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Auto Bailout Bill, Passed by House, Includes $5K Hike for Judges

A $14 billion bailout bill passed by the House on Wednesday evening would benefit judges as well as the auto industry. The bill includes a cost of living hike for judges of almost $5,000, the Associated Press reports. Trial judges now earn $169,300. The bill would raise their pay to…

Dec 11, 2008 12:02 PM CST

Howrey Axes About 10 Associates; Not Layoffs But ‘Outplacement’

About 10 associates are being let go at Howrey as the year draws to a close. However, these aren’t layoffs but “an outplacement of some associates based on performance issues,” an unnamed law firm spokesperson tells Above the Law. The firm is doing well financially, and, unlike many of its…

Dec 10, 2008 10:49 PM CST

Battling for Scarce Legal Work, Associates Vie for Paralegal Tasks

Once upon a time, law firm associates turned up their noses at the prospect of performing document reviews and writing deposition summaries. But that’s not as true now that the economy is in a tailspin. Many associates without enough work to do are willingly taking on tasks traditionally performed by…

Dec 10, 2008 10:30 PM CST

Following Layoffs, Sonnenschein Chair Predicts Banner Year in 2009

Despite lawyer and staff layoffs earlier this year, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal is growing and is expecting a banner year in 2009, says the firm’s chairman, Elliott Portnoy. After laying off 37 attorneys and 87 staff in May (plus making additional layoffs in October), the 660-lawyer law firm has added…

Dec 9, 2008 5:42 PM CST

75% of GCs Expect Lower 2009 Budgets

Most general counsel responding to a survey are expecting lower budgets next year and voicing concern about outside counsel costs. Nearly 75 percent of general counsel responding to a November survey (PDF) by legal consultants Altman Weil said their legal departments are facing budget cuts averaging 11.5 percent next year,…

Dec 9, 2008 4:59 PM CST

Are Attorney Layoffs Over for 2008?

After lawyer layoffs at a number of well-known firms this year, many attorneys aren’t as confident as they’d like to be about the stability of their jobs. And, although the holiday season has traditionally been a time when law firms, like other companies, avoided giving anyone pink slips, there are…

Dec 9, 2008 4:48 PM CST

Akin Gump Among the Firms Rescinding Job Offers to 2Ls

Some law firms are rescinding summer associate offers or making them less appealing. One of them is Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. The law firm told the American Lawyer that it rescinded some job offers for summer 2009 positions in Los Angeles and New York because more students accepted…

Dec 9, 2008 1:01 PM CST

Dog Law Can Pay in Kibble, But Offers Other Benefits

It isn’t likely to be the most lucrative of law practices. But representing animals and their owners is a growing field due in part to the satisfaction that the job can offer. Among those who have made it a big part of their professional lives is Texas attorney Zandra Anderson,…

Dec 8, 2008 11:25 PM CST

Finding a Summer Job is Harder Work for Va. Law Students

As the economy went into a tailspin this year, even students at an elite law school are having a harder time finding work as a summer associates. Although 90 percent of the second-year class at the University of Virginia School of Law has landed a summer job, that still leaves…

Dec 8, 2008 7:12 PM CST

Lawyer Who Fled Saigon at Age 8 Defeats Indicted US Rep

An immigration lawyer who fled Saigon at the age of 8 has defeated Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, a Harvard-educated lawyer who is under indictment on public corruption charges. The election winner is Republican Anh “Joseph” Cao, who will become the first Vietnamese-American in Congress, the New Orleans Times-Picayune…

Dec 8, 2008 6:48 PM CST

At White & Case, Top Lawyers Bill as Much as $1,260 an Hour

Nearly 71 percent of large law firms surveyed hiked billing rates this year, with one firm charging rates of more than $1,200 an hour. The average partner rate, however, was considerably lower at $451 an hour at all law firms surveyed. White & Case reported the highest billing rate—$1,260 an…

Dec 8, 2008 2:35 PM CST

Fewer Lawyers Making Partner in Big Calif. Firms

Eight out of 13 large California law firms announcing new partners are promoting fewer lawyers than last year. Law firm consultants say they aren’t surprised. “I would be amazed if there wasn’t a reduction in the admission of new partners this year,” Brad Hildebrandt of Hildebrandt International told the Recorder…

Dec 8, 2008 1:58 PM CST

Boies Schiller Bucks Trend, Will Pay Some $100K Bonuses

Boies, Schiller & Flexner is keeping bonuses commensurate with those paid last year, awarding some associates more than $100,000 in additional compensation. Partner Philip Korologos didn’t reveal bonus details in an interview with the Am Law Daily, but said several bonuses will exceed $100,000. That compares to top bonuses of…

Dec 8, 2008 1:36 PM CST

Prosecutors and PDs Fired in Fla. Consider Lawsuits

A newly elected public defender and state attorney in Florida’s Fourth Circuit in Jacksonville, Fla., have fired more than 20 lawyers in their offices, prompting threats of lawsuits. Public Defender Matt Shirk fired 10 lawyers, while State Attorney Angela Corey says she refused to keep about 15 percent of the…

Dec 8, 2008 1:10 PM CST

Will Caroline Kennedy Bring Another Piece of Camelot to the Senate?

Rumors are hot that New York Gov. David Paterson spoke to the only surviving child of President John F. Kennedy about filling the senate seat once held by her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy. Caroline Kennedy, a 1988 Columbia Law School graduate, is considering replacing Sen. Hillary Clinton, according to ABC…

Dec 5, 2008 9:39 PM CST