Careers

Good News & Bad for Hogan Summers: You Have an Offer for 2011

There’s good news and bad news for some summer associates at Hogan & Hartson. After word earlier this month that the firm is letting go 30 senior associates, Hogan & Hartson plans to make more offers than it might have otherwise to summer associates in the firm’s Washington, D.C., and…

Jul 14, 2009 7:17 PM CDT

How Two Lawyers Embraced Their Right Brains

The declining economy is forcing employees who used the analytical left side of their brains to embrace their creative right-brain skills. Two lawyers are a case in point. USA Today profiles their stories. Gordon Chin saw his billable hours shrink at a large Washington, D.C., law firm—identified as Locke Lord…

Jul 14, 2009 6:18 PM CDT

Ex-Colleagues Say AG Holder Is Aging Before Their Eyes

Former colleagues of Attorney General Eric Holder say he is “working like a dog” and aging before their eyes. Holder is fielding criticism from Republicans who see him as soft on terrorism and from some Democrats disappointed to learn he is mulling the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate…

Jul 14, 2009 12:54 PM CDT

Federal Judge Resigns to Join Law Firm

U.S. District Judge Bruce Kauffman of Philadelphia is resigning to join the Elliott Greenleaf law firm. Kauffman will chair Elliott Greenleaf’s executive committee, Philadelphia Business Today reports. The law firm cites the benefits of his experience with white-collar defense issues, corporate internal investigations, and mediation of complex financial and business…

Jul 14, 2009 12:30 PM CDT

Why Midlevel Associates May Prosper, Despite Likelihood of More Layoffs

A legal expert is predicting more layoffs at law firms, but the picture is rosier for midlevel associates with three or four years of experience. Bill Brennan of legal consulting firm Altman Weil told the Philadelphia Inquirer that more law firm layoffs are likely. Layoffs “have definitely subsided, but the…

Jul 14, 2009 11:45 AM CDT

Taking Pass on Wis. Bar Exam Could Be Unconstitutional, 7th Circuit Says

A federal court has revived a class action lawsuit over a unique Wisconsin attorney admission rule that admits newly minted graduates of state law schools to practice without requiring them to take the bar exam. Those who graduated from law schools in other states but wish to practice in Wisconsin…

Jul 13, 2009 8:56 PM CDT

Mayer Brown Hires 3 UK Partners in Move to Show ‘Bench Strength’

Mayer Brown is adding three partners to its London finance practice. London leveraged finance chief Dominic Griffiths told Legal Week that the additions are not based on predictions that the economy is recovering. Instead, the hires are part of a push to build the firm’s European corporate and finance groups.…

Jul 13, 2009 3:51 PM CDT

A Job Jolt Could Change Life For the Better

Economic meltdown, thousands of lost lawyer jobs, big-firm careers teetering on the brink: What could be worse for an attorney trying to build a successful and balanced life? Or, really, what could be better? Economic collapse is perhaps the ultimate wake-up call, and experts say this year’s crisis has created…

Jul 12, 2009 1:01 PM CDT

Hogan & Hartson Nudges 30 Associates Out the Door

The beltway powerhouse Hogan & Hartson is letting go of 30 senior associates. Performance and not enough opportunity for advancement are reasons the firm cited when confirming reports posted on Above the Law that associates have been counseled to take three to four months to look for employment elsewhere. ATL…

Jul 10, 2009 7:04 PM CDT

8th Circuit Says Lawyer Can’t Discharge $360K in Student Debt

A federal appeals court has ruled that a Minnesota lawyer can’t discharge more than $360,000 in student debt in his Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Mark Allen Jesperson had claimed he shouldn’t be responsible for paying the loans under an “undue hardship” exception to the general rule that student loans can’t be…

Jul 10, 2009 6:11 PM CDT

Eckert Seamans Lays Off 90 Temp Lawyers

Citing low work volumes, one of Pittsburgh’s largest firms has announced it is laying off 90 temporary attorneys. The layoffs come from Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott’s document coding center, the Pittsburgh Tribune reports. Timothy Ryan, the firm’s managing partner, said the layoffs were necessary after client contracts expired at…

Jul 10, 2009 3:40 PM CDT

Midsize Firms in California Mulling Associate Pay Cuts

Some midsize firms in California have already cut associate salaries, while others are thinking it over. The market rate for new associates at midsize firms is $160,000, and some firms claim they will continue to pay that amount, the Recorder reports. But some have already announced cuts. Howard Rice Nemerovski…

Jul 10, 2009 1:32 PM CDT

Locke Lord Partner to Run for Ill. Gov; Meanwhile, Blago Aide Pleads Guilty

On the same day Lisa Madigan announced that she will run for re-election as Illinois attorney general and not for governor, Locke Lord partner and Illinois state senator Kirk Dillard threw his hat into the ring. “I’m glad she’s not going to be my opponent in the general election,” Dillard,…

Jul 9, 2009 6:17 PM CDT

SEC Official Says Her Resignation Isn’t Tied to Madoff

The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s examinations division is resigning after 14 years in the position, but she says the reason for her departure is not Bernard Madoff. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.), Lori Richards denied that the controversy over the SEC’s failure…

Jul 9, 2009 3:34 PM CDT

Too Many Women Lawyers are Like Oz’s Dorothy, Partner Says

Women lawyers looking for advancement would do well to study Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, according to a law firm partner who founded the Opt-In Project. “Dorothy was a true leader,” writes Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe employment law partner Patricia Gillette in a post for the Am Law Daily.…

Jul 8, 2009 2:10 PM CDT