Large Firm

Suit against Jones Day alleges ‘archaic gender roles’ and photo altering

A new lawsuit accuses Jones Day of reinforcing “archaic gender roles” in an unequal parental leave policy and using a secret compensation system that is “tailor-made to enable sex discrimination.” The plaintiffs, Mark Savignac and Julia Sheketoff, are married to each other and are former law clerks for U.S. Supreme…

Aug 15, 2019 1:51 PM CDT

As law firm culture changes, old partnership model ‘is all but dead’

Law firm culture has changed since the American Lawyer began publishing financial data in 1985. Partners looking at compensation information realized they could make more money at other law firms, which has led to a more robust lateral market, the Wall Street Journal reports. At the same time, law firms…

Aug 12, 2019 10:58 AM CDT

Legal secretary’s suit claims partners’ tirades constituted sex bias, caused panic attack

A legal secretary says two Venable partners yelled, humiliated and demeaned her to such an extent that their conduct constituted sex discrimination under California’s fair employment law. Marjan Rabbi, a legal secretary with a JD from Whittier Law School, filed the suit in superior court in Los Angeles on Aug.…

Aug 8, 2019 11:01 AM CDT

Fake lawyer pleads guilty; he created website using Cravath bios

A 23-year-old Tennessee man pleaded guilty Tuesday for holding himself out as a lawyer from an elite law school and collecting fees from would-be clients. John Lambert, whose fake attorney name was Eric Pope, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to Law360 and a…

Aug 7, 2019 1:23 PM CDT

BigLaw firms are taking ‘two steps forward, one step back,’ new Thomson Reuters report says

Law firm productivity is dropping, driven by accelerated hiring that is driving the supply of lawyers higher than demand for their services, according to a report released this week. Productivity decreased 1.2% during the second quarter of 2019 and is down 1.5% from the beginning of the year, according to…

Aug 6, 2019 2:55 PM CDT

Jones Day sued for alleged malpractice by pro bono clients who say eviction deal left them homeless

Two former mobile home owners have filed a malpractice suit against Jones Day that claims that the law firm’s work on their eviction case was a “fiasco.” Zona Bernier and Gary Hill of Orange County, California, allege that Jones Day pressured them to accept a “burdensome settlement” without asserting legitimate…

Aug 1, 2019 2:09 PM CDT

2 bright spots in law-grad hiring: more BigLaw jobs, higher rate of JD-required employment

The job picture improved for law school graduates in the class of 2018, with increases in both the overall rate of employment and the percentage of graduates who secured full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, according to the National Association for Law Placement.

Jul 31, 2019 10:06 AM CDT

Judge kicks himself off felon voting-rights case after defendant’s ‘deeply troubling’ legal maneuver

A federal judge in Florida won’t be hearing a challenge to a restrictive Florida voting law because of a litigant’s choice of counsel. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker of Tallahassee disqualified himself in a order this week, but he didn’t appear happy about it, report the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and…

Jul 18, 2019 2:01 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: R. Kelly accused of sexual racketeering; in vitro fertilization mix-up leads to lawsuits

• Federal indictments in New York and Chicago accuse R&B singer R. Kelly of racketeering, producing child pornography and obstructing justice in connection with sexual exploitation of young girls and women. The New York indictment says Kelly had strict rules of behavior for his sexual recruits, including that they call…

Jul 12, 2019 4:34 PM CDT

Sidley Austin is among defendants settling investor class action for $220M

Sidley Austin and Deloitte are among five professional firms agreeing to pay $220 million to settle claims for aiding securities sales by a now-defunct investment firm accused of operating as a Ponzi scheme. None of the defendants were charged with any wrongdoing, according to the proposed settlement filed in Oregon…

Jul 11, 2019 1:22 PM CDT

BigLaw partner leaves firm after reprimand for DWI and alleged nose punch

A partner at Husch Blackwell in Madison, Wisconsin, has left the law firm after receiving a reprimand for allegedly punching a bar manager and driving while intoxicated. Lawyer Jeffrey McIntyre, 58, was reprimanded by the state supreme court June 26, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. McIntyre’s employee profile was on…

Jul 9, 2019 3:03 PM CDT

State supreme court calls out BigLaw lawyer for failing to stanch evasive client’s ‘deposition fiasco’

A Sullivan & Cromwell partner has been called out by the Delaware Supreme Court for failing to put an end to his client’s misbehavior that resulted in a “deposition fiasco.” The court referred to the partner, Brian Frawley, by name and said he apparently made no attempt to stop his…

Jul 1, 2019 11:17 AM CDT

Facebook recognizes diversity efforts of outside counsel with award to Kilpatrick Townsend

Facebook has tapped Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton for its first Law Firm Diversity Champion Award.

Jun 25, 2019 3:12 PM CDT

Judge sanctions BigLaw firm for missing deadline to turn over discovery materials in Baylor litigation

Pepper Hamilton will have to pay reasonable expenses and attorney fees incurred by its opponent in a discovery dispute as a sanction for a missed deadline to turn over materials and other discovery foot-dragging. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman imposed the sanction in a suit filed by 15 plaintiffs who…

Jun 25, 2019 11:57 AM CDT

Former Jones Day partner drops suit claiming ‘enforced code of silence’ led to pay bias

A former Jones Day partner in California has dropped her pay bias suit against the law firm in exchange for return of capital that she contributed to the firm. Lawyer Wendy Moore has dismissed all her claims, according to a statement by the law firm emailed to the ABA Journal.…

Jun 18, 2019 3:28 PM CDT