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Consultant Helps Harried Lawyers Avoid Attorney Wardrobe Malfunctions

Being well-dressed costs money. But for a lawyer, looking tailored and professional in an attractive, well-fitting suit is a worthwhile investment, Tony and Tara Costanzo say. That message has put the 30-something married couple in business, helping several hundred clients including numerous lawyers in the New York area, order the…

Nov 12, 2008 10:23 PM CST

More Attorneys Tweet in Twitterverse

Answering the question ‘What are you doing?’ (in 140 words or less) on a regular basis throughout the day obviously can blur the line between personal and professional life. But doing so on the Twitter.com social networking website is helping a growing number of attorneys build their law practices, reports…

Nov 12, 2008 9:07 PM CST

Big Firm Bust = More Solos?

As clients demand more face time with attorneys and lower fees in a turbulent economy, there may be an opportunity for BigLaw lawyers to go solo. Take Chicago-based lawyer Rishi Agrawal, a former staff attorney at Eimer Stahl Klevorn & Solberg. After nine years of practice under his belt, he…

Nov 12, 2008 5:42 PM CST

As More Male Lawyers Use Flextime, its Acceptance Increases

More law firms are offering flextime, and it may be gaining in acceptance because more male lawyers are using the benefit. “To stem those defections and attract recruits, flextime has become the perk of the moment,” the American Lawyer reports. The story reports that law firms offering flextime or allowing…

Nov 12, 2008 12:38 PM CST

Harvard Law Students, Legal Recruiters among Those Hit by Law Firm Cuts

As the economic downturn hits big law firms, resulting in layoffs and a few dissolutions, legal job seekers—and the people who help them find jobs—are also feeling the pain. The effects extend even to Harvard Law School, ranked second-best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Mark Weber,…

Nov 12, 2008 12:06 PM CST

White & Case Axes 70 Lawyers, 100 Staff

In the latest law firm layoffs over the current economic turmoil, White & Case has eliminated 70 lawyers and 100 staff members from its ranks. A lack of work in practice areas including banking and securities, as well as reduced attrition, were the reason for the layoffs, a firm spokesman…

Nov 11, 2008 9:56 PM CST

Ex-Baker Botts Partner Turns to Writing Books with Christian Themes

A former partner at Baker Botts who practiced law for 25 years has given up her corporate finance practice to work full time on writing books with Christian themes. Pamela Binnings Ewen writes on her website that she loved being a lawyer, but the Sept. 11 tragedy caused her to…

Nov 11, 2008 6:57 PM CST

Legal Futurist: ‘The Party is Now Over’

A futurist argues that the legal profession is about to undergo a “fundamental transformation” in which conventional legal advisers will be much less prominent and legal services will be “commoditized” and delivered more cheaply. The man making the predictions is Richard Susskind, the author of The End of Lawyers? He…

Nov 11, 2008 3:20 PM CST

Loeb & Loeb Lays Off Eight Associates

Loeb & Loeb has confirmed the layoffs of eight associates. The law firm released a statement that said the lawyers were laid off as part of a “periodic attorney evaluation process and assessment of its overall personnel needs in its various practice areas,” the National Law Journal reports. The statement…

Nov 11, 2008 2:52 PM CST

A Wrong Prediction about Construction Litigation Results in Layoffs

A Chicago law firm has laid off four of its 14 associates after hiring seven lawyers earlier this year in anticipation of an increase in construction litigation that never materialized. Stein, Ray & Harris now has 10 associates and 11 partners, name partner Robert Harris told the National Law Journal.…

Nov 11, 2008 2:32 PM CST

Ex-Baker Botts Lawyer Says Colleague’s Depressing Advice Made Him Leave

Michael Weinberg knew he wanted to own his own business when he went to law school, but he followed the traditional career path and ended up as an associate at Baker Botts in Dallas. “When you’re offered something from the big firms in Dallas, you can’t turn it down. It…

Nov 10, 2008 7:21 PM CST

Manhattan US Attorney Expected to Join Kirkland & Ellis

U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia of Manhattan is expected to announce that he is leaving government to join Kirkland & Ellis. The New York Times quoted lawyers familiar with Garcia’s plans as saying he will join Kirkland & Ellis. A Wall Street Journal story (sub. req.) hedges, saying Garcia is in…

Nov 10, 2008 5:28 PM CST

Laid Off By Thelen, Associate Happily Moves In-House

Being included among the 26 associates laid off firmwide by Thelen this past spring proved to be a blessing in disguise for attorney Anthony Kornacki. Tired of working every day with the number 8.66—his average daily billable hours quota to meet the firm’s 2,100-hour threshold—mentally emblazoned on his brain, the…

Nov 10, 2008 5:21 PM CST

Personnel Board Upholds Firing of Calif. Lawyer Who Questioned Labor Regs

A California state employment lawyer who criticized emergency regulations on employee meal and rest breaks says he’s considering a lawsuit after he failed to win his job back. The State Personnel Board ruled last week that lawyer Miles Locker had undermined the trust essential to the attorney-client relationship and upheld…

Nov 10, 2008 2:53 PM CST

Bad Economy Didn’t Stop Large Law Firms from Adding Lawyers in 2008

DLA Piper has retained its position as the nation’s largest law firm, growing by 4.5 percent in 2008. The law firm’s head count grew only slightly more than the average of 4.3 percent for the 250 law firms surveyed this year by the National Law Journal. DLA Piper had 3,785…

Nov 10, 2008 12:03 PM CST