Paralegals

Latham’s San Francisco Lawyers Allowed to Wear Jeans All Summer Long

Lawyers at Latham & Watkins’ San Francisco office can sport jeans all summer long, a break from a policy that allowed “nice blue jeans” only on Fridays. The firm changed the policy in response to requests by associates and staffers, office managing partner Scott Haber told the Daily Journal (sub.…

Jun 8, 2009 1:24 PM CDT

Squire Sanders Mulls Possible Merger With Denton Wilde Sapte

Merger talks reportedly may be under way between Squire Sanders & Dempsey and Denton Wilde Sapte. Still in the early stages, the conversations could achieve a transatlantic engagement as soon as this fall if they go well, reports Legal Week. The article relies on unidentified sources; Howard Morris, who is…

Jun 5, 2009 7:12 PM CDT

Sonnenschein Partner Sued for Accident Caused by His Runaway Car

A Sonnenschein partner is facing a lawsuit by a 7-year-old girl and her mother alleging his Lexus ran into them after he tried to park in front of a California grocery store to buy Girl Scout cookies. The suit claims lawyer Paul Glad, a litigator who chairs the insurance group…

Jun 4, 2009 2:45 PM CDT

Jones Day Memo Freezes Staff Pay, Asks Troops to Work Harder

Jones Day is freezing staff pay through June 30, 2010 and eliminating “year-end payments” and discretionary bonuses in 2009 in response to the dismal economy. Meanwhile, the 2,400-attorney international firm also urges staff to work harder in an internal memo obtained by Above the Law. “In this difficult economic environment,…

May 27, 2009 5:21 PM CDT

Paralegal Bought Elderly Lawyer’s Law Practice for $20

A California paralegal has been sentenced to two years in prison for inducing an 84-year-old lawyer to sell his law practice to him for $20. The lawyer, who wasn’t named, was suffering from early-stage dementia, the Orange County Register reports. Paralegal Mario David Abernathy of Garden Grove was sentenced after…

May 27, 2009 11:11 AM CDT

Sleep Docs Offer Tips for Legal Workers and Others Stressed Out by Economy

Sleep isn’t as restful as it used to be for 49-year-old “Frances,” a law firm employee who worries that she and her boyfriend could lose their jobs due to the dismal economy. ‘I’ll have dreams about what can happen, of actual conversations of talking to my boyfriend and saying, `Oh,…

May 26, 2009 5:41 PM CDT

‘Lilyhill’ Dies of Stroke, ‘Bright Star in Twitterverse’

A paralegal in Philadelphia who was a pioneering commenter on the law on Twitter is being mourned by dozens of followers who feel as though they have lost a close friend. Roberta “Ro” Frazier, best-known by her screen name of “Lilyhill,” died suddenly after experiencing a massive stroke, according to…

May 26, 2009 5:09 PM CDT

Pa. Law Firm is Sadder But Wiser After Alleged Thefts By Paralegal

A problem paralegal at a Pennsylvania law firm reportedly arrived late, left early and had a bad attitude. But only after she was let go one Friday did routine audits a few days later of the law firm estate accounts she had been handling allegedly reveal a more serious issue.…

May 20, 2009 12:57 AM CDT

Paralegal Accused of Stealing From Pa. Law Firm to Repay NYC Law Firm

Awaiting sentencing for stealing $285,000 from a New York City law firm, a paralegal allegedly stole from her new employer—a law firm in Norristown, Pa.—to pay restitution to her former employer. Kathy Foer-Morse is now facing new charges, including theft and forgery, in Pennsylvania, where she is accused of writing…

May 18, 2009 10:23 PM CDT

Hipster Cities Like Portland Attract Lawyers Willing to Work as Paralegals

Portland, Ore., is among the cities attracting young well-educated “hipsters” willing to overlook a tough job market to live in a popular place. And some of the new arrivals are lawyers. Portland, Seattle and Austin, Texas, don’t have enough jobs for all their young and educated migrants, but the places…

May 18, 2009 12:53 PM CDT

Total of 91 People Laid off at UK Law Firm Simmons & Simmons

In all, 91 people have lost their jobs at Simmons & Simmons as the United Kingdom law firm finalizes a redundancy review. The firm originally announced that up to 69 employees could be laid off, but 73 ended up leaving under the redundancy consultation, including 18 associates, Legal Week reports.…

May 15, 2009 3:59 PM CDT

Hunton & Williams Lays Off 23 Lawyers and 64 Staffers

In its first round of job cuts, Hunton & Williams has laid off 23 associates and of counsel and 64 staff members. The layoffs are spread among most practice areas and offices, according to a statement by managing partner Wally Martinez that was provided to the ABA Journal. “We did…

May 14, 2009 2:43 PM CDT

Law Firm Business Model Isn’t Changing All That Much, Survey Says

Ward Bower of consulting firm Altman Weil has been predicting some big changes for large law firms that will affect the bottom line for many associates. Bower tells the Legal Intelligencer that law firms will be hiring fewer first-year associates, will be billing clients less for their work, and will…

May 12, 2009 2:35 PM CDT

Fenwick & West Lays Off 15 Associates and Seven Staffers

The law firm Fenwick & West had held off on lawyer layoffs, until now. The law firm announced 22 layoffs yesterday, and 15 associates are among those being let go, the Recorder reports. The other people laid off were staffers. Fenwick chairman Gordon Davidson told the publication he had hoped…

May 6, 2009 1:55 PM CDT

Another Layoffs Downside: Loss of Personal Info on Work Computer

Lawyers, in particular, should know better. But like everybody else, many hardworking attorneys who spend a lot of time at the office probably have personal material on their work computers. And, in a time of stunning layoffs, both in the legal industry and elsewhere, that can result in the loss…

Apr 30, 2009 6:30 PM CDT