Partners

Kremlin Fires Prison Head, 19 Staff, After Death of Jailed Lawyer

After an investigation into the sudden death last month of a 37-year-old Russian lawyer jailed on tax evasion charges after pointing the finger at claimed government corruption, the Kremlin has fired the head of the Moscow prison system. In a Dec. 4 decree reported by Russian media today, President Dmitry…

Dec 11, 2009 7:15 PM CST

Wolf Takes the Reins at Weil Gotshal

New York-based Weil, Gotshal & Manges has elected Barry Wolf to the position of executive partner. Wolf, who previously was co-chair of the firm’s corporate department, replaces Chairman Stephen Dannhauser as the firm’s CEO. Dannhauser will retain his role as chairman but focus on client development, according to a firm…

Dec 11, 2009 12:58 PM CST

Womble Carlyle Snags Biotech Patent Team from Pillsbury Winthrop

In a staggered series of moves that began in early November, in order to ease the transfer of clients, a team of four lawyers and two patent agents have departed Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman for Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. Headed by Thomas Cawley Jr., who joins Womble Carlyle as…

Dec 10, 2009 11:38 PM CST

Prominent L.A. Lawyer Shot in Head Outside His Home Was Murdered

A partner at a Los Angeles law firm who was shot in the head outside his upscale home earlier this week was murdered, police now say, ruling out the possibility of suicide. However, little appears to be known about what might have led to the slaying of Jeffrey Tidus, who…

Dec 10, 2009 9:03 PM CST

US Lawyer Wrongly Accused in Madrid Bomb Case Loses Patriot Act Challenge

Because he earlier accepted $2 million from the government for being mistakenly arrested in an international terrorism case and is barred by the terms of the settlement from seeking new injunctive relief, an Oregon lawyer lacks standing to pursue his challenge to the constitutionality of the USA Patriot Act, a…

Dec 10, 2009 8:36 PM CST

Some Law Firms Begin Firing Equity Partners, Despite a Better Third Quarter

Law firm layoffs are beginning to hit partners—including equity partners, according to a legal consultant. Dan DiPietro, head of client relations for the law firm group at Citi Private Bank, tells Bloomberg that law firms laid off more lawyers in the third quarter than the second. Some are eliminating partner…

Dec 10, 2009 2:08 PM CST

Drinker Biddle and Stoel Rives Are Expanding in California

Drinker Biddle & Reath has added six new lawyers in Los Angeles, doubling its presence there, reports the National Law Journal. Four of the six come from Epstein Becker & Green, where three were partners. The 700-attorney Philadelphia-based firm has about 40 lawyers in its San Francisco office, notes the…

Dec 10, 2009 1:16 AM CST

Billionaire Sex Offender’s Racketeering Suit: Rothstein Lawyers Lied About Me

Just when it might have seemed that alleged wrongdoing related to the spectacular downfall of Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler could not become more bizarre, a billionaire convicted sex offender has filed a civil racketeering lawsuit against two onetime partners of the South Florida law firm. Contending that they prejudiced his defense…

Dec 9, 2009 11:50 PM CST

Detective Says Death of L.A. Lawyer Might Be a ‘Targeted Killing’

Although no weapon reportedly was recovered, authorities say they have not yet ruled out suicide in the case of a prominent Los Angeles lawyer who was shot in the head outside his upscale home Monday night and died the next morning at a hospital. (Subsequently, authorities did rule out suicide…

Dec 9, 2009 9:06 PM CST

As Law Firms Respond to Crisis, 21% of Law Students Regret Choice

It’s not surprising that law students are a discontented lot. A new survey by LexisNexis found that, based on the changing legal marketplace, 21 percent of law students regret attending law school. Thirty-five percent said they don’t feel adequately prepared to succeed in the new marketplace, and 65 percent said…

Dec 9, 2009 1:54 PM CST

2 Lawyers Among 5 Charged in Alleged $14.6M Mortgage Scheme

Two partners in a Pennsylvania law firm have been federally indicted along with three other defendants including two mortgage company owners in a wide-ranging alleged real estate fraud scheme. Jeffrey Bennett and Stephen Doherty of Doylestown-based Bennett & Doherty are charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and…

Dec 8, 2009 8:56 PM CST

Lawyer Shot in Head Outside His Upscale Home Dies at Hospital

Updated: A Southern California lawyer died at a hospital this morning after being shot in the head last night at about 8:30 p.m. outside his upscale home, and a police detective subsequently said his death might be a “targeted killing,” although suicide has not yet been ruled out. He is…

Dec 8, 2009 8:25 PM CST

DLA Piper Downsizes Again in Dubai, Hires Alston Partner to Head Financial Practice Group in D.C.

DLA Piper is laying off seven lawyers and 10 staff members from its offices in the Middle East because of a business slowdown there. Most of the layoffs are in Dubai, reports Legal Week, which also says the international megafirm plans to transfer another 14 individuals, including some partners, to…

Dec 8, 2009 1:11 AM CST

Filing: Rothstein Made $35M in 2008; Name Partner: I Wasn’t Paid $6M

Observers wondered how a South Florida attorney who nobody had heard of a few years ago could have millions to spend on a lavish lifestyle and high-profile charitable donations during a recession. But, without specific evidence of wrongdoing, no one picked up the phone and called police or bar authorities…

Dec 7, 2009 6:27 PM CST

Judge Says Hausfeld and His Former Firm Both Violated Settlement

A federal magistrate judge in Philadelphia says lawyer Michael Hausfeld and his former law firm both violated an agreement on the distribution of class-action attorney fees and the return of capital contributions. U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Rice refused to award attorney fees in the litigation over the settlement to either…

Dec 4, 2009 2:54 PM CST