ABA Journal

Associates

2093 ABA Journal Associates articles.

BigLaw firm was ‘caring only about its bottom line’ when it wrongly fired pregnant associate, suit says

A former intellectual property associate at DLA Piper has filed a gender bias lawsuit alleging that DLA Piper fired her because she sought maternity leave.

Another law firm defers start date for some associates

Fenwick & West has pushed back the start date for first-year corporate and transaction associates.

Federal judge reminds lawyers that ‘this proceeding is not the playground’

Updated: A federal judge in Colorado has warned lawyers for litigants in a business dispute that he will not “sit idly by in the face of further mudslinging.”

A look at Paul Hastings’ viral ‘no exceptions, no excuses’ presentation missteps

There’s a saying, usually attributed to journalist Michael Kinsley, that in politics, a gaffe is when you inadvertently say something you believe but didn’t mean to disclose—maybe that taxes need to be raised or Social Security benefits trimmed.

Lateral candidates continue to raise ‘red flags,’ research company says

Nearly one-third of all lateral candidates in 2022 raised “red flags,” which include undisclosed business affiliations, cultural incompatibility and inflated books of business, according to Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

$200K is median base pay for new associates, thanks to market pressure from talent wars, NALP says

Associate pay hikes cascaded during a “red-hot recruiting market” over the last two years, leading to a median base salary of $200,000 for new associates in 2023, according to Nikia L. Gray, the executive director of the National Association for Law Placement.

Only 58% of women lawyers in BigLaw would recommend legal careers for their daughters, survey says

Work-life balance is still an issue for women lawyers working in BigLaw, according to a survey of nearly 200 women attorneys by legal intelligence provider Leopard Solutions.

Judge chastises BigLaw lawyers for making demands after opposing counsel seeks delay for newborn

Updated: A federal judge in New York City has chastised lawyers for Proskauer Rose for demanding five concessions from the opposing counsel in a job-bias case before granting his request for a pushed-back deadline because of the birth of his child.

How are BigLaw firms faring in first quarter? Billable hours are at 15-year low

Demand for legal services is down slightly, while lawyer head count is increasing—a combination that is resulting in a decline in average billable hours, according to a survey of BigLaw firms by Wells Fargo’s Legal Specialty Group.

Lawyers suspended for copying client data, unilaterally notifying clients about new firm

Two Florida associates who hoped to take their clients with them when they left their personal injury law firm have been suspended from law practice for violating bar rules during that process.

Some law firms avoid layoffs by adjusting associate class years downward

Law firms looking for a way to save money without layoffs are increasingly adjusting associate class years, according to legal recruiters in California and New York who spoke with Law.com.

Grit and growth mindset boosts work of teams, new ABA report finds

Can teams operate in a gritty and growth mindset-oriented way, and if so, does that make them more successful?

Associate hiring and attrition remain above average in 2022, new NALP Foundation report says

While hiring and attrition of law firm associates have decreased from the historic high levels reported in 2021, they remained above levels from previous years in 2022, according to the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education’s annual Update on Associate Attrition report released Tuesday.

28% of lawyers in this state considered leaving the profession because of mental health, burnout or stress

Forty-nine percent of surveyed lawyers in New Jersey have reported moderate to high levels of burnout, a percentage that is nearly twice as high as the level of burnout in the general U.S. working population, according to a survey by a task force of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Another BigLaw firm says any associate job cuts are due to performance evaluations

Ropes & Gray has told Law.com that any job cuts being made at the law firm are the result of performance evaluations.

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