Associates

Like Savings, a Legal Reputation Adds Up Incrementally

If you start saving $100 a month when you’re 25, you’ll have $1 million by retirement age. And a similar principle should be kept in mind when young lawyers are trying to make a name for themselves in the profession, says one who has been there. Don’t worry about immediate…

Sep 5, 2008 10:13 PM CDT

Weil Gotshal IP Associate Takes On Much Tougher Job

As a third-year associate at Weil Gotshal & Manges, intellectual property attorney Okey Onyejekwe obviously isn’t afraid of hard work. But he’s taking on a much tougher challenge for the next three months, when he will be serving in Iraq with his Air Force Reserve unit, reports the Am Law…

Sep 5, 2008 12:52 AM CDT

Lawyers ‘in Love With MoFo’ Among those at Big Firms on Facebook

Big law firms may be Facebook Luddites, but their lawyers are using the social networking site. Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle was in the news last month for using Facebook as a recruiting tool. It’s believed to be the first big firm to do so, but it’s not the only…

Sep 4, 2008 11:24 AM CDT

More Lawyers Patent their Inventions and Sue, Sometimes Surprising their Firms

Some law firms are apparently being caught “flat-footed” when one of their lawyers files suit to protect his or her own patented invention, according to an article in IP Law and Business. At least 10 lawyers have filed infringement suits to protect their inventions, and some of them continued to…

Sep 3, 2008 4:19 PM CDT

Associate Quits O’Melveny & Myers to Volunteer Full-Time for Obama

Lee Fink had worked for O’Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles for seven years as a litigation associate when he quit his job in June to spend 12-hour days volunteering for Barack Obama. Fink has rented out his house and traveled to Denver, living off his savings and renting a…

Sep 3, 2008 12:29 PM CDT

Midcareer Malaise

How to find a new path for your 40s

Sep 1, 2008 1:15 PM CDT

Big Law Firms’ Predicament: Committed to Hire More Lawyers than Needed

Because big law firms make associate hiring commitments two years in advance, they are finding themselves in a bind. As the economic downturn has cut into legal work, the firms are pledged to hire more lawyers than they need. Some firms are hiring several new associates even though they recently…

Aug 27, 2008 10:54 AM CDT

BigLaw Firm Recruits on Facebook

Looking for a way to better promote itself to the next generation of lawyers, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle has launched a Facebook page as part of its broader law school recruiting efforts. “We are pleased to be capitalizing on the popularity of the most widely used social networking site,”…

Aug 26, 2008 7:43 PM CDT

WolfBlock to New 1st-Years: We’ll See You in November

Faced with a business slowdown, Philadelphia-based WolfBlock has told its incoming first-year class to take a vacation. “The firm said all but one of eight recent law school graduates were told not to report for work until Nov. 10 rather than the normal start date shortly after Labor Day,” reports…

Aug 26, 2008 7:27 PM CDT

Law Firm Life Satirized in Bitter Lawyer Webisodes

A lawyer-turned-TV writer has posted a satirical look at law firm life in four Webisodes posted on the Bitter Lawyer website. The Webisodes feature new associate Nick Conley, who works at Sullivan & Moore, “the most prestigious law firm in the entire country.” In one episode, Nick is directed to…

Aug 25, 2008 5:30 PM CDT

Summer Associates Take Trapeze Lessons, Attend Football Training Camp

Summer associates got a taste of law firm life this summer. They also took trapeze lessons, sang karaoke and went rock climbing. As usual, the big law firms appear to be trying to outdo each other in the quest for unusual and sometimes lavish activities. Portfolio.com listed some of the…

Aug 25, 2008 12:08 PM CDT

Billionaire’s Lawyers Target Prosecutor’s Wife, Over Law Firm Tie

Lawyers for billionaire and former Broadcom CEO Henry Nicholas III, who is facing securities fraud and drug charges in federal court in California, are seeking to put the pregnant wife of a lead prosecutor in the case on the stand. Because Yuliya Lyubovnaya, a lawyer, worked for Broadcom’s longtime counsel,…

Aug 23, 2008 12:10 AM CDT

Axing Associates Now Could Mean Problems Later, Expert Says

In a struggling economy, reduced levels of legal work and rising costs tempt law firm partners to cut associates. But the money they save by doing so now may result in associate salary increases later, if history repeats itself. In 2002 and 2003, the number of associates employed by the…

Aug 22, 2008 10:46 PM CDT

Fulbright & Jaworski Lawyer Was Gymnastics Champ in China

An associate at Fulbright & Jaworski’s Hong Kong office is a former Chinese rhythmic gymnastics national champ. Hailan Fan is on leave from the firm to manage media commentators and set up interviews at the Olympics. She told the Am Law Daily that she was only 6 years old when…

Aug 22, 2008 3:33 PM CDT

Heller Ehrman Latest Law Firm to Push Back Associate Start Dates

Heller Ehrman has pushed back the start date for its 54 new associates from Oct. 13 to Jan. 20, joining several other law firms that have made similar moves in response to the economic downturn. Heller Ehrman will pay the associates a $10,000 stipend over three months, the Daily Journal…

Aug 22, 2008 11:35 AM CDT