Careers

US News to Disclose More Detailed Jobs Info for Law Grads

U.S. News & World Report has agreed to post more employment data collected from law schools as part of its annual law school rankings. The magazine’s director of data and research, Robert Morse, tells the National Law Journal that the data “will make a far richer amount of information available…

Dec 14, 2010 2:15 PM CST

Texas Lawyer and Estranged Husband Dead; Possible Murder-Suicide Investigated

Updated: A 52-year-old San Antonio lawyer and her 53-year-old estranged husband have been found dead in a field near a pickup and a firearm on real estate they owned near Canyon Lake in Cornal County. Both had been shot. Arden Specia-Spencer and her husband, Mark, had been separated for a…

Dec 14, 2010 12:26 AM CST

Career Consultant Castigates Yale Law Grad for ‘Very Immature’ Attitude About Doc Review

A career consultant had a one-word answer for a recent Yale Law School grad who wanted to know if being a “fantastic writer” could offer a guaranteed escape route from the dull routine of document review as an incoming law firm associate: No. But then Ann Israel went on to…

Dec 13, 2010 8:16 PM CST

Susman Godfrey Touts Bonuses of Up to $100K

Associates at Susman Godfrey will get bonuses of $45,000 to $100,000 this year, far above the going rate established by Cravath Swaine & Moore. Some law firms are reluctant to release bonus information, but not Susman Godfrey. It announced the bonus in a press release that quotes managing partner Steve…

Dec 13, 2010 2:53 PM CST

Former Baker & Hostetler Partner Now Makes House Calls, Dislikes Billable Hours

Former Baker & Hostetler partner John McNamara calls himself a “free-range lawyer.” Outside of court, McNamara is a “Western-hat wearing, cowboy-boot strolling, cigar-butt chomping, shearling-coat and jean-clad lawyer,” the Denver Post reports. He has his own law firm now, and he prefers flat fees to billable hours. He also makes…

Dec 13, 2010 1:24 PM CST

Expert Warns of Law Firm ‘Overcapacity’ and ‘Further Timekeeper Cuts’

Law firms are going to protect their profits, and that means that more layoffs are likely, according to a Wells Fargo consultant. Jeffrey Grossman, national managing director for the bank’s legal specialty group, told the Washington Post that he foresees more cuts as firms offer more alternative fees. “I still…

Dec 13, 2010 12:24 PM CST

Facing ‘Unrelenting’ Price Pressures, Law Firms Turn to Outsourcing, Innovation

Law firms faced with “unrelenting” pricing pressures from clients are beginning to outsource basic legal work, create new categories of lawyers, and take a “loss leader approach” to pricing. In an article for the Am Law Daily, Dan DiPietro and Gretta Rusanow of Citi Private Bank’s Law Firm Group base…

Dec 13, 2010 11:30 AM CST

1st Black Woman Headed to Ohio Supreme Court, Which Will Have 4-3 Female Majority

Born to a teenage single mother in Ohio who worked two jobs to provide for the family, Yvette McGee Brown has soared far above what might have been predicted for her based on where she started in life. McGee Brown earned her law degree at Ohio State University in 1985…

Dec 10, 2010 9:44 PM CST

Prosecutor’s ‘Chick-Lit Legal Thriller’ Ranks Third on Kindle List

Editors weren’t the only headache for a federal sex crimes prosecutor who wrote a legal thriller. Seven prosecutors had to vet the racy book, Law of Attraction, sex scenes and all, the Washington Post reports. The story describes the novel by Allison Leotta as a “chick-lit legal thriller” that includes…

Dec 10, 2010 5:16 PM CST

Every Day, DOJ Lawyer Deals with ‘Two or Three Cases of a Lifetime’

Former Jenner & Block partner Ian Gershengorn oversees a challenging assignment as director of the Justice Department’s Federal Programs Branch. “Every day,” Gershengorn told the New York Times, “I deal with two or three cases of a lifetime.” Gershengorn’s office represents the federal government in constitutional challenges, the Times explains.…

Dec 10, 2010 4:27 PM CST

Laid Off Kirkland Associate Lands Job: Trump’s Apprentice

A laid-off Kirkland & Ellis associate has bested another lawyer to win The Apprentice. Lawyer Brandy Kuentzel won the competition overseen by Donald Trump in the season finale on Thursday evening, according to the Daily Mail and AOL Jobs. Kuentzel is a University of Chicago law graduate who started a…

Dec 10, 2010 2:54 PM CST

Top Cahill Associates Could Get Bonuses of Up to $75K

Cahill Gordon & Reindel is reportedly upping the ante for associate bonuses, paying three bonuses over a half-year period that could more than double the going rate of $35,000. The law firm paid mid-year bonuses ranging from $2,500 to $15,000, and now it plans to pay bonuses equal to the…

Dec 10, 2010 12:28 PM CST

McDermott Plans to Compensate Employees Taxed on Domestic Partner Benefits

At least two more law firms plan to begin compensating employees who are taxed when domestic partner health benefits are counted as taxable income. McDermott Will & Emery announced Thursday that it will provide the “tax gross-up payment” to employees in same-sex relationships beginning in January. A press release quotes…

Dec 10, 2010 12:00 PM CST

Lawyer Accused of Kicking in Door, Battery of Boyfriend and Officer, Plus Carrying Knife in Bra

An Indianapolis attorney is facing three felony charges after allegedly taking the law into her own hands when she suspected her boyfriend might be with another woman. Police said Olubunmi Okanlami kicked in the front door of her unidentified boyfriend’s home as he was sleeping inside and went on the…

Dec 9, 2010 9:21 PM CST

Michael Vick Judge, Mellowed Since His Prosecutor Days, Is Happy for QB’s Success

The judge who sentenced NFL superstar Michael Vick to 23 months in prison is apparently a believer in rehabilitation—and a football fan. U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson tells the Washington Post that Vick is “having a terrific season” as a quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. “He’s an example of how…

Dec 9, 2010 3:42 PM CST