ABA helps lawyers thrive by being at the forefront of new practice areas

May 1, 2013 9:50 AM CDT

Law school friends score a reality TV show

May 1, 2013 9:40 AM CDT

Mentors can help fledgling solos

May 1, 2013 7:30 AM CDT

Appeals court OKs fine for lawyer who asserted SLAPP shield against tort case over demand letter

A California law that offers lawyers a shield against tort claims concerning their litigation activities has been limited by a California appeals court and might even be eliminated entirely by a federal appeals court. The state’s so-called anti-SLAPP statute is intended to offer an early exit for small parties targeted…

Apr 24, 2013 9:23 PM CDT

Bar cites email from missing lawyer in emergency suspension case over missing law firm millions

Email messages sent by a missing Florida attorney who has been accused of taking up to $6 million from his law firm were revealed Tuesday in a state bar application for an emergency suspension of his law license. “You are all victims of my very bad business decisions,” Timothy McCabe…

Apr 16, 2013 10:40 PM CDT

Rejected client bit law firm intake worker before partner prevailed in office fistfight, police say

Corrected: Rejected for representation by an Indianapolis law firm after completing an intake form, a would-be client allegedly became furious Monday afternoon and started a fistfight when the unidentified firm refused to return his paperwork. Guillermo Trujillo had been assured by law office manager William Gutierrez that he would not…

Apr 16, 2013 8:30 PM CDT

Law grad paralegal says employer asked her to be his ‘third wife,’ made her feed him with chopsticks

A recent law graduate working as a paralegal says a New York attorney talked to her about pornography, repeatedly pitched her on the benefits of polygamy, asked her to become his “third wife” and insisted that she feed him with chopsticks at a restaurant. Sarbrina Rafi makes the allegations against…

Apr 12, 2013 5:52 PM CDT

Ex-partner sues Thompson Wigdor for $600K; former colleague calls him ‘disgruntled and desperate’

A former partner who left Thompson Wigdor in 2011, after the firm was sanctioned over an employment case in which he was involved, has sued for $600,000 he says he is still owed. Scott Gilly says he is owed the money under the firm’s 2008 partnership agreement and a separation…

Apr 9, 2013 7:37 PM CDT

South Dakota lures lawyers to rural areas with annual subsidies

Rural law practice will become more lucrative for some South Dakota lawyers under a new law passed last month. Lawyers participating in the pilot program will be paid $12,000 a year to work in rural areas, the New York Times reports. The lawyer will have to make a five-year commitment,…

Apr 9, 2013 12:43 PM CDT

Tech tips for the frugal solo or small-firm practitioner

Think you’ve got a frugal firm? The frugal firm, according veteran solos Patrick J. Crowley of Okemos, Mich., and Marc W. Matheny of Indianapolis, is not a “cheap” firm or one that cuts corners unnecessarily. It is a firm with limited resources or one that makes a conscientious decision to…

Apr 5, 2013 5:14 PM CDT

Law firm mergers surge in 1st quarter 2013

Law firm merger activity hit a four-year high in the first quarter of 2013. All of the 20-plus law firm weddings listed by the Altman Weil Mergerline, however, involved the acquisition of smaller—and often much smaller—legal shops. “Firms are picking up specialty practices, expanding in strong markets and adding offices…

Apr 4, 2013 9:50 PM CDT

Saying he was forced out of small firm he founded after leaving BigLaw, partner, 72, gets a new gig

A well-known employment and civil rights litigator says he was forced out of the law firm he founded in 2003 after a nearly 23-year career at Paul Hastings. But Lawrence Ashe, 72, is now starting a new job, as senior counsel, at another firm, Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs. “We…

Apr 3, 2013 7:12 PM CDT

Sued by ex-associate, partner and law firm file $15M counterclaim, call her ‘obsessed’

Sued last month for alleged sexual harassment by a former associate, a prominent plaintiffs class action lawyer and his firm have fired back. In addition to answering the complaint brought by Alexandra Marchuk in federal court in Manhattan, Juan E. Monteverde and Faruqi & Faruqi have filed counterclaims alleging defamation,…

Apr 2, 2013 8:55 PM CDT

West Coast litigation boutique Markun Zusman opens office in Boston

An 18-attorney West Coast litigation boutique has opened an office in a Boston suburb. New name partner David Freniere, who focuses his practice on securities matters, will head the new Wellesley office of Markun Zusman Freniere & Compton, the Boston Business Journal reports. One other lawyer currently works there, and…

Apr 2, 2013 5:20 PM CDT

Law firm sues former name partner, says he took over $1M in unauthorized compensation

A suburban Chicago law firm has sued a former name partner, contending that he took over $1 million in unauthorized compensation and made personal use of Dommermuth, Cobine, West, Gensler, Philipchuck, Corrigan & Bernhard credit cards to pay gambling and vacation expenses. Ex-partner Bill Brestal, 71, has been in practice…

Mar 29, 2013 4:20 PM CDT