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Trial attorney and wife give $10m to law school from which 3 generations of his family graduated

A trial attorney and his wife have donated $10 million to the law school from which he, his father and two sons have graduated, The gift is one of the largest ever received by the University of Montana School of Law reports the Great Falls Tribune. Alexander “Zander” Blewett III…

May 21, 2015 1:40 PM CDT

Two global law firms will use software to find standout UK hires from underprivileged backgrounds

Two international law firms will be using social mobility software to identify standout job candidates in London who have overcome underprivileged backgrounds. The law firms Baker & McKenzie and Hogan Lovells are using the so-called Rare Contextual Recruitment System, which measures “social mobility characteristics” of job candidates, according to this…

May 21, 2015 9:52 AM CDT

This company’s no-manager constitution is longer than the federal document

About 14 percent of Zappos’ workers are leaving the company, opting out of a no-manager “Holacracy” that is governed by a 30-page constitution that dwarfs the U.S. Constitution. In a Holacracy, employees establish priorities and discuss problems in teams called “circles,” the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. The circles…

May 21, 2015 7:38 AM CDT

Newt Gingrich will join the world’s largest law firm

Former House speaker and GOP presidential candidate Newt Gringrich is joining Dentons as a senior adviser in its public policy and regulation practice. A press release announcing the move says Dentons “is home to a deep bench of international, national and local leaders,” including its global chairman Joe Andrew, who…

May 20, 2015 10:52 AM CDT

Former inmate graduates from law school

One graduate of Loyola Law School in Chicago has seen the justice system from another angle. Law grad Jarrett Adams–who spent 10 years in prison before his rape conviction was overturned–received his law degree on Saturday, CBS Chicago reports. Adams was profiled as part of a feature on exonerees in…

May 19, 2015 9:18 AM CDT

A good night’s sleep on a $4K mattress pointed a former BigLaw attorney to a new job in sales

Life as a mergers and acquistions attorney for Foley & Larder wasn’t for him, Greg Yatooma realized while still a young man. But, despite the car-selling experience that put him through law school, he didn’t initially focus on going back into sales when he left the law firm’s Detroit office…

May 18, 2015 11:35 AM CDT

Paychecks will shrink for Pace Law School professors and staffers

Pace Law School is avoiding faculty and staff layoffs with across-the-board wage cuts. Law professors will see their paychecks cut by 10 percent while staffers’ wages will be cut by 5 percent, report the New York Law Journal (sub. req.) and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, which cite Brian…

May 18, 2015 7:06 AM CDT

ExamSoft settles ‘barmageddon’ suit; did problems lead to lower exam scores?

Bar exam takers who experienced delays and failures when trying to upload completed exams last July are entitled to $90 each as a result of a class action settlement. The software maker, ExamSoft Worldwide Inc., agreed to pay $2.1 million to settle a class action in five consolidated lawsuits, the…

May 18, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

30 McKenna Long lawyers head to BakerHostetler

Thirty lawyers from McKenna Long & Aldridge are headed to BakerHostetler in advance of McKenna’s planned merger with Dentons. The group includes 25 lawyers from McKenna’s healthcare practice, report the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Bloomberg BNA Big Law Business and the Daily Report (sub. req.). At least 70 McKenna lawyers are…

May 14, 2015 1:31 PM CDT

What do you wish you knew when you were 22?

LinkedIn is inviting its members to write essays describing what they’d do differently—or keep the same—if they knew when they were 22 what they know now. Some high-profile individuals have contributed. Richard Branson is glad that foolish things he did at age 22 didn’t result in consequences that compromised his…

May 13, 2015 1:00 PM CDT

Are nonequity partners at risk? 43% of surveyed law firms say they have too many

Law firm leaders responding to an Altman & Weil survey are optimistic about market demand, even as they express concerns about overcapacity. Leaders in 32 percent of the law firms surveyed said market demand has returned to prerecession levels, while leaders at 41 percent of the firms expected demand to…

May 13, 2015 10:30 AM CDT

High earnings post-law school don’t guarantee satisfaction, says lawyer happiness study

Would-be lawyers who attend law school with the hopes of a high income might want to readjust their goals, a study on lawyer happiness has found. Lawyers working in large firms and other prestigious positions aren’t as happy as public service attorneys, according to the study (PDF) published in the…

May 13, 2015 8:56 AM CDT

Think Harvard law grads are more likely to stay in law practice than others? 28% ditched legal jobs

Harvard law grads have the advantage of a JD from an elite institution, but they don’t differ from other law grads when it comes to leaving law practice. About 28 percent of Harvard law grads from four graduating classes are no longer practicing law in their current jobs, according to…

May 13, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Exit interviews spur Orrick to adopt generous parental leave policy

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe is adopting a new parental leave policy designed to retain more women lawyers. The law firm says its new parental leave policy is the most generous of any major U.S. law firm, the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) reports. Orrick will offer paid parental leave of…

May 11, 2015 7:25 AM CDT

Proskauer lays off 29 staff members

Proskauer Rose is laying off 29 staff members as it streamlines operations in its New York offices. “In New York, the firm will move toward a shared services model in which secretaries operate in teams,” the firm says in a written statement provided to Above the Law. “This approach, which…

May 7, 2015 4:00 PM CDT