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New Rainmaking Tricks Even Old Dogs Can’t Afford to Ignore (Podcast)

Yesterday’s service partners can be today’s niche lawyers. So says a panel of business development experts, who discussed a variety of tools for the transition.

Jul 6, 2010 2:00 PM CDT

Law Departments Hiring More Contract Lawyers, and the Pickings Are Good

An increasing number of corporate law departments are hiring contract lawyers and sending them more projects, according to two principals with Pennsylvania legal staffing firms. James LaRosa, an owner of JuriStaff in Philadelphia, told the Legal Intelligencer that legal departments are hiring contract lawyers for stints of six months to…

Jul 6, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

June Was a Bad Month for Law Firm Employees, Labor Stats Show

Things appeared to be looking up for law firm employees in May, when initial reports indicated an increase of 300 jobs in the legal sector. But now the news is gloomier. In June, the legal sector lost 3,900 jobs, the American Lawyer says, relying on the latest report from the…

Jul 6, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Rosenfeldt Takes 5th re Depo Questions About His Pay at Rothstein Law Firm

Stuart Rosenfeldt was a co-partner of Scott Rothstein in the now-shuttered Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler. But he essentially knew nothing about the South Florida law firm’s financial operations, Rosenfeldt said in a deposition today, according to the This Just In blog of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Paid $6 million in 2008…

Jul 2, 2010 10:06 PM CDT

Fired Staffer Sues State Ethics Comm’n, Claims Retaliation Over Lawyer Moonlighting Complaint

Corrected: Two Georgia attorneys reportedly were operating a private law practice at the same time that they held full-time positions as staff lawyers at the State Ethics Commission. And after another employee blew the whistle on the alleged moonlighting on state time and using state resources, she was the one…

Jul 2, 2010 9:32 PM CDT

32-Year Cravath Litigator Is Tapped to Head Morgan Stanley Legal Dept.

A senior partner of Cravath Swaine & Moore will be departing after 32 years with the law firm to head the legal department of Morgan Stanley. Francis Barron, 59, will serve as the New York-based chief legal officer of the bank and will report to its CEO, James Gorman. He…

Jul 2, 2010 5:23 PM CDT

Munger, Tolles & Olson Tops Am Law’s ‘A List’ for Third Year in a Row

Munger, Tolles & Olson heads the list of “A-List” firms for the third year in a row. The 2010 A-List, released Thursday, is American Lawyer magazine’s eighth annual attempt to measure what it says are the 20 most successful law firms. See the full list. Munger Tolles bested this elite…

Jul 1, 2010 8:26 PM CDT

After Senator’s Death, Uncertainty Abounds; Is Judicial Nominee a Possible Replacement?

A West Virginia lawyer who has been nominated for a federal judgeship is careful in addressing speculation that he could be appointed to replace West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, who died Monday at the age of 92. Former state Democratic Party chairman Nick Casey told the Washington Post blog The…

Jul 1, 2010 4:23 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Acquired Too Many Clients Has Breakdown, Fights to Keep Law License

A Las Vegas lawyer who was overwhelmed with the number of new clients flocking to his bankruptcy practice is fighting to keep his law license after suffering an “emotional crisis” and packing up for Miami. Jorge Sanchez had been out of law school for only a couple of years in…

Jul 1, 2010 2:15 PM CDT

Tipping the Scales

In the South, women have made huge strides in the state judiciaries

Jul 1, 2010 10:50 AM CDT

Making the Home Work

It takes more than space to find home office success

Jul 1, 2010 7:20 AM CDT

Government Work

Lobbying is a growth practice for lawyers

Jul 1, 2010 7:10 AM CDT

Kagan Coverage Roundup: Day 3

Check back at ABAJournal.com throughout the day for news developments about Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. Today’s news highlights included: Hearings provide primer on Legalese 101; ‘stare decisis’ is word of the day. (Associated Press) But Kagan’s cultural knowledge may be lacking re vampires and werewolves. (New York Times Arts…

Jul 1, 2010 12:00 AM CDT

Aiming for BigLaw? You May Want a Different Target, Happiness Researcher Says

Positive psychology expert and lawyer Dan Bowling has a hypothesis: Happiness among law students can’t be explained by who will graduate with a high-paying job or who will earn a degree without a mountain of debt. Indeed, Bowling says, a lot of evidence suggests that the least happy lawyers are…

Jun 30, 2010 10:29 AM CDT

Ex-SEC Lawyer to Get $755K in Whistle-Blower Settlement

Without admitting wrongdoing, the Securities and Exchange Commission has agreed to pay $755,000 to settle a former staff lawyer’s wrongful termination whistle-blower suit. Gary Aguirre had contended that he was abruptly fired in 2005 because of his investigation of a potential insider-trading case against a giant hedge fund, Pequot Capital…

Jun 29, 2010 9:12 PM CDT