Associates

Cravath announces associate bonuses; did the firm top Milbank?

Associates who were hoping that Cravath would set the standard with higher bonuses this year will be disappointed with the law firm’s Monday announcement.

Nov 11, 2019 4:44 PM CST

BigLaw bonus season begins with announcement from Milbank

Milbank has beat Cravath to the punch by announcing its associate bonuses Thursday. The scale is the same as last year’s, and the bonuses range from $15,000 to $100,000 and will be paid Dec. 31.

Nov 7, 2019 4:08 PM CST

Bias suit by former BigLaw associate claims retaliation caused ‘drastic drops’ in his billable hours

A black former associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell has filed a lawsuit alleging that the law firm gave him so little work after he complained about racial bias that he billed only 5.9 hours over a three-month period.

Nov 5, 2019 2:17 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Andrew Yang didn’t last long in BigLaw; suit against Taylor Swift revived

Andrew Yang lasted only five months in BigLaw Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang left Davis Polk & Wardwell in 2000 after spending only five months as an associate. He had scored 178 out of 180 on the LSAT and attended Columbia Law School before joining the law firm, but he…

Oct 29, 2019 5:23 PM CDT

What can you learn from a lawyer born the same year that you graduated law school?

In this new episode of Asked and Answered, Senior Writer Stephanie Francis Ward talks to Karen Kaplowitz about ways the experience pairing works well, having more diverse legal teams, and finding better ways to use social media in marketing.

Oct 28, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

Working Mother’s list of 100 best companies includes these 5 law firms

Five law firms made Working Mother Media’s 2019 list of 100 best companies based on their benefits for families. The five law firms are: Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer; Dechert; Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner; Katten Muchin Rosenman; and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. The American Lawyer has a story.…

Sep 25, 2019 1:30 PM CDT

42% of summer associates surveyed say they are concerned about mental health

Mental health is a concern and work-life balance a priority for many summer associates surveyed by the American Lawyer this year. Forty-two percent said they are concerned about mental health or well-being as an attorney, the American Lawyer reports. It was the first time the publication asked about the issue…

Sep 23, 2019 1:13 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers speak; judge gives assignment for veteran lies

Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers speak at unusual hearing For more than an hour on Tuesday, women who accused financier Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing them when they were young spoke about the impact in an unusual federal court hearing. Many of the women urged prosecutors to continue investigating Epstein’s associates after…

Aug 27, 2019 4:06 PM CDT

Suit against Jones Day alleges ‘archaic gender roles’ and photo altering

A new lawsuit accuses Jones Day of reinforcing “archaic gender roles” in an unequal parental leave policy and using a secret compensation system that is “tailor-made to enable sex discrimination.” The plaintiffs, Mark Savignac and Julia Sheketoff, are married to each other and are former law clerks for U.S. Supreme…

Aug 15, 2019 1:51 PM CDT

Jones Day sued for alleged malpractice by pro bono clients who say eviction deal left them homeless

Two former mobile home owners have filed a malpractice suit against Jones Day that claims that the law firm’s work on their eviction case was a “fiasco.” Zona Bernier and Gary Hill of Orange County, California, allege that Jones Day pressured them to accept a “burdensome settlement” without asserting legitimate…

Aug 1, 2019 2:09 PM CDT

Appeals court tosses med-mal suit because lawyer filed document about 18 minutes late

A Texas appeals court has dismissed a medical malpractice lawsuit because the lawyer for the plaintiff filed an expert report about 18 minutes late. The 5th District Court of Appeals ruled July 10 that Texas law requires an expert report to be filed 120 days after the med-mal defendant files…

Jul 16, 2019 12:14 PM CDT

Lawyer disbarred after breaking into former law firm; blamed punctuation problem

A Florida lawyer has been disbarred after he was accused of breaking into his former law firm in Bradenton and stealing a safe and a computer server. The Florida Supreme Court permanently disbarred Christopher Louis Brady in a July 11 order, Law360 reports. He was suspended on an emergency basis…

Jul 15, 2019 11:30 AM CDT

BigLaw firm earns top spot for number of female attorneys; what other firms made the cut?

A new firm is No. 1 on the National Law Journal’s 2019 Women in Law Scorecard, which ranks the largest law firms in the country by their representation of female attorneys. Berry Appleman & Leiden, an immigration firm based in San Francisco, reported to the National Law Journal that 59.2%…

Jul 1, 2019 2:43 PM CDT

What was your summer associate experience like?

Summertime is summer associates season. Recent law school grads around the country will be soaking up everything they can in three months with their more experienced counterparts in the legal industry. Summer associate gigs are becoming more straight-laced, Above the Law reported in 2017. Associates are on their best behavior,…

Jun 20, 2019 1:13 PM CDT

How bystanders can stand up to sexual harassment in the law office

Even though bystanders are not the intended target of sexual harassment in the workplace, they, too, can endure a personal toll that is often overlooked, writes author and lawyer Lauren Stiller Rikleen.

Jun 6, 2019 6:00 AM CDT