Careers

A life of legal firsts—including romance and marriage

I graduated from Columbia Law School in 1945, 20 years before the Civil Rights Act made it illegal to discriminate in employment on the basis of sex. Although some eastern law schools—Yale and Columbia, but heavens, not Harvard—already admitted women, female graduates couldn’t expect to be recommended as law clerks to sitting judges, no matter how well their records stacked up against their male classmates.

Dec 4, 2018 6:30 AM CST

The wives of white-collar crime: Support group aims to help families and end stigma

Women from four continents learned the hard way that they were married to white-collar criminals. Now their private online support group, the White-Collar Wives Project, is shining a light on damage that white-collar crime can cause the entire family.

Dec 1, 2018 2:25 AM CST

JAG Corps captain’s journey took him from Bushido to the bar

Shane Blank’s law career was influenced by Bushido: The Soul of Japan, a book written by Inazo Nitobe in 1899. The samurai code inspired Blank to embrace adversity, join the the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps and discover in law the ways of the warrior.

Dec 1, 2018 2:15 AM CST

Top 10 tips for business lawyers

Last month, the ABA Journal published a series of tips for young lawyers from senior lawyers who participated in the ABA’s Briefly Speaking contest. This month, we’re sharing the next round of advice—this time aimed at litigators and business lawyers. Jacob McBride of Weinstein Radcliff Pipkin in Dallas won in…

Dec 1, 2018 1:45 AM CST

Top 10 tips for litigators

This month, we’re sharing the next round of advice—this time aimed at litigators and business lawyers.

Dec 1, 2018 1:40 AM CST

Source of Solace: Off the bench, federal judge dedicates time to helping others

U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey co-founded SOLACE more than 15 years ago. Support of Lawyers/Legal Personnel—All Concern Encouraged members try to help fellow members of the legal community and their families in times of need.

Dec 1, 2018 1:10 AM CST

Burford Capital $50 million litigation fund headed by women and female-owned firms

The Equity Project aims to enable female litigators to become leaders in significant matters, claim origination more easily, and nab new business by offering clients alternative fees.

Dec 1, 2018 12:35 AM CST

Lawyer congratulates client who once spent time in jail on his admission to the Florida Bar

Raymon Burns once dreamed of working at Sports Authority after his release from jail, but he has achieved much more. Burns has gained admission to the Florida Bar, and it was Burns’ lawyer, Brian Tannebaum, who broke the news on Monday. “Today I drove to Palm Beach” to tell Burns…

Nov 30, 2018 8:30 AM CST

Only 57 percent of new partners are satisfied with pay; they may earn less than senior associates

For many lawyers, partnership is the brass ring they have long sought. But compensation and other aspects of partnership are not necessarily in line with their expectations. The New Partner Survey of 425 lawyers by the American Lawyer and ALM Intelligence revealed that more than 70 percent of new partners…

Nov 28, 2018 11:13 AM CST

KPMG aims to employ 3,000 lawyers within the next few years

Accounting firm KPMG currently employs 1,800 lawyers in offices across 75 countries, and it has plans to expand the number.

Nov 27, 2018 7:00 AM CST

Clerkship boot camp reboots; Heritage Foundation drops secrecy and loyalty pledges

The conservative Heritage Foundation has revived an expense-paid boot camp for selected federal judicial clerks that was suspended amid criticism over its attempts to control training materials. Those who apply for the two-day Federal Clerkship Training Academy are no longer required to keep training materials secret, the New York Times…

Nov 26, 2018 2:00 PM CST

How to escape the golden handcuffs? Anonymous BigLaw associate offers extreme savings tips

Want to retire from BigLaw practice early to pursue other things? The answer lies in the FIRE movement, which stands for “financial independence, retire early," according to an anonymous New York City associate.

Nov 26, 2018 6:30 AM CST

O’Melveny will use online games to evaluate potential summer associates

O’Melveny & Myers will be evaluating potential summer associates through online games that measure traits such as effort, attention, planning, memory and flexibility. O’Melveny is using the games developed by neuroscientists at a company called Pymetrics, according to a press release and an American Lawyer article. O’Melveny is building its…

Nov 21, 2018 7:30 AM CST

Sports lawyer shares how he turned a love for athletics into a career

“Show me the money!” After navigating the ups and downs of being an agent, Darren Heitner pursued another avenue that combined his love of negotiation and athletics: sports law. With his wealth of expertise and his deep knowledge of this niche practice area, Heitner packed his book—How to Play the…

Nov 20, 2018 4:05 PM CST

A call to deal with impostor syndrome, a hidden source of attorney distress

It’s my third time reading Joanna Litt’s brave piece in the American Lawyer about the death by suicide of her beloved husband and accomplished lawyer Gabe MacConaill, and I’m still stumbling through it in tears. As she describes the pressures Gabe experienced as an attorney, I lose my breath because…

Nov 20, 2018 12:45 PM CST