New judges were welcomed into ‘career paradise’ and told to obey the boss, says judge who quit

“Career paradise” as a well-paid judge in Cook County, Illinois, was short lived for Richard Cooke, who quit 142 days into the job amid a dispute over his court assignment. Cooke spoke with the Chicago Sun-Times about the “sick culture” of a cushy Chicago-area judgeship that, he says, came with…

May 8, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Court-appointed lawyers in Maine will have to wait for payment because of budget shortfall

Court-appointed lawyers for indigent defendants in Maine won’t get paid until July 1 because the state budget to pay them has been depleted. The state legislature had appropriated $2.9 million less than the amount requested for indigent defense, then did not provide supplemental funding, the Portland Press Herald reports. Maine…

May 5, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Police find no criminality in death of judge on New York’s top court

Police have concluded the death of Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam of the New York Court of Appeals was a likely suicide. New York City police closed their investigation and sent the case to the medical examiner for a final determination on the cause of death, reports NPR, the Wall Street Journal…

May 4, 2017 9:57 AM CDT

Headhunter backtracks on sexist column after BigLaw recruiters’ outcry

A legal headhunter who founded BCG Attorney Search edited himself after law-firm recruiting coordinators took offense at his sexist comments about female recruiters. In a column posted on LinkedIn and his company’s website, A. Harrison Barnes took aim at recruiters who, in his estimation, “sometimes have more beauty and fewer…

May 3, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Lawyers’ salaries slipping compared to other professions, data indicates

The median salaries of information systems managers, pharmacists and nurse anesthetists are now higher than the median salary for lawyers, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The figures released in May show that the median annual salary for lawyers is $118,160. But adjusting for…

May 2, 2017 3:55 PM CDT

Microsoft’s new deputy GC will lead efforts on privacy, cybersecurity

Julie Brill, the longtime consumer advocate and former member of the Federal Trade Commission, will join Microsoft Corp. this summer to lead its privacy and regulatory affairs group, Law.com reported Friday. Brill’s title will be Deputy General Counsel for Privacy and Regulatory Affairs, according to a Microsoft corporate blog. She…

May 2, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

‘Super’ exam for UK solicitor candidates coming in 2020

The United Kingdom’s Solicitors Regulation Authority will require candidates to pass a centralized “super” exam starting in September 2020. The two-part test will include computer-based multiple choice questions and a practical element that may be combined with work-based training, the Law Society Gazette reported. While alternatives exist, the current path…

May 1, 2017 1:30 PM CDT

5 tips from a BigLaw partner on ‘making it work’ in real life

Making it Work is a new column in partnership with the Working Mother Best Law Firms for Women initiative in which lawyers share how they manage both life’s challenges and work’s demands.

Joanna Horsnail, being a single parent for 10 years and partner at Mayer Brown for 13 years, offers tips for “making it work” while real life goes on around you.

May 1, 2017 3:00 AM CDT

10 Questions: Indiana family law attorney has a second career in high fashion

From family court to haute couture, this Indiana solo helps clients present their best.

May 1, 2017 2:40 AM CDT

Law Architects: New legal jobs make technology part of the career path

At Neota Logic, CEO Betsy Braham says her solutions architects can come from a plethora of backgrounds that include business, law and engineering. But “the degree isn’t as important as the attributes to be logical, analytical and grasp complex topics and have a technical ability,” she says.

May 1, 2017 1:10 AM CDT

Arizona Summit offers stipend for at-risk grads to put off exam and get extra bar prep

What may be a career saver for some law students has come under fire from some law school critics who see it as a way to change the bar-passage rates law schools are required to report under ABA accreditation standards. The cynical view is that money spent on the pilot program could be a cost of doing business for the law school, which has 279 students and charges $45,424 for annual, full-time tuition.

May 1, 2017 1:00 AM CDT

Leading Roles: Candidates for president-elect, Board of Governors show strong ABA roots

ABA president-elect candidate Robert M. Carlson will stand for election as president-elect unopposed at the ABA Annual Meeting in New York City in August.

Also up for consideration in August are 12 uncontested candidates for members of the Board of Governors. They are running for seats that represent geographic districts, ABA sections or divisions. Each will serve a three-year term.

May 1, 2017 12:50 AM CDT

Famed defense lawyer Richard ‘Racehorse’ Haynes dies

The storied, colorful, extraordinarily successful Houston criminal defense lawyer Richard “Racehorse” Haynes died early Friday, not long after his 90th birthday, the Houston Chronicle reports. Haynes’ style and demeanor changed when he entered a courtroom, where he would go from easygoing to taking command of the place, Chris Tritico, the…

Apr 28, 2017 3:03 PM CDT

Suspended Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Moore announces US Senate run

Roy Moore, the Alabama Supreme Court chief justice who recently lost an appeal of his suspension, announced Wednesday that he is resigning from that position and running for U.S. Senate, AL.com reports. In September, the Alabama Court of the Judiciary suspended Moore for the remainder of his term after he…

Apr 27, 2017 10:20 AM CDT

Rethinking rewards: What BigLaw can do about pay

I just completed a renovation that took over four months—the apartment hadn’t been touched in 40 years. Because I visited the job site almost every week, I got to know the construction crew well and gained respect for their work ethic and attention to detail. Afterwards, in appreciation, I gave…

Apr 27, 2017 8:30 AM CDT