes, 32-Lawyer Team Heads to Baker Botts, Another 40 Go to Winston & Strawn

As Howrey calls it a day, the firm’s remaining lawyers are packing their bags. Among them, a 32-attorney antitrust team including former vice chairman Sean F.X. Boland, the co-head of the firm’s practice group, is moving to Baker Botts, reports Legal Week. Eight other partners are also included in the…

Mar 16, 2011 6:58 PM CDT