http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-05-26T03:47:16-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/in-house_lawyer_tests_biglaw_firms_for_computer_skills_before_hiring_them/ Update: Frustrated by big bills for routine matters, D. Casey Flaherty, who serves corporate counsel at Kia Motors America, struck back with a computer skills test for potential law firm hires. Invited to submit an associate of their choice for testing, the first nine firms flunked, Flaherty, a keynote speaker,… ABA Journal Production, Weekly Newsletter Stories, Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Legal Technology, In-house Counsel Thu, 23 May 2013 07:40:06 -0500 44327.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/former_legal_chief_gets_90_days_for_fujitec_expense_fraud/ A former chief legal and administrative officer for the U.S. arm of an international Japan-based elevator manufacturing company has been sentenced to 90 days for stealing $150,000 from his then-employer for faking legal matters. Darren Courtney reached a plea deal with prosecutors in March, but he has since been threatened… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, White Collar Crime, In-house Counsel, States, Ohio Wed, 15 May 2013 14:00:04 -0500 44198.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/how_protected_should_communications_between_lawyers_and_a_firms_in-house_co/ Bar Associations, ABA, Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Corporate Law, In-house Counsel, Legal Ethics, Legal Theory, Trials & Litigation, States, Georgia, Ethics Wed, 01 May 2013 03:10:54 -0500 43795.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/bvideo_how_companies_use_social_media_to_hire_law_firms/ A new survey from public relations firm Greentarget finds that in-house counsel are frequently using LinkedIn and lawyer blogs to determine who they will hire, John Corey, founding partner at Greentarget, tells Bloomberg Law's Lee Pacchia. But you won't find those in-house lawyers in… ABA Journal, Business of Law (Video), Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Careers, In-house Counsel, Law Firms Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:53:36 -0500 43807.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/free_football_tickets_sweetened_exit_deal_for_general_counsel_pressured_to_/ Rutgers University’s interim senior vice president and general counsel has negotiated an exit deal that includes cash and free football tickets. John Wolf will be paid nearly $420,000, representing 18 months of his salary, and will get tickets for next season’s Scarlet Knights football games, the Careers, Lawyer Pay, Education Law, In-house Counsel, Labor & Employment Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:59:39 -0500 43726.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/more_lawyers_charge_1150_an_hour_but_sticker_price_discounts_lower_collecti/ Attorney billing rates are higher this year, but the amount collected by law firms, when compared to standard rates, is at a historic low. Chalk it up to clients unwilling to pay full price, says legal consultant Ward Bower of Altman Weil. Think of hourly fees "as the equivalent of… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, In-house Counsel, Law Firms, Associates, Partners, Trials & Litigation, Attorney Fees Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:46:35 -0500 43664.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_loses_ada_appeal_in_suit_claiming_she_was_fired_because_of_insomnia/ An in-house lawyer who claimed she was fired because of an inability to sleep more than four hours a night has lost her federal appeal. The Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against lawyer Victoria Anderson, who had claimed she was fired in 2007 from cable TV… Disability Law, In-house Counsel, 4th Circuit Court Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:10:51 -0500 43648.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/big-firm_mediocre_style_of_legal_writing_is_oddly_consistent_curmudgeon/ The former big-firm lawyer Mark Herrmann turned his critical eye—along with a scalpel in one hand and an axe in the other—on lawyering and legal writing some years ago, laying out much of it in his 2007 book, The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing… In-house Counsel, Law Firms, Large Firm, Legal Writing Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:51:52 -0500 43640.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ibms_general_counsel_explains_how_law_firms_get_on_his_do-not-hire_list/ Lawyers who lead corporate law departments often have a do-not-hire list of banned law firms, even if it’s not committed to writing. IBM general counsel Robert Weber is no different. There are about 10 law firms and 10 individual lawyers he refuses to hire, the American Lawyer… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, In-house Counsel, Law Firms Thu, 04 Apr 2013 06:25:07 -0500 43555.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/legalrebels/article/what_clients_are_saying_about_the_futureand_what_it_means/ Twice a year, I serve as a faculty member for a two-day program designed to help inside and outside lawyers use Value Fees. Each of these programs begins with a “present state/future state” exercise. The inside counsel and outside counsel adjourn to separate rooms, and each group identifies what is… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, In-house Counsel, Legal Rebels, The New Normal Wed, 03 Apr 2013 08:30:06 -0500 43521.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/libel_claim_fails_because_in-house_lawyers_letter_was_opinion_judge_rules/ A contractor who didn't like what an in-house lawyer for Merck had to say about him sued the company and the lawyer. But a federal judge in Pennsylvania has tossed the claim, saying the letter was opinion and fell short of the standard for defamation, the Legal… In-house Counsel, Legal Ethics, Trials & Litigation, States, Pennsylvania Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:56:29 -0500 43460.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/dad_who_favored_fashion_house_fruit_of_the_loom_and_bunny_bread_sandwiches_/ The life of Harry Weathersby Stamps, a man who “only stayed in the finest quality AAA-rated campgrounds,” is being honored in an obituary written by his daughter, an in-house lawyer in Texas. Stamps died on March 9, the day of the switch to what he called “the devil’s time," according… Careers, Obituaries, In-house Counsel, Personal Lives Wed, 13 Mar 2013 07:04:30 -0500 43238.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/hearsay_march_2013/ Corporate Law, Corporate Compliance, Criminal Justice, Death Penalty, In-house Counsel, Intellectual Property Law, Patent Law, Opening Statements Fri, 01 Mar 2013 04:50:22 -0600 42992.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/legalrebels/article/why_do_general_counsel_fear_alternative_fee_arrangements/ I was catching up on a pile of reading when I was confronted with a piece about the “fear” among general counsel of alternative fee arrangements. Just a few days before, I had highlighted a piece in Richard Susskind’s new book, Tomorrow’s Lawyers, where he observed that “in truth, hourly… In-house Counsel, Legal Rebels, The New Normal, Trials & Litigation, Attorney Fees Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:30:42 -0600 43019.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/3_lawyers_facing_theft_and_rico_case_re_pi_work_they_did_for_glock_get_repr/ Three lawyers facing criminal charges over $3 million in private investigation work they did for gun maker Glock Inc. got a reprieve Monday from the Georgia Supreme Court. Suggesting the 4-year statute of limitations had run on theft and attempted theft charges against Jerry Chapman, former federal prosecutor Jim Harper… Appellate Practice, Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, In-house Counsel, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Georgia Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:10:22 -0600 42917.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/in-house_counsel_woefully_unprepared_to_deal_with_cybersecurity_issues/ More than a quarter of the respondents to a 2012 general counsel survey say their companies experienced a cybersecurity breach during the last year or so. And that number may well be too low; given the expense and embarrassment associated with hacking and data security breaches, some individuals who discover… Corporate Law, Cybersecurity, In-house Counsel Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:29:28 -0600 42847.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/foreign_lawyers_could_work_in_us_as_in-house_counsel_under_model_rule_chang/ Foreign lawyers would have limited authority to serve as in-house counsel in the United States under a resolution approved on Monday by the ABA House of Delegates. Resolution 107A is among a series of proposed amendments to the ABA model ethics rules that acknowledge the globalization of… Bar Associations, ABA, Midyear Meeting, In-house Counsel, International Law, Legal Ethics Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:35:12 -0600 42634.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/legal_know-how_and_yen_for_gin_helps_retired_litigation_chief_launch_new_bu/ After years of running a litigation team as a Verizon in-house lawyer, Michael Lowe soon found that practicing his yoga moves could only keep him busy for a limited amount of time in retirement. So the 63-year-old former Navy officer launched a craft distillery with his son-in-law,… Careers, In-house Counsel, Real Estate & Property Law, States, District of Columbia Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:37:10 -0600 42801.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/sec_taps_binghams_geoffrey_aronow_as_new_general_counsel/ Geoffrey F. Aronow has been named as the new general counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission. A partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Bingham McCutchen, he formerly served for nearly four years as director of the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission's enforcement division. Both Careers, Executive Branch, In-house Counsel, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, Securities Law, States, District of Columbia Mon, 07 Jan 2013 12:50:09 -0600 42242.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/in-house_counsel_accused_of_stealing_9m_had_150k_cash/ A suspended New York lawyer who has been accused of embezzling $9 million while working as an in-house counsel in Houston gave himself up weeks ago at a Rhode Island police station, his lawyer says. And when Anthony Chiofalo turned himself in, he also gave up something else, his lawyer,… Corporate Law, Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, In-house Counsel, States, Texas Fri, 04 Jan 2013 12:58:17 -0600 42216.abajournal.com