Midsize Firm

Thompson & Knight to Open New Office in Los Angeles

A Texas law firm is planting its flag in California. Thompson & Knight will open a Los Angeles office Oct. 1, the Dallas Business Journal reports. A law firm press release provides additional details. The new office will initially be staffed by partner Shelly A. Youree as well as counsel…

Sep 26, 2012 8:48 PM CDT

2 Law Firms Poised to Collect $300M Del. Chancery Attorney’s Fee Award, Plus $212K Daily Interest

A well-known Wilmington, Del., law firm and its Pennsylvania-based co-counsel are poised to collect one of the biggest legal-fee awards ever made in a securities class action, after the Delaware Supreme Court on Friday rejected a motion for reargument of the massive payout, which at last report totaled about $305…

Sep 24, 2012 4:46 PM CDT

Ex-Lawyer Steven Lippman Gets 3 Years, Says Ex-Partner Scott Rothstein ‘Played Me Like a Fool’

A newly disbarred South Florida lawyer was sentenced Friday to three years in federal prison, in the latest fallout from the implosion of the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm operated by convicted Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein, who is also disbarred and serving a 50-year federal prison term. Although Steven Lippman,…

Sep 14, 2012 6:19 PM CDT

Judge OKs Damages Claim by Ex-Edwards Wildman Partner Allegedly Ousted Without Required Partner Vote

A former corporate partner of Edwards Wildman Palmer isn’t entitled to his promised pay of $625,000 for his work 2008, because he didn’t bring in anywhere close to the amount of business he was supposed to generate to be paid at this level, a New York judge ruled last week.…

Sep 7, 2012 9:12 PM CDT

A Split at Connolly Bove Leaves Firm with Only an IP Practice

Twenty-one corporate litigation lawyers have left Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz to form their own law firm, leaving Connolly Bove with only an intellectual property practice. The new firm is Connolly & Gallagher, Delaware Online reports. Name partner Arthur “Chip” Connolly III was formerly managing partner at Connolly Bove. Delaware…

Sep 6, 2012 11:38 AM CDT

European Law Firm Field Fisher Waterhouse Opens First US Office in Palo Alto

A European law firm that focuses on technology and intellectual property matters is opening its first United States office in Palo Alto, Calif., this month. However, Field Fisher Waterhouse doesn’t expect to practice locally but simply offer its existing American client base easier access for representation in European matters, the…

Sep 4, 2012 9:24 PM CDT

Law Firm Merger Bumps NJ Municipal Judge Off the Bench After 23 Years

A law firm merger has effectively bumped a 23-year municipal judge in New Jersey off the bench. Given a choice between giving up his job as a Ridgewood municipal judge and giving up his job as a partner at Archer & Greiner, one of the largest firms in New Jersey,…

Aug 29, 2012 3:41 PM CDT

Ex-Client Sues Firm re ‘Massive Overbilling,’ Partner Says ‘Meritless’ Suit a Bill Dispute Tactic

A former client has sued a New York-based law firm in federal court for malpractice, accusing Wilk Auslander of “massive overbilling for needless work” while defending several securities class actions. In the suit (PDF), which was filed Monday in the Central District of California, ex-client Westport Capital Inc. and two…

Aug 28, 2012 7:57 PM CDT

To Allay Staff Fears After Devastating Earthquake, Law Firm Leaves New Structural Support Exposed

To allay fears of some law firm staff after a devastating earthquake last year left much of Christchurch, N.Z., in ruins, Malley & Co. Lawyers left a massive new X-shaped internal structural brace exposed and painted it bright orange when it moved back to the central city from temporary quarters…

Aug 28, 2012 3:58 PM CDT

Washington State Legal Community Braces for Huge Turnover in Lawyer Population

Washington state’s legal community is bracing for a huge turnover in its lawyer population over the next five years. The expected turnover, driven largely by demographics and economics, poses big challenges for firms both large and small, though small firms and solo practices seem especially vulnerable, the Puget Sound Business…

Aug 24, 2012 8:46 PM CDT

Meet David Nevin, ‘Velvet Shiv’ Defense Attorney for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

The military trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, isn’t expected to begin until next year. However, his hard-fighting defense lawyer, David Nevin, begins a six-day session of legal arguments on Thursday in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that could result in the exclusion…

Aug 22, 2012 4:15 PM CDT

Would You Bet Your Career on Your Law Firm’s Business Model?

The latest analyses of BigLaw financials is out, and things do not look good. In a recent article, Dan DiPietro and Gretta Rusanow of Citibank reported their midyear findings for a survey group of 176 firms (79 Am Law 100 firms, 47 Am Law 200 firms and 50 additional firms).…

Aug 21, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Kentucky’s Wyatt Absorbs 9-Member Memphis Firm, Expands Estate-Planning Practice

Louisville-based Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs announced this week that it’s merging with a 45-year-old firm in Memphis. Wyatt’s merger with Williams McDaniel means a significant expansion of Wyatt’s estate-planning practice, according to the firm and Business First. “Our strategic plan calls for growth, and when we looked around in the…

Aug 16, 2012 12:48 PM CDT

Foreclosure Law Firm Sues Bankruptcy Attorney Who Questioned Its ‘Systematic Overbilling’

A bankruptcy attorney who questioned a New York foreclosure law firm’s billing practices has been sued for defamation by the firm, Long Island-based Rosicki Rosicki & Associates. Peter Grubea, who has the highest volume bankruptcy caseload in the western region of the state, said in a March post on his…

Aug 13, 2012 4:04 PM CDT

Husch Blackwell Ups Ante for Some First-Years; Press Release Chart Lists Salaries Up to $160K

Husch Blackwell is increasing starting salaries for first-year associates in eight of the 14 offices listed on its website. And, rather than wait for legal news media to report on internal email to associates about the promised pay increase, the law firm has issued a press release announcing the new…

Aug 3, 2012 12:17 PM CDT