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Sidley Austin Partner Is Reportedly Obama’s Pick to Head Office of Legal Counsel

Sidley Austin partner Virginia Seitz is expected to be tapped to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel after President Obama’s controversial prior nominee withdrew from consideration. Seitz will reportedly be nominated for the job early next year, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. Seitz has an appellate…

Dec 22, 2010 5:31 PM CST

Jones Day Doesn’t Do Bonuses, But Does Do 36 Partner Promotions

Jones Day isn’t paying bonuses or lockstep pay increases, but it’s generous when it comes to partnership promotions. The law firm has announced 36 new partners, the same number as last year and only four less than in 2008, according to the Careerist. The blog interviewed Jones Day partner Joe…

Dec 22, 2010 12:47 PM CST

Quinn Emanuel to Pay Associate Bonuses of Up to $82K, As Boies Schiller Tops Out at Over $200K

Updated: Associates at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan may be tethered to their smart phones. But the firm is showing them the money, recognizing their work with year-end bonuses of as much as double what some top New York law firms are paying. They range from about $8,500 to $82,500,…

Dec 21, 2010 6:11 PM CST

Partner Fondly Remembers Era Before Lateral Moves, ‘Show Me the Money’ Attitudes

Back in the day—1970 to be more exact—a lawyer who left his or her law firm in Hartford, Ct., was effectively blackballed. No firm in the city was hiring. The only option was a job in New London County, perhaps, or maybe in Stamford. Those were the good old days…

Dec 21, 2010 2:11 PM CST

Law Firm Trajectory Has Nine Stages, Followed by a Re-examination of Life Stages

Associates who attain partnership are only one-third of the way through their law firm journey, according to a new white paper by a legal consulting firm. Successful lawyers go through nine career stages in their law firms, according to the white paper published by Hildebrandt Baker Robbins. There are three…

Dec 21, 2010 1:48 PM CST

Probate Judge Can’t Moonlight at a Funeral Home, Says Ethics Panel

Adding another gig to the list of jobs forbidden to moonlighting jurists, a South Carolina ethics panel has ruled that a newly elected probate judge who happens to be a licensed funeral director can’t continue to work weekends at a funeral home. “[A] judge should not engage in business or…

Dec 20, 2010 10:09 PM CST

Associate Who Quit Kirkland & Ellis Is Now ‘Purveyor of Pretend Pestilence’

A one-time lawyer at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago is profiting this Christmas season because of the increasing popularity of stuffed microbes. Lawyer Drew Oliver created a company making stuffed germs in 2001 because he thought the toys could be used to help teach children avoid the flu and other…

Dec 20, 2010 1:29 PM CST

Avoid These Top 10 Resumé Buzzwords

You may be “results oriented” and “motivated,” but you probably should leave those words off your resumé. That’s the advice of Lindsey Pollak, a career author and spokeswoman for the LinkedIn career networking site. Frequently used terms “can appear empty to a potential employer and may do more harm than…

Dec 20, 2010 11:30 AM CST

Forget Marble Floors: Flat Fees Fill Ex-BigLaw Partner’s Client List at New IP Shop

A former partner of Drinker Biddle & Reath credits a flat-fee billing structure for her new intellectual property boutique’s rapid acquisition of clients and a solid book of business. Many of those she now represents followed Kathryn Doyle, who formerly headed Drinker Biddle’s life sciences practice, to her new shop,…

Dec 18, 2010 12:20 AM CST

49 Lawyers Make Partner at Nation’s 10 Most Prestigious Law Firms

The nation’s 10 most prestigious law firms announced the promotion of 49 partners this year, but the firm in the No. 1 spot didn’t contribute to the total. Above the Law obtained press releases from the 10 most prestigious firms as ranked by Vault and tallied the numbers. “Unlike last…

Dec 17, 2010 11:30 AM CST

Clifford Chance Shows US Associates the Money, Will Pay Year-End Bonuses of Up to $35K

Matching the end-of-year moolah being paid by a number of other top BigLaw firms to associates for their work in 2010, Clifford Chance has announced that its United States associates will get bonuses of between $7,500 and $35,000 at the beginning of 2011. The London-based megafirm says, however, that “individual…

Dec 16, 2010 9:23 PM CST

Suit by Fired Associate Claims Dechert’s Macho Culture Punished Paternity Leave

A Dechert associate claims he was fired partly because of the firm’s macho culture. Former Boston associate Ariel Ayanna claims the law firm retaliated against him for taking paternity leave and derided him for being the primary caretaker of his children, the National Law Journal reports. Ayanna took on additional…

Dec 16, 2010 12:26 PM CST

Legal Recruiters See More Hiring, But Laid-Off Associates Aren’t in Demand

Legal recruiters are reporting an uptick in law firm hiring, but the news isn’t good for laid-off associates. Law firms are mostly looking for lawyers who are currently employed, recruiters tell the Am Law Daily. Margie Grossberg, a partner at legal search firm Major Lindsey & Africa, tells the publication…

Dec 16, 2010 12:00 PM CST

How One Lawyer’s Obnoxious Behavior Cost Him a Law Firm Job

Marketing campaigns, strategic branding and well-written mission statements may do little to help a law firm’s reputation if its lawyers misbehave in the trenches. A single bad experience with a lawyer can harm a law firm’s reputation, hurting its ties to clients and its recruiting efforts, according to law firm…

Dec 16, 2010 11:30 AM CST

After 32 Years, Criminal Lawyer Plans to Exit Practice to Study Religion in Jerusalem

Mike Krampner always wanted to be a criminal defense lawyer. But after more than 30 years of practice, most of it in charge of his own firm, the Wyoming practitioner is ready for a change. After working for the past year on a master’s thesis in Jewish history, he’s planning…

Dec 15, 2010 11:48 PM CST