Careers

How Gen X Lawyers Can Bridge the Gap, Foster Work-Life Balance

The 30- and 40-year-olds who make up Generation X have an important new role in molding the younger Gen Y workers whose brush with the recession has turned them into Generation Comply. That’s the assertion of Miami Herald columnist Cindy Krischer Goodman, who says Gen X supervisors can help bridge…

Aug 23, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Are Clients Squeezing BigLaw into Small Law?

Partners leaving big firms to go out on their own isn’t new, but it seems to be picking up. A growing reason is that clients have become more careful about spending. And lawyers can lower their rates after leaving BigLaw. Clients have clamored in recent years for reduced rates, fewer…

Aug 20, 2010 7:04 PM CDT

Laid-Off Associates Still Struggling, Even as Firms Make New Hires

The news isn’t all good, despite reports of bigger 2011 summer associate classes and 100 percent offer rates. Laid-off associates are still struggling, even as the lateral market improves for those lucky enough to have kept their jobs. Legal recruiters confirm that laid-off lawyers, even those from top schools such…

Aug 20, 2010 11:43 AM CDT

Some Deferred Associates Shun BigLaw; Will They Have to Repay Stipends?

Some deferred associates are reconsidering their careers after taking on public interest work while awaiting jobs in BigLaw. One of them is Nathan Richardson, a deferred associate at Latham & Watkins who went to work for the nonprofit Resources for the Future where he researched climate change and the Gulf…

Aug 20, 2010 11:25 AM CDT

Federal Judge’s Book to Focus On Her Prior Work as ‘Unrepentant Advocate’

A biographical book by a federal judge in Boston won’t be published until next year. But already it is igniting controversy, reports the Boston Globe. Although U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner focuses on her previous work as a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer, before she took the bench in…

Aug 19, 2010 9:39 PM CDT

Townsend Firm Axes 9 Lawyers, 25 Staff

It was a grim Wednesday this week at the California offices of Townsend and Townsend and Crew, as the intellectual property boutique axed nine lawyers and 25 staff members. Most of the attorneys let go were associates, although a few senior lawyers were also cut, the firm’s chair, Maureen Sheehy,…

Aug 19, 2010 6:28 PM CDT

Abuse of Recent Grads? Howard Rice Sued for Deferred and Rescinded Job Offer

A would-be associate has sued San Francisco law firm Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk & Rabkin for deferring and then rescinding her job offer. The suit by Sarah Martinez claims the law firm actively recruited white associates, especially white males, after her 2008 job offer was deferred, the Recorder reports.…

Aug 19, 2010 11:34 AM CDT

Sidley’s DC Hiring Partner Doesn’t Want ‘Sharp-Elbow Types’

The hiring partner at Sidley & Austin’s Washington, D.C., office isn’t looking for cutthroat lawyers. “We pride ourselves on our collegial and collaborative environment,” D.C. hiring partner Karen Popp tells the Careerist blog. “We look for lawyers who are not sharp-elbow types, who show maturity and good judgment. We give…

Aug 19, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Net Worth of Law Prof Nominated for Seat on 7th Circuit Bench: Nearly $20M

A law professor nominated for a seat on the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals made just under $200,000 last year as a visiting faculty member at Emory University. Plus she earned another $809 in book royalties. But Victoria Nourse reported a household net worth of nearly $20 million…

Aug 19, 2010 2:17 AM CDT

BigLaw Firm’s Secret to Success in Retaining Women Partners: 82 Holidays a Year

One of the United Kingdom’s biggest and best-known corporate law firms has little difficulty retaining talented women lawyers as partners, reports the Daily Mail. Allen & Overy’s secret to success? Offering 82 holidays a year, in exchange for reduced pay. Men can also opt for a reduced schedule for up…

Aug 19, 2010 2:00 AM CDT

TV Legal Analyst Charged with DUI After Ex-Judge’s Dinner Party Despite Claimed Head Injury

After initially losing a “Jane Doe” case she filed in an effort to keep her arrest record secret, a prominent Washington state lawyer has been charged with drunken driving in King County, reports the SeattlePI.com. Anne Bremner, a 52-year-old Seattle lawyer who has served as a television legal analyst in…

Aug 18, 2010 10:48 PM CDT

Lawyers Among White-Collar Moonlighters Whose Numbers Are Increasing

More professional workers are turning to moonlighting, whether it’s because of furloughs, pay cuts of fear of layoffs, and lawyers are among those holding down two jobs. The Wall Street Journal highlights the trend. The story refers to a survey by CareerBuilder.com that found about 9 percent of mostly white-collar…

Aug 18, 2010 12:59 PM CDT

Ex-Associate Says ‘Unbillable Hours’ at Latham Made the Job Worthwhile

Having gone to law school at the University of Texas for lack of a better career option, Ian Graham turned out to be a stellar student. A BigLaw job was his virtually by right, and when Graham was interviewing, Latham & Watkins stood out, he recounts in a recently published…

Aug 17, 2010 11:02 AM CDT

Angry Law Grads Beef, Blog and Move On; Tuition Makes $15K Total in 80s Seem Paltry

Unemployed law grads are venting their anger on blogs and in newspaper interviews, but some are moving on to permanent jobs or opening their own law firms. One of the angry bloggers, known as Law is 4 Losers, complained online that law school is a “scam,” administrators are greedy “charlatans”…

Aug 16, 2010 1:42 PM CDT

18 Lawyers Join Best Best & Krieger as McDonough Dissolution Nears End

Best Best & Krieger’s Sacramento office will double its numbers when it picks up 18 municipal, land use and redevelopment lawyers from the now-defunct McDonough Holland & Allen on Sept. 1. The group, which includes McDonough’s CEO, is the latest to find a new home as McDonough winds down the…

Aug 13, 2010 6:22 PM CDT