Law Firms

Are Criminals Winning the Mexican Drug War?

The number of people who have died in an ongoing effort by the Mexican government to crack down on the country’s drug dealers now substantially exceeds the number of U.S. soldiers who have died in the Iraq war, and it isn’t yet clear that Mexican authorities are winning. There were…

May 22, 2008 4:51 PM CDT

Law Firms Pledge to Match Donations to Cyclone, Quake Relief Efforts

At least two law firms have agreed to match their employees’ donations to relief efforts in regions suffering from natural disasters, according to e-mails obtained by two blogs. Heller Ehrman has agreed to match donations to the Red Cross by its lawyers and staffers who want to assist victims of…

May 22, 2008 2:15 PM CDT

How Hierarchical Law Practice Can Lead to Unethical Choices

Lawyers often find themselves in situations that produce high levels of conformity and obedience, making it difficult to resist unethical demands. That’s the conclusion of Suffolk University law professor Andrew Perlman, who recommends changes in the law designed to prod lawyers to do the right thing despite the pressure to…

May 22, 2008 1:11 PM CDT

Bingham Lays Off 17 Bay Area Staffers

Bingham McCutchen has laid off 17 San Francisco area support staffers. San Francisco managing partner Geoffrey Howard said the layoffs in his office amounted to 5 percent to 10 percent of the staff, the Recorder reports. Twelve staffers were laid off in San Francisco and five in the Silicon Valley.…

May 22, 2008 10:32 AM CDT

Former BigLaw Attorney and Author to Publish 2nd Book

Once he graduated from law school and started work, Ben Fountain found he didn’t much like being a lawyer. So, 20 years ago, after his wife made partner at Thompson & Knight, he left his job at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Dallas to pursue his interest in…

May 21, 2008 10:01 PM CDT

1st Birthday of 1st Publicly Owned Law Firm, Slater & Gordon

Exactly one year after Australia’s Slater & Gordon became the world’s first publicly owned law practice, on May 21, 2007, the personal injury law firm is doing well, with significant growth and a share price 35 percent above its initial value. But, perhaps most noteworthy, it is looking much like…

May 21, 2008 3:24 PM CDT

N.Y. Employment Law Firm Profiled as Countercyclical Small Business

The 28-lawyer New York law firm of Outten & Golden is adding three lawyers because of increased work representing employees moving in and out of jobs. The New York Times profiled the law firm as part of a feature on small businesses that are thriving in the downturn. The firm…

May 21, 2008 12:43 PM CDT

Holland & Knight Lays Off 70 Legal Secretaries

Holland & Knight is laying off 70 legal secretaries, about 5 percent of its support staff. The move comes after a small decline in the firm’s gross revenue last year, the Daily Business Review reports. Firm spokeswoman Susan Bass told the publication the layoffs were a result of a review…

May 21, 2008 10:51 AM CDT

Dickstein Contingent-Fee Payout Could Be $600K Per Partner

It’s a good time to be a partner at Dickstein Shapiro, an article in this month’s Washingtonian magazine notes. Under a partial contingent-fee arrangement in a patent case, each of the firm’s 150 partners can expect an average payout of $600,000, if a $501 million Texas federal jury award (apparently…

May 20, 2008 11:08 PM CDT

D.C. Tax Practice Hot; Major Tax Law Changes Expected

Law firms in the nation’s capital are looking to hire seasoned tax lawyers in the expectation of significant statutory changes. The ever-increasing scope of the alternative minimum tax, as well as the upcoming expiration of a record-breaking $4 trillion worth of tax provisions, are expected to spur landmark legislation, reports…

May 20, 2008 10:53 PM CDT

U of C Law Grad Accused of Submitting Phony Grades to Sidley Austin

Updated: A lawyer who attended the University of Chicago Law School has been accused in an ethics complaint of lying about his grades when he applied for a summer position at Sidley Austin. Loren Elliotte Friedman is accused in a complaint filed May 6 by the Illinois Attorney Registration and…

May 20, 2008 8:30 PM CDT

More Tyco Work for BigLaw UK Firm Under Unusual Billing Scheme

A major U.K.-based international law firm stands to get a six-figure bonus this year from a corporate client if it meets certain goals, including having women comprise at least 25 percent of its 2009 class of new partners. Eversheds will also see a fatter paycheck if it reduces Tyco’s litigation…

May 20, 2008 6:44 PM CDT

Real Estate Firm Cuts Lawyer Pay by 12 Percent

A South Florida law firm hit hard by the real estate downturn has cut its lawyers’ pay by 12 percent. If its financial situation improves, Becker & Poliakoff will make up for the salary cuts with retroactive pay for lawyers who stick with the firm, the Daily Business Review reports.…

May 20, 2008 11:20 AM CDT

Partners Feud Over $103M Payday at Heins Mills in Minn.

A $103 million payday at a Minneapolis law firm has proven to be cause for unhappiness rather than celebration. Current and former partners at Heins Mills & Olson are now feuding over how to split the pot, which represents attorney fees in a $2.65 billion settlement against AOL Time Warner…

May 19, 2008 4:21 PM CDT

Lawyer Seeks $30M From Former Firm, Claims Major Role in $1.3B Case

A Calgary attorney says he is entitled to $30 million from Merchant Law Group and the Canadian government for his work on one of the country’s biggest personal injury cases. The attorney, Tom Stepper, says he was the principal architect of the litigation concept in a case over the treatment…

May 19, 2008 3:54 PM CDT