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Former Lawyer Takes His Mustard Museum to New Town

A former lawyer who has been collecting mustard since 1986 has made his hobby into a profession. Barry Levenson owns the Mustard Museum, home to a display of 5,000 mustards and 1,500 antique mustard pots, USA Today reported in a story published last week. The museum had been located in…

Aug 5, 2009 6:46 PM CDT

Former Leader of Wyatt Tarrant’s Lexington Office Is Killed in Car Accident

A 71-year-old energy lawyer at Wyatt Tarrant & Combs in Lexington, Ky., died Tuesday in a Tennessee car accident. The lawyer, Richard C. Ward, had been partner in charge of Wyatt Tarrant’s Lexington office, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. He and his wife were on the way home from a vacation…

Aug 5, 2009 2:39 PM CDT

101-Year-Old Texas Lawyer Named Outstanding Oldest Worker

A 101-year-old Dallas-area lawyer is in his law office at 6:30 every morning, working a full day in his real estate and probate practice. Lawyer Jack Borden’s dedication to hard work has earned him a new honor: outstanding oldest worker for 2009, awarded by the group Experience Works, the Dallas…

Aug 5, 2009 11:58 AM CDT

With Glut of Laid-Off Lawyers, Temp Jobs are Harder to Find—and Pay Less

Despite an increase jobs for temporary attorneys as cost-cutting corporation clients seek to get the same work done for less than they would have to pay a law firm associate or partner, a glut of laid-off lawyers is making it harder to get this kind of work, too. A year…

Aug 4, 2009 8:32 PM CDT

Retirement? What Retirement? Say Some Partners of a Certain Age

Accelerating an earlier trend, the economic debacle of the past year or so is making it difficult for a number of 60-something attorneys who might otherwise be thinking of retirement to unplug their legal careers. With retirement account balances down and—for some—compensation declining to boot, a number of law firm…

Aug 4, 2009 6:45 PM CDT

Ex-Government Lawyer Earns as Much Money as ‘Romantica’ Publisher

A former government lawyer has a new—and successful—career writing and editing erotic romance books that are published on the Internet. Irene Daisy Williams—whose pen name is Treva Harte—says she makes as much money now as she did while working at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Washington Post reports.…

Aug 4, 2009 6:31 PM CDT

Chairman of Thompson & Knight Dies

Peter Riley, the chairman of Thompson & Knight, has died of complications from cancer at the age of 53. A message posted to the law firm’s website called Riley “a visionary and great leader who helped transform Thompson & Knight from a regional law firm to an international law firm.”…

Aug 4, 2009 4:00 PM CDT

Upset About Yelling Partners? Too Much Work? Get Over It, an Associate Says

Complain, complain, complain. Associates like to whine about irate partners who won’t listen to their ideas, criticize their appearance and heap on the work that takes them away from family time. Now an associate who has been there, done that has some advice for the complainers: Get over it. Writing…

Aug 4, 2009 1:37 PM CDT

White House Denies Report that Counsel Greg Craig May Be on His Way Out

The White House is denying a report that White House counsel Greg Craig may leave his government post. Unnamed sources told the Wall Street Journal that administration officials are having discussions that could result in Craig leaving the job. He is under fire for failing to manage the controversy stemming…

Aug 4, 2009 11:29 AM CDT

3rd-Years Can Handle Felony Cases, Says Top Ohio Court

It’s long been an accepted practice for third-year law students in Ohio to hone their legal skills by representing defendants in criminal misdemeanor cases. But now, under a rule change approved last week by the state supreme court, they will also be able to try felony cases, too, reports the…

Aug 3, 2009 7:45 PM CDT

Median Starting Pay for Law Firm Associates Peaks at $130K

Associates have another reason to be depressed: A survey that found their median starting pay is $130,000 likely represents the high-water mark for salaries of newly minted lawyers in private practice. Salary information for the survey by NALP, an association for legal career professionals, was collected as of April 1,…

Aug 3, 2009 1:59 PM CDT

Questions Older Lawyers Should Answer Before Beginning a Job Search

Older lawyers hitting the job market need to think about their goals and preferences and be ready to explain to employers why older workers may be better employees. Older workers may face bias from potential employers who worry that they won’t adapt to new technologies or won’t be mentally sharp,…

Aug 3, 2009 1:05 PM CDT

Mandatory Utah Mentor Program Pairs New and Experienced Lawyers

New lawyers in Utah are paired with experienced mentors under a new mandatory program that is the second of its kind in the nation. So far 350 mentors have been approved, and another 150 are needed, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Mentors get 12 hours of continuing legal education credit…

Aug 3, 2009 12:40 PM CDT

Laid-Off Pillsbury Associate Manages Bands, Finds Entertainment Clients

An associate laid off in March from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman hasn’t given up on his dream to represent entertainment clients. Brandon Dorsky, formerly a member of Pillsbury’s intellectual property practice group, turned down a job offer at a Cleveland law firm and opted to stay in California, the American…

Aug 3, 2009 12:23 PM CDT

Where the Work Is

Lawyers recommend these practice areas in recessionary times

Aug 2, 2009 3:39 AM CDT