Law Firms

Kirkland & Ellis Disdains Litigation—Against Itself

Kirkland & Ellis was recently named American Lawyer’s “Litigation Department of the Year” for its courtroom victories, but the law firm would prefer that its associates keep their employment disputes out of court. Kirkland & Ellis recently dispatched a memo to its associates and other employees informing them that they…

Feb 22, 2008 3:34 PM CST

Seven WolfBlock Partners Leap to Smaller Firm

Seven partners at 300-lawyer Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen are jumping to 45-lawyer Pennsylvania law firm Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin. The partners are making the move as WolfBlock continues to look for a merger partner after the collapse of merger discussions with Cozen O’Connor, the Legal Intelligencer reports. Hangley…

Feb 22, 2008 11:46 AM CST

Feds and State Investigate N.Y. Lawyer Who ‘Worked’ 1,286 Days in a Year

It hasn’t been a good week for Lawrence Reich. A Newsday article yesterday features a photograph of FBI and Internal Revenue Service agents wheeling a cart of document boxes containing business records for the New York lawyer, apparently en route to a federal grand jury investigation. Meanwhile, another Newsday article…

Feb 21, 2008 10:17 PM CST

2nd Circuit: Lawyer ‘Failed Spectacularly’ in Immigration Case

Like too many other immigrants, Garfield Livern St. Valentine Aris was not well-served by a number of lawyers, the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says in an opinion yesterday. In fact, his initial counsel “failed spectacularly,” a three-judge appellate panel writes, after a paralegal misinformed him…

Feb 21, 2008 9:03 PM CST

DLA Piper Raids Locke Lord Bissell; 8 Restructuring Lawyers Jump Ship

DLA Piper has raided the Chicago office of Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell, persuading eight attorneys to jump ship and join the megafirm’s office there. The group, which includes both litigators and corporate lawyers, specializes in corporate bankruptcies and restructuring matters, reports the Chicago Tribune. It includes Timothy Brink, 42,…

Feb 21, 2008 8:00 PM CST

Legal Gossip Maven David Lat Dishes on Above the Law

Updated: Harvard. Yale. Wachtell. Federal prosecutor. Federal appeals court clerkship. All are part of David Lat’s impressive resume. Yet the 32-year-old is now prominent not in a traditional legal job but as the editor of one of the nation’s most-talked-about legal blogs, Above the Law. A self-described legal tabloid, it…

Feb 21, 2008 6:45 PM CST

Hughes Hubbard Investigated Alleged Prof Plagiarism

Hughes Hubbard & Reed was hired in 2006 to investigate allegations that a professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College used the work of a former colleague and students without attribution. The college said yesterday (statement posted by the Columbia Spectator) that Madonna Constantine, who was recently in the news after…

Feb 21, 2008 5:16 PM CST

Drop in Partner Numbers Drives Higher Partner Profits at Buchanan Ingersoll

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney had fewer partners in 2007 but higher profits per equity partner. The two numbers are related, chief executive officer Thomas VanKirk told the Legal Intelligencer. “Leverage like that will always have some impact on profits per equity partner,” he said. The firm had 193 equity and…

Feb 21, 2008 2:03 PM CST

High-Profile Skadden Litigator Goofs, Sends Private E-mail to Reporters

Updated: Well-known litigator Sheila Birnbaum of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom believed Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood used a press release and newspaper column to mischaracterize a recent confidential settlement with her client State Farm, and she said so. Her opinion was intended to circulate in an internal e-mail,…

Feb 21, 2008 1:03 PM CST

Excessive-Fees Case Focuses on Lawyer’s Media Strategy in Murder Trial

A criminal defense attorney on trial in Texas for allegedly overcharging his client in a high-profile murder case was accused in opening statements today of focusing on his own publicity to the detriment of defendant Clara Harris. Television camera crews conducted interviews and filmed the murder trial preparation, under an…

Feb 20, 2008 11:48 PM CST

Law Firm’s New Structure Creates Parallel Management Tracks

A Canadian law firm has adopted a new management structure that is being billed as a unique approach to legal practice. Instead of having a managing partner, an executive committee and a chief executive officer, Gowling Lafleur Henderson has established a parallel management structure to deal separately with internal and…

Feb 20, 2008 10:53 PM CST

Fla. Law Firm Criticized for Collection Efforts Against Accused Shoplifters

A Florida law firm helps retailers discourage shoplifting by sending civil recovery letters to those who are caught, prompting criticism and complaints to the Florida bar. The Florida firm, Palmer Reifler & Associates, is one of several law firms and collection agencies that send such letters. The missives often threaten…

Feb 20, 2008 1:21 PM CST

Lawyer’s Suit Against Cozen O’Connor Resolved

A lawsuit filed against Cozen O’Connor by a lawyer who said she was fired over her political work has been dropped by agreement of the parties. Lawyers on both sides of the suit filed by lawyer Patricia Biswanger told the Legal Intelligencer that the matter has been resolved—but they declined…

Feb 20, 2008 11:22 AM CST

New NALP Deadline for Accepting Summer Offers: 45 Days

Under commonly accepted recruiting guidelines, second-year law students have been able to ponder several summer associate offers for months at a time. No more. New guidelines adopted by NALP for a trial period now require second-years to decide within 45 days whether to accept a law firm’s offer of summer…

Feb 19, 2008 8:10 PM CST

New Issues for Lawyer Who ‘Worked’ 1,286 Days in One Year

Updated: A New York lawyer who reportedly was simultaneously listed as a full-time employee of five Long Island school districts for which he worked as legal counsel is seeing some fallout over a newspaper article about the situation. Lawrence Reich, 67, has now been suspended and asked to resign by…

Feb 19, 2008 7:07 PM CST