Practice Management

N.Y. Court Upholds Change in Partner Payouts

In 2004, lawyers at Fish & Neave decided they needed to do something to stem the tide of partner defections and attract a suitable merger partner. By a majority vote, the firm decided to defer payouts of accrued income to departing partners until they reached age 65 or retirement, whichever…

May 9, 2007 1:04 PM CDT

Ft. Lauderdale Law Firm ‘King’ of Hollywood, Fla.

Becker & Poliakoff doesn’t actually have an office at the city hall in Hollywood, Fla. But a couple of the firm’s lawyers reportedly are there so much that it might seem like the Fort Lauderdale-based firm does. Lawyers at the more than 100-attorney firm serves not only as lobbyists for…

May 8, 2007 9:12 PM CDT

Trial Lawyers Decry Judge’s $65M Pants Suit

Often a target itself of claims by big business that it promotes frivolous litigation, a well-known American trial lawyer group is now pointing the finger at someone else. A Washington, D.C., judge who reportedly filed a $65 million lawsuit against his local dry cleaner for temporarily misplacing his suit pants…

May 8, 2007 7:43 PM CDT

Ambiguous Retainer Equals No Fee

A federal judge has ruled that New York law requires a lawyer’s ambiguous retainer agreement to be read in favor of the client. As a result, Barry Fredericks won’t be able to collect a contingency fee for a case that lost on a motion for summary judgment, then settled while…

May 8, 2007 1:00 PM CDT

Private New Orleans Lawyers Defend Prisoners

In the latest chapter of an ongoing post-Katrina battle that has pitted a local prosecutor against a local judge, private lawyers are now being drafted to help deal with a backlog of unrepresented prisoners being held in New Orleans jails. Moments after Judge Arthur Hunter issued another ruling Monday calling…

May 8, 2007 12:48 AM CDT

Law Students Make More than Ga. State Judges

Even before graduating from law school, summer associates at some Atlanta law firms, on an annualized basis, are earning more than seasoned jurists sitting on the state court bench. And for top-earning first-year Atlanta associates, some of whom will be making $145,000 this year, it definitely pays not to be…

May 7, 2007 7:43 PM CDT

From Law Office to Principal’s Office: He Loves It

After a 139-hour week working as a contract lawyer for a New York firm, Todd H. Gazda had had enough. Too tired to go back to the office, he got a hotel room. Then he called his father and told him he was moving back home. That non-traditional career decision…

May 7, 2007 11:04 AM CDT

Demand Letters Worsen Alleged Code Violation

Once upon a time, when a lawyer sent a demand letter to an alleged copyright infringer, demanding that he or she straighten up and fly right, that might well occur. Today, some say, at least where the Internet is concerned, it’s a virtual invitation to online insurrection. That’s exactly what…

May 5, 2007 12:43 AM CDT

Tough Testimony for Renowned Chicago Lawyer

This hasn’t been a great week for former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson. Now a well-known lawyer at a prominent Chicago law firm, he spent several days this week testifying as a witness at the fraud trial of former Hollinger International corporate executives. The company is the parent of the…

May 4, 2007 11:55 PM CDT

Midwest Firms Merge, Up Ante to 330 Attorneys

A small Chicago firm is merging with a larger St. Louis law shop, creating a new midsize firm in Chicago and strengthening the St. Louis firm’s hand against a competitor that had already established a significant presence in the nation’s Second City. FagelHaber, with a 40-attorney roster headed by partners…

May 4, 2007 11:39 PM CDT

Lax Corporate Board Practices Long Gone?

Seemingly lax oversight by members of the Hollinger International board and audit committee revealed in testimony this week in an ongoing Chicago prosecution of high-level corporate employees undoubtedly have raised some eyebrows amongst those familiar with current oversight standards. One prominent lawyer called as a witness, for example, reportedly testified…

May 4, 2007 10:50 PM CDT

Hot ‘Get a Divorce’ Ad Spotlights Small Law Firm

Tasteful, conservative, low-key law firm advertising it’s not. But a billboard featuring a scantily clad couple along with the line “Life’s Short, Get a Divorce” has indeed apparently met its intended goal of sparking interest in the small law firm that paid for it. Sponsored by Fetman, Garland & Associates…

May 4, 2007 8:09 PM CDT

Chase Video Speeds Supreme Court Into Internet Age

A video clip posted next to an opinion this week on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Web site has launched the high court into the Internet Age. Hence, the video, which depicts the view from the dashboard during a high-speed police chase in suburban Atlanta, is probably of greater interest to…

May 4, 2007 6:23 PM CDT

Alleged Madam’s Lawyer a ‘Vexatious Litigant’

A Washington Post reporter who visited the offices of the lawyer representing the alleged D.C. madam expected plush surroundings. Instead he found that Montgomery Blair Sibley has K Street offices in “what amounts to a broom closet.” It’s next to a building switchboard operator wearing a T-shirt that reads “Where’s…

May 4, 2007 4:01 PM CDT

Law Firm Lesson Not Learned in Law School

To Anthony Ciolli, not censoring the AutoAdmit Web site he worked on was a First Amendment issue, even though he reportedly admitted that sexist, racist and just plain rude comments posted there could sometimes be offensive. But it has also recently become an employment issue for the 23-year-old third-year law…

May 4, 2007 12:19 AM CDT