Careers

Give Rural South Dakota a Chance, State Bar Urges Lawyers

Sixty-five percent of South Dakota’s lawyers are headquartered in four cities in the state, a statistic that concerns the state bar. Under a new initiative called Project Rural Practice, the State Bar Association of South Dakota hopes to lure lawyers to areas of the state with the greatest legal need,…

Sep 9, 2011 12:01 PM CDT

Dennis Block to Leap from Cadwalader to Greenberg Traurig, Where He Will Chair Global M&A Practice

A leading mergers and acquisitions lawyer is leaving Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft after 13 years for Greenberg Traurig, where he will chair the global M&A practice group, reports the DealBook blog of the New York Times. Dennis Block, 69, “will help move our team into the ranks of the foremost…

Sep 8, 2011 11:19 PM CDT

Former White House Aide, Once a 4th Circuit Nominee, Is Suspended in DC for Petty Theft

A former White House aide in the administration of President George W. Bush and onetime nominee to a seat on the Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has had his law license suspended for a year in the District of Columbia after his conviction in a petty theft…

Sep 8, 2011 10:09 PM CDT

Summer Associate Offer Rate Is Slightly Higher, But ‘It’s Not Back to the Good Old Days’

For law students lucky enough to get summer associate positions at large law firms, the news is good. At 17 law firms surveyed by the Am Law Daily, 97 percent of summer associates were offered full-time jobs after graduation. Last year, the offer rate at the same firms was 95…

Sep 8, 2011 11:28 AM CDT

Workers Get Additional Feedback with Software and More Frequent Reviews

Some employers aren’t satisfied with annual reviews, so they are critiquing employees more often, either in old-fashioned meetings or with high-tech software. Some companies have implemented quarterly, weekly and even daily feedback, the Wall Street Journal reports. “With many younger workers used to instant feedback—from text messages to Facebook and…

Sep 8, 2011 11:00 AM CDT

Why Foley Hoag Midlevel Associates Are Happier: Money and Better Communications

Midlevel associates are finding Foley Hoag more likable since the Boston law firm improved communications and raised pay. Foley Hoag jumped 92 spots in the American Lawyer’s survey of midlevel associate satisfaction, the highest one-year jump of any firm in the 2011 survey. An American Lawyer story examines the reasons…

Sep 8, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Joseph Dilg to Step Down as Managing Partner of V&E; Two Lawyers Will Replace Him

Two Vinson & Elkins partners who have collectively worked at the firm for 59 years will replace managing partner Joseph Dilg, who will resign from his leadership post at the end of the year. Dilg, 60, has served as managing partner for 10 years, according to the Am Law Daily…

Sep 7, 2011 4:29 PM CDT

Survey Reveals Profile of Unhappy Worker: She’s Unmarried, 42, and a Lawyer or Doctor

A survey of white-collar workers has produced a profile of an unhappy person at work—and she’s likely a female lawyer or doctor. According to the profile, the unhappy worker is a 42-year-old unmarried woman with a household income under $100,000 working in a professional position. In other words, she’s a…

Sep 7, 2011 2:20 PM CDT

Career Conversations: Michael Subak, Pepper Hamilton

The interactive sessions of Pepper Hamilton’s summer associate interviews are exactly what they sound like, says hiring committee chairman Michael P. Subak. Done during callbacks, the discussions are not meant to be a test or come off as argumentative. But the sessions are also more than the usual elevator-speech chatter…

Sep 7, 2011 1:56 PM CDT

Santa Cruz Lawyer Is Killed in Hawaii; Companion Who Leapt from Cliff Is Reported Suspect

A Santa Cruz deputy city attorney was found dead along a Maui cliff last week following a reported domestic dispute. Her companion, who leapt from a nearby cliff as police approached, is hospitalized and in custody. Maui police refused to identify the woman, but news reports say she is Celestial…

Sep 7, 2011 12:45 PM CDT

Bernice Donald is Confirmed to the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals

A longtime federal judge in Memphis, Tenn., breezed through the U.S. Senate confirmation process today with bipartisan support for a seat on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. After 30 minutes of debate, U.S. District Judge Bernice Donald was approved by a 96-2 vote, reports the Commercial Appeal. She…

Sep 7, 2011 12:11 AM CDT

CUNY Incubator Program to Help New Law Grads Go Solo Is Now a Model for Other Schools

When the City University of New York School of Law established an incubator program in 2007 to help new law graduates establish themselves as solo practitioners, it was reportedly the first in the country to do so. But now others are following suit. Already, the University of Maryland School of…

Sep 6, 2011 11:03 PM CDT

2.0 Toolbox: Nithya Das, Goodwin Procter

Gumption (and an innate sense of business development) has propelled Goodwin Procter associate Nithya Das into the spotlight among clients and colleagues and within the venture capital community. Das melds a variety of social media campaigns into new legal marketing models that engage clients and boost her practice. And through…

Sep 6, 2011 1:52 PM CDT

Lawyer Jay Sekulow’s Christian Calling Comes with Big Payday

Jay Sekulow’s Christian litigation career got a big boost in 1987 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on behalf of his client, Jews for Jesus, in a case challenging a ban on First Amendment activities at Los Angeles International Airport. Also benefiting are Sekulow family members and their businesses, which…

Sep 6, 2011 1:00 PM CDT

Legal Field Is Nation’s Most Difficult Industry for Job Placement, Employment Website Says

An employment website has more bad news for unemployed lawyers. Its data shows the legal field is the most difficult industry for job placement. According to data from job search engine SimplyHired.com, there is less than one job opening for every 100 working lawyers, making it the career that is…

Sep 6, 2011 12:01 PM CDT