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Which law firms have the most satisfied summer associates?

The law firms with the most satisfied summer associates are Foley Hoag and Boston-based Choate Hall & Stewart, according to new survey results. Both law firms received a perfect 5 based on associate ratings in nine areas, the American Lawyer (sub. req.) reports. More than 3,600 associates responded to the…

Sep 18, 2014 6:15 AM CDT

22 Bingham partners, including 18 in London, leap to Akin Gump

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has acquired 22 partners from overseas offices of Bingham McCutchen. Bingham’s London office, which is losing 18 partners, is most hard hit by the mass departure. Two other departing partners are from Bingham’s Frankfurt office and two are from its Hong Kong office. The…

Sep 17, 2014 10:01 AM CDT

Which lawyers won MacArthur ‘genius grants’ in 2014?

Three of this year’s MacArthur “genius grant” winners are lawyers who focus on criminal justice or civil rights issues, while a fourth is a professor who studies the impact of racial stereotypes in the criminal justice system. The Chicago Tribune (sub. req.), the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times…

Sep 17, 2014 8:54 AM CDT

Equity partner pay continues to grow, while nonequity pay is almost flat, survey says

Average pay for equity partners has risen by $160,000 since 2010, compared to a boost of just $2,000 for nonequity partners during that period. The average yearly compensation for equity partners is $971,000 compared to just $338,000 for nonequity partners, according to the survey of partners at larger law firms…

Sep 17, 2014 5:45 AM CDT

Influential lawyer lobbyist Thomas Hale Boggs dies at 73

A Washington, D.C., lawyer and lobbyist who helped shape Patton Boggs into a powerhouse lobbying firm died on Sunday at the age of 73. Thomas Hale Boggs Jr. died from an apparent heart attack, according to Boggs’ sister, journalist Cokie Roberts. The New York Times, the Washington Post and the…

Sep 16, 2014 8:48 AM CDT

Canada’s Colin Lachance is blazing a ‘new frontier for free legal information’

The Canadian Legal Information Institute was already a smashing success—and the envy of many in the free law movement—even before Colin Lachance took over as president in April 2011. Founded in 2001, CanLII is the largest free legal database in the country. As Lachance explains, the concept for CanLII came…

Sep 16, 2014 8:30 AM CDT

What do lawyers do when they leave law practice? In DC, baking appears to be popular

If you like cupcakes and ice cream and live in Washington, D.C., you and others with your tastes might be helping former lawyers. Baking appears to be one of the occupations of choice for former lawyers in the area, the Washington Post reports. Former lawyers founded Curbside Cupcakes, Cakelove and…

Sep 16, 2014 6:40 AM CDT

Father-and-son district attorney duo are first in state, newspaper says

A father and son who are simultaneously serving as district attorney in their respective counties are reportedly the first in their state to do so. Chris Boring was still in college at Oklahoma State University when his dad, Mike Boring, was elected DA of the Oklahoma Panhandle in 2002. But…

Sep 15, 2014 4:25 PM CDT

Prosecutor whose bikini photo was reportedly found in inmate’s cell resigns $83K-a-year job

A Washington state prosecutor whose bikini photograph wound up in the cell of a prison inmate has resigned from her $83,000-a-year job. Marriya Wright also allegedly texted and called Matthew Baumrucker over 1,200 times during a period of a little over one month earlier this year. Authorities are now investigating…

Sep 12, 2014 12:15 PM CDT

Little-known law prof gets 34 percent of the vote in New York gubernatorial primary

Fordham University law professor Zephyr Teachout got 34 percent of the vote on Tuesday in New York’s Democratic primary for governor, a strong showing for the little-known professor. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was “victorious but bruised,” earning 62 percent of the vote, the New York Law Journal reports. Teachout…

Sep 12, 2014 9:48 AM CDT

BigLaw bankruptcy doesn’t have to be a man’s world, 5 female Weil Gotshal partners say in WSJ post

Big-firm bankruptcy practice may be a male-dominated field. But that doesn’t mean it should stay that way, five female partners at one of the nation’s best-known corporate bankruptcy law firms say. The lawyers were responding to an earlier post on the Bankruptcy Beat page of the Wall Street Journal (sub.…

Sep 11, 2014 11:50 AM CDT

Ex-prosecutor blames Ambien, job pressure for Web posts he resigned over; says few were work-related

A former federal prosecutor who posted anonymous comments on a New Orleans newspaper blog–comments which helped derail several high-profile cases and the careers of multiple lawyers in the local U.S. Attorney’s office–says he did so because of the pressure of his job. Interviewed recently at his home by a newspaper…

Sep 10, 2014 3:55 PM CDT

During suspension after cocaine conviction, lawyer wrote novel based on his life experience

Self-admitted alcoholism and multiple cocaine convictions have made law practice something of a rocky road for Michigan attorney Terry Nolan. However, his experiences in the law, rehab and family life provided useful background material for a crime novel he wrote last year during a suspension from practice, the Muskegon Chronicle…

Sep 9, 2014 5:10 PM CDT

Will Bingham lose its London managing partner? Merger talks said to spur possible exodus

Bingham McCutchen could lose London managing partner James Roome along with several other international partners if the firm pursues merger talks with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, according to a published report. Four former Bingham partners who asked for anonymity told the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) that Roome was in…

Sep 9, 2014 10:34 AM CDT

Lawyer’s film role as ‘Mr. Cannibal’ leads to campaign controversy

A Pennsylvania lawyer who portrayed “Mr. Cannibal” in a 2013 horror film has learned his political endorsement is no longer wanted. Lawyer and actor Alan Benyak of Charleroi supported Democrat Tom Wolf in a political ad for his gubernatorial campaign before Benyak’s film role became known, a campaign spokesman told…

Sep 9, 2014 8:51 AM CDT