Associates

Boies Schiller Lays Off 3 Associates Who Worked in Losing EMI Trial

Boies Schiller has laid off three female associates who worked overtime during a trial in which Citigroup was accused of duping a hedge fund in its $6.3 billion acquisition of EMI Group. Last week the law firm laid off the three associates, all women, after the firm’s “stinging loss” on…

Nov 16, 2010 4:18 PM CST

15-Lawyer Ore. Firm Opens 2nd Office—in Pa.; Ex-K&L Gates Atty to Build ‘Virtual’ Enviro Office

A Portland, Ore., law firm has made an unusual move, opening a second office in Pittsburgh last week. Headed by a former associate of K&L Gates, Phillip Bender, the new office of Bateman Seidel Miner Blomgren Chellis & Gram also is taking a cutting-edge approach to law practice, reports the…

Nov 8, 2010 5:15 PM CST

Largest Law Firms Still Shrinking, Shedding 1,400 Lawyers This Year

The nation’s top 250 law firms shrunk by 1,400 lawyers this year, and associates were hit hardest. Firms shed close to 1,000 associates, a drop of 1.5 percent, the National Law Journal reports. Partner numbers increased, but only slightly, by 0.6 percent. The head count at the top 250 law…

Nov 8, 2010 1:30 PM CST

Ex-Baron & Budd Attorney Who Became an $8.8M Man Has Settled Suit Against the Law Firm

After winning an $8.8 million jury verdict against his former law firm earlier this year, an ex-lawyer of Baron & Budd has settled the suit. Plaintiff Gary Cruciani and defendants Baron & Budd and Russell Budd have concluded the contentious litigation with an agreed motion for a new trial, which…

Nov 5, 2010 5:22 PM CDT

Lawyer Arrested at Office in Federal Child Porn Sting Gets 24 Months

Arrested last year at his law office in a federal child porn sting, a Dayton, Ohio, attorney who allegedly transmitted sexually explicit material from his office and home computers over the Internet to two undercover law enforcement officers posing as minors has pleaded guilty and was sentenced today to 24…

Nov 5, 2010 4:21 PM CDT

Ex-New York Associate Sues Clifford Chance, Alleges ‘Blatant’ Discrimination Against Blacks & Women

A former associate at Clifford Chance in New York hesitated to sue the firm. But after being unemployed for several years after she and five other U.S. associates of the London-based international megafirm were laid off, Karen Ramdhanie apparently felt she had no other choice. Now 48, she alleges that…

Nov 2, 2010 5:59 PM CDT

3 Go Out, 2 Return

Public interest gig led to new job

Nov 1, 2010 8:50 AM CDT

UK Law Firm Requires Critical Thinking Test for Job Seekers

Job seekers at the U.K. law firm Simmons & Simmons won’t get a second interview unless they pass a round of written tests, including a critical thinking assessment. The tests are designed to reduce time spent interviewing recruits, Legal Week reports. They include the Watson Glaser test, designed to test…

Oct 26, 2010 3:20 PM CDT

Ex-Greenberg Traurig Associate Pleads Guilty in $500K Fraud Against His Firm

Michael Shaw pleaded guilty today to stealing nearly $500,000 from Greenberg Traurig when he worked there as an associate. “For almost six years, Shaw regularly performed work for clients, submitted fraudulent invoices to the firm’s accounting department, received checks, endorsed the checks over to himself, and deposited the funds into…

Oct 20, 2010 11:19 PM CDT

Euro IP Chief Leads 25 Howrey Attorneys to New Law Firm

Citing conflicts and a lack of intellectual property work in the United States offices of Howrey, the head of the the law firm’s intellectual property practice in Europe is leading at least 11 other IP partners into a new venture. To be known as Hoyng Monegier, the new law firm…

Oct 12, 2010 6:49 PM CDT

Labor Report Cites Rise in Nontraditional Jobs for Lawyers, Good Paralegal Prospects

Paralegals, court reporters and lawyers may all find something to love in a report on expected job growth by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The news is best for paralegals and legal assistants, where job growth in the decade ending in 2018 is projected to be 28 percent. One reason…

Oct 12, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

New BigLaw Caste System Is Bad News for Associates, Consultants Say

Law firms are embracing a three-tiered “caste system” of lawyers, a development that is bad news for law students hoping to land high-paid associate jobs in BigLaw. The old pyramid model, in which several associates support one partner, has gone by the wayside, according to law firm consultant Jerome Kowalski.…

Oct 7, 2010 2:14 PM CDT

Husch Blackwell Confirms Layoffs of Nearly 20 Lawyers Last Month

Nearly 20 lawyers were laid off last month at Husch Blackwell, the law firm has confirmed to the Am Law Daily. “As is our firm’s practice, we constantly monitor our attorney staffing to match the level of experience, expertise and depth necessary to service our clients’ workload needs,” a firm…

Oct 6, 2010 8:42 PM CDT

Summer Associates Report Substantive Work, More Offers and Lots of Karoake

Summer associates are an easygoing bunch. They gave top grades to their law firms in a new survey, reporting there was lots of good work to go around and time for fun too. Many firms hired fewer summers this year, but there was an upside in the numbers, the American…

Oct 6, 2010 4:10 PM CDT

Lawyer Says His Longtime Secretary Is the Informant Who Secretly Recorded Him

A secretary who testified for a Georgia lawyer accused of federal drug and money-laundering charges, helping win his acquittal last year, apparently had a change of heart. The secretary, Brandy Rivera, became a secret informant, says her onetime boss, lawyer Mark Shelnutt. And Shelnutt was the target, according to the…

Oct 4, 2010 11:00 AM CDT