Careers

After four-year decline, percentage of female associates ‘nudged up’ in 2014

The percentage of female associates “finally nudged up” in 2014, following four years of slight declines, according to the National Associated for Law Placement. According to a NALP press release (PDF), 44.94 percent of associates were female in 2014, compared to 44.79 percent in 2013. The 2014 number is still…

Feb 17, 2015 2:18 PM CST

Law school diversity improves, but not at most prestigious schools

The percentage of black and Hispanic students attending law school is increasing, but not at the most prestigious schools, a law professor’s study has found. Saint Louis University School of Law professor Aaron Taylor examined the period from 2010, when first-year law school enrollment peaked, to 2013, when 1L enrollment…

Feb 12, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Lawyer blamed for reversed verdict feels vindicated by appellate ruling that judge abused discretion

A New York judge erred by reversing a jury’s defense verdict based on claimed misbehavior by a lawyer not directly involved in the case, a state appeals court has ruled. Saying that there was no way to determine from the record whether a lawyer attending a dental malpractice trial as…

Feb 11, 2015 12:25 PM CST

Suit claims departing lawyers weren’t paid promised bonuses

Seven lawyers who left the Nelson Brown law firm last year have filed a lawsuit claiming they were never paid bonuses promised before their departure. The lawyers left the insurance boutique that was then known as Nelson Levine de Luca & Hamilton in February 2014, the Legal Intelligencer (reg. req,)…

Feb 11, 2015 8:46 AM CST

Most workers see wage stagnation after first 10 years; are lawyers an exception?

Most workers see the biggest pay increases in the first 10 years of their career, followed by years of stagnation, according to a new report. High earners, such as lawyers, doctors and engineers, are an exception, the Washington Post’s Wonkblog reports. The study used U.S. Social Security Administration data gathered…

Feb 11, 2015 7:49 AM CST

Some associates will earn less as gap widens between rich and super-rich law firms, columnist says

As rich law firms lose ground to the super-rich law firms, their associates will feel the monetary pain, according to a columnist who is a former BigLaw partner. Writing at Above the Law, lawyer Mark Herrmann says it’s tough for law firms earning $1 million in profits per partner to…

Feb 10, 2015 7:01 AM CST

Counsel young lawyers about debt, ABA policymakers urge law schools and bar groups

The ABA House of Delegates unanimously adopted a resolution on Monday urging law schools and bar associations to counsel young attorneys on student loan debt. Resolution 106 urges law schools to provide “comprehensive debt counseling and debt management education” to law students, and urges bar associations to provide the same…

Feb 9, 2015 10:35 AM CST

Diversity is winner as the ABA begins selecting next class of leaders

Corrected: The results of the ABA’s commitment to bringing greater diversity to its leadership ranks were on dramatic display at Sunday’s meeting of the Nominating Committee in Houston. At one point during the meeting, six current or soon-to-be officers of the association were sitting together at a podium facing an…

Feb 8, 2015 7:59 PM CST

Sarah Weddington on being a young, female lawyer in a watershed SCOTUS case that reverberates today

Sarah Weddington wasn’t the first to know that she’d won the landmark abortion-rights case Roe v. Wade at the U.S. Supreme Court. Giving the keynote speech at Saturday’s American Bar Foundation Awards Reception and Banquet, Weddington recalled a call her assistant received on Jan. 22, 1973. A reporter from the…

Feb 8, 2015 10:52 AM CST

Lots of ideas, but no single theme at Commission on the Future of Legal Services’ public hearing

When the ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services scheduled a public hearing for the midpoint of the association’s 2015 Midyear Meeting in Houston, it was hoping to hear plenty of ideas about how to improve access to justice for underserved segments of the U.S. population. And that’s exactly…

Feb 7, 2015 8:20 PM CST

New book reveals the story of the lawyer who was one of the last US soldiers to leave Vietnam

In 2003, Richard Pena was on his second tour in Vietnam, leading a delegation from the People to People Ambassador Program. During a visit to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City (the former Saigon), he looked at a photo depicting a line of American troops boarding an…

Feb 7, 2015 8:59 AM CST

In one year, legal sector loses 4,500 jobs

The legal services sector lost 1,400 jobs in January following a small gain in December. According to seasonally adjusted numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the legal services sector employed 1.118 million people in January, 4,500 fewer people than in January 2014, the Am Law Daily (sub. req.)…

Feb 6, 2015 1:24 PM CST

Two lawyers resign from Bronx Defenders after appearance in video advocating cop-killing

Two lawyers with the legal-aid group Bronx Defenders have resigned after their appearance in a controversial “Hands Up” rap video advocating the killing of police officers. The board chairman of the Bronx Defenders told New York City officials about the resignations of Ryan Napoli and Kumar Rao in a letter…

Feb 5, 2015 12:03 PM CST

9 ways to change the carnivorous partnership model and save BigLaw firms

At the beginning of a career as a lawyer, you often set upon a course of being a good soldier, doing what the system asks of you in the profession’s self-described “tournament-style” search for excellence. You must perform better than others so that you may advance within the organization. A…

Feb 4, 2015 2:40 PM CST

Freelance attorney network Custom Counsel acquired by CuroLegal

Custom Counsel, a service which matches lawyers available to do contract work with law firms and legal departments that need temporary or project-based help, was recently acquired by CuroLegal, an outsourced law-practice-management company. Many lawyers use Custom Counsel for litigation support work, including brief writing, says founder Nicole Bradick, who…

Feb 3, 2015 1:30 PM CST