Law Firms

About one-fifth of lawyers and staffers considered suicide at some point in their careers, new survey says

A new survey of lawyers and staff members hailing mostly from BigLaw has found that anxiety, depression and isolation remain at concerning levels, despite a slight decrease in the percentages since the survey last year.

May 10, 2022 12:55 PM CDT

Former Paul Ewing paralegal pleads not guilty to embezzling more than $600K

A former paralegal at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr in Chicago has pleaded not guilty to allegations that she embezzled more than $600,000 while working on bankruptcy matters at the law firm. Becky Louise Sutton, 66, of Austin, Texas, pleaded not guilty to three counts of wire fraud and three…

May 6, 2022 4:10 PM CDT

Legal industry added 4,700 jobs last month; numbers continue to top pre-pandemic high

Legal industry hiring is on the rebound. The legal services sector added 4,700 jobs in April following slight declines in February and March, according to seasonally adjusted, revised numbers released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

May 6, 2022 1:40 PM CDT

Appeals court voids firm fee imposed on departing lawyers who take clients with them

The Colorado Court of Appeals has addressed two issues of first impression that relate to law firm agreements that aim to prevent departing attorneys from taking clients with them.

May 4, 2022 10:50 AM CDT

Large law firms increase hiring of diverse attorneys, new data shows

Large law firms significantly increased their numbers of diverse attorneys between 2019 and 2021, according to new data from Firm Prospects, which provides analysis of trends in the lateral hiring market.

May 3, 2022 3:08 PM CDT

As associate hiring spiked in 2021, how many new hires left within the first year?

Associate hiring and attrition spiked last year, leading to “boomerang” hiring and a greater percentage of associates leaving within one year, according to a survey of law firms released last week by the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education.

May 2, 2022 9:29 AM CDT

MyCase rolls out new cloud-based drive for backing up and syncing files

Legal technology company MyCase announced Monday that it will roll out a new cloud-based drive, so law firms and lawyers can back up and sync files across devices while on its platform.

May 2, 2022 8:00 AM CDT

Former paralegal in federal prosecution office is convicted for outing witnesses

A former paralegal at the U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey was convicted Tuesday based on accusations that she outed cooperating witnesses against her gang member son.

Apr 29, 2022 2:06 PM CDT

4th Circuit upholds restrictions on lawyer ads seeking drug and device clients

A federal appeals court has upheld West Virginia’s restrictions on lawyer advertising that seeks clients for litigation involving medication and medical devices.

Apr 29, 2022 11:43 AM CDT

Dentons loses appeal to overturn $32.3M malpractice judgment; verein conflict at issue

An Ohio appeals court has upheld a $32.3 million malpractice award to a former Dentons client that says it had to scramble to find new lawyers after the law firm was booted from its case.

Apr 29, 2022 10:27 AM CDT

One-time jailhouse lawyer creates legal jobs program for the formerly incarcerated

Devon Simmons, co-founder and project director of a new program helping those with past convictions find work as paralegals and other jobs in the legal profession, says there’s a wealth of untapped legal talent among formerly incarcerated people.

Apr 28, 2022 1:07 PM CDT

Despite 12 negative COVID-19 tests, Perkins Coie partner is stuck in 37-day hotel quarantine in China

Perkins Coie partner James Zimmerman was unprepared for the greeting that he received from China, when he returned in March from open-heart surgery in the United States.

Apr 28, 2022 10:47 AM CDT

BigLaw ‘Super Rich’ club expands; one firm had $8.4M in profits per equity partner

Nine more BigLaw firms have joined the American Lawyer’s “Super Rich” list, released this week, along with the publication’s list of the 100 top-grossing law firms in 2021.

Apr 28, 2022 9:13 AM CDT

DLA Piper adds 27 private equity lawyers; ‘this is just the beginning,’ says US vice chairman

A group of 27 private equity lawyers is leaving Honigman to join DLA Piper in Chicago.

Apr 22, 2022 9:28 AM CDT

What factors drive attorney turnover? Compensation isn’t the only issue, new report says

Compensation may be the proximate cause that entices associates to leave their law firms, but “the root cause may run deeper,” according to a report released Thursday.

Apr 21, 2022 2:51 PM CDT