Career & Practice

Law, the Investment

Entrepreneurs attract major cash to draw legal services away from law firms

Sep 1, 2010 9:40 AM CDT

Hack-Proof Dream?

Vendors boast of virus shields, but security experts scoff

Sep 1, 2010 7:00 AM CDT

Group Buy-In

A new service tries to harness the power of group discounts for solos

Sep 1, 2010 6:50 AM CDT

Law Hits the Road

Survey shows more work happening outside the office

Sep 1, 2010 6:40 AM CDT

You’re Good ... If the Net Says So

Hard, honest work doesn’t count if professional accomplishments and accolades aren’t top results in a Google search of a lawyer’s name, a reputation management expert told lawyers at the ABA Annual Meeting. “The Internet does not reflect reality,” said panelist Michael Fertik, CEO of ReputationDefender, a Redwood City, Calif., company…

Sep 1, 2010 5:40 AM CDT

‘Sex Object’ Client Complains: My Lawyer Showed Me Nude Photos of His Wife, Now a Judge

Corrected: When Alexander Chapman retained a family lawyer in 2002, he was seeking a divorce. But he got a lot more than he bargained for from his then-counsel at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman in Winnipeg, Canada, the computer specialist contends in ethics complaints against husband-and-wife attorneys Jack King and Lori Douglas,…

Sep 1, 2010 12:37 AM CDT

Spoofers Use Kentucky Law Firm’s Phone Number in Credit Card Scam

Louisville, Ky., lawyer Scott Zoppoth started getting some strange phone calls last week. People from the area of Olympia, Wash., and the state of Maine were calling with a question: What’s the problem with my credit or debit card? The callers told Zoppoth, the managing partner and owner of The…

Aug 31, 2010 4:17 PM CDT

Suit Blames Pryor Cashman for Failing to Prevent $42M Fund Embezzlement

A lawsuit blames the New York-based law firm Pryor Cashman for failing to provide legal advice that may have prevented the embezzlement of $42 million from union benefit funds by a woman who loved expensive horses and Neiman Marcus. Trustees for three Construction Workers Local 147 funds allege the law…

Aug 31, 2010 2:34 PM CDT

Lawyer Gets Nearly 4 Years in Fraud Case Over Refi of His Own Home

A Hollywood, Fla., lawyer was sentenced to three years and 10 months in federal prison for embezzling $1.6 million in loan proceeds, including $1 million in a refinancing of his own home. Instead of paying off the prior lender on his home as he claimed to have done, however, Peter…

Aug 30, 2010 11:14 PM CDT

Hard-Fought Depo Didn’t Cross Ethical Line, Grievance Panel Finds

After many years in practice, Andrew O’Keefe had a clean disciplinary record. But a hard-fought deposition put the Hartford, Conn., defense attorney in the hot seat after a Manchester woman contended that he tried to “harass, intimidate and embarrass” her with questions at the session. A local grievance panel determined…

Aug 30, 2010 9:10 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Mom Helps Inmate Pen Pal Win Conviction Reversal

Carol Raeber intended to be a just a pen pal to James “Country” Parkerson, who is now 40. But the more she corresponded with the Dooly State Prison inmate, the more the Georgia woman felt that he couldn’t be guilty of the vicious murder he had been convicted of committing…

Aug 30, 2010 7:50 PM CDT

NY Volunteer Attorney Programs Benefit from ‘Lost Generation’ of Law Grads

Many underemployed law grads from the classes of 2009 and 2010 are beefing up their resumés with volunteer work, and that’s a boon for New York’s court system. The legal sector in New York shrunk by 10 percent over the past year, making the job search difficult for those who…

Aug 30, 2010 2:18 PM CDT

Judge Rules Plaintiffs Lawyers Can’t Charge 9/11 Clients $6.1M in Interest

A federal judge in New York City is refusing to allow plaintiffs lawyers to collect $6.1 million in interest from ground zero clients to pay the interest on money borrowed to finance the litigation. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said the lawyers could make $150 million in fees in the…

Aug 30, 2010 12:52 PM CDT

Ex-Partner, 82, Sues High-Profile Divorce Firm, Claims Broken Pact to Support Him

A rift in a high-profile divorce law firm over compensation for an 82-year-old partner has resulted in a $26 million lawsuit. Norman Sheresky sued his former partners on Friday, claiming they had broken an oral promise to support him financially in the later years of his career, the New York…

Aug 30, 2010 11:44 AM CDT

Law Firms Using Behavioral Interviews to Learn About Resiliency, Client Focus

An interviewing technique once used by law firms to increase acceptance rates on job offers is now helping them be more picky about their new hires. The technique is called behavioral interviewing, and it seeks information on how job seekers handled previous situations, the Legal Intelligencer reports. Behavioral questions include,…

Aug 30, 2010 10:29 AM CDT