Careers

Abu-Jamal appellate work derails lawyer’s nomination to lead DOJ Civil Rights Division

Updated: Debo Adegbile’s nomination to head the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has been blocked amid controversy over the lawyer’s appellate work on behalf of former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal. Eight Democrats joined Republicans to block Adegbile in a procedural vote, the Washington Post reports. Among those voting against Adegbile…

Mar 5, 2014 6:59 PM CST

Patton Boggs hires financial advisers to review capital structure, compensation system

After a “restructuring year,” Patton Boggs has hired advisers to review the law firm’s financial organization, according to managing partner Edward Newberry. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.), Newberry said the advisers would review the firm’s capital structure and part of its compensation system. “It’s not…

Mar 4, 2014 1:10 PM CST

Formal office attire is a must at this law firm; name partner says younger lawyers should take note

If you want to work as a lawyer at the Greenberg Gross law firm in Costa Mesa, Calif., be prepared to look the part. Lawyers at Greenberg Gross have to wear courtroom attire to the office, according to firm co-founder Wayne Gross, who illustrated the proper look in a photo…

Mar 4, 2014 12:35 PM CST

Time for a career change? Advice for lawyers on switching things up (podcast with transcript)

Some law practices don't work out, and others die out. How can lawyers tweak what they do–and how they present themselves–to stay relevant? Our guests tell ABA Journal reporter Stephanie Francis Ward how they reinvented their practices and shifted careers, and how others can do so too.

Mar 3, 2014 3:00 PM CST

Are your conference call participants zoned out? Try these tactics

Meetings by conference call pose special problems, but they are still gaining in popularity. Some workers on the end of the line zone out, perform household work and forget to hit mute when slurping a drink or when their kids are crying, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) says in…

Mar 3, 2014 12:50 PM CST

Letters: Golden tickets

GOLDEN TICKETS Regarding “Focus on a Sunny Sunset,” January: After about 40 years of practicing law, I have happily retired. Did this involve moving to a tent city or a broken-down trailer? (One of my contemporaries actually did that.) No. I have sought out training in a second career in…

Mar 1, 2014 11:10 AM CST

ABA scholarship and other programs broaden inclusion in all areas of the law

A diversity of perspectives enriches our society and strengthens our institutions. This is why an essential goal of the American Bar Association is to achieve full and equal participation in the association, the legal profession and the justice system by people of all backgrounds, particularly those from underrepresented racial and…

Mar 1, 2014 11:00 AM CST

Law firm’s Next Mile aids nonprofits and social change

The bar for working toward social change has been set pretty high when your 90-year-old grandfather marched for civil rights in India with Mahatma Gandhi. So for Vilas and Vikas Dhar, whose parents immigrated to Champaign, Ill., from India when the boys were young, traditional pro bono work at a…

Mar 1, 2014 9:10 AM CST

Don’t panic, plan: Regular saving and asset allocation help build a retirement

The economy peaks and slumps, yet one question persists: How much do I need for retirement? “First, determine your expected replacement rate,” says economist Marlena Lee, vice president of Dimensional Fund Advisors in Austin, Texas. Lee has researched thousands of retirement planning scenarios to answer this question. “The replacement rate…

Mar 1, 2014 8:20 AM CST

State AG opposes law-school friend in gay-marriage suit

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is opposing a former law-school classmate and longtime friend in the battle over gay marriage. One of the plaintiffs challenging the state’s ban on gay marriage is Mark Phariss, who used to debate law and politics with Abbott when they both attended Vanderbilt Law School,…

Feb 28, 2014 4:32 PM CST

Do Americans prefer a male lawyer? A male president? Survey has the results

Americans say there aren’t enough women in positions of power in the workplace, but a majority still prefer men for some powerful professions, including lawyers, a new survey has found. Sixty-five percent of survey respondents agreed that more women should be in positions of power, and 71 percent said they…

Feb 28, 2014 11:45 AM CST

Percentage of part-time lawyers at major firms drops slightly in ‘post-recessionary trend’

Only 6.1 percent of lawyers working in major law firms were working part-time last year, and 70 percent of those part-timers were women, according to the National Association for Law Placement. Only 2.8 percent of all male lawyers worked part-time, compared to 12.9 percent of female lawyers, according to a…

Feb 27, 2014 3:49 PM CST

Is there a gender pay gap? Most surveyed law firms wouldn’t provide the data

The latest survey on the progress of women in law firms shows little has changed, though some law firms were reluctant to provide data. Only 17 percent of equity partners in 2013 were women, compared to 15 percent in 2012, according to a press release summarizing the results of the…

Feb 26, 2014 8:11 PM CST

Lawyer is leaving the law to operate gourmet grilled-cheese and wine bar

For now, Bruce Klores isn’t giving up his day job. But the Washington, D.C., lawyer is planning to wind down his practice as he ramps up a new business in the nation’s capital. Known as GCDC, it will serve gourmet grilled cheese concoctions and morph into a wine bar at…

Feb 26, 2014 7:50 PM CST

Law firm chief executive lacked law degree

A former chief executive of an intellectual property law firm in New Zealand has admitted he never earned the law degree reportedly included on the curriculum vitae he submitted to apply for the position at Baldwins in 2011. However, Michael Vukcevic says he never meant to mislead anyone and has…

Feb 26, 2014 5:05 PM CST