Careers

Former Solicitor General Sees Some Parallels Between ‘Mad Men’ and His Early Days in Law

Former Solicitor General Walter Dellinger was a law clerk at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in 1965, the same time period portrayed in Mad Men, the TV show about New York advertising executives. That same year, Dellinger’s wife, Anne, was a technical editor at a New York insurance company,…

Mar 20, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

US Dist. Judge William J. Hibbler Dies at Age 65

U.S. District Judge William J. Hibbler died unexpectedly today. He was 65 years old. A member of the federal bench in Chicago for nearly 13 years, Hibbler not only a respected and beloved judge known for his fairness but “an outstanding jurist, a warm and personable human being, a true…

Mar 19, 2012 10:58 PM CDT

Former Colleague’s ‘Unraveled’ Doc Film Focuses on Ex-Attorney Marc Dreier’s Spectacular Downfall

When Marc Dreier’s 250-attorney law firm collapsed at the end of 2008, as news began to come out that the powerful partner had been running a $400 million Ponzi scheme, his downfall was a personal tragedy for Marc H. Simon. Simon had worked at the firm, on Park Avenue in…

Mar 16, 2012 8:32 PM CDT

In Move Expected to Raise Some $31M, DLA Piper Votes to Create One-Tier, All-Equity Partnership

Putting DLA Piper’s offices in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia on the same footing as its United States offices, the firm’s partnership voted this week to establish a one-tier, all-equity partnership. Converting all 628 of the firm’s foreign partners to full equity status (they are presently split about equally…

Mar 15, 2012 7:43 PM CDT

Two Ex-Lawyers Among Flourishing Group of Arab-Muslim Comedians

Two former lawyers are among a flourishing group of Arab American and Muslim comedians. One of them, Dean Obeidallah, made his name on the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, the Associated Press reports, The other, Amer Zahr, got his start when Obeidallah and the comedy tour came to the University…

Mar 15, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Bankruptcy Lawyer Leapt to Death from Office Building After Minor Drug Charge

A South Florida bankruptcy lawyer committed suicide Friday morning by leaping from near the top of an 11-story Fort Lauderdale office building in which his own law office was located, authorities say. Stephen David Jerome was 61. He had been released on bond from the Broward County Jail hours before…

Mar 14, 2012 8:48 PM CDT

DLA Piper Could Jettison Some Smaller Clients, Lawyers with the Wrong Business Fit

Former Linklaters chief Tony Angel comes to DLA Piper as global co-chairman with a reputation for taking business concepts and applying them to law firms. At Linklaters, Angel focused on doing more profitable work for fewer, larger clients, the American Lawyer reports in an article published by the Am Law…

Mar 14, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Thomas Puccio, Abscam Prosecutor and Defense Lawyer in von Bulow Acquittal, Is Dead at 67

A New York lawyer who first made a major name for himself prosecuting congressmen in the Abscam trials of the 1980s and then represented big-name defendants has died of leukemia. Thomas P. Puccio was 67 years old, reports the New York Times (reg. req.). Among his most famous cases was…

Mar 13, 2012 8:55 PM CDT

Law Prof Sees Power of Eye Contact in Classroom Observations

Indiana University law professor William Henderson says he first learned about the importance of eye contact in a teaching evaluation several years ago. The student said Henderson had a problem with eye contact, and Henderson realized the criticism was correct. Henderson says the issue arose more recently when students evaluated…

Mar 13, 2012 4:27 PM CDT

Bright Colors Help Some Lawyers, Both Male and Female, Command a Courtroom, Practitioners Say

As a young lawyer, Candace Komar dressed in a traditional, conservative style. But when she made partner at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, she started experimenting with bright colors. And starting her own firm encouraged even more flamboyant fashion creativity. At one point, the matrimonial practitioner saw a red briefcase in…

Mar 12, 2012 6:37 PM CDT

How Alzheimer’s Has Affected a Former Potential Supreme Court Nominee

Karen Williams was chief judge of a federal appeals court and a potential Supreme Court nominee when her family noticed some changes in her personality. Williams, who headed the Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was at the peak of her career, the Greenville News (sub. req.) reports.…

Mar 12, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Do Elite Law Grads Disdain Longtime BigLaw Work? Stats Suggest Lower-Tier ‘Strivers’ Stick Around

Updated: It’s more difficult for grads of lower-ranked schools to land a job in a large law firm, but those who do may outperform their elite counterparts by achieving partnerships in greater percentages. That’s the conclusion of Indiana University law professor William Henderson, who looked at BigLaw partnership data from…

Mar 12, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Some Professionals Opt to Rent Their Ties and Designer Dresses

If you like to look bad in plaid, but don’t want to spend too much money for it, the Tie Society has a solution for you. The company is one of several capitalizing on a rental trend, the Washington Post reports. “Businesses such as Netflix, Zipcar and Capital Bikeshare have…

Mar 9, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Lawyer Illustrates Study Suggesting Educated Women Quitting Jobs Due to Higher-Earning Husbands

A new study by the Federal Reserve suggests some well-educated women are leaving the workforce as their husbands make more money than them. The study has not yet been released, but Reuters has the results. “It shows that between 1993 and 2006, there was a decline in the workforce of…

Mar 8, 2012 5:18 PM CST

Billionaire Spanx Inventor Gave Up Idea of Law School After Doing Poorly on LSAT

Spanx founder Sara Blakely is a self-made billionaire, thanks in part to a poor showing on the Law School Admission Test. Blakely, the daughter of a personal injury lawyer, took the LSAT twice and “scored abysmally,” Forbes magazine reports. She went on to work at Epcot Center buckling kids into…

Mar 8, 2012 2:09 PM CST