ABA Journal

Thelen Cuts 26 Associates, 85 Staffers

Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner has confirmed it will lay off 26 associates and 85 members of its support staff. Co-chairman Stephen O’Neal told the Recorder and Above the Law that the associate layoffs are in response to the economic downturn, which has cut into its capital markets practice.…

Mar 20, 2008 11:15 AM CDT

Melvyn Weiss to Plead Guilty; His Ex-Firm Changes Its Name

Updated: Pioneering securities class-action lawyer Melvyn Weiss has agreed to pay $10 million in fines and penalties and to serve up to 33 months in prison to resolve charges that he paid kickbacks to lead plaintiffs. Weiss’ lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, announced details of the agreement today in a press release.…

Mar 20, 2008 10:39 AM CDT

N.J. Prosecutors Investigate JuicyCampus Site

In what may be the first such investigation in the nation, prosecutors in New Jersey reportedly are investigating a controversial no-holds-barred college campus gossip website for possible consumer law violations. The state’s attorney general and Division of Consumer Affairs have subpoenaed the website owner and advertisers, seeking information about how…

Mar 19, 2008 9:26 PM CDT

How Blackwell Sanders Cut Attrition in Half

Kansas City firm Husch Blackwell Sanders reports it has cut its attrition in half after it cut its lockstep evaluations of associates in 2001. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to compensate, bill for and advance associates based on how many years they’ve shown up for work,” partner Peter…

Mar 18, 2008 9:18 PM CDT

BigLaw ‘Ghetto’? Former Staff Attorney Raps Covington’s D.C. Office

A former staff attorney at Covington & Burling’s office in Washington, D.C., contends that the law firm is improving its diversity profile by hiring black lawyers for low-level “ghetto” positions. And, if that’s true, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog suggests, Covington may not be the only BigLaw firm to…

Mar 18, 2008 5:30 PM CDT

Lawyer Suspended After Second Paralegal Steals From Client Account

Maryland lawyer Charles Jay Zuckerman thought the new paralegal he hired would clean up the mess caused by a predecessor who stole from his client trust account. But the new paralegal was also a thief, taking more money than the first, the Daily Record reports. In all, the two paralegals…

Mar 18, 2008 2:14 PM CDT

More Law Firms Boost Maternity Leave to 18 Weeks

About a dozen large law firms have boosted maternity leave from 12 to 18 weeks in one of the first significant changes to parental policies in several years. One of the first to change its policy was Sullivan & Cromwell, which made the decision in July, the National Law Journal…

Mar 18, 2008 11:58 AM CDT

Gambler Hits Jackpot in IRS Case, Sets Tax Precedent

A rare precedent-setting win against the IRS earlier this year is making the lucky taxpayer something of a folk hero among those whom fortune hasn’t favored to the same extent. Scrutinized by the federal tax agency over the nearly $2.5 million in gambling losses he claimed during a three-year period,…

Mar 17, 2008 11:21 PM CDT

Small Pa. Law Firm Hit With $5.2M Overbilling Judgment

A Pennsylvania judge has ordered a small practitioner to pay a $5.2 million judgment, including $1 million in punitive damages, for charging unlawful attorney fees while collecting delinquent municipal and school district property taxes. Ruling in an unjust enrichment case, Judge Mark Bernstein of the Court of Common Pleas held…

Mar 17, 2008 7:27 PM CDT

Would Your Firm Encourage You to Blog?

We hear constantly that blogging is the communication, marketing and client development tool of the here and now. Several of the featured bloggers at ABA TechShow this week have successful blogs. Yet, not everyone has time to dream up an articulate, regularly updated blog. This made us especially interested in…

Mar 13, 2008 2:33 PM CDT

Emphasis on Money Can Be Source of Depression in Law School

Stress during law school can cause anxiety and depression, especially if students focus on the need to make money and land a big-firm job, according to an article published online as part of an ABA group’s effort to tackle the problem. Law schools need to acknowledge the problem of student…

Mar 13, 2008 1:47 PM CDT

Retire at 50? Many Firms Offer Early Option, But Few Match O’Melveny’s

Corrected: Many law firms offer early retirements to boost profits per partner, but few are setting the floor at age 50, as O’Melveny & Myers recently did. The law firm made a temporary buyout offer to partners over age 50, and Masood Sohaili is taking advantage of it to jump…

Mar 13, 2008 11:10 AM CDT

Greenberg Traurig Indicted in Guam

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the firm for which he formerly worked have been indicted in Guam for allegedly making improper billings to the U.S. territory’s superior court. At issue in the case against Greenberg Traurig and other defendants is “a multitude of nonjudicial related activities the superior court paid…

Mar 12, 2008 8:41 PM CDT

2 Lawyers Attacked in Federal Court Melee

A defendant reportedly grabbed the hair of a senior narcotics prosecutor, yanked her to the floor and choked her yesterday, in a presentencing attack in a Brooklyn federal courtroom. A 72-year-old defense lawyer allegedly was cut with a razor blade when he tried to help her. “I think he was…

Mar 12, 2008 7:27 PM CDT

Meet Spitzer’s Lead Lawyer, Michele Hirshman of Paul Weiss

Updated: A former top aide to embattled New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, back in the day when he was state attorney general, now reportedly has a new job as Spitzer’s legal counsel. Litigation partner Michele Hirshman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison got a call from her old boss…

Mar 11, 2008 4:39 PM CDT