Careers

Scalia Backs Work-Life Balance, Suggests Law Firms Based in Cleveland or ‘La La Land’

Justice Antonin Scalia gave some advice to law students at the University of Chicago on Monday involving work-life balance and the geographic means to achieve it. Scalia said job-hunting students should try to find a practice where they won’t have to work too many hours, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. “Try…

Feb 14, 2012 12:59 PM CST

Crowell Loses Two Practice Group Chiefs in Wake of Alleged Embezzlement by Ex-Counsel

Crowell & Moring is facing more upheaval following embezzlement allegations against a former lawyer. The law firm is losing “a slew of lawyers,” including two practice group leaders, the Am Law Daily reports. Former financial services chair William O’Connor is taking a group to Thompson & Knight, while international arbitration…

Feb 14, 2012 12:40 PM CST

Why Some People Become Temporarily Less Intelligent in Group Settings

If you become tongue-tied or unable to contribute during group discussions, it could be because you believe others in the room are smarter. That’s the conclusion that can be drawn from a study conducted by scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, report the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.),…

Feb 13, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Yale Law Loan Forgiveness Program, While Still Generous, Requires Grads to Pay More

Faced with rising costs, Yale Law School is scaling back its tuition loan forgiveness program for graduates who opt to work in low-paying careers, relative to their corporate practitioner peers. While still generous, compared to what many other law schools offer, the Career Options Assistance Program will now set a…

Feb 10, 2012 6:37 PM CST

Duncan Law Losing Applicants, Students in Wake of Accreditation Denial

Applications have dropped 26 percent at Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law since the school was denied provisional accreditation by the ABA’s law school accrediting arm in December. Eight students have also left the school in the wake of the accreditation denial, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. “Competitor law…

Feb 10, 2012 6:06 PM CST

Law Grad Who Created Lemonheads and Atomic Fire Balls Dies at 93

A lawyer who made his mark by operating and expanding a candy company founded by his father has died at his home in the Chicago suburbs. Nello Ferrara was 93 years old. Inspired by the shape of his then-newborn son’s head in the early 1960s, he created the company’s well-known…

Feb 10, 2012 4:21 PM CST

Fifty-Something Law Grad Found BigLaw Job a Tough Gig But Has No Regrets About Earning a JD

After a career in television production, Barbara Griff decided to go to law school. In her fifties when she graduated in 1996 magna cum laude from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, she has no regrets about earning her juris doctorl degree. However, she found the BigLaw job she got…

Feb 10, 2012 12:06 PM CST

Top-Tier Law Schools Report an Increase in Summer Associate Hiring

Students at top-tier law schools are securing more summer associate positions, though the job numbers still fall short of levels before the recession. Reuters collected summer hiring statistics from top-tier law schools and found: • At New York University, about 70 percent of incoming third-year law students got summer associate…

Feb 8, 2012 2:58 PM CST

Lawyer Behind Now-Defunct Pacific Law Center Is Facing Disciplinary Action

One of San Diego’s most recognizable lawyers is facing dozens of disciplinary charges for work he was paid for but allegedly never performed. Kerry Steigerwalt, who ran the now-defunct Pacific Law Center, is accused of violating a series of bar rules in 19 separate cases, all but two of which…

Feb 7, 2012 9:57 PM CST

Arnold & Porter Partner Nominated to Head DOJ’s Antitrust Division

William J. Baer, a partner with Arnold & Porter, was recently nominated to head the Justice Department’s antitrust division. The New York Times’ DealBook blog today notes that Baer’s law firm represented AT&T in its proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA, which the Justice Department successfully nixed. Baer, a former director…

Feb 6, 2012 10:06 PM CST

ABA Urges Accommodations for Disabled LSAT Test Takers

The ABA House of Delegates has jumped in to the debate over accommodations for students taking the Law School Admission Test. Resolution 111, which was approved by the policy-making body on Monday, urges entities that administer law school admission tests to provide appropriate accommodations for test-takers with disabilities. The resolution…

Feb 6, 2012 9:31 PM CST

ABA Urges Easier Bar Admission for Lawyers Who Are Military Spouses

Military spouses who are also lawyers have unique needs when forced to move frequently, and bar officials should accommodate them, according to a resolution passed unanimously on Monday by the ABA House of Delegates. Resolution 108 urges state and local bar admission authorities to offer accommodations for these lawyers that…

Feb 6, 2012 9:12 PM CST

In ‘Perfect Storm’ of Hard-to-Find Jobs and Stagnant Pay, Law Grads Can’t Escape Hefty Student Loans

Given the gloomy economy and a lack of jobs for recent law graduates, it’s likely that more are filing for bankruptcy. But doing so offers little relief for many struggling primarily under a heavy burden of student loans, since it’s difficult or impossible for many law grads to persuade a…

Feb 6, 2012 12:47 PM CST

Nominating Committee Selects New York Lawyer James Silkenat to Become ABA President

Running as an unopposed candidate, James R. Silkenat has known for more than a year that his selection to become president-elect nominee of the ABA was inevitable. But still, standing in a hallway outside the room where the ABA Nominating Committee was confirming that result in executive session, Silkenat acknowledged…

Feb 5, 2012 8:59 PM CST

Panelists See Progress for Women of Color at Corporate Legal Departments, But Barriers Still Exist

Many large corporations are making significant progress in bringing diversity to their legal departments and creating opportunities for women of color to advance, but a panel of women lawyers in corporate leadership positions told a packed audience today that women also need to take control of their careers if they…

Feb 4, 2012 2:22 AM CST