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DC Pro Bono Group Taps into Expertise of Stay-at-Home and Unemployed Lawyers

Three lawyers who left law practice to become stay-at-home moms ran into some obstacles when they decided to take on pro bono cases. The three women—Jenny Brody, Karen Barker Marcou and Marla Spindel—discovered it was difficult to volunteer without resources such as malpractice insurance, a place to meet clients and…

Sep 17, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

This Master of Multitasking Juggled Her Solo Practice While Heading Major Bar Groups

Kim Keenan

Sep 17, 2010 6:00 AM CDT

Work Nightmares and Nausea on the Job Are Signs It’s Time to Leave

You may admire the JetBlue flight attendant who left his job with a jump down the emergency chute, but remember—he’s unemployed and facing criminal charges. If you are contemplating a similar meltdown, you’ve waited too long to start your job search, according to Molly Peckman, the director of associate development…

Sep 16, 2010 3:10 PM CDT

‘Squeezed’ and Laid-Off Partners Spur Uptick in Lateral Hiring, Recruiter Says

Recruiters are identifying a reason for an uptick in lateral hiring by law firms: partner survival. The American Lawyer contacted a half-dozen legal recruiters after receiving close to 40 press releases last week about new partner hires, about double the usual number. Chicago recruiter Kay Hoppe explained that partners are…

Sep 16, 2010 1:29 PM CDT

Michael O’Connor: The In-House Transition—How To Win Business by Helping Lawyers Make It

7-word bio: “Lawyer, student, sometimes teacher, herder of twins.”

Sep 16, 2010 12:16 PM CDT

Sidewalk Bookseller, a Disbarred Lawyer, Is Philosophical About Drop in Profits

A disbarred lawyer who sells used books from a sidewalk table in New York City is philosophical about his recent drop in profits. Charles Mysak tells the New York Times that sales are slowing, and these days he is happy to gross more than $100 in a 12-hour day. According…

Sep 16, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Lawyer Toy Expert Wows TV News People, Disappoints Media Critic

Updated: Journalism can be profitable for those finding new ways to exploit the need for more information, but some media critics are questioning some of the tactics. A lawyer and self-proclaimed toy expert goes on a TV media tour, plugging toys from companies that apparently paid the company she works…

Sep 16, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

A BigLaw Life ‘Measured Out with Coffee Spoons’ Wasn’t for Him

As a number of major law firms celebrated their renown this week in newly released US News & World Report and Working Mother rankings, at least two former BigLaw associates were happy to have found a new life elsewhere. Although he had wonderful colleagues and worked on high-profile matters, a…

Sep 15, 2010 11:11 PM CDT

ABA Group Backs Uniform Bar Exam

One country, one bar exam? That is far from the situation in the United States right now, and that is not likely to be the reality at any point in the foreseeable future. Yet while individual states regulate the activities of their own lawyers and administer their own bar exams,…

Sep 15, 2010 9:38 PM CDT

In-House Division General Counsel Saw Biggest Percentage Pay Hikes in 2010

The “middlemen” of in-house lawyers topped their corporate counsel colleagues by getting a collective 8.35 percent boost in median total cash compensation this year, a new survey reveals. The median salary for division general counsel was $226,400, the median bonus was $78,000, and the median total cash compensation $292,000, according…

Sep 15, 2010 4:48 PM CDT

This Solo Is Making Little Loans a Big Deal

Howard J. Finkelstein

Sep 15, 2010 1:37 PM CDT

Ex-Quinn Litigator Leaves New Job at Greenberg Traurig to Go Solo

A little over six months ago, Samuel Shepherd was in the headlines as he left Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan to help establish a new San Francisco office for Greenberg Traurig. But now he says that was a bad idea, and is departing his new firm to go solo, reports…

Sep 14, 2010 6:29 PM CDT

Pillsbury Winthrop Tax Attorney May Have Been Victim of Domestic Murder-Suicide, Authorities Say

A 35-year-old tax associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has been found slain, apparently shot to death, in her Washington, D.C.-area home. Authorities are saying she may have been a victim of domestic violence. Clare Lenore Stoudt, a mother of five who graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2008,…

Sep 14, 2010 6:08 PM CDT

Repeat Performance: Four Law Firms Make Working Mother’s Top 100 List

Four law firms are once again on Working Mother magazine’s list of the 100 best companies for work-life balance. Law firms on the list are: • Arnold & Porter, which also made Working Mother’s “best in class” list of the best companies for parental leave. New moms at the firm…

Sep 14, 2010 2:32 PM CDT

Alexis Martin Neely: What Are You Going To Do When They Don’t Need Us Anymore?

7-word bio: “Entrepreneur, author, creator, lawyer who loves, mom.”

Sep 14, 2010 1:55 PM CDT