Careers

32 of lawyers’ most common fears

Does your law practice make you fearful? You are not alone, according to John Lande, an emeritus professor of law at the University of Missouri. Some of lawyers' most common fears include:

• Feeling that their offices or cases are out of control.

Nov 1, 2015 4:35 AM CST

These judges are partners in life and on the bench

Like many two-lawyer couples, Jane Wipf Pfeifle and Craig Pfeifle have pondered the law since they shared law school assignments and late-night pizza while attending the University of South Dakota School of Law.

Nov 1, 2015 3:50 AM CST

This lawyer is fighting to extend basic human rights to complex animals

Natalie Prosin doesn't favor guerrilla tactics in the courtroom—more like gorilla tactics. As executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Nonhuman Rights Project, she manages the day-to-day operations of a mostly volunteer group of lawyers and scientists striving to extend the common-law classification of personhood to cognitively complex nonhuman animals to grant them such legal rights as bodily liberty and bodily integrity. The group recently brought a trio of habeas corpus actions in New York on behalf of four chimpanzees. A case involving elephants is next.

Nov 1, 2015 3:30 AM CST

Trading in IP addresses becomes a lucrative market

When clients approached Marc Lindsey in 2008 about a request from the American Registry for Internet Numbers to voluntarily give back unused IP addresses, he researched the issue. Then he advised his clients to hang on to them. That simple piece of advice saved clients a valuable asset and brought…

Nov 1, 2015 2:00 AM CST

How lawyers can turn fear into an ally

When attorney Marshall Yoder was facing his first jury trial in 1992, he felt a deep, underlying sense of fear. "I remember being very anxious and very nervous," he says. "The stakes were high. I was thinking, 'This is my first one, and I really want to do it right.' "

Nov 1, 2015 12:20 AM CDT

Lawyer resigns from government job after testifying against ex-client in murder case

A Texas lawyer who testified this week for the prosecution in the murder trial of a former client resigned from his government job almost immediately afterward. Attorney Marshall Shelsy admitted during his Wednesday testimony in the case against William Porter that he had initially lied to investigators and a grand…

Oct 30, 2015 4:30 PM CDT

Friends since childhood, two men earn law degrees and establish large PI firm

David Godsey took an unusual path to operating a law firm, and so did his partner, Justin Martin. But their grass-roots approach to practicing law has worked, the former insurance company claims manager says. Hence their firm, which they bill as the largest African-American owned personal injury shop in Texas,…

Oct 30, 2015 1:20 PM CDT

New York bar pass rates at their lowest point in at least 11 years

Bar pass rates in New York state have fallen to their lowest point in at least 11 years, new figures show. Only 70 percent of first-time test takers passed the July administration of the state bar exam, according to figures (PDF) released Tuesday by the New York State Board of…

Oct 27, 2015 2:35 PM CDT

Will newbie associates be replaced by Watson? 35% of law firm leaders can envision it

An increasing number of law firm leaders believe first-year associates and paralegals could be replaced by a “Watson”-type computer with artificial intelligence in the next five to 10 years. Watson is an IBM product described as a “cognitive computing” system. Thirty-five percent of surveyed law firm leaders say they can…

Oct 26, 2015 7:42 AM CDT

Thomson Reuters opens new US legal outsourcing office

Thomson Reuters is opening a third legal outsourcing office in the United States. The new Thomson Reuters Legal Managed Services office is located in Eagan, Minnesota, the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal reports. It is staffed with four full-time lawyers, but the number of lawyers swells to 60 when contract…

Oct 21, 2015 6:48 AM CDT

How to react to a bullying boss? Some responses could make matters worse

Responding to a bad boss with bad behavior could create a vicious cycle, according to a new study. Responding to abusive bosses by retaliating or avoiding them is associated with increased levels of mistreatment. The finding comes from a survey of nearly 250 employees in a variety of organizations over…

Oct 21, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

Dentons cuts ‘a very small number of administrative positions’ after US merger

Recent growth at megafirm Dentons, which merged with McKenna Long & Aldridge in July, has led to some staff layoffs. “A very small number of administrative positions … will not carry forward,” the firm says in a written statement to Above the Law, which provides a copy of an internal…

Oct 19, 2015 3:50 PM CDT

Florida Bar refuses to ease admission for out-of-state lawyers

Proposals to ease the way for out-of-state lawyers to practice in Florida are off the table. On Friday, the Florida Bar’s Board of Governors unanimously voted down proposals for admission on motion and reciprocity after bar members voiced disapproval, the Daily Business Review (sub. req.), the Wall Street Journal Law…

Oct 19, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

Cooley law grad who wanted to be a lawyer since 14 is a prosecutor at 20

A Cooley law grad who wanted to be a lawyer since she was 14 years old managed to achieve her goal only six years later. Robyn Crawford is only 20 years old and an assistant state attorney in Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit, the Daily Business Review (sub. req.) reports. Crawford…

Oct 16, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

New project will hire and train lawyers to serve moderate-means New Yorkers

A start-up designed to train lawyers to provide needed legal services to people of modest means is taking applications from recent law grads who are licensed in New York. The new venture, called the Court Square Law Project, is the result of a partnership between 19 BigLaw firms, the CUNY…

Oct 15, 2015 8:59 AM CDT