Large Firm

Kamala Harris’ BigLaw husband will leave DLA Piper; experts had warned of ethics issues

The husband of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, a partner at DLA Piper, will sever all ties with the law firm before the inauguration in January.

Nov 10, 2020 2:12 PM CST

Jones Day and Porter Wright file election suits for Trump to the dismay of some of their lawyers

Updated: The law firm Porter Wright Morris & Arthur has withdrawn from its representation of the Trump campaign in a federal lawsuit filed Monday evening that alleged voting irregularities across the state of Pennsylvania.

Nov 10, 2020 11:28 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Sherrilyn Ifill among winners of this award; app automates expungement

Sherrilyn Ifill among Spirit of Excellence winners Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, is one of five winners of the 2021 Spirit of Excellence Awards, to be presented at the ABA Midyear Meeting in February. The awards by the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic…

Nov 9, 2020 4:49 PM CST

Restraining order bars former BigLaw associate from disclosing confidential law firm documents

Cole Schotz has obtained a two-week restraining order that bars a former associate, who said he wants to "live a life of meaning," from disclosing the law firm's confidential documents.

Nov 5, 2020 2:55 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Judge requires report disclaimer; $2.1B baby powder verdict allowed to stand

Judge requires disclaimer in cop commission report U.S. District Judge John Bates of the District of Columbia has said President Donald Trump’s national commission on policing can’t release a report unless it carries a disclaimer saying the group didn’t comply with federal requirements for advisory committees. The disclaimer must say…

Nov 4, 2020 3:28 PM CST

Former client acknowledges spying on BigLaw partner but says it’s a common tactic

A former Dechert client told a London judge Tuesday that spying conducted on a BigLaw partner is a common tactic in hard-fought commercial litigation.

Nov 4, 2020 12:49 PM CST

Katten Muchin lays off some lawyers and business professionals

Katten Muchin Rosenman is laying off “a limited number” of lawyers and some furloughed business professionals.

Nov 3, 2020 11:18 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Latham will pay fall bonuses; Reagan shooter may display artwork, judge rules

Latham will pay fall bonuses, donate $1M to fight hunger Latham & Watkins has announced that it will pay fall bonuses ranging from $7,500 to $40,000—the market scale for law firms that are paying the special bonuses. The firm also plans to donate $1 million to fight hunger and to…

Oct 29, 2020 4:15 PM CDT

Lawyer volunteers devote increasing hours to election protection efforts

More than 150 law firms and about 23,000 volunteers are participating this year in an election protection program run by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Oct 29, 2020 2:56 PM CDT

Firm sues for rent abatement; landlord decries law firms trying to ‘weasel out’ of commitments

Schulte Roth & Zabel has filed a $10 million lawsuit claiming that its Manhattan landlord failed to abide by lease provisions requiring rent abatement in an emergency.

Oct 29, 2020 12:14 PM CDT

LeClairRyan gave joint venture ‘unprecedented control’ and priority payments, bankruptcy trustee says

The joint venture between LeClairRyan and alternative services provider UnitedLex was intended to help keep the law firm afloat, but the combination “only served to plunge LeClairRyan further into insolvency,” according to the Chapter 7 trustee for the bankrupt law firm.

Oct 28, 2020 1:24 PM CDT

Many BigLaw firms are quietly laying off staff members, recruiters say

Reports of staff layoffs at a handful of large law firms don’t provide the whole picture.

Oct 28, 2020 9:30 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Trump faces suit over rape denial; Biden opposes SCOTUS term limits

Trump can be personally sued over rape denial A federal judge in Manhattan on Tuesday refused to substitute the federal government as the defendant in a defamation suit filed against President Donald Trump by a woman who accused him of rape. The plaintiff, journalist E. Jean Carroll, had alleged that…

Oct 27, 2020 3:58 PM CDT

Former Davis Polk associate may pursue retaliation claim, judge says; other racial bias claims tossed

A federal judge in Manhattan has ruled that a Black former associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell can pursue a retaliation claim against three partners, but many of his other racial bias claims were inadequate.

Oct 27, 2020 1:36 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: BigLaw partner in mansion rent dispute; 115 court employees have COVID-19

BigLaw partner is accused of failing to pay mansion rent A affidavit filed in housing court alleges that Willkie Farr & Gallagher partner A. Mark Getachew has stiffed his landlord on rent of $11,000 per month for a Connecticut mansion since arriving in June. Getachew and his wife said the…

Oct 26, 2020 4:36 PM CDT