Careers

Texas Law Firm Hikes First-Year Lawyer Pay to $185K

Dallas-based law firm Bickel & Brewer will hike base pay for first year associates in 2013 to $185,000. Name partner William Brewer spoke to Texas Lawyer’s Tex Parte Blog about the $10,000 boost over this year, an increase that will also be paid to all of the firm’s associates. “The…

Oct 19, 2012 11:33 AM CDT

Censure Recommended for Utah Judge Who Makes Too Much Money; Legal Salary Limit Is $132K

A Utah judge has been recommended for censure because he has been determined to have been making too much money, through multiple bench appointments. Box Elder Justice Court Judge Kevin Christensen works in the county courthouse in Brigham City and in the cities of Garland, Tremonton and Willard, the Standard-Examiner…

Oct 18, 2012 5:04 PM CDT

PI Lawyer’s Face Is Blazoned Around Big Apple in NYC Marathon Ad Campaign

It all began with a photo taken by Eric Turkewitz’s 8-year-old son not quite two years ago. The attorney, smiling broadly, holds up the medal he just received for completing the New York City Marathon in November 2010. Turkewitz included the photo in an off-topic post about the race in…

Oct 18, 2012 4:30 PM CDT

Are Public Interest, Public Sector Careers Worth Law School Cost? NALP Sees ‘Economic Disincentives’

Are public interest careers a good choice for lawyers who borrow heavily to finance the cost of a law school education? NALP, the Association for Legal Career Professionals, raises the question. Salaries in public interest and public sector careers have kept pace with inflation for the last eight years—but the…

Oct 18, 2012 1:17 PM CDT

Should CPA with Kids Go to Law School? Dear Prudence Tells Couple to Crunch the Numbers

A well-known advice columnist has been asked to weigh in on a certified public accountant’s dream of becoming a lawyer. His wife, who is also a CPA with a good job, tells Dear Prudence that the problem is the couple has two young children and has just finished paying off…

Oct 17, 2012 5:45 PM CDT

Loss of $10K Annual Stipend Follows 1st Pay Raise in 13 Years for NY Judges

Following their first pay raise in 13 years, some 1,300 trial-court judges in New York are losing the $10,000 annual stipend instituted in 2008. But that may have been expected, since the stipend was put in place to help them deal with the effective shrinking of their paychecks, due to…

Oct 17, 2012 4:17 PM CDT

Girlfriend Is Charged in Shooting Death of Cincinnati Lawyer

The girlfriend of a Cincinnati lawyer charged with his shooting death is claiming self-defense, according to her lawyer. Ryan Poston, 29, was killed on Friday, report NKY.com, Kentucky.com and Cincinnati.com. His girlfriend, 21-year-old Shayna Hubers of Lexington, Ky., has been charged with murder. Hubers’ lawyer, Wil Zevely, said his client…

Oct 17, 2012 2:54 PM CDT

Legal Blogger Sees Work-Life Balance from New Angle

Legal blogger Elie Mystal has a message for all those people who say they have achieved work-life balance: Are you kidding me? Mystal offered his thoughts at Above the Law while his 3-week-old son was sleeping in a rocker next to him. He confessed that it was difficult to focus…

Oct 17, 2012 11:15 AM CDT

After Law Firm Cut Partner Pay, One Found Another Way to Up Ante, Earns 1-Year License Suspension

A Delaware attorney was already struggling to deal with several deaths in his family and had been seeking treatment for depression when his law firm, in September 2010, imposed a 25-percent partner pay cut in order to stay afloat financially after several years of a recessionary economy. At that point,…

Oct 16, 2012 5:45 PM CDT

A New York Lawyer Was Once ‘Miss Subways’; Book Profiles Other Winners

An upcoming exhibit at the New York Transit Museum and a new book take a look at the “Meet Miss Subways” posters and the women who won a spot on them. The contest ended in 1976 after a 35-year run, the Associated Press reports. “It was an ad campaign conceived…

Oct 16, 2012 11:15 AM CDT

Longtime Akin Gump Leader to Step Aside Next Year; MP Kim Koopersmith Will Be First Female Chair

After 20 years at the helm, a longtime leader of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld will step aside in March, the firm announced Monday. Chairman R. Bruce McLean, 65, will be replaced by New York litigator Kim Koopersmith, 53. Currently the firm’s United States managing partner, she will be…

Oct 15, 2012 7:33 PM CDT

Specter Remembered for His Influence in Supreme Court Nomination Battles

Former Sen. Arlen Specter, whose influence played out in in battles over controversial Supreme Court nominees, died Sunday at the age of 82. The cause was complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. NBC, the Washington Post and the New York Times have obituaries. Specter, a former member and chairman of the Senate…

Oct 15, 2012 11:36 AM CDT

Seven Haynes and Boone Partners Move to Akin Gump

Seven partners from Haynes and Boone in Dallas are moving to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in the same city. Tom Yang, Garrett DeVries and Matt Zmigrosky will join Akin’s corporate practice, while Marty Brimmage Jr., Mike Warnecke, Arnold Spencer and Sarah Teachout will join Akin’s litigation practice, according…

Oct 12, 2012 12:34 PM CDT

British Judge, a Well-Known Author, Is Temporarily Suspended After Arrest; Police Won’t State Reason

A well-known British barrister who serves as a part-time judge in London has been temporarily taken off the bench. Constance Briscoe, 55, was arrested on Saturday by Kent Police and released on bail, and subsequently has been removed from hearing cases, according to the Telegraph. The basis for her arrest…

Oct 11, 2012 8:52 PM CDT

Companies Try Tested Techniques to Cut Employee Stress

Companies looking to reduce the stress of their employees are turning to “mindfulness-based stress reduction.” The technique, pioneered by the University of Massachusetts Medical School, is being adapted for the office, the Wall Street Journal reports. The eight-session program, which ends with a full-day retreat, teaches meditation techniques, stretching, yoga…

Oct 11, 2012 11:15 AM CDT