President Obama Appoints Record Number of Women Judges in First Term

The Senate’s confirmation Monday of Stephanie Rose as a federal judge in the Southern District of Iowa gave President Obama a record. Obama has now appointed 72 women to the federal courts, a record for a single term, the Huffington Post reports. Former President Clinton appointed only 61 female judges…

Sep 11, 2012 11:58 AM CDT

After Going from BigLaw to ABC News, Author of ‘Exit Interview’ Witnessed Seismic Changes

Sep 10, 2012 1:35 PM CDT

Would-Be Summer Associates Work Harder for Jobs; Ex-Salesman Taps His Skills

Former insurance salesman James Parker used his jobs skills when applying for a summer associate position. Parker was told his first-year grades at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law weren’t good enough to land a job with a large firm, so he began networking with alumni, the Wall Street Journal…

Sep 10, 2012 1:21 PM CDT

July Gains in Legal Sector Jobs Are Nearly Wiped Out with August Drop

Jobs in the legal sector see-sawed in July and August. In July, the legal sector added 1,400 jobs, according to original estimates. (The number was later revised to 1,500.) In August, the legal sector lost 1,400 jobs. The Am Law Daily and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog have reports…

Sep 10, 2012 11:17 AM CDT

Judge OKs Damages Claim by Ex-Edwards Wildman Partner Allegedly Ousted Without Required Partner Vote

A former corporate partner of Edwards Wildman Palmer isn’t entitled to his promised pay of $625,000 for his work 2008, because he didn’t bring in anywhere close to the amount of business he was supposed to generate to be paid at this level, a New York judge ruled last week.…

Sep 7, 2012 9:12 PM CDT

Top LSU Lawyer Resigns From $275K General Counsel Job, Will Now Work as Law School Prof

After more than a decade on the job, the general counsel of Louisiana State University system resigned Thursday from his $275,000-a-year position, effective Friday, in what is apparently the latest move in a continuing shake-up that began after new members appointed by Gov. Bobby Jindal took control of the system’s…

Sep 7, 2012 3:58 PM CDT

Law Firm Consultant Predicts ‘Absolutely’ More Layoffs and as Many as Five BigLaw Dissolutions

Call it the Facebook effect. The first half of the year was strong for many law firms, but a dropoff in work in the last six to eight weeks has many firms predicting a decline in revenues and profits this year, according to Kent Zimmerman, a consultant for the Zeugheuser…

Sep 6, 2012 1:01 PM CDT

Thirty-Four Years After His Graduation, Law Grad Joins the California Bar

It took 34 years and seven or eight tries for University of San Francisco law grad Jeffery Baker to become a lawyer. Baker, 62, will be sworn in as a California lawyer on Thursday, the Contra Costa Times reports. “If that’s not a record for the longest time between graduating…

Sep 6, 2012 12:13 PM CDT

A Split at Connolly Bove Leaves Firm with Only an IP Practice

Twenty-one corporate litigation lawyers have left Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz to form their own law firm, leaving Connolly Bove with only an intellectual property practice. The new firm is Connolly & Gallagher, Delaware Online reports. Name partner Arthur “Chip” Connolly III was formerly managing partner at Connolly Bove. Delaware…

Sep 6, 2012 11:38 AM CDT

Homeland Security’s Chief Privacy Officer to Lead New Practice Group at Jenner

Jenner & Block has formed a new practice group for privacy matters and hired a government privacy expert to head it. Mary Ellen Callahan, the chief privacy officer at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will lead Jenner’s privacy and information governance practice from the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, according…

Sep 5, 2012 3:55 PM CDT

Ruth Carter: (Flash) Mob Lawyer

(Flash) Mob Lawyer

Sep 5, 2012 2:00 PM CDT

Skadden Partner Conquers ‘Irrational Fear’ After Skiing Accident and Gains Big Client

Nancy Lieberman showed no fear when she went to the University of Chicago law school at age 19 and when she made partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom at age 30. She displayed her confidence as she advised corporations in her mergers-and-acquisitions practice. But fear took hold in…

Sep 5, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Labor Has a Day, So Why Not Corporations? Retired Employment Lawyer Touts Idea in Op-Ed

Labor unions have had their own holiday for 130 years, but corporations have been overlooked and underappreciated. It’s time to change that, according to retired employment and labor lawyer Gerald Skoning. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Skoning backs a new federal holiday: Corporation Day. He notes the election-year focus…

Sep 4, 2012 1:21 PM CDT

When Work-Life Balance Programs Are Poorly Managed, ‘Office Class Warfare’ Emerges

Work-life balance programs in law firms and corporations can offer flexibility for parents and others who have responsibilities and interests outside the office. But there is a downside when poorly managed programs create workload inequities among employees, the New York Times reports. “Many Americans who work for companies that embrace…

Sep 4, 2012 11:30 AM CDT

Skilled Jailhouse Lawyer Is Now in Law School, Thanks to Bill and Melinda Gates

Shon Hopwood’s life has taken a turn for the better, thanks to his jailhouse lawyering skills and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Hopwood, who served more than nine years in prison for robbing five banks, is attending the University of Washington law school on a foundation scholarship, Bloomberg News…

Sep 4, 2012 10:30 AM CDT