Careers

About 25% of Law Firms Are to Blame for High Minority Attrition Numbers, Study Says

Recent NALP statistics showed a slight decline this year in law firm diversity, but a new study suggests that some firms are more to blame than others. According to Building a Better Legal Profession, much of the decline can be attributed to about a quarter of firms that lost more…

Nov 9, 2010 1:08 PM CST

Have Law Firm Structural Changes Created a ‘Pink Ghetto’? Study Raises the Question

A new survey suggests that women lawyers have not benefited from structural changes in the nation’s largest law firms that created “nuanced stratifications” of lawyers. An example can be found in two-tier and multitier partnerships, where women lawyers appear to be less successful than in one-tier firms, according to the…

Nov 9, 2010 11:59 AM CST

Asst. AG Axed Over Blog Attack on Gay Student Leader

A Michigan prosecutor who attacked a student leader in a blog, calling him a “radical homosexual” and worse, and sought to get him fired from his job, has now himself been axed over his own behavior. Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell was fired today, said his boss, State Attorney General…

Nov 9, 2010 1:21 AM CST

Oops. Partial NY Bar Results Posted Early, So Officials Publish Full List Ahead of Schedule

After accidentally posting a partial list of those who passed the New York bar exam for a brief time last week, the state Board of Law Examiners decided to make the full pass list for the July exam public earlier than expected. Initially, the plan was to alert test-takers tomorrow…

Nov 8, 2010 9:08 PM CST

15-Lawyer Ore. Firm Opens 2nd Office—in Pa.; Ex-K&L Gates Atty to Build ‘Virtual’ Enviro Office

A Portland, Ore., law firm has made an unusual move, opening a second office in Pittsburgh last week. Headed by a former associate of K&L Gates, Phillip Bender, the new office of Bateman Seidel Miner Blomgren Chellis & Gram also is taking a cutting-edge approach to law practice, reports the…

Nov 8, 2010 5:15 PM CST

Saul Ewing Interviews Emphasize Critical Life Decisions

The 25 lawyers at Saul Ewing who interview would-be associates are being trained to delve deeper into job candidates’ life decisions and how they handled obstacles. The aim is to learn how the job candidates would function at the law firm, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. “The focus now is on…

Nov 8, 2010 1:55 PM CST

Largest Law Firms Still Shrinking, Shedding 1,400 Lawyers This Year

The nation’s top 250 law firms shrunk by 1,400 lawyers this year, and associates were hit hardest. Firms shed close to 1,000 associates, a drop of 1.5 percent, the National Law Journal reports. Partner numbers increased, but only slightly, by 0.6 percent. The head count at the top 250 law…

Nov 8, 2010 1:30 PM CST

Work-Life Balance Concerns Placed on Hold in Recession, Career Consultant Says

A legal career consultant says many lawyers are putting work-life balance concerns on hold because of the bad economy. Kate Neville, a Harvard law grad and founder of Neville Career Consulting in Washington, D.C., told the Washington Post about changes she’s seeing because of the recession. She says many lawyers…

Nov 8, 2010 1:05 PM CST

Legal Sector Lost 300 Jobs Last Month

The legal sector lost 300 jobs last month, halting a three-month trend of job growth. The October losses followed a more promising September, when the legal sector gained 2,200 jobs, according to the Am Law Daily. The total number of jobs in the legal sector stands at just over 1.1…

Nov 5, 2010 6:26 PM CDT

Ex-Baron & Budd Attorney Who Became an $8.8M Man Has Settled Suit Against the Law Firm

After winning an $8.8 million jury verdict against his former law firm earlier this year, an ex-lawyer of Baron & Budd has settled the suit. Plaintiff Gary Cruciani and defendants Baron & Budd and Russell Budd have concluded the contentious litigation with an agreed motion for a new trial, which…

Nov 5, 2010 5:22 PM CDT

After Working Solo for 33 Years, Lawyer Joins Buchanan Ingersoll

Pennsylvania lawyer Tom Bergstrom has worked solo for 33 years, but he’s giving it up to join the white-collar defense practice at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney in Philadelphia. Most recently, Bergstrom worked in a barn outside his home in Malvern, Pa., spending part of his time caring for his wife,…

Nov 5, 2010 1:27 PM CDT

Stern’s Law Firm & Related Co. Cut Staff By 70% After Fannie and Freddie Pull Foreclosure Files

Updated: A South Florida law firm being investigated by the state attorney general over its mortgage foreclosure work has announced new layoffs today, after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pulled their files earlier this week. Following “substantial” layoffs today, David Stern’s law firm and a related company reportedly will have…

Nov 4, 2010 7:11 PM CDT

New Scruggs Book Worth a Read, But Not Because Trial Lawyer Is Interesting, Review Says

Ex-attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs isn’t interesting enough to justify having an entire book written about his downfall as a onetime trial lawyer money machine. However, a new book about Scruggs, The Fall of the House of Zeus, is worth a read just the same, for what it says about the…

Nov 3, 2010 11:16 PM CDT

Why a Better Economy Is Bad News for Some BigLaw Partners

Partners at big law firms with solid books of business largely stayed put during the recession, but that could change for lawyers in certain practice areas as the economy improves. Frank D’Amore of Attorney Career Catalysts explained why in an interview with the Legal Intelligencer. Partners with sufficient business were…

Nov 3, 2010 1:01 PM CDT

Bernard Madoff’s Defense Lawyer Is Leaving Dickstein Shapiro

The lawyer who defended Bernard Madoff is leaving Dickstein Shapiro to join Lowenstein Sandler. Dickstein Shapiro partner Ira Sorkin is moving to the new firm along with partner Donald Corbett and four associates, the New York Law Journal reports. Sorkin was co-chair of Dickstein’s securities litigation and white-collar practices and…

Nov 3, 2010 12:14 PM CDT