Partners

2 Lawyers Charged in Alleged Government Property Valuation Scheme

For almost a decade, attorneys at Armstrong, Mitchell, Damiani and Zaccagnini in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County helped government and commercial clients persuade the county’s Board of Revision that the assessed valuations on which their property tax is based were too high. The law firm was particularly expert at doing so, officials…

Sep 22, 2009 5:05 PM CDT

Howrey Lures 6 Clifford Chance Lawyers to Launch Paris Antitrust Practice

Howrey has raided Clifford Chance for a six-lawyer team that will launch a new antitrust practice in the firm’s Paris office. Headed by partners Claude Lazarus and Audrey Amsellem, the team, which includes four experienced associates, will join Howrey on Nov. 1, the firm reports in a press release. “Antitrust…

Sep 21, 2009 10:32 PM CDT

‘Blade Runner’ Lawyers to Represent Semenya in Gender Dispute

Having helped a double-amputee win the right to compete with able-bodied runners in track-and-field events on prosthetic legs, Dewey & LeBoeuf is now representing another South African athlete in a controversial dispute about whether she is qualified to compete as a woman. Caster Semenya, who has higher-than-normal levels of testerone,…

Sep 21, 2009 5:49 PM CDT

WilmerHale Partner Said to Be Leading Contender for US Attorney in D.C.

WilmerHale partner Ronald Machen is a leading candidate for U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., according to a published report. The congresswoman representing the District of Columbia, Eleanor Holmes Norton, chose Machen as her top choice when she submitted a list of three candidates to President Obama, the Washington Post reports.…

Sep 21, 2009 11:34 AM CDT

Lawyer Who Got JD to Represent Brother Wins $10.7M for Wrongful Conviction

A high-school dropout with two children who went on to get her general educational development certificate, graduate from college and earn a juris doctor degree so that she could represent her brother in a wrongful conviction case has now won $10.7 million in damages from a federal judge in Massachusetts.…

Sep 18, 2009 8:27 PM CDT

Attorney Accused of Trying to Hire a Hit Man to Kill Another Lawyer

A 58-year-old South Carolina criminal defense attorney has been charged with solicitation of a felony for allegedly trying to hire a hit man to kill another attorney with whom he formerly shared a law office. Horry County Police say that Irby Walker talked repeatedly with a purported hit man, who…

Sep 18, 2009 7:14 PM CDT

Lawyer Accused of Asbestos Fraud Wins Summary Judgment

A federal judge in West Virginia has dismissed a lawsuit against the founding partner of a Pittsburgh, Pa., law firm accused of conspiring with others to file fraudulent asbestos claims against CSX Transportation Corp., as the case was about to go to trial. The company plans to appeal the decision…

Sep 17, 2009 5:54 PM CDT

Longtime Partner Leaves 250-Lawyer Firm to Join Small Competitor

A former managing partner of the Atlanta office of Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi is leaving the 250-attorney firm after 23 years there to join a small competitor. Brent Kaplan will now practice at Isenberg & Hewitt, a husband-wife litigation boutique, explains a press release. In the current economy, clients…

Sep 16, 2009 9:50 PM CDT

Several BigLaw Lawyers Win Supreme Court Clerkships

Several lawyers big BigLaw backgrounds are leaving their firms for the lure of a U.S. Supreme Court clerkship. Law clerks working for U.S. Supreme Court justices this term have worked for law firms such as Williams & Connolly; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; and Kirkland & Ellis, the Washingtonian reports at…

Sep 16, 2009 3:06 PM CDT

Kelley Drye Group Departs for K&L Gates

A group of corporate and litigation attorneys has left Kelley Drye & Warren for K&L Gates. They are the first addition to their new firm’s Chicago office since K&L Gates acquired Bell Boyd & Lloyd earlier this year. Headed by partners Susan Greenspon and David Rammelt, the group also includes…

Sep 15, 2009 4:30 PM CDT

In Latest Russian Raid, Chadbourne Lures Former Partner Back from Dechert

Only four months ago, Dechert was proclaiming victory in a stunning raid that reportedly stole all five partners from Chadbourne & Parke’s office in Moscow. But the New York City-based international law firm fought back, and managed to retain two of the five partners. And today, in the latest skirmish…

Sep 14, 2009 7:51 PM CDT

Hulk Hogan Sues Lawyers Over $1M Bill, Says He Wasn’t Told About Insurance

Updated: Wrestling star Hulk Hogan has sued two Florida attorneys, contending that they charged more than $1 million to defend his son in an auto accident case and related matters at billable hourly rates of nearly $500 without telling him his auto insurance company would have paid for legal counsel…

Sep 14, 2009 5:37 PM CDT

Why Keeping Compensation Secret Helps Jones Day Grow

Jones Day’s secrecy surrounding compensation may be aiding its rapid expansion in the San Francisco Bay area. Jones Day has grown from a couple of dozen Bay Area lawyers in 2003 to 137 lawyers in its San Francisco and Palo Alto offices, the Recorder (sub. req.) reports. Observers say the…

Sep 14, 2009 4:59 PM CDT

Major Plaintiffs Practice Opens in Calif., Joins Westward Move By Corporate Firms

A major plaintiff firm known for its work in securities class actions has opened a new office in California, establishing its first outpost beyond its 70-attorney headquarters in the suburban Philadelphia area. The new San Francisco office of Barroway Topaz Kessler Meltzer & Check will be headed by Ramzi Abadou,…

Sep 11, 2009 6:18 PM CDT

Donovan Hatem and Name Partner Ordered to Pay $3M to Ex-Partners

Boston law firm Donovan Hatem has been ordered to pay $3 million to nine former partners who claimed a name partner engaged in abusive behavior and manipulated profit numbers. Judge Judith Fabricant affirmed an arbitration panel finding and ordered the firm and name partner David Hatem to pay $3 million…

Sep 11, 2009 2:06 PM CDT