Practice Management

BigLaw partner managed to dial in to work conference call before his drug-related death

An intellectual property partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati continued to obsess over his work even as drug addiction took over his life.

Jul 19, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Atlanta law firm plans to add a virtual branch

Atlanta law firm Taylor English Duma plans to hire partners throughout the country who will become part of a virtual hub for the law firm.

Taylor English says its “hybrid” law firm model will offer more support to its work-at-home partners than other virtual law firms, according to the Daily Report (sub. req.).

Jul 17, 2017 3:57 PM CDT

Paralegal robot reviews patent documents

New software helps patent lawyers draft applications that are more likely to pass muster with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, as well as respond to official letters from examiners.

TurboPatent Corp. on June 28 launched artificial-intelligence products that compare patent claims with past applications to make predictions about patent eligibility.

Jul 17, 2017 2:28 PM CDT

DoNotPay legal chatbot now covers 1,000 areas of the law and creates additional chatbots for free

DoNotPay, the legal chatbot that rose to fame as a tool for drivers to challenge traffic tickets without having to consult a lawyer, has dramatically expanded its capabilities.

Jul 17, 2017 8:30 AM CDT

Workplace plaintiffs face long odds at trial, analytics data indicates

Only 1 percent of plaintiffs who file federal job discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims win on the merits at trial, according to an analysis by the Lex Machina legal analytics firm.

Jul 17, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

General counsel will share data on their law firms; is it cause for BigLaw concern?

General counsel at more than 25 major companies plan to share data on their law firms in an effort to learn whether firm size and practices, such as value billing, have any effect on satisfaction and results.

Jul 14, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Law firm leaders project increased demand, growth in associate hiring

Law firm leaders surveyed by Citi Private Bank expressed an optimistic outlook for the second half of the year, and that could be good news for associates.

Fifty-one percent of…

Jul 13, 2017 12:28 PM CDT

Richard Susskind sees ‘rosy future’ for law—if it embraces technology (podcast)

For more than three decades, Richard Susskind has been one of the profession's most prolific voices in support of implementing technology with legal services delivery. He's the author of more than 10 books on the topic, and his next one will focus on technology in the courtroom.

Jul 12, 2017 11:30 AM CDT

Amazon disputes report that Alexa called 911 during a domestic assault

Sheriff’s deputies in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, were crediting digital assistant Alexa on Monday with initiating a emergency call during a domestic assault–but it couldn’t have happened, according to a…

Jul 12, 2017 11:04 AM CDT

Malpractice suit alleges overbilling and ‘egregious misconduct’ by Trump’s law firm Kasowitz

A former client has filed a malpractice suit against Kasowitz Benson Torres that claims the law firm overbilled for its services, even recording 24 hours of service by one biller…

Jul 12, 2017 9:38 AM CDT

Costs of malware attack on DLA Piper could be in the millions; does insurance cover it?

Appropriate insurance could cover many of the costs associated with the malware attack on DLA Piper last month, insurance experts say.

Cyberattack insurance could cover external support, loss of income and bringing computer systems back online, according to insurance experts who spoke with Legal Week (sub. req.).

Jul 10, 2017 9:38 AM CDT

Suit claims lawyer rerouted former partner’s emails to himself, violating electronic privacy law

A Pennsylvania lawyer is accused of violating federal and state law by rerouting a former partner’s emails to himself.

The suit, filed in New Jersey federal court, claims lawyer Robert…

Jul 10, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Pay is up for summer associates, but the future job outlook is less than rosy

Average pay for summer associates working at the nation’s top 200 law firms has jumped more than 11 percent to $3,285 a week.

But the news isn’t all good, the…

Jul 7, 2017 3:48 PM CDT

Work quality is the No. 1 reason associates leave, law firm survey says

The top reason associates leave their law firms is dissatisfaction with work quality, according to a survey of 128 law firms by the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education.

Jul 7, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Clark Hill announces merger with West Coast law firm

Clark Hill is merging with West Coast law firm Morris Polich & Purdy, a law firm with about 100 lawyers.

The combined law firm will have more than 450 lawyers…

Jul 6, 2017 12:15 PM CDT