Key Attorney Interview Skill: Mental Editing

Once you’ve done a few, associate job interviews often involve some of the same stock questions and answers. But an anonymous young solicitor puts a fresh spin on the subject by recounting what she was really thinking at a recent job interview, in a British newspaper column today. Asked why…

Nov 13, 2007 7:07 PM CST

Ginsburg: If Male, I’d Be a Retired Partner

It wasn’t only former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor who, famously, had trouble finding work as a lawyer after graduating at the top of her class from a renowned law school back in the day when law practice was almost exclusively a male domain. Her female colleague on the U.S. Supreme…

Nov 12, 2007 10:59 PM CST

‘Dismal’ Diversity at Big Dallas Firms

More than a decade ago, the men at the helm of the biggest and best-known law firms in Dallas pledged to a major effort to recruit more minorities. But attorneys of color still represent only a small fraction of those who work there–less than five percent of equity partners, reports…

Nov 12, 2007 7:39 PM CST

Justices Help Federalist Society Celebrate 25 Years

At least four Supreme Court justices are expected to attend the 25th anniversary meeting of the conservative Federalist Society this week. Justices Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia and Samuel A. Alito Jr. are expected to attend Thursday’s dinner at which President Bush will speak, the Washington Post reports. Meanwhile Chief Justice…

Nov 12, 2007 5:49 PM CST

Ace Private Equity Attorney: Super-Smarts Aren’t a Job Requirement

Charlie Geffen readily admits he’s something of a workaholic. But, the British lawyer says, it doesn’t take an academic whiz to be one of the world’s most successful private equity practitioners. Instead, diligently learning the rules is what it takes to get through law school, and, especially in his practice…

Nov 9, 2007 4:58 PM CST

Survey Reveals the Unhappiest Associates

The most unhappy people in the nation’s top law firms are minority female midlevel associates, according to an American Lawyer survey. Women of color express less satisfaction and encounter more obstacles, according to an article on the Minority Experience Survey in the Minority Law Journal. More minority female midlevels were…

Nov 7, 2007 11:45 AM CST

What Associates Want (It Isn’t Partnership)

What associates want varies, so it can be difficult to pinpoint all of their concerns. But, by overlooking the issues they consider important, law firms are losing out on opportunities to increase associate satisfaction and retain valued attorneys, a legal consultant says. For starters, law firm administrators need to realize…

Nov 2, 2007 9:20 PM CDT

One To Watch

Nov 1, 2007 7:59 PM CDT

McDermott’s Assoc. Tiers Twist: The B Team

Another major law firm is planning to institute a two-tiered system for associate attorneys. But it is taking a different approach from what some other avant-garde law shops are doing. Instead of giving current partnership-track associates a choice between working more hours for more pay or taking a kinder, gentler…

Nov 1, 2007 6:35 PM CDT

Former Gonzales Chief of Staff Takes on Food & Drug Practice

The former chief of staff to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has landed in the private sector. D. Kyle Sampson, a Utah native who resigned amid growing controversy over the firing of at least eight U.S. attorneys, will join the food and drug practice at Hunton & Williams, the Salt…

Oct 31, 2007 6:45 PM CDT

Embattled New Orleans DA Resigns

Embattled Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan has resigned after facing years of criticism for not aggressively pursuing violent criminals, persistent staff turnover and most recently a ruling that plaintiffs could seize assets to collect a $3.7 million civil rights verdict against him. Jordan will be replaced by First Assistant…

Oct 30, 2007 8:37 PM CDT

Candidates’ Cases: A Hidden Rat, Passionate Arguments, Gutsy Moves

The legal backgrounds of the presidential candidates with law degrees may provide insights into their approaches to the presidency. Six candidates have law degrees, the New York Times reports. They are Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Rudolph Giuliani, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson. All but Romney have practiced law.…

Oct 29, 2007 11:11 AM CDT

Taxi Gig Drives Cabbie, 59, to Law School

Driving a taxi is what put a 59-year-old Hawaii man on the road to law school. John Parker often picked up fares at the police station, and drove people home who had just bailed out of jail, reports the Honolulu Advertiser. Along the way, many told him their problems, and…

Oct 26, 2007 8:48 PM CDT

Merger Mania: From Small to BigLaw, Then Goodbye Job

When Berg & Parker, a 13-lawyer California boutique with a significant real estate practice, merged into 400-attorney Preston Gates & Ellis about three years ago, its attorneys had high hopes for their future with the Seattle-based national firm. But after Preston Gates merged with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham roughly…

Oct 25, 2007 6:47 PM CDT

Client Conflict Disrupts Partner’s Move

An IP litigator who decided to switch firms experienced a bumpy landing because of a client conflict issue. Baker Hostetler’s James Doroshow planned to move to Los Angeles’ Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. But, according to the Recorder (sub. req.), a client put a kibosh on Doroshow’s firm choice. After some…

Oct 24, 2007 5:58 PM CDT