Careers

SEC’s Chief was MIA as US Markets Swooned, Some Say

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson were the men of the hour last week, stepping in with a viable emergency plan as the U.S. economy appeared to be on the verge of a massive meltdown following a year of ongoing bad news. But where was…

Sep 22, 2008 6:35 PM CDT

‘Queen’ Sybil Moses is Retiring from N.J. Bench

It wasn’t until she was 30-something and married with two children that Sybil Moses went to law school. And that was in the 1970s, when she and the other members of the “Band of Mothers” at Rutgers University School of Law in Newark, New Jersey, were “a bit of an…

Sep 22, 2008 5:48 PM CDT

Many Bear Stearns Lawyers Jump to Law Firms

Several lawyers at Bear Stearns have landed at major law firms after the takeover of the investment bank by JPMorgan Chase. The law firms are seeking the lawyers’ industry contacts as well as their experience, the National Law Journal reports. The publication lists these lawyers as among those making the…

Sep 22, 2008 5:32 PM CDT

Dry Cleaner Job Put Law Student on Path to Law Firm Position

Always do a good job, because you never know who may be watching you. That tried-and-true advice helped one law student springboard from his job as an assistant manager at a dry cleaner in Roslyn Heights, N.Y., to an internship at a Manhattan-based personal injury firm, reports Newsday. Today, John…

Sep 22, 2008 4:29 PM CDT

Theodore Olson to Argue 50th High Court Case, with Archangel’s Help

Former Solicitor General Theodore Olson will achieve a milestone that few others have reached when he argues his 50th case before the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 6. He’ll be carrying a laminated card depicting St. Michael the Archangel, known as the warrior saint who battles Satan, Legal Times reports.…

Sep 22, 2008 3:47 PM CDT

Quitting Dechert Put Bill Lamb on Path to Fame and Fortune

As a young associate at the law firm now known as Dechert, William Lamb soon found himself feeling restless. Only a year or so out of law school, he marched into the chairman’s office and said he was going to quit. Little did he know then that the risky career…

Sep 22, 2008 3:34 PM CDT

Lawyer with $150K in Student Loans Asks Suze Orman for Advice

A lawyer saddled with $150,000 in student debt has written to financial guru Suze Orman for advice. The anonymous writer tells of a “dire” financial situation caused by the pursuit of a law degree and a graduate degree in public policy. He or she has $150,000 in debt at 4…

Sep 22, 2008 2:56 PM CDT

Meet Treasury GC Robert Hoyt, DC’s ‘Busiest Lawyer’

Legal Times describes the Treasury Department’s general counsel, Robert Hoyt, as “the busiest lawyer in Washington.” Hoyt has led the department’s legal team in recent bailouts for Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and American International Group—and he oversees a staff of 2,000 lawyers who work for the agencies that…

Sep 22, 2008 2:43 PM CDT

Low-Paid PDs and Prosecutors Try Moonlighting

Public defenders and prosecutors struggling to pay off high student debt are increasingly turning to side jobs to make ends meet. The National Law Journal reports on the trend, finding that lawyers are not sticking only with traditional moonlighting jobs such as doing wills on the side or teaching law…

Sep 19, 2008 2:14 PM CDT

Ariz. Lawyers Can Practice Across State Lines With Rule Change

A Phoenix lawyer has succeeded in his quest to get the Arizona Supreme Court to change a rule that had barred out-of-state lawyers from practicing in the state unless they take the state bar exam. The rule change (PDF) allows lawyers from other states to practice in Arizona if their…

Sep 19, 2008 12:52 PM CDT

Four Gibson Dunn Associates Represent McCain in Citizenship Suits

Four associates at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Washington, D.C., have racked up a string of victories as they fight for John McCain’s right to be president. The associates are volunteering their time to defend claims that McCain’s birth to a Navy officer in the Panama Canal Zone makes him…

Sep 19, 2008 11:36 AM CDT

42% of Lawyers Surveyed Fear Career Fallout from Lehman Woes

An increasing number of lawyers are worried that problems on Wall Street will hurt their careers. Forty-two percent of practicing lawyers responding to a survey through the blog Above the Law said the recent bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers and the sale of Merrill Lynch would harm their careers. Only 27…

Sep 18, 2008 6:06 PM CDT

Median Starting Pay for Legal Services Lawyers is $40K, Survey Says

Median starting pay for legal services and public interest lawyers is only a fourth of the highly touted $160,000 that big firm associates make, according to a new study. Median starting pay for lawyers is $40,000 in legal services and $41,000 at public interest groups with issue-driven missions, according to…

Sep 18, 2008 12:33 PM CDT

Heller Partners Reportedly Told Dissolution is Possible

Partners at Heller Ehrman were told in a meeting yesterday that the law firm is considering dissolution, anonymous sources told the Recorder. The firm hasn’t voted on the issue, but industry watchers said it may be the only alternative. Partners were told it was understood they would be looking for…

Sep 18, 2008 10:56 AM CDT

Online Chat: Midcareer Malaise

Click the replay button below to check out Wednesday’s online chat featuring career advice expert Hindi Greenberg, founder of the Nevada City, Calif.-based Lawyers in Transition consulting service and author of The Lawyer’s Career Change Handbook. Read the accompanying article, “Midcareer Malaise: Finding a path to your 40s,” in the…

Sep 17, 2008 5:53 PM CDT