Law Firms

Michigan Solo Learns the Hard Way About Himself and the Law

Before Michael Burke can reverse the revocation of his law license, he must pay back the $1.6 million he stole from clients. Except it’s all gone now—blown on blackjack and slot machines. Once a Howell, Mich., solo practitioner, Burke pleaded guilty to embezzlement in 2001 and spent almost three years…

May 19, 2008 3:22 PM CDT

ABA President to Replace Magowan as Managing Partner of San Francisco Giants

Peter Magowan is stepping down and ABA President William H. Neukom is stepping up as managing partner and chief executive officer of the San Francisco Giants, it was announced this afternoon. Magowan will retire at the end of the season, and Neukom will take over his management role of the…

May 16, 2008 10:38 PM CDT

Experts Explain: How to Help Company Records Custodians Help You

Lawyers seeking documents from corporate records custodians will find that time spent explaining their requests pays dividends. Although the litigation process may seem clear to the attorneys involved, it can be an unusual, confusing and frightening experience for the company employees asked to provide documents in discovery, two experts point…

May 16, 2008 8:13 PM CDT

Promise Kept: Lawyer Quits Firm to Continue Juvenile Client’s Defense

After a conflict arose that made a Pittsburgh lawyer have to choose between his six-figure law firm salary or keeping a promise to a juvenile he was defending, Keenan Holmes says the choice became clear. “How can I tell my kids to do the right thing if I don’t? A…

May 16, 2008 7:28 PM CDT

Akerman to Merge With WolfBlock?

Two well-known law firms based in Florida and Philadelphia are reportedly getting serious about a proposal to combine forces to create a national platform and join the BigLaw ranks. Akerman Senterfitt and WolfBlock are in advanced merger discussions, according to unnamed sources. And the talks have already resolved the issue…

May 16, 2008 6:17 PM CDT

Skadden Exec to Step Down; 1st Top Management Change Since 1994

Updated: After nearly 15 years at the helm of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, Robert Sheehan has announced that he plans to step down as executive partner of the merger and acquisitions goliath when he completes his term in April 2009. He will be replaced by Eric Friedman, 43,…

May 16, 2008 4:51 PM CDT

White & Case Latest to Give Jr. UK Lawyers a Salary Boost

While some firms are freezing raises or scaling back, associates at White & Case in the U.K. are set to get a salary bump of 2.1 percent. Young lawyers will now get $152,000, up nearly $4,000 from the previous year’s pay, Legal Week reports. The New York-based firm’s U.K. salaries…

May 16, 2008 10:33 AM CDT

7th Circuit Upholds $30K Jones Day Sanction, Applies Rule 11

Saying that the sanction was on the lenient side, a federal appeals court has upheld a $30,000 penalty against Jones Day for filing a frivolous counterclaim and, in effect, recommended that federal judges feel free to apply Rule 11 more frequently. U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb did not abuse her…

May 15, 2008 7:02 PM CDT

Recent Law Grad Got $3M Bonus, Plus Porsche, in Fen-Phen Case

A recent law grad working on a massive diet drug case got a $3 million bonus and a Porsche when the civil fen-phen litigation settled for $200 million in 2001. David Helmers testified today about his lavish bonus in the Covington, Ky., federal fraud trial of three senior lawyers accused…

May 15, 2008 6:12 PM CDT

Major Canadian Law Firm Grows in NYC

As other Canadian law firms grow—or even shrink—their international offices by merging, one “stealth mode” competitor has established a full-fledged New York City office entirely through individual lateral hiring. Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt’s office there has grown from a few Canadian lawyers handling Canadian legal matters to some 30 lawyers,…

May 15, 2008 4:19 PM CDT

Why BigLaw Mergers Do—and Don’t—Work

Major law firms merge hoping that two plus two will equal five. But it can also equal four or even three—or higher numbers on the wrong side of the balance sheet, reports the American Lawyer in an article reprinted by New York Lawyer (reg. req.). The U.S. offices of Bingham…

May 14, 2008 5:38 PM CDT

Toronto Abuzz About Partner Fired From Local Dorsey & Whitney Office

Lawyers from Dorsey & Whitney will be scrambling to try to make up lost ground as the firm copes with an embarrassing situation in its small Toronto office, a Canadian publication predicts. The city’s legal community is still buzzing over Gil Cornblum, a partner fired by the firm last week…

May 14, 2008 4:39 PM CDT

Dreier Forms Sports Marketing Affiliate

Dreier is launching a sports marketing and consulting affiliate, in conjunction with the law firm’s sports practice. Dreier Sports Opportunities Group will be headed by attorney Don Gibson, a former major league baseball executive, the firm reports in a press release. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based affiliate “will assist athletes and…

May 14, 2008 3:30 PM CDT

Thumbs Up to Web Code of Conduct, Thumbs Down to Facebook Ban

Almost half of all Web users would support an Internet code of conduct for bloggers and other Internet commentators, according to a survey by an international megafirm. But a growing number of observers question whether employer attempts to ban workers from using social networking sites like Facebook make sense. “A…

May 13, 2008 10:02 PM CDT

Good News for Deal Lawyers: Carl Icahn Mulls Yahoo Proxy Fight

In a slow season for corporate deals, renowned activist investor Carl Icahn has provided some good news for mergers and acquisitions lawyers. He reportedly has purchased as many as 50 million shares of Yahoo Inc. stock and, in the wake of Microsoft Corp.’s failed bid for the Internet giant, is…

May 13, 2008 9:09 PM CDT