Paralegals

Paid Well to Do Little, Staffer Relies on Luck, Trial Tech Skills

When Michael Skrzypek began working at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, he knew so little about computers that a supervisor once had to tell him he was trying to put a CD into a floppy drive. He had little to do—he calculates that he one year put in only 10 weeks…

Aug 4, 2008 10:47 PM CDT

Bingham Lays Off 10 More Staffers

Updated: Bingham McCutchen has laid off 10 staffers at its Hartford, Conn., office. The cuts follow the layoffs of 17 staffers in the San Francisco area in May. Bingham spokeswoman Claire Papanastasiou told the Wall Street Journal Law Blog the layoffs affect managers and administrative staffers. Papanastasiou told ABAJournal.com that…

Jul 30, 2008 2:44 PM CDT

Big PI Lawyer a ‘Sexual Predator’ Who Cheated Clients, Ex-Staffer Says

A former paralegal for a well-known Texas plaintiffs lawyer has reportedly dropped a bombshell in the form of a wrongful termination suit. Angela Robinson, who was fired in April, contends in the Harris County lawsuit (PDF) that Richard Laminack demanded sexual favors from employees of both sexes and once encouraged…

Jul 29, 2008 7:44 PM CDT

Lawyer, Paralegal Blame Each Other for $200,000 in Missing Client Money

Recent testimony by an ex-attorney in Florida and her former paralegal, office manager and best friend sheds considerable light on why their law firm had trouble managing its money and lost track, at least, of some $200,000 in missing client funds. The ex-attorney, Jessica Miller, who is currently being held…

Jul 7, 2008 3:35 PM CDT

IT and Litigation Support Paralegals Earn a Median of $115K

Paralegals who are litigation support/technology managers earn the most, with a median base compensation of $115,000, a new survey finds. The survey by Altman Weil Publications Group also found that paralegal pay hikes were above the cost of inflation last year, Legal Blog Watch reports. Salaries increased an average of…

Jul 3, 2008 11:37 AM CDT

Milberg Plea: Feds Will Drop Charges, Law Firm Will Pay $75M

A plea deal has been agreed to between the government and the Milberg plaintiffs securities firm. The feds will drop the charges against Milberg, which was indicted along with several senior partners for allegedly participating in an illegal scheme to funnel secret kickbacks to lead plaintiffs in class actions. And…

Jun 16, 2008 11:51 PM CDT

‘Legal Secretary’ Stars in New TV Series

A new Showtime miniseries that debuts tonight will offer an entertaining look at perceptions of law firm life as a subtheme. Already a hit in the United Kingdom, the “surprisingly unsteamy” program, which is based on real-life books and a blog, features a high-class prostitute who tells her family she…

Jun 16, 2008 5:16 PM CDT

Employee Stole $685K From Law Firm & Partner’s Mom

A former paralegal and bookkeeper for a small Connecticut law firm proved to be a one-woman theft machine after she developed a gambling problem in 1998. Karen Davis-Jennings, 44, was sentenced yesterday by a federal judge to 16 months in prison for stealing more than $685,000 from the firm and…

Jun 10, 2008 3:31 PM CDT

Women’s Rights Lawyer Sued for Sexual Harassment

A partner at a New York law firm that bills itself as “dedicated to the empowerment of women in the workplace” has been accused of sexually harassing a former client who is now also the former office manager for Tuckner, Sipser, Weinstock & Sipser. “Lisa Brockington says in court papers…

Jun 4, 2008 10:57 PM CDT

Supreme Court Allows Market Rate Recovery in Paralegal Fee Dispute

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a litigant may be compensated for the market rate of paralegals in a contract dispute with the federal government, SCOTUSblog reports. At issue was whether prevailing parties under the Equal Access to Justice Act may recover paralegal fees at market rates or whether…

Jun 2, 2008 2:44 PM CDT

Bingham Lays Off 17 Bay Area Staffers

Bingham McCutchen has laid off 17 San Francisco area support staffers. San Francisco managing partner Geoffrey Howard said the layoffs in his office amounted to 5 percent to 10 percent of the staff, the Recorder reports. Twelve staffers were laid off in San Francisco and five in the Silicon Valley.…

May 22, 2008 10:32 AM CDT

Holland & Knight Lays Off 70 Legal Secretaries

Holland & Knight is laying off 70 legal secretaries, about 5 percent of its support staff. The move comes after a small decline in the firm’s gross revenue last year, the Daily Business Review reports. Firm spokeswoman Susan Bass told the publication the layoffs were a result of a review…

May 21, 2008 10:51 AM CDT

Would-Be Legal Secretary is Now Partner

Amy Walpole’s typing skills were not the greatest. But that’s no longer an issue for the would-be legal secretary. The United Kingdom law firm at which she initially sought a staff position after returning home to her native Norwich in 2002 has helped her to earn a law license and…

Apr 17, 2008 3:53 PM CDT

Legal Assistant Spent $1.4M of Firm Trust Money on Herself

A former legal assistant with a major Canadian law firm reportedly stole $1.4 million from firm trust accounts over a three-and-a-half-year period by forging attorney signatures and creating falsified checks and requisition forms, among other methods. When bank statements arrived at Bennett Jones, in Calgary, Penny Marcy Myslichuk would remove…

Mar 19, 2008 4:19 PM CDT

Md. Attorney and Assistant Charged in Asylum Fraud Case

A Maryland attorney and his legal assistant are facing criminal charges for allegedly submitting falsified paperwork to federal agencies on behalf of asylum clients and coaching them to falsify their testimony. Indicted last week in federal court were Patrick G. Tzeuton, 41, of Silver Spring and Henri Marcel Nzone (or…

Mar 5, 2008 9:55 PM CST