Partners

Law firm leaders look for these 4 traits in partners

What one trait is most important for a law firm partner? Law360 journalists asked that question when they spoke with law firm leaders over the past year as part of an ongoing interview series. A large book of business and legal expertise were important. But four personal qualities stood out.…

Jul 26, 2019 4:28 PM CDT

Judge kicks himself off felon voting-rights case after defendant’s ‘deeply troubling’ legal maneuver

A federal judge in Florida won’t be hearing a challenge to a restrictive Florida voting law because of a litigant’s choice of counsel. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker of Tallahassee disqualified himself in a order this week, but he didn’t appear happy about it, report the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and…

Jul 18, 2019 2:01 PM CDT

BigLaw partner leaves firm after reprimand for DWI and alleged nose punch

A partner at Husch Blackwell in Madison, Wisconsin, has left the law firm after receiving a reprimand for allegedly punching a bar manager and driving while intoxicated. Lawyer Jeffrey McIntyre, 58, was reprimanded by the state supreme court June 26, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. McIntyre’s employee profile was on…

Jul 9, 2019 3:03 PM CDT

BigLaw firm earns top spot for number of female attorneys; what other firms made the cut?

A new firm is No. 1 on the National Law Journal’s 2019 Women in Law Scorecard, which ranks the largest law firms in the country by their representation of female attorneys. Berry Appleman & Leiden, an immigration firm based in San Francisco, reported to the National Law Journal that 59.2%…

Jul 1, 2019 2:43 PM CDT

State supreme court calls out BigLaw lawyer for failing to stanch evasive client’s ‘deposition fiasco’

A Sullivan & Cromwell partner has been called out by the Delaware Supreme Court for failing to put an end to his client’s misbehavior that resulted in a “deposition fiasco.” The court referred to the partner, Brian Frawley, by name and said he apparently made no attempt to stop his…

Jul 1, 2019 11:17 AM CDT

San Diego lawyer launches all-female, all-partner virtual firm

The fledgling virtual firm Vanst Law in San Diego has no office, no break room and no conference room of its own—so the partners get creative about finding ways to stay collegial. “Our firm culture is extremely important to us. We can’t meet at the watercooler, but isolation isn’t a problem,” says founder and CEO Cynthia Morgan-Reed.

Jul 1, 2019 1:25 AM CDT

Greenspoon Marder settles bias suit of former partner who’s Korean American

Greenspoon Marder has settled a lawsuit filed by a Korean American lawyer who alleged he was ousted from the partnership because of racial and national origin discrimination. In a June 17 order, U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan dismissed the case because of the settlement, the Daily Business Review reports. Terms…

Jun 19, 2019 3:18 PM CDT

Former Jones Day partner drops suit claiming ‘enforced code of silence’ led to pay bias

A former Jones Day partner in California has dropped her pay bias suit against the law firm in exchange for return of capital that she contributed to the firm. Lawyer Wendy Moore has dismissed all her claims, according to a statement by the law firm emailed to the ABA Journal.…

Jun 18, 2019 3:28 PM CDT

How bystanders can stand up to sexual harassment in the law office

Even though bystanders are not the intended target of sexual harassment in the workplace, they, too, can endure a personal toll that is often overlooked, writes author and lawyer Lauren Stiller Rikleen.

Jun 6, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

DLA Piper lawyers in the UK are targeted in email scam

Scammers posed as DLA Piper lawyers in the United Kingdom to trick an entity into making a payment to a fraudulent bank account. The Solicitors Regulation Authority said in a recent press release that the scammers sent emails purporting to be from Alan Cunningham, a partner who leads the law…

Jun 4, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

The 6 most important qualities for an equity partner

From a sociological perspective, law firms are very different from many other businesses. On the one hand, law firms have the clear distinction between fee earners and staff (the non-fee earners). Although both categories are part of the same organization, they form two distinct separate classes: an upper class (fee earners) and a middle class (staff). These two classes do not mix well. Even a nonlawyer CEO or COO will be seen in the end as part of the middle class.

May 30, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Cases on BigLaw partner’s suicide, school’s trans bathroom policy turned down by Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court has left intact a federal appeals court ruling against the widow of a Reed Smith partner who blamed antidepressant labeling for her husband’s suicide. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago had overturned a $3 million award to Wendy Dolin, who alleged that GlaxoSmithKline…

May 28, 2019 1:16 PM CDT

Ex-BigLaw partner’s $10M suit links health club’s racy marketing to alleged false claim of lewdness

A former partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed has filed a $10 million defamation suit against a Wall Street health club over an alleged false claim that the lawyer engaged in lewd conduct in the steam room. Steven Hammond, the former partner, sued the Equinox fitness club and employee Michael…

May 28, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Former Willkie co-chair pleads guilty in college admissions scandal

Gordon Caplan, the former co-chairman of Willkie Farr & Gallagher, pleaded guilty Tuesday to an accusation that he paid $75,000 to a college admissions consultant to have an exam proctor correct some of his daughter’s answers on the ACT. Caplan pleaded guilty in Boston federal court to a charge of…

May 22, 2019 10:30 AM CDT

Groping, extortion, litigation-funder fraud among claims in dueling suits by law firm, ex-partner

Updated: A court fight between Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht and one of its former partners is airing allegations of financial misconduct, sexual assault, masturbation, retaliation and a $65 million extortion attempt. The dispute first received attention last Wednesday, when fired partner Donald Lewis sued Pierce Bainbridge in Manhattan…

May 21, 2019 7:00 AM CDT