Solos/Small Firms

After losing BigLaw jobs, ex-Skadden associates form own firm, join Dentons as partners

Losing their BigLaw jobs five years ago during a mass layoff in the midst of the Great Recession turned out to be beneficial for two former Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom associates. Randolph Adler Jr. and Michael Chung founded their own New York law firm in 2009, focusing their…

Jan 8, 2015 6:40 AM CST

After 44 years at law firm, name partner to lead a 3-partner team elsewhere

After 44 years at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, name partner Mike Ciresi is leading a three-partner team to another Minneapolis law firm. They will leave Feb. 1 to form Ciresi & Conlin, reports the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. A former firm chairman who now heads RKMC’s business litigation group,…

Jan 6, 2015 11:40 AM CST

Was law firm duped? ‘Lawyer’ practiced there a decade and won partnership; was she licensed?

A Pennsylvania law firm says it was apparently deceived by a woman who practiced law there for nearly a decade and was promoted to partner in April. The woman, Kimberly Kitchen, is under investigation as the state Attorney General’s office tries to determine whether she has a law license, report…

Dec 30, 2014 7:58 AM CST

Can a new breed of firms solve the attrition problem for women in the legal industry?

Earlier this year, The National Association of Women Lawyers released the results of its National Survey on Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms. This annual survey provides sobering news on the state of women at the 200 largest firms in the country, collectively known as BigLaw.

Dec 17, 2014 8:45 AM CST

9 remaining lawyers at Houston litigation boutique to join Vorys Sater

Only about three years ago, there were 33 attorneys on the roster of Houston litigation boutique Schwartz Junell Greenberg & Oathout. But many went to bigger firms looking to hire local talent in the area’s hot energy law market, and now the remaining nine attorneys at Schwartz Junell are doing…

Dec 15, 2014 4:55 PM CST

Lawyer who survived leap into river disclosed ‘huge Ponzi scheme’ in suicide note, prosecutors say

A former BigLaw associate was arraigned on wire and securities fraud charges remotely from his hospital room on Friday. Charles Bennett, 56, is recovering from a collapsed lung suffered after he leapt into the Hudson River in New York on Nov. 3, report the New York Daily News, the New…

Dec 15, 2014 7:07 AM CST

Law firm foils $489K fake-check scheme, provides details to warn others

A potential international client who contacted a Texas law firm by email for help with a contract matter involving a local company in the Dallas-Fort Worth area initially seemed like he might be legitimate. But red flags prompted the McCown law firm to check further before depositing a $489,500 payment…

Dec 10, 2014 11:55 AM CST

Tax attorney will accept Bitcoin payments, but won’t take digital currency on retainer

A Michigan business and tax lawyer has announced that he will take Bitcoin payments from clients, but will not accept the digital currency on retainer. The reason for the distinction is that Bitcoin is more like property than money, Donald Katz explains to MLive.com. He operates his own law firm…

Nov 19, 2014 4:10 PM CST

Lawyer gets stayed suspension for secretly paying sanctions from law firm account, billing client

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is sparing the law license of a law firm partner who secretly paid $65,000 in discovery sanctions out of his law firm’s operating account and tried to cover part of the money with a bill to his client. The court approved (PDF) a joint petition for…

Nov 18, 2014 12:28 PM CST

In a rural county that lacks lawyers, no one seemingly wants to buy a successful law practice

The most highly populated county in Iowa has over 2,500 attorneys. Ringgold County has only two, and one of them would like to retire. However, as James Pedersen and his wife pondered a possible move to Colorado, “I put my practice up for sale,” he told the Des Moines Register.…

Nov 3, 2014 10:00 AM CST

Lawyer, 52, hopes to become a police officer

Since childhood, Ed Tobin wanted to become a police officer. But, encouraged by his parents, he went to law school instead. Now, after 30 years in practice, the nearly 53-year-old Florida attorney is hoping to give up his seat on the Miami Beach Commission and start working as a patrol…

Oct 29, 2014 4:40 PM CDT

OJ Simpson asks Nevada Supreme Court for new trial

O.J. Simpson has thrown a legal Hail Mary in the hopes of getting his 2008 conviction for armed robbery and kidnapping thrown out. The Associated Press reported Monday that Simpson’s lawyers have filed their final appellate brief to the Nevada Supreme Court. Simpson, who was convicted of leading a group…

Oct 27, 2014 3:53 PM CDT

Do you have what it takes to be a rural lawyer? (podcast with transcript)

Many young law grads are being urged to move out of large cities and into rural areas, where there aren't as many attorneys competing for work. But what does it take to run a successful legal practice in a rural area? Asked and Answered moderator Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Lorelei Laird, the reporter who wrote our October cover story on the need for rural attorneys, and Bruce Cameron, who runs a sole practice in rural Minnesota.

Oct 6, 2014 8:30 AM CDT

What things do you consider before taking a case? | Bloggers review novel by ATL’s David Lat

Do you actually have procedures in place for whether you should take a case? Minneapolis solo Randall Ryder does—a four-step process he shared at Lawyerist. Two of his steps: • Determine whether the case is one you can handle—particularly if it’s out of your practice area. Taking the “approach of…

Oct 3, 2014 8:30 AM CDT

Armstrong Teasdale opens office in Denver

Armstrong Teasdale has opened a new office in Denver. According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the firm’s new office, which includes a group of 10 attorneys from Steese, Evans & Frankel, officially opened its doors today. The move is the latest in a westward expansion by the Missouri-based Armstrong…

Oct 1, 2014 5:23 PM CDT