Pennsylvania

WolfBlock Cuts Associate Salaries by 10%, Promises More Bonus Money

WolfBlock is cutting associate salaries by 10 percent at the same time it is increasing cash to pay bonuses. A spokesman for the East Coast law firm confirmed the pay cut but told Above the Law the additional bonus money will be used to make compensation more performance-based. The firm…

Feb 12, 2009 6:56 PM CST

Police Seek Leads in Yesterday’s Killing of Pa. Lawyer

Police have few leads in Wednesday’s killing of a Pennsylvania lawyer, who was shot in the back of the head at point-blank range as he was walking across the parking lot toward his law office. They are scouring Eric Birnbaum’s client list in his plaintiffs personal injury practice, to see…

Feb 12, 2009 6:13 PM CST

Pa. Attorney Was Victim in Juvenile Jail-for-Pay Case, His Lawyer Says

A Pennsylvania lawyer who formerly was a co-owner of juvenile detention facilities implicated in a jail-for-pay case that has brought down two senior judges was a victim of their kickbacks scheme, his lawyer says. “Bob Powell never solicited a nickel from these judges and really was a victim of their…

Feb 11, 2009 8:55 PM CST

Pa. Attorney Fatally Shot in Office Parking Lot

A Pennsylvania lawyer at a plaintiffs personal injury firm was fatally shot today as he arrived at his Northampton Township office. Initially unidentified in news reports, the attorney, who was reportedly shot in the head at point-blank range, was Eric Birnbaum, 51, according to FOX News. Police are still looking…

Feb 11, 2009 6:26 PM CST

Facing New Charge: Pa. Man Said He’ll Burn Judge’s Home, Bailiff Reports

Headed to Berks County Prison last week after a district court judge in Fleetwood, Pa., revoked his $5,000 unsecured bond in an underage drinking case, a 20-year-old defendant allegedly still hadn’t learned his lesson. Shortly after leaving the courtroom of District Judge Gail Greth on Feb. 4, David Pilawski, allegedly…

Feb 10, 2009 7:22 PM CST

Suspended Pa. Judge Changed Other Judges’ Sentences, His Successor Says

A suspended judge who formerly served as the president judge of Luzerne County had been changing sentences for some convicted felons, often without the knowledge of the judges who originally imposed the sentences, his successor says. “Former Luzerne County President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. bypassed the rest of the…

Feb 5, 2009 7:24 PM CST

Penn Students See Humor in Layoffs: ‘Dissolving Firm Offers 3L Partnership’

Apparently inspired by widespread news of layoffs at real law firms, law students at the University of Pennsylvania have highlighted some humorous aspects of a sad situation in a satirical “news” publication. The initial issue of Goat’s Milk (PDF), a self-described underground law review, leads with an article that indicates…

Feb 5, 2009 1:27 AM CST

Women Lawyers Are Happier Outside of BigLaw, Survey Says

Former large-firm female attorneys are finding career satisfaction and happiness in the law—in second careers as in-house counsel, government attorneys and solo practitioners. The leaky pipeline in the progression of women lawyers from law firm neophytes to equity partners is a common BigLaw problem. However, most women who leave their…

Feb 4, 2009 8:15 PM CST

Luzerne County, Pa., Court Shakeup Expands Exponentially

After news that two now-suspended senior Luzerne County judges have agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges, Pennsylvania state lawmakers plan to discuss possible compensation for juveniles that the two judges are accused of sending to detention facilities in exchange for monetary kickbacks. “Meanwhile, the state Supreme Court has agreed…

Feb 4, 2009 7:56 PM CST

It’s Official: K&L Gates and Bell Boyd OK Merger; Firm to Have Nearly 2K Lawyers

An “overwhelming” yes vote today by partners of both firms has made it official: Pittsburgh-based K&L Gates and Chicago’s Bell Boyd & Lloyd will merge March 1. With the addition of Bell Boyd’s approximately 250 attorneys, K&L Gates will have about 1,900 lawyers in 31 offices, according to the Pittsburgh…

Jan 31, 2009 1:16 AM CST

Suspended Pa. Judge Now at Issue in $3.4M Legal Malpractice Judgment

Accusations that two now-suspended Pennsylvania judges accepted $2.6 million in kickbacks in exchange for incarcerating juveniles at specific detention facilities have spilled over into another multimillion-dollar case. A law firm seeking to overturn a $3.4 million legal malpractice award says in a motion for a new trial yesterday that it…

Jan 30, 2009 8:20 PM CST

Groundhog Day is a Repeating Theme in Life of Punxsutawney Lawyer

Punxsutawney Phil may be Jeff Lundy’s most high-profile client. The Pennsylvania lawyer is a board member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club and the defender of the groundhog’s trademark, obtained in 1995, the Indiana Gazette reports. Each year Lundy sends out three or four cease-and-desist letters and five to 10 follow-up…

Jan 30, 2009 4:32 PM CST

2 Pa. Judges are Suspended, Due to Kickbacks-for-Jailed-Juveniles Case

Acting within days of news that two longtime Pennsylvania judges have agreed to plead in a case alleging that they accepted $2.6 million in exchange for jailing juveniles in specific detention facilities, the state supreme court has suspended both, citing the criminal charges against them. Mark Ciavarella Jr., 58, who…

Jan 29, 2009 5:54 PM CST

2 Judges to Plead in Jailing Juveniles for Profit Case, But What About the Kids?

Public outrage and potential litigation are being sparked by news that two longtime Pennsylvania judges have accepted a plea that includes prison time in a case alleging that they incarcerated juvenile defendants for their own personal profit. After news of the plea by Luzerne County’s president judge, Mark Ciavarella Jr.,…

Jan 28, 2009 6:40 PM CST

2 Pa. Judges to Resign & Serve Time in $2.6M Juvenile Detention Kickbacks Case

Two judges in Luzerne County, Penn., have reportedly agreed to plead guilty and resign from office in an ongoing federal investigation of $2.6 million that authorities say the judges were paid between 2003 and 2007 concerning local juvenile detention facilities. Under the plea bargain, judges Mark Ciavarella Jr., 58, and…

Jan 26, 2009 11:45 PM CST