Career & Practice

Tax Lawyer’s True Tales Include High Cost of Bigamy When It’s Time to ‘Divorce’

More brain than brawn, tax lawyers have a more interesting practice than many give them credit for, writes tax lawyer Robert Wood in a Forbes column. Among his own most interesting cases was a divorcing couple who expected to take advantage of a rule that property is divided among the…

Jun 9, 2010 8:19 PM CDT

Trustee Named to Oversee Lyle Yurko’s Practice After NC Lawyer Vanishes

The North Carolina State Bar has appointed a trustee to oversee the practice of a a well-known Charlotte solo practitioner who has apparently vanished. Neighbors haven’t seen Lyle Yurko for weeks and it’s possible he may have moved to Vietnam, where he married a woman a couple of years ago…

Jun 8, 2010 9:17 PM CDT

Ex-NC Governor and AG Mike Easley Is On Leave From McGuireWoods

A former governor and attorney general of North Carolina has taken a leave of absence from McGuireWoods at his own request and for undisclosed reasons, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. “We were supportive,” says firm counsel William Allcott of Mike Easley’s request for a leave several weeks ago.…

Jun 8, 2010 5:03 PM CDT

As Summer Classes Plummet By 80% at Some BigLaw Firms, Clients Balk at Paying for Law Student Work

As summer associate classes shrink at a number of major New York law firms this year, law students lucky enough to have made the cut have an enhanced opportunity for a quality work experience. Given the reduced ratio of summer associates, there is more opportunity for interaction with partners and…

Jun 7, 2010 11:51 PM CDT

Lawyer Can Sue Critic Over Craigslist War of Words, Says Appeal Court

Reversing a lower court ruling that a screenwriter’s critical comments on Craigslist about a California lawyer were protected by the First Amendment, a state appeals court last week reinstated attorney Richard Gibson’s suit. The comments allegedly posted by screenwriter Justin Swingle in conjunction with advertisements for Gibson’s law practice on…

Jun 7, 2010 11:09 PM CDT

Law Firm Points Trash-Out Crew to Paid-Up ‘Foreclosure,’ Is Sued

Martin Powelson paid off his delinquent Detroit mortgage. But after a law firm that handles a high-volume foreclosure practice mistakenly said told the lender that the redemption period had expired with the loan unpaid, a so-called trash-out crew paid a visit to his house. Contending that crew removed some $60,000…

Jun 7, 2010 6:51 PM CDT

Ex-BigLaw Attorneys Profit at Smaller Firm via Flexible Fees & Eat-What-You-Kill Comp

A willingness to be flexible about hourly billing rates and an eat-what-you-kill compensation structure has proven profitable for former BigLaw attorneys now practicing in the “Philadelphia” office of Chamberlain Hrdlicka. The office, which actually is located in Conshohocken, Pa., in the Philadelphia suburbs, resulted from a parting of the ways…

Jun 7, 2010 6:12 PM CDT

Travel Agent’s Input Led to New Houston Office for Blank Rome

Blank Rome uses one agency to make arrangements for lawyers traveling on business. So when the firm was deciding where to focus its latest expansion efforts, it sought input from the Lawyers Travel Service, co-chairman Alan Hoffman tells the Law & Finance blog of the Philadelphia Business Journal. The travel…

Jun 7, 2010 4:08 PM CDT

Some Experts Fear Technology Is Like Catnip, and It’s Harming Our Ability to Focus

The lure of e-mail, the Internet and cell phones provides a dopamine rush not unlike the reaction to danger, taking away our attention from more long-term projects and harming our ability to focus. The New York Times has two stories on the phenomenon. “This is your brain on computers,” the…

Jun 7, 2010 12:52 PM CDT

New Law Firm Formed with 15 Lawyers from LeClairRyan

Fifteen lawyers form LeClairRyan are striking out on their own. The group is forming the law firm Murphy & McGonigle to advise financial services clients facing securities litigation, the Washington Post reports. One of the new co-founders, Thomas McGonigle, told the Post that he and five other lawyers in the…

Jun 7, 2010 11:59 AM CDT

Law Jobs Still Lacking: Legal Sector Lost 22,200 in a Year, But Added 300 Last Month

The economy is showing some signs of recovery—including a gain of 300 legal-sector jobs in May, versus the loss of hundreds the previous month, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report. But accounts of the legal employment market still paint a grim picture of the situation many attorneys…

Jun 5, 2010 12:35 AM CDT

Major Law Firm Looks to ‘85 Broads’ for Female Attorney Empowerment

A major New Jersey-based law firm is looking to a global women’s networking group with a memorable name to help the firm’s seasoned female attorneys expand their professional contacts and influence. McCarter & English is now part of the 85 Broads community, reports the Hartford Business Journal. In a law…

Jun 4, 2010 6:05 PM CDT

Dechert Announces New Dual Leadership

Dechert announced its star litigator and top rainmaker Andrew Levander as the firm’s new chairman-elect yesterday, the first firm chairman to be based outside of the firm’s Philadelphia headquarters. Private equity group head and vice chairman G. Daniel O’Donnell was also selected as the firm’s future CEO. Barton Winokur, the…

Jun 4, 2010 12:09 PM CDT

Another Scam Targets Lawyers: Pay My Cab Fare and I’ll Return Your Package

Amid reports that law firms are being targeted in high-dollar international “settlement” check frauds comes news that at least one enterprising criminal right here in the United States is successfully scamming attorneys in a far less ambitious con. A man who has often identified himself as “Jimmy” has contacted at…

Jun 3, 2010 9:07 PM CDT

Meet Eduardo Leite: Brazil-Based Energy Lawyer Set to Lead Baker & McKenzie

In an unusual move for a United States-based law firm, Baker & McKenzie has appointed a Brazilian energy lawyer as its global chairman. Eduardo Leite will take up his position at the helm of the Chicago-based international megafirm at the end of October. He presently works out of the Sao…

Jun 3, 2010 5:19 PM CDT