Practice Management

Lawyers Probed in ‘Pretext’ ID Theft

Updated: Lawyers throughout the country reportedly may be investigated as part of a Washington state-based probe of an alleged scheme in which a local firm, BNT Investigations, was hired by private detectives all over the U.S. to obtain confidential personal information by pretext. A federal grand jury in Seattle has…

Dec 7, 2007 12:06 AM CST

What Clients Think of Lawyers

A significant number of British clients are unhappy with their lawyers and, like their American counterparts, many complain about a lack of communication. According to a survey by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority, which regulates the profession in England and Wales, one in five clients feels let down by legal counsel,…

Dec 6, 2007 5:12 PM CST

Bar Group Sues Texas Lawyers Who Practiced With Businessman

A committee of the Supreme Court of Texas has filed suit in state court against five lawyers and a politically connected businessman, contending that they collaborated in the unlicensed practice of law. Because the businessman, Mauricio Celis, is not a lawyer and operated a law firm in Corpus Christi, the…

Dec 5, 2007 1:26 AM CST

Funny Lawyer Ads No Joke in N.Y.

Law firm ads that show attorneys towering over skyscrapers and offering legal advice to space aliens obviously aren’t meant to be taken seriously. But New York’s attorney general isn’t finding them at all amusing, reports Portfolio magazine on its website. In a brief filed yesterday in response to a July…

Dec 4, 2007 11:50 PM CST

Legal Ads Ring Up Phone Book Profit

Updated: Despite all the innovative advertising options that today’s high-tech world has created, one form of law firm marketing is still the gold standard for many. It is the old-fashioned phone book. Coveted ads on the front and back covers, in particular, represent money in the bank for law firm…

Dec 4, 2007 9:43 PM CST

New BigLaw Job: Lend-an-Associate

An innovative perk being offered to favored clients by a small but growing number of law firms can also provide big benefits to associates. So-called secondments—essentially, a loan of an associate to work onsite for a client for a period that often lasts for months—are growing in popularity with major…

Dec 4, 2007 8:56 PM CST

Philly Bar Chief Wants Law Firms to Hike Legal Aid Donations

The incoming chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association is trying to help law firms’ bottom lines at the same time he is urging them to pony up more money for legal aid. A. Michael Pratt says he wants the city to repeal a professional services tax that subjects law firms…

Dec 4, 2007 4:46 PM CST

How to Get Popular Judge: Check Box

Over the years, an 86-year-old federal judge who sits in Brooklyn, N.Y., has developed a following among local plaintiffs lawyers. And complex tort cases are frequently given to U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein, despite a random assignment system. How does this happen? The New York Sun apparently has the answer:…

Dec 3, 2007 11:38 PM CST

Pricey Perks Risk Miami Attorney’s Job

A $300,000 office renovation. A $1,500 lunch tab. Expense-paid staff training trips—to Hawaii and Cancun. No, these aren’t the hallmarks of a successful private-practice law office. They’re some of the expenses run up by Miami City Attorney Jorge Fernandez, who envisions his municipal law office as a “world-class law firm…

Dec 3, 2007 7:38 PM CST

The Real Witness

Hearsay is easier to deal with than the rules you’ve been taught make it seem

Dec 1, 2007 7:49 PM CST

A Conspiracy of One

After months of planning, hoping and hand-wringing, Michael Grossman is ready to start his new life as a solo practitioner

Dec 1, 2007 7:41 PM CST

ForeBlawggers

Seven lawyers who started the blawg revolution

Dec 1, 2007 5:48 PM CST

ABA Journal Blawg 100

When we set out to name the ABA Journal’s inaugural Blawg 100, we knew we were up for a challenge. There are between 2,000 and 3,000 legal blogs—what we call blawgs. How many of those are worth a click? Turns out, quite a few. The trick is fitting them neatly…

Dec 1, 2007 5:21 PM CST

Boston Archdiocese Replaces Firm with In-House Counsel

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is changing the face of its legal representation, axing its longtime but controversial law firm and replacing it with an in-house counsel. Critics have long called for the archdiocese to replace its law firm, which for years defended the archdiocese against individuals who claimed…

Nov 30, 2007 10:11 PM CST

Outspoken Lawyer Geoffrey Fieger Challenges Prosecution Motives

Michigan lawyer Geoffrey Fieger tells the ABA Journal that the indictment accusing him of violating campaign finance laws was part of a Bush administration effort to hurt Democrats. “The intent now is to destroy the firm,” Fieger said, referring to his 18-lawyer personal injury firm, Fieger, Fieger, Kenney, Johnson &…

Nov 28, 2007 7:28 PM CST