MoFo Lowers Bonuses, Freezes Pay, But Creates NY Exception

Associates at Morrison & Foerster who work outside its New York office will be seeing lower discretionary bonuses—some as low as $6,000—for 2008 work.

The law firm had planned to…

Feb 20, 2009 5:45 PM CST

About 68 Ex-Thacher Lawyers Out of Work; ‘It’s Not a Time to Be Too Picky’

More than 65 lawyers from the dissolved law firm Thacher Proffitt & Wood are apparently still out of a job.

The number includes eight partners and…

Feb 20, 2009 5:18 PM CST

Cravath Partner Profits Drop by Almost a Fourth

Partner profits at Cravath, Swaine & Moore plummeted 24 percent in 2008, dropping to $2.5 million per partner.

The American Lawyer reported the figure and said the…

Feb 20, 2009 3:51 PM CST

Day Pitney, Thompson Hine Among Six Firms Announcing Layoffs

Updated: Six more law firms have announced layoffs, three of them based on the East Coast and three from the Ohio area.

The largest number of layoffs is at Day…

Feb 20, 2009 3:23 PM CST

Hotel Sues Akin Gump for Canceled Retreat

A San Diego hotel has sued Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld for canceling a planned April retreat.

The suit by the Hotel Del Coronado seeks $386,000 for “877 sleeping…

Feb 20, 2009 3:01 PM CST

Cellphone Conversation on Train Tips Listener to Planned Pillsbury Layoffs

A post on Above the Law this morning reported that an unidentified tipster claimed to have overheard two top lawyers at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman discussing…

Feb 19, 2009 9:59 PM CST

Texas Fundraiser Convicted on 14 of 22 Counts in Criminal UPL Case

A prominent Democratic political fundraiser has been convicted by a Texas jury on 14 of the 22 counts he faced in an unusual criminal trial for allegedly practicing law when…

Feb 19, 2009 8:15 PM CST

US Clients of UBS Mull Options as Feds Press Swiss Bank to Name More Names

Contending that a Swiss bank’s plan to name client names to U.S. regulators as part of a $780 million settlement of a criminal tax probe violates Switzerland law requiring secrecy,…

Feb 19, 2009 6:53 PM CST

A&O to Ax Up to 250 Lawyers and 200 Staff, Freeze Pay, Ask Partners for Capital

A top London-based international law firm has announced that, in response to unprecedented market conditions, it plans to cut up to 250 lawyers (including perhaps 47 partners) and…

Feb 19, 2009 5:54 PM CST

Madoff’s Lawyer Has ‘Large Personality’ and ‘Residual Toughness’

Ira Lee Sorkin has an unpopular job representing the even more unpopular Bernard Madoff, accused of running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

Sorkin, who co-chairs the securities enforcement and white-collar…

Feb 19, 2009 3:18 PM CST

Sarbanes-Oxley Governed Lawyer’s ‘Noisy Withdrawal’ in Stanford Case

The Proskauer Rose lawyer who disavowed everything he had told authorities about an investment firm affiliated with billionaire Robert Allen Stanford was acting under a provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Feb 19, 2009 2:41 PM CST

How Law Firms Can Protect Themselves Against Suits by Laid-Off Workers

Some fired associates are firing back with suits against their law firms, highlighting the need for firms to plan and follow the law when laying off workers.

The Feb 19, 2009 1:56 PM CST

Howard Rice Names New Chairman

The head of the litigation department at Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin is the new chairman of the San Francisco-based law firm.

Douglas Winthrop takes the place of…

Feb 19, 2009 11:55 AM CST

Wisconsin is Still a Relatively Hot Hiring Market for Lawyers at All Levels

Wisconsin isn’t the first place many might think of when planning a job search.

But the state’s legal job market is more stable than many and, while it is slower…

Feb 18, 2009 8:29 PM CST

Tenn. Attorney is Accused of Drawing On Clients During Settlement Check Dispute

It was a standard legal representation up to the point of receiving a $4,000 settlement check in a homeowner’s insurance case, according to two clients of Shelbyville, Tenn., attorney Burt…

Feb 18, 2009 7:25 PM CST