Careers

Practical Meaning: As the Court Shifted Right, Stevens Kept His Place

The more things changed, the more John Paul Stevens stayed the same. Appointed by the moderate Republican President Gerald Ford—another Midwesterner and World War II vet—Stevens resolutely insists that his middle-of-the-road, practical legal values are as visible at his retirement this year as they were at his 1975 appointment. “You…

May 1, 2010 9:10 AM CDT

Rehnquist the Mensch

Regarding “The William Rehnquist You Didn’t Know,” March: I met Justice Rehnquist in 1972 after he gave a speech in Washington, D.C., and I had to bring his car from the garage. It was an old BMW, which was exciting to me, a college student who rode the bus.

May 1, 2010 9:00 AM CDT

Bar Exam? There’s an App for That

When Mike Ghaffary decided to take the California bar exam, he did what most other young lawyers do: He enrolled in a bar review course.

May 1, 2010 8:39 AM CDT

First!

Third-year law students typically focus on finishing school, finding a job and passing the bar exam. But Georgetown University law student Mike Sacks has added another task: Being first in line this semester for all oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on cases of wide political or public interest.

May 1, 2010 8:30 AM CDT

What Goes Around?

It wasn’t that long ago when graduating law students could almost count on a six-figure starting salary. Now it’s more likely that they’ll graduate with a six-figure debt.

May 1, 2010 7:50 AM CDT

Rising Tide

Ethics may require challenges to Alzheimer’s-impaired lawyers

May 1, 2010 7:10 AM CDT

Government Work—At Home

PTO telecommuting is a patented success

May 1, 2010 6:20 AM CDT

Thanks to Serendipity, Ex-Corporate Lawyer Launches Sandwich Bag Company

Cris Bourelly was taking some time off from corporate law practice to raise her children when her life took a green turn. Bourelly was putting together a “trash free” lunch basket for a preschool charity auction with another mom, but they couldn’t find a green replacement for the plastic sandwich…

Apr 30, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Fired US Attorney Is a Gitmo Prosecutor in Case of Teen Captured in Afghanistan

Fired U.S. Attorney David Iglesias is back in the news, this time for his role in the prosecution of a Canadian teen captured on an Afghanistan battlefield. Iglesias, a captain in the Navy reserves, was mobilized to Guantanamo’s military commissions last year, the Miami Herald reports. Now he is part…

Apr 30, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Obama Interviews Sidney Thomas for Top Court Seat as ‘Epic Battle’ for Confirmation Looms

Apparently adding a new name to his short list of potential candidates for a U.S. Supreme Court seat, President Barack Obama today reportedly spent a significant amount of time interviewing 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sidney Thomas, the Associated Press reports. It is the president’s first known interview…

Apr 29, 2010 11:53 PM CDT

Sotomayor Deemed More Influential than Her Colleagues

Just one U.S. Supreme Court justice appears on Time magazine’s 2010 list of the world’s most influential people. Justice Sonia Sotomayor makes the list, but none of her colleagues are there. The magazine cites her modest upbringing and her deep “understanding of how most people who walk down Broadway, or…

Apr 29, 2010 4:42 PM CDT

Progress on Diversity Hidden in Fuzzy Partnership Numbers, Federal Judge Says

How many partners are in BigLaw? It depends on who’s asking. More than half of the major law firms in New York City reported different partnership numbers to six different entities collecting the information in 2007, according to a study by Stanford law professor Michele Dauber. Two judges and a…

Apr 29, 2010 3:48 PM CDT

Tribunal Rules Against Ex-DLA Piper Partner Who Claimed Pregnancy Bias

An employment tribunal in the United Kingdom has ruled against a former DLA Piper partner who claimed the law firm was “an old boys’ club” that fired her because she was pregnant. DLA Piper has received notice that the Liverpool tribunal unanimously dismissed all of the claims by former partner…

Apr 29, 2010 2:58 PM CDT

Partner Push-Out: Nearly 8 Percent of Women Partners Were De-Equitized, Survey Finds

A new survey of women partners at regional and international law firms finds that it’s difficult to be directly promoted into equity partnership and hard to hang on to it. The “overwhelming majority” of partners who responded to the survey said they achieved equity partnerships through lateral moves from other…

Apr 29, 2010 2:32 PM CDT

With Missouri Move, Idea of Uniform Bar Exam Finally Gets Legs

Missouri has become the first state to replace its bar exam with a uniform test that could help make lawyers more mobile. Test-takers won’t see the new exam until February, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Other jurisdictions considering a uniform exam include Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota and…

Apr 29, 2010 1:20 PM CDT