ABA Journal

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

Boston Bar Prez Decries Law’s Focus on Money

Too many lawyers judge their success on the basis of money, to the detriment of the profession and their own happiness. That’s the conclusion of Boston Bar Association President Anthony Doniger, who sees contentment as a better measure of success. The focus on money is causing law firms to make…

Mar 11, 2008 3:32 PM CDT

Renowned Criminal Defense Lawyer Gary Proctor Commits Suicide

Updated: One of the high points of Gary Proctor’s life was represented by the quote he kept on his office wall from Harry Reasoner of 60 Minutes. It tagged Proctor the best criminal defense lawyer in Orange County, Calif.—as Reasoner also informed millions of viewers of the television news magazine’s…

Mar 10, 2008 11:59 PM CDT

How to Tell When It’s Time to Look

Faint praise. Not enough work to do, or a lack of opportunity for advancement. A feeling of sheer misery. All are signs that it’s probably time to look for another position, experts say. “When you’re jumping for joy when the weekend arrives and when you can’t bear the thought of…

Mar 10, 2008 3:51 PM CDT

Why Words Can Be Like Ugly Cravats: Justices Dish on Legal Writing

Eight U.S. Supreme Court justices come clean about their legal-writing pet peeves and their opinion-writing philosophies in “raw and unvarnished” videos posted to a linguist’s Web site. Lawyers who specialize in Supreme Court advocacy are scouring the videos, posted at LawProse.org, to divine the justices’ likes and dislikes, Legal Times…

Mar 10, 2008 3:30 PM CDT