Top 10 Family Friendly Law Firms Named; Survey Finds More On and Off Ramp Programs

Yale Law Women has released its annual list of the top 10 family friendly law firms. Debevoise & Plimpton and Steptoe & Johnson made the list last year, but they are off this year. In their place are Covington & Burling, which made the 2009 list, and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw…

Apr 29, 2011 11:43 AM CDT

New Parents at O’Melveny Get Free Life-Transitions Coach

O’Melveny & Myers is helping new parents transition back to their legal work by providing a free life- transitions coach. O’Melveny officially launched its “Momentum One” initiative on Friday after trying it out in a pilot program last year, the Recorder reports. Coaches from AbilTo will work with associates, partners…

Apr 19, 2011 1:03 PM CDT

After Latest $450K Poker Win, Yale Law Student Says She May Practice Only Part-Time

Unlike many professional poker players, Vanessa Selbst has a potentially lucrative second career to fall back on should she ever experience a run of bad luck. With only one more year to go at Yale Law School, she has a law license—and the civil rights practice that motivated her decision…

Apr 18, 2011 9:41 PM CDT

In the Last Four Years at Debevoise, the Majority of New Partners are Women

For the last four years, the majority of new partners at Debevoise & Plimpton have been women. The law firm has announced 15 new equity partners from 2008 to 2011, and nine have been women, the Careerist reports. The percentage of females attaining partnership outpaces that of other large law…

Apr 1, 2011 12:56 PM CDT

Aussie Researcher to Study Whether Extended Leave, Flexible Hours Affect Partnership Chances

Does an extended leave or a flexible work schedule affect an associate’s chances of winning partnership? Australian doctoral candidate Elisabeth Hetterich hopes to learn the answers to those questions by researching the factors that influence law firm partnership decisions, report the New Lawyer and Queensland University of Technology. Hetterich, a…

Mar 25, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

SEC Lawyer’s Racial Bias Suit Claims Boss Targeted At-Home Work, Saw Leave as Vacation

A Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer claims in a racial harassment lawsuit that her former supervisor subjected her to more scrutiny than co-workers and made disparaging remarks. Ronesha Butler, senior counsel in the Office of Market Supervision, filed the racial discrimination suit on Wednesday in federal court in Washington, D.C.,…

Mar 24, 2011 12:43 PM CDT

A Lawsuit Claims ‘Macho’ Culture Led to Associate Dad’s Firing

Mar 1, 2011 9:30 AM CST

Guilty Plea in Elderly Ex-Lawyer’s Murder Includes Promise to Testify Against Another Defendant

At first, authorities thought former Illinois attorney Carl Kuhn might have died of natural causes. However, his home was in disarray and an autopsy showed that the 82-year-old suburban Chicago resident had been smothered. Today, Keith Allen, 22, pleaded guilty to the 2009 murder and agreed to testify against a…

Feb 18, 2011 8:25 PM CST

These Lawyers Still Love Law Practice. Find Out Why (Podcast)

Many lawyers are unhappy with their chosen profession, and the Great Recession isn’t helping much. But despite the struggles many are having with law practice and a fast-changing legal industry, there are still more than a few attorneys who love what they do, and always have. ABA Journal Podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward talked to some of them, and found out why.

Feb 7, 2011 2:20 PM CST

‘Better-Faster-Cheaper’ Work Model for Lawyers Has Led to Burnout, NY Bar Report Says

Lawyers facing increasing pressure to “value engineer” their services have adopted a “better-faster-cheaper ethic,” leading to burnout and increased economic burdens for law firms. That’s one of the conclusions of a report (PDF) on the future of the legal profession prepared by a special committee of the New York State…

Feb 4, 2011 2:02 PM CST

Hunting Happy: In Grim Times, a Search for Joy in Law Practice Gains Ground

Feb 1, 2011 10:39 AM CST

Myths About Happy Lawyers

Feb 1, 2011 10:30 AM CST

Letters: Kudos for Comic Book

Feb 1, 2011 10:00 AM CST

Firms’ Re-Entry Programs Open Doors

Feb 1, 2011 8:06 AM CST

Four Law Firms Make Fortune’s List of 100 Best Places to Work

Four law firms have made Fortune’s list of the 100 top companies to work for, and they dominate the publication’s “big pay” list for salaried employees. The firms that made this year’s list are Alston & Bird, Bingham McCutchen, Baker Donelson and Perkins Coie. On a separate list of “big…

Jan 21, 2011 1:49 PM CST