New Republic reporter defends BigLaw-is-dying article (video)

Noam Scheiber, senior editor at The New Republic, talks with Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about his controversial article entitled “The Last Days of Big Law” in which he chronicles the challenges facing large American law firms by examining the recent history of Mayer Brown. In response to criticism that he…

Jul 25, 2013 4:05 PM CDT

What are your tips for what not to do on bar prep / bar exam days?

For thousands of recent law school graduates, the bar exam is just days away. And more than a million other law grads have already experienced the bar exam and the preparation for it—sometimes passing on the first try, sometimes not. Today, we’d like to ask lawyers who have lived through…

Jul 24, 2013 4:52 PM CDT

Are companies like Axiom Law a threat to BigLaw? (video)

Axiom Law–which has 1,000 employees in 11 offices–isn’t a legal process outsourcer, claims its founder and CEO Mark Harris. But it’s also not a law firm, he says. Yet it’s been solely responsible for the legal work on more than 10 M&A transactions over the past year–the kind of work…

Jul 18, 2013 4:35 PM CDT

What’s the most creative lawyer business card you’ve ever seen?

This week, a co-worker got his hands on the business card for a well-known hacker. It’s a metal card containing a complete set of lock-picking tools. The pure genius of the card made us wonder what creative business cards lawyers have dreamed up. We’ve seen several great ones and have…

Jul 17, 2013 7:25 PM CDT

Paul Goldstein’s ‘Havana Requiem’ wins Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction

Stanford law professor Paul Goldstein and his novel Havana Requiem have been awarded the third annual Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. The prize will be awarded at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 19, in conjunction with the National Book Festival. The prize, named for the Pulitzer Prize-winning…

Jul 15, 2013 1:30 PM CDT

How lawmakers and special interests are making sure we get the judges they want

Not content that Iowa Supreme Court justices have been sufficiently chastised for legalizing gay marriage, a group of conservative state legislators tried to cut the salaries of the four remaining justices who were part of the 2009 decision. In April the lawmakers filed an amendment to slash their annual pay…

Jul 12, 2013 9:00 PM CDT

At-risk practice groups identified, more partner layoffs urged by law firm expert (video)

Strong law firms routinely lay off partners, having adopted the General Electric model of annually dismissing those individuals who are under-performing compared to their colleagues, law firm consultant Kent Zimmermann of the Zeughauser Group tells Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia. Zimmerman also talks about which practice groups are most at risk;…

Jul 11, 2013 3:28 PM CDT

In what ways have you been underestimated, and how do you deal with that?

Being underestimated can be extremely frustrating, especially when you’re a new lawyer trying to drum up business, as Katie Kizer and Amanda Graham discovered while starting their own criminal defense firm. “Other lawyers will call us ‘honey,’ ‘sweetie,’ ‘darling,’ ‘the girls,’ ” said Graham. “It can be very difficult to…

Jul 10, 2013 4:45 PM CDT

Police use of SWAT tactics has gotten out of hand, says author (podcast)

In this podcast, Balko explains how his investigations led to his new book, "Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces," and what the militarization trend might mean for the country.

Jul 8, 2013 6:15 PM CDT

How did America’s police become a military force on the streets?

Are cops constitutional? In a 2001 article for the Seton Hall Constitutional Law Journal, the legal scholar and civil liberties activist Roger Roots posed just that question. Roots, a fairly radical libertarian, believes that the U.S. Constitution doesn’t allow for police as they exist today. At the very least, he…

Jul 3, 2013 9:30 PM CDT

Should firms start the hiring season for law students later? (video)

Jay Grushkin, hiring partner at New York’s Milbank Tweed, talks with Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about how the hiring season has changed since the recession in BigLaw began in 2008. Elite law schools have moved their on-campus recruiting weeks earlier and earlier, in efforts to give their students the best…

Jul 3, 2013 2:45 PM CDT

How do you get through the day after a losing verdict?

Seattle plaintiffs attorney Karen Koehler came out on the losing side of a jury verdict recently and reflected on the loss, and more pointedly, on how lawyers cope in such situations. She wrote at her blog, the Velvet Hammer, about the day after. First and foremost, she consoled her client.…

Jul 3, 2013 1:00 PM CDT

SCOTUSblog founder shares tips for business development and marketing (podcast with transcript)

If a potential client invites Thomas Goldstein for a meeting, he makes sure he can discuss the issues of their case–without any notes–for at least one hour. That works much better than glossy marketing materials, or focusing the discussion on this firm, says the U.S. Supreme Court lawyer. He speaks with ABA Journal reporter Stephanie Francis Ward in this month's podcast.

Jul 1, 2013 1:30 PM CDT

Letters: Blocking Access

Jul 1, 2013 9:49 AM CDT

Shrinking legal spending: Corporate clients cut back on outside representation

Jul 1, 2013 7:29 AM CDT