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First Amendment Lawyer Uses Free Speech Defense for S&P

Floyd Abrams doesn’t just represent media clients waging battles on behalf of truth and the American Way. He also represents a ratings agency—Standard & Poor’s—that has been targeted for its role in the financial crisis, the New York Times reports in a profile. The ratings agency is among several that…

Jul 20, 2009 1:36 PM CDT

Ignoring the Perils of Driving and Talking? You May Be Addicted, Prof Says

Multi-tasking lawyers take note: Talking on your cell phone while driving is a dangerous activity. Drivers who use cell phones are four times as likely to cause a crash as other drivers, and the likelihood they will have an accident is the same as a person with a blood alcohol…

Jul 20, 2009 12:32 PM CDT

Weil Gotshal Asks Some Summer Associates to Defer Start Date to 2012

Updated: Being one of the biggest names in corporate bankruptcy practice hasn’t prevented Weil Gotshal & Manges from having to deal with some fallout from the dismal economy. Because junior associate classes are large and attrition has dropped to an unusual low, the firm continues to have an over-supply of…

Jul 17, 2009 7:16 PM CDT

A Dean’s Warning for Optimistic Law Students: Big Pay Goes to Small Number

Incoming University of Miami law dean thinks some law students need a dose of reality. Partly toward that end, she sent letters to incoming law students encouraging them to defer admission for a year. White told the Daily Business Review she wanted to encourage students to carefully consider the kinds…

Jul 17, 2009 6:45 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Gave Up Law Practice Ready to Help Others Do the Same

University of California Hastings College of the Law graduate Casey Berman isn’t happy with law practice, and he’s hoping to make some money helping others who share his feelings. Berman has launched a consulting firm called Leave Law Behind to help lawyers who want to start their own businesses, the…

Jul 17, 2009 6:03 PM CDT

Why Minn. Firms Are Laying People Off, Despite Respectable Partner Profits

Partners at Minnesota’s two largest law firms made between $535,000 and $585,000 last year, but profitability isn’t protecting employees at those firms. Faegre & Benson has laid off 29 lawyers, and Dorsey & Whitney has laid off 55 support workers and cut associates’ pay by 10 percent, Minnesota Lawyer reports.…

Jul 17, 2009 5:32 PM CDT

Former SEC Chair Christopher Cox to Join Bingham McCutchen

Former top securities regulator Christopher Cox is to join Bingham McCutchen as a partner in the firm’s Orange County, Calif., offices and a principal in its Bingham Consulting Group subsidiary. Cox, who left his post as chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in January, is a former Republican…

Jul 17, 2009 4:42 PM CDT

Lathrop & Gage Opens Chicago Office, Plans ‘Aggressive Recruiting’

Lathrop & Gage has hired two lawyers formerly with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal to staff a new office in Chicago, the firm’s second new office this year. Lathrop is not limiting the Chicago office to two lawyers, however. “Additional aggressive recruiting plans are under way,” according to a press release…

Jul 17, 2009 1:54 PM CDT

Law Schools Worry More Firms Will Delay or Ax Campus Interviews

Law school officials are hoping decisions by two law firms to pull out of or delay on-campus recruiting are just aberrations. Morgan Lewis & Bockius is pulling out of all on-campus interviews this fall and axing its 2010 summer program, while Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe is pushing back the dates…

Jul 16, 2009 6:00 PM CDT

The Speedo Question: What to Wear to a Work Pool Party

A corporate recruiter warns that pool party work events can be “little landmines” and says it’s OK to opt for more conservative clothes instead of a bathing suit. Meredith Moore, a managing director at Boyden Global Executive Search in San Francisco, tells the Wall Street Journal she was well-covered up…

Jul 16, 2009 4:34 PM CDT

Gaming Lawyers Get Share of Casino Venture for Legal Work

Two Atlantic City gaming lawyers are getting paid for their legal work on a proposed Pennsylvania slots parlor with a share of the project if it wins a license. Lawyers John Donnelly and Michael Sklar are doing legal work for the majority owner of the casino project, CMS Fund Advisers…

Jul 16, 2009 2:01 PM CDT

Jack Welch: Women Take Time Off for Kids at Their Peril

Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch thinks women who take time off for family are making a risky career move. Speaking to Human Resource Management at its annual conference on June 28, Welch said women who take time off for family could be passed over for promotions if they are…

Jul 16, 2009 12:54 PM CDT

NJ Attorney General Seeks Unemployed Lawyers Willing to Work for Free

The New Jersey Attorney General’s office is battling the effects of a hiring freeze with a new internship program for unemployed lawyers and law grads. Previously, the program hired only law students, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports. Under the new, expanded program, licensed lawyers could handle some trial work, conduct…

Jul 15, 2009 3:45 PM CDT

Morgan Lewis Axes 2010 Summer Program, Plans to Eliminate Lockstep

In a video conference with all associates and staff today, the chairman of Morgan Lewis & Bockius has reportedly announced a series of economy moves. They include axing the 2010 summer program and all on-campus law school interviewing this fall and pushing back the start dates for current summer associates…

Jul 14, 2009 8:56 PM CDT

Cooley Partner’s ‘Long Goodbye’

In an interview earlier this month, a soon-to-be-former Cooley Godward Kronish partner said it had been a difficult decision to jump to Dewey & LeBoeuf’s office in Silicon Valley along with two other high-profile partners. But now it appears that Cooley’s parting with mergers and acquisitions star Richard Climan was…

Jul 14, 2009 8:39 PM CDT