Paralegals

Smaller Law Firms Struggle with Morale Issues in Bonus Decisions

The gossip mill at smaller law firms can lead to morale issues at bonus time. The Connecticut Law Tribune notes the problem. “With just a handful of employees, it’s hard to keep individual bonus totals a secret,” the story says. “That can leave a subset of employees who might be…

Dec 2, 2009 2:44 PM CST

Like a Dress Code, Social Media Policy Can Prevent Excess Exposure

When potential clients Google your law firm, do you want a paralegal’s MySpace page featuring “unprofessional interests and photos” to be the first hit they get? Obviously, the answer to this question is no. But that’s exactly what happened when attorney Greg Ripple looked up a law firm he didn’t…

Nov 24, 2009 6:01 PM CST

Day Pitney Axes 29 Staff in 3rd Round of Announced Layoffs This Year

Day Pitney let 29 staff members go last week, in the law firm’s third round of layoffs this year. The 400-attorney Hartford, Conn.-based Northeast regional law firm also laid off 20 lawyers in May and 66 staff members in February, reports the Connecticut Law Tribune. James Sicilian, the firm’s co-managing…

Nov 9, 2009 6:45 PM CST

Ex-Client on Trial over Alleged Hit on Matrimonial Lawyer; Paralegal Testifies

Unhappy about the result of a motion filed by his matrimonial lawyer in a child custody dispute, a New Jersey accountant allegedly took extreme action. Nicholas Lucarella, now 57, is accused of hiring another state resident to kill his attorney, Peter Paras. But Paras survived an attack by Vancleve ‘Q’…

Oct 27, 2009 8:33 PM CDT

Philly IP Law Firm Offers Reward for Information on Paralegal’s Death

Corrected: An intellectual property law firm in Philadelphia is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the bicyclist who struck and killed a paralegal. Andre Steed, 39, died Saturday, more than a week after he was found on a street bleeding from severe head…

Oct 27, 2009 5:29 PM CDT

Ex-Thelen Employees Try Novel Theory in Suit Against Hiring Firms

Former Thelen employees are relying on a novel legal theory in their $18 million lawsuit against five law firms that hired some lawyers from the dissolved law firm. The plaintiffs claim the hiring law firms purchased a portion of Thelen’s business, and are obligated to pay wages due under the…

Oct 27, 2009 12:05 PM CDT

Paralegal Fights Search of His Home Over Tweets About Police Activities

While at least arguably participating in the protests of the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh in September, Elliott Madison was arrested and spent some time in a local jail. But that wasn’t the worst of it. On Oct. 1, federal authorities raided his home in the Queens borough of New York…

Oct 26, 2009 5:13 PM CDT

WilmerHale Lays Off Staffers in Four Offices

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr has laid off staffers in four offices. The biggest cuts are in Washington, D.C., and Boston, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. Above the Law, the first to report the news, also reported layoffs in the New York office. The two…

Oct 23, 2009 11:38 AM CDT

Legal Sector Lost 2,000 Jobs Last Month, 58 Jobs Last Week

The legal sector lost 2,000 jobs last month, according to seasonally adjusted numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The decline was much higher when the numbers aren’t seasonally adjusted. In raw numbers, a total of 13,600 jobs were lost last month, likely because of summer associate programs ending, the…

Oct 5, 2009 11:44 AM CDT

Cooley Godward Lays Off 58 Staffers

Cooley Godward Kronish has laid off 58 staffers, most of them secretaries. Cooley chief operating officer Mark Pitchford told the Recorder that the layoffs amount to about 5 percent to 6 percent of the firm’s staff. They follow January cuts of 52 lawyers and 62 staffers. “This is not being…

Oct 2, 2009 11:37 AM CDT

Law Firm Partner Says Worker’s Alleged $1.2M Theft Forced 10 Layoffs

A payroll worker at a small Washington, D.C., law firm has been accused of stealing $1.2 million by transferring the money from her employer to her own bank accounts. A criminal information alleges Tamika Beasley stole the money from James E. Brown & Associates, according to The BLT: The Blog…

Sep 30, 2009 6:33 PM CDT

Saul Ewing Secretary Accused of Using Firm Credit Card for Exotic Dancer Trip

A legal secretary at Saul Ewing in Washington, D.C., has been accused of using the law firm’s credit card to help finance a trip involving her exotic dancer business. Jarriette Richie was charged with fraud for allegedly putting more than $46,000 in expenses on the credit card, issued to a…

Sep 9, 2009 12:31 PM CDT

Law Firm Leaders Should Meet Budgets or Take a Pay Cut, Ex-MP Says

Law firm leaders who miss budget projections for partner income should make up the difference through cuts in their own pay, a former managing partner says. Edwin Reeser, a business lawyer who was managing partner of the Los Angeles office of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, says law firm leaders need…

Aug 31, 2009 5:59 PM CDT

Law Firm Manager Sentenced to Prison for Carjacking Hoax

A longtime paralegal and office manager for a Pennsylvania law firm has been sentenced to at least nine months in prison for falsely claiming she and her daughter had been carjacked. Prosecutors said paralegal Bonnie Sweeten made the call before taking her daughter to Disney World, where she hoped to…

Aug 28, 2009 11:36 AM CDT

Paralegal Headed to Law School Takes $125K Job Instead, Is Fired and Sues

Thomas DeVore had a job with a title company, and his career was on the upswing. He was about to begin pursuing a law degree at Washburn University School of Law and had a job lined up as a paralegal, too, to help cover his costs there. But the southern…

Aug 26, 2009 4:51 PM CDT