Careers

London BigLaw Associates Have Growing Role in Firm Management

Although they obviously don’t run the show, associates at major United Kingdom law firms are reportedly playing an increasing role in firm management. One common practice, for instance, is to have an associate forum that lobbies law firm leaders on behalf of the firm’s junior attorneys, reports the Lawyer. Even…

Feb 26, 2008 6:40 PM CST

Top In-House Lawyers Make $645K, Survey Says

Chief legal officers and general counsel in legal departments of more than 25 lawyers made a median of $645,000 in total cash compensation in 2007, according to a survey by Altman Weil. Median cash compensation ranged from $285,000 for companies with $300 million or less in gross annual revenue to…

Feb 26, 2008 11:54 AM CST

After Resigning, Houston DA is Still on Payroll at $160,000

A Houston district attorney who resigned earlier this month, ending an investigation over his use of the office e-mail system, is out of a job but not out of a paycheck. Until his successor is appointed, District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal continues to draw his $160,000 salary as provided for by…

Feb 25, 2008 8:28 PM CST

How Alston & Bird Improved Retention by 6 Percent

An Altanta-based law firm that recently made a top 100 list of the best companies to work for explains how it helped improve employee retention in an article published in Business Law Today, a publication of the ABA Section of Business Law. Alston & Bird’s retention rate jumped by 6…

Feb 25, 2008 7:06 PM CST

Like to Golf? San Diego Law Firm Seeks Associate Rainmakers

In an unusual recruiting effort, a small San Diego law firm apparently isn’t seeking hardworking associates who never leave the office until night has fallen and they’ve met their billable-hours quotas. In fact, a yen to spend a sunny Friday afternoon on the golf course or at a leisurely lunch…

Feb 22, 2008 7:37 PM CST

Home Depot Lays Off an Estimated 17 In-House Legal Staff

An unnamed source who reportedly was among those adversely affected says perhaps 17 in-house legal staff are included in Home Depot’s layoff of 500 corporate employees late last month. The downsizing involves 10 percent across-the-board cuts in departments throughout Home Depot’s corporate headquarters, notes the Fulton County Daily Report. “Some…

Feb 21, 2008 8:39 PM CST

Legal Gossip Maven David Lat Dishes on Above the Law

Updated: Harvard. Yale. Wachtell. Federal prosecutor. Federal appeals court clerkship. All are part of David Lat’s impressive resume. Yet the 32-year-old is now prominent not in a traditional legal job but as the editor of one of the nation’s most-talked-about legal blogs, Above the Law. A self-described legal tabloid, it…

Feb 21, 2008 6:45 PM CST

Retired at 90, Lawyer Shares Secrets of Good Life

After 50 years of law practice, Edna Shalala was ready to retire. But now, six years later, the 96-year-old is living the good life, reports the Miami Herald. A fractured wrist is keeping her off the course—for now. But Shalala expects to be swinging her clubs again as soon as…

Feb 19, 2008 6:29 PM CST

Lawyer Who ‘Worked’ 1,286 Days in a Year: ‘Common Practice’

Updated: A lawyer who was reported as simultaneously working as a full-time employee for five different Long Island school districts in order to qualify for a government pension and other benefits says such arrangements were common practice. Lawrence W. Reich actually was in private practice and representing the five districts…

Feb 15, 2008 10:40 PM CST

WSJ: Top First-Year Pay Has Hit Ceiling

Despite big profits for 2007 recently reportedly by a number of major U.S.-based law firms, associates shouldn’t expect pay increases anytime soon. At least for now, salaries for the nation’s highest-paid first-year associates are likely to stay at $160,000 because of the struggling economy, reports the Wall Street Journal Law…

Feb 15, 2008 8:44 PM CST

Suitcase-Holding Beauty Is a Lawyer

One of the models who holds suitcases on Deal or No Deal is Stacey Gardner, a law grad who passed the California bar a couple years ago, the New York Times reports. Gardner is a graduate of Southwestern Law School and a practicing lawyer, according to the show’s Web site.…

Feb 15, 2008 4:35 PM CST

$2.4M in Profits Per Partner Could Bring 3 More U.K. Law Firms into Top 10

Three more law firms based in the United Kingdom are “tantalizingly close” to making the top 10 list of the world’s most profitable firms, the American Lawyer reports. Already in the top 10 are U.K. firms Linklaters and Slaughter and May. Now three more firms are nipping at their heels:…

Feb 15, 2008 1:20 PM CST

More Major US Firms Report Major Profits

After news of record-breaking gross revenue at two U.S. legal goliaths, handsome profits for 2007 have been reported by four more BigLaw firms. Weil Gotshal & Manges soared past the $2 million mark in profits per equity partner, up 11 percent from last year to $2.11 million. Meanwhile, another New…

Feb 14, 2008 9:01 PM CST

Skadden Joins Latham at Record $2B Revenue Level

Following swiftly on the heels of the news that total 2007 revenue for Latham & Watkins exceeded $2 billion, another major U.S. law firm has joined in the record-breaking announcement. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom also had gross revenue of more than $2 billion in 2007, reports the Lawyer.…

Feb 13, 2008 6:43 PM CST

$10K Bonus Offered to Lawyers Landing Jobs Via New Service

Two new online job-matching services can help lawyers and law students in their career searches. One of the services, Lateral Link, offers $10,000 bonuses to members who obtain jobs at law firms through its listings, the Wall Street Journal reports. The service, offered by a legal recruiting firm, generally allows…

Feb 13, 2008 1:13 PM CST