Large Firm

Price of Super Bowl ads is on ‘eerily similar trajectory’ to profits per partner at Kirkland

The price of a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl in 1985 was $525,000. The cost wasn’t that far off from the average profits per partner at Kirkland & Ellis, which amounted to $405,000, according to figures by the American Lawyer. It was the first year that the publication reported on profits per partner.

Feb 9, 2023 3:07 PM CST

Goodwin Procter averaged gain or loss of 1 lateral associate each day since 2020

Lateral associate movement at Goodwin Procter flowed both ways, as the law firm boosted productivity and head count during a period of rising deal work.

Feb 9, 2023 11:40 AM CST

Breaking up is hard to do, Greenberg Traurig learns after finally succeeding in dropping rapper Ye

Greenberg Traurig has finally served notice on rapper Ye that it is dropping him as a client. The law firm was able to serve the rapper formerly known as Kanye West with the help of a California lawyer.

Feb 9, 2023 8:43 AM CST

BigLaw firm lays off 12 associates and 26 staff members because of ‘economic headwinds’

Shearman & Sterling confirmed Wednesday that it has laid off 12 associates and 26 business services staff members.

Feb 8, 2023 3:37 PM CST

BigLaw firm cuts 21 staff members, citing ‘excess capacity’ and ‘misalignment’

Davis Wright Tremaine has laid off 21 staff members, citing a need to “better align our capabilities and capacity with current and anticipated workflows.”

Feb 8, 2023 9:57 AM CST

Baker McKenzie can be sued in Chicago for work performed in Russia by possibly defunct outpost, judge rules

Updated: Baker McKenzie can be sued for malpractice in Chicago for work in Russia on behalf of a client seeking to reclaim a Siberian coal mine said to be worth more than $200 million, a Cook County, Illinois, judge has ruled.

Feb 2, 2023 2:21 PM CST

Why is Shearman & Sterling reportedly looking for a merger partner?

Shearman & Sterling didn’t keep up with its BigLaw counterparts after the 2008 financial downturn. Shearman’s head count and gross revenues lagged behind that of growing competitor law firms.

Jan 31, 2023 11:34 AM CST

Alternative legal services providers hit $20.6B share of legal market, new report says

Alternative legal services providers, or ALSPs, have shown accelerated growth and now make up $20.6 billion of the legal market, according to a report published Tuesday.

Jan 31, 2023 4:00 AM CST

Citing show-cause order against Reed Smith partner, judge allows firm to withdraw from case

A federal judge in Maryland is allowing four Reed Smith lawyers to withdraw from the representation of former Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby because of possible contempt proceedings against one of them.

Jan 30, 2023 1:39 PM CST

Husch Blackwell told to pay $62M for engineering firm’s loss in airport bidding process

An arbitration panel has ordered Husch Blackwell to pay $62 million to an engineering firm in Kansas City, Missouri, that claimed it lost a contract to build the city’s new airport because of attorney ethical misconduct.

Jan 27, 2023 12:50 PM CST

As more law firms adopt 3-day-per-week schedule, one ties attendance to cash

As more law firms mandate or encourage three days per week in the office, one is using the threat of reduced bonuses to get associates back in the building.

Jan 26, 2023 3:14 PM CST

‘Routine performance management’ can’t be basis for fired associate’s bias suit, BigLaw firm argues

Kirkland & Ellis is arguing that a fired associate’s lawsuit against the firm should be tossed partly because a harassment claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act can’t be based on “routine performance management.”

Jan 25, 2023 2:17 PM CST

Former Proskauer COO is enjoined from using trade secrets allegedly stolen from firm

Updated: A federal judge in Manhattan, New York City, has issued a preliminary injunction barring former Proskauer Rose chief operating officer Jonathan O’Brien from using confidential information that he allegedly downloaded and printed before a planned leap to a rival law firm.

Jan 25, 2023 9:40 AM CST

BigLaw firm will add about 100 lawyers and bolster fintech regulatory expertise through merger

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe is gaining about 100 lawyers through a merger with Buckley, a deal that will create a “financial services and fintech law powerhouse,” the law firms said Thursday.

Jan 20, 2023 12:24 PM CST

Former BigLaw associate gets suspension for inflating time spent on document review project

A former Dentons associate in Chicago has received a short suspension for his claim that he had reviewed 425 documents for a client, when in reality he had reviewed only 20 of those documents.

Jan 19, 2023 1:14 PM CST