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Civil Rights Lawyer Reflects on Former Client Rodney King, Who Died Sunday at 47

Oakland, Calif., civil rights lawyer John Burris represented Rodney King when he won a $3.8 million judgment against the Los Angeles police department, a victory for the man whose taped beating in 1991 led to riots the next year. Burris remembered his client in an interview with San Jose Mercury…

Jun 18, 2012 11:35 AM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: Va. Court Finds Lawyer Can Blog on Publicly Available Info About His Cases

Law Blogger’s First Amendment Win Corrected: In October, the Virginia State Bar ruled that Richmond, Va., lawyer Horace Hunter, who wrote about his own cases on his blog without his clients’ consent, needed to add a disclaimer on his website warning that results could vary in others’ cases. He also…

Jun 15, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Law Grads ‘Indentured Servants’ to Loans, Law Prof Says; Law School Crisis a Symptom of Weak Economy

The student debt crisis, which could see this fall’s law school entrants hold an average of $150,000 in educational loans by graduation, is a symptom of large-scale social and economic turmoil across the U.S., one law school professor says. Paul Campos, professor of law at University of Colorado at Boulder…

Jun 14, 2012 8:03 PM CDT

Defendant Dewey Leader Calls Ex-Partner’s ‘Ponzi Scheme’ Suit ‘Sad,’ Says Plaintiff Got Bigger Bucks

Responding to a lawsuit filed by a former Dewey & LeBoeuf partner that accuses leaders of the now-bankrupt law firm of “running a Ponzi scheme” in recent years, one of the five named defendants described the litigation by Henry Bunsow as “sad” and said Bunsow received more of his promised…

Jun 14, 2012 6:31 PM CDT

Our Curious Attitude Toward ‘Selling’

I read with interest the comments on my confrere Pat Lamb’s recent post “Lawyers Are Not Special”. What struck me in particular was a deep aversion among many commenters to “selling.” I’m not sure where that aversion comes from, but seems to be rooted in a Death of a Salesman-esque…

Jun 14, 2012 2:51 PM CDT

Lawyer Suffers Courtroom Heart Attack, Spurring Quick Response by Deputies

Corrected: A Wisconsin lawyer representing a client in a misdemeanor plea suffered a heart attack in a Milwaukee County courtroom on Monday. The lawyer, 60-year-old Bradley Bloch of Waukesha, stopped speaking and began to collapse, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Proof & Hearsay blog reports. A Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy broke…

Jun 14, 2012 2:08 PM CDT

‘Gold Standard’ Law Firms Named for Placing Women in Leadership; List Could Shrink Next Year

Fifty law firms have earned a “Gold Standard” award from Women in Law Empowerment Forum for placing women in leadership positions. Last year, only 32 firms made the list, the Careerist reports. Firms new to the list this year include Davis Polk & Wardwell; Goodwin Procter; Nixon Peabody; Ropes &…

Jun 14, 2012 11:51 AM CDT

Lawyers Learn ‘Design Thinking’ in Education Trend

Lawyers are among the professionals learning “design thinking” at “d.school” at Stanford University. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) explains the concept in its story on the trend: “Design thinking uses close, almost anthropological observation of people to gain insight into problems that may not be articulated yet,” the story…

Jun 14, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Former Dewey Partner’s Suit Compares Firm Leaders’ Lateral Partner Recruitment to ‘Ponzi Scheme’

Updated: A former partner of Dewey & LeBoeuf has filed suit against leaders of the now-bankrupt law firm, contending that they engaged in a multiple acts of deceit after the 2007 merger that created the firm and misrepresented its revenue in an effort to persuade incoming lateral partners to contribute…

Jun 13, 2012 9:02 PM CDT

Ever Had Job-Related Weight Gain? If So, How Did You Battle It? Or How Have You Always Prevented It?

This week, we noted a Careerbuilder survey reporting that lawyers and judges are among those most likely to report a weight gain at their current job. We’d like to know if this is true for you. Have you ever had job-related weight gain? What were the specific culprits? If so,…

Jun 13, 2012 6:08 PM CDT

Manicure Networking Is Gaining Popularity in New York

Professional women in New York are increasingly networking and holding work meetings at nail salons. The Wall Street Journal’s Metropolis blog explains the appeal of a manicure meeting. “The nail salon provides benefits that the conference room lacks,” the story says. “With fingers frozen under a fresh layer of lacquer,…

Jun 13, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Philip Corboy, a ‘Jack Nicklaus of Trial Lawyers,’ Dies at 87

Philip Corboy, one of Chicago’s best-known and longest practicing trial lawyers, died at his home in the city early Tuesday. He was 87 years old. A personal injury lawyer known for his big-verdict cases, bar leadership and generous mentoring of others, he had practiced for more than 50 years at…

Jun 12, 2012 5:01 PM CDT

Ten Partners from Two BigLaw Firms Form New Legal Practice in NC, Plan to Govern by Consensus

Ten BigLaw partners—six from K&L Gates and four from Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice—are leaving to create a new law firm offering lower hourly rates and alternative fees. The new firm will be called Morningstar and it will be located in Morrisville, N.C., near Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh, report…

Jun 12, 2012 12:18 PM CDT

Weight Gain Is Apparently a Hazard of the Job for Lawyers and Judges, Survey Says

If you find yourself packing on the pounds at your latest legal job, you’re not alone. (Share any experiences you’ve had with this in answers to our Question of the Week.) A recent survey of more than 5,700 workers found that lawyers and judges are among those most likely to…

Jun 12, 2012 11:32 AM CDT

More Than 50 Would-Be Associates Have Now Applied for $10,000-a-Year Boston Law Firm Job

Partner Larry O’Bryan understands that the $10,000 a year his small Boston law firm wants to pay a new associate isn’t a big enough salary for most new law graduates to live on, since many have hefty student loans. In fact, he may well understand that better than most, since…

Jun 11, 2012 5:35 PM CDT