Careers

Average 401(k) savings top $1M in plans at these two law firms

Lawyers in BigLaw are apparently stashing lots of money in their 401(k) plans. Individual average account balances are $2.1 million at Cravath and $1.1 million at O’Melveny in 401(k) plans for select groups of individuals, Bloomberg Big Law Business reports. That Cravath plan has 133 participants and the O’Melveny plan…

Dec 1, 2016 11:08 AM CST

Indiana Jones at Law: Attorney discovers business opportunities during his travels

A nighttime exploration by flashlight of the ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra prior to the Syrian civil war may not be everyone’s idea of a relaxing vacation. But it’s just the kind of trip Chicago attorney John Goldstein seeks out on his travels. “An educational trip. Something that’s not boring or stuffy,” he says.

Dec 1, 2016 4:00 AM CST

Former law dean works to foster better race relations in sports

When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg weighs in on NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s controversial kneeling during the national anthem, it’s clear the intersection of race and sports has become a flashpoint in the national discourse.

Dec 1, 2016 3:50 AM CST

Litigator expands interrogations into book on presidential history

What do you get when you mix a seasoned litigator, a presidential history buff and a passionate writer?

Dec 1, 2016 3:40 AM CST

10 Questions: How Anita Dhake left BigLaw to travel the world

Where in the world is Anita Dhake? That question used to be pretty easy to answer because the 34-year-old former associate spent most of her waking hours behind a desk at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Now, however, she could be anywhere—Alaska, Australia, Colombia, Thailand. That’s because Dhake left…

Dec 1, 2016 3:20 AM CST

Your body language during trial can be just as important as what you say

Law schools don’t have classes in body language, and a surprising number of trial lawyers never learn this lesson.

Dec 1, 2016 2:40 AM CST

#Attention: Law professor’s forum sheds light on racial injustice

The African American Policy Forum, a think tank founded by law professor and critical race theory scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, coined the hashtag #blackgirlsmatter.

Dec 1, 2016 2:10 AM CST

Law schools expect applications to increase, but grads’ job data shows decline

The numbers: 78 percent of law school admissions officers express confidence their 2016 application numbers will increase. There was a 7.6 percent decline in law firm jobs secured by the class of 2015. Two studies from this fall inspire very different impressions of the state of the legal profession, at…

Dec 1, 2016 1:40 AM CST

More women are attending law school, but at lower-ranked schools, study finds

More women are attending law school, but their numbers at top-ranked institutions aren’t keeping up the pace, a recent study found. While women make up roughly half of all law students at ABA-accredited schools, they are overrepresented at lower-ranked schools. The study was conducted by Deborah Jones Merritt, a Ohio…

Nov 30, 2016 4:30 PM CST

Bonus season begins with Cravath announcement; which firms fall in line?

Updated: Cravath, Swaine & Moore raised the bar when it began paying first-year associates $180,000 this summer, but its bonus announcement on Monday will sound familiar. Cravath will pay year-end bonuses ranging from $15,000 to $100,000, the same as last year. Above the Law broke the news and published the…

Nov 30, 2016 8:10 AM CST

Fiat Chrysler’s GC joins Mayer Brown

Fiat Chrysler’s top lawyer is joining Mayer Brown. The firm announced Tuesday that Marjorie Loeb, general counsel and member of the North American management team at Fiat Chrysler, has joined Mayer Brown as a partner in the corporate and securities practice group. According to a press release, Loeb will be…

Nov 29, 2016 3:45 PM CST

Two federal defenders in Omaha discover they are half sisters

Julie Hansen and Kelly Mahoney Steenbock both excelled in academics and were determined to attend college and law school, despite growing up poor in households that could not pay for their higher education. Both got jobs after law school in county public defender offices, and both eventually became public defenders…

Nov 28, 2016 2:23 PM CST

Trump chooses Jones Day partner as White House counsel

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Jones Day partner Donald McGahn as his White House counsel. Trump said in an announcement that McGahn has a “brilliant legal mind, excellent character and a deep understanding of constitutional law,” report the National Law Journal (sub. req.), the Washington Post, Reuters and Bloomberg News.…

Nov 28, 2016 8:45 AM CST

How lawyers can negotiate for better salaries and positions (podcast with transcript)

While negotiating for one’s client is second nature to most attorneys, many find it a lot harder to negotiate for themselves. How can you advocate for a better position without being seen as too aggressive or off-putting? In this month’s Asked and Answered podcast, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward talks to Kathleen Kelley Reardon about how attorneys can ask for what they want without jeopardizing good work relationships.

Nov 28, 2016 8:45 AM CST

Told to go back to his own country, BigLaw partner says lawyers need to stand up and be heard

The second-to-last time WilmerHale intellectual property litigator William Lee heard such a biased comment reflecting hostility to immigrants was 40 years ago. The last time was this August, and Lee believes the incident in which he was told to return to his country reflects an anti-immigrant political environment, the Am…

Nov 22, 2016 8:00 AM CST