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Four Lawyers over Age 65 Start a New Law Firm with a Civil Liberties Focus

The former executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union sees no reason to retire. At the age of 68, he has joined with his wife and two other lawyers to form a new law firm. Norman Siegel and the three other lawyers have 161 years of collective legal…

Jan 17, 2012 5:31 PM CST

Law Firms Discount ‘Rack Rates,’ While Boutiques’ Flat Fee Deals Put Pressure on Billable Hour

A law firm created in 2010 by two former lawyers from Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal has quadrupled its client billings with an emphasis on alternative fees. The firm, ZwillGen, was formed by lawyers Marc Zwillinger and Christian Genetski, the Washington Post reports. It has grown from four to eight lawyers…

Jan 17, 2012 1:52 PM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Victorious Lawyers in Heller Case Got Chump Change, Bloggers Say

Reeling over Fees Decision In 2008, small-firm lawyer Alan Gura prevailed at the U.S. Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller, which struck down D.C.’s handgun ban. The same year, Gura and the other lawyers for Heller sought more than $3 million for the work they put in over…

Jan 13, 2012 2:58 PM CST

Luce Forward Partner Jumps to Jones Day amid Tension over McKenna Merger

A key partner at Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps won’t be joining his colleagues if the firm completes a potential merger with McKenna Long & Aldridge. Edward “Pat” Swan, the partner in charge of Luce Forward’s San Diego office, will move to Jones Day, the Daily Journal (sub. req.) reports.…

Jan 13, 2012 1:05 PM CST

Will Calif. Law Grads Have to Complete Residencies? Bar Mulls Practical Skills Mandate

The State Bar of California has formed a task force that will consider requiring law grads to get practical experience with clients before obtaining a law license. California Bar President Jon Streeter tells the Daily Journal (sub. req.) the proposal is “still a concept in its infancy.” Among the ideas…

Jan 13, 2012 12:40 PM CST

Tiger Mom Law Prof Didn’t ‘Click with the Law,’ But She Didn’t Stop Trying

The Yale law professor who wrote a book about “Tiger Mom” parenting says she didn’t like BigLaw and she didn’t like law school. Now, in an interview with the Careerist, Professor Amy Chua credits her own parents for teaching her the value of hard work, helping her succeed even when…

Jan 13, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Former Colo. DA Is Disbarred Over Criminal Convictions Related to Harassment

A former Colorado district attorney accused of sexually harassing women in his office initially denied that he had done anything wrong. But Myrl Serra was disbarred last month by the state supreme court after pleading guilty and being convicted of various criminal charges, says a summary of the opinion (PDF)…

Jan 12, 2012 10:48 PM CST

Lawyer’s Book Helped Dozens of Abandoned Pets Get New Homes

A Kansas lawyer’s fictional book about an animal shelter’s program of placing abandoned pets in temporary homes for the Christmas holidays has helped dozens of homeless cats and dogs find new families. Inspired by Greg Kincaid’s book, A Dog Named Christmas, which was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame…

Jan 12, 2012 7:15 PM CST

Boutique Hit with Malpractice Verdict Loses 19 Lawyers; Closing Is Imminent, Ex-MP Says

A boutique hit with a $10 million malpractice verdict has lost its managing partner and 18 other lawyers to Los Angeles law firm Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger. The lawyer losses are forcing the imminent closing of the boutique, Rutter Hobbs & Davidoff, its former managing partner told the…

Jan 12, 2012 2:47 PM CST

Baker’s San Diego Outpost Continues to Shrink; Is Office Closing a Possibility?

Corrected: The San Diego office of Baker & McKenzie has only eight lawyers remaining after two of its intellectual property litigators jumped this week to Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo. Partners Howard Wisnia and James Conley are making the move, the Daily Journal (sub. req.) reports. At one…

Jan 12, 2012 1:40 PM CST

Number of Lawyers at Surveyed BigLaw Firms Was Static in 2011, But Lateral Hiring Continues

A survey of 45 large law firms showed the number of lawyers they employed in 2011 didn’t change, but that doesn’t mean the firms weren’t hiring. The survey by Hildebrandt Institute’s Peer Monitor concluded the number of lawyers at the firms was static last year, according to Thomson Reuters News…

Jan 12, 2012 1:10 PM CST

Some Recruiters Advise Job-Seeking Lawyers to Leave LLMs off Resumes

Getting an LLM doesn’t necessarily help job-seeking lawyers, and may even hurt them, according to a legal recruiter. Some recruiters at Major, Lindsey & Africa advise lawyers to leave advanced law degrees off their resumés, according to Steven John, a managing director at the recruiting firm. The National Law Journal…

Jan 11, 2012 12:34 PM CST

Legal Services Sector Loses 1,800 Jobs in December

The legal services sector won a dubious distinction in the latest jobs report: It is the only professional and technical services category to show a decline for the month of December. The United States added about 200,000 jobs in December, but the legal services sector lost about 1,800 jobs, the…

Jan 6, 2012 3:56 PM CST

Fired Lawyer Barred from Recruiting Ex-Firm Clients Because of Alleged Exaggerations

A federal judge has ruled that exaggerations in a letter sent by a fired lawyer to her former clients justified a preliminary injunction sought by her one-time firm. Judge Petrese Tucker ruled Dec. 22 on behalf of Philadelphia personal injury firm Feldman & Pinto, according to the ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual…

Jan 6, 2012 3:24 PM CST

Longtime Legal Assistant Bypasses Law School, Passes the Bar

Jennifer O’Brien is now a California lawyer, even though she never attended law school. O’Brien had worked for 15 years as a legal assistant to lawyer Chris Neary in Willits, Calif., before taking the bar exam for the first time this summer, the Willits News reports. In November, O’Brien learned…

Jan 6, 2012 2:19 PM CST