Careers

Building the Road Less Traveled

Alabama solo puts practice on hold to answer military’s call to Afghanistan

Apr 1, 2008 3:16 PM CDT

Women Lawyers Have Higher Divorce Rates, Need Loving Husbands, Researcher Says

A researcher has found that young female lawyers and other women professionals have slightly higher divorce rates than their male counterparts. Law professor Robin Fretwell Wilson of Washington & Lee University is the author of the study. She says her study indicates that “women can’t have it all because there…

Apr 1, 2008 11:17 AM CDT

Ex-Jenkens Lawyers Land on their Feet at Hunton

One year ago, Jenkens & Gilchrist disbanded after a probe into the law firm’s work on aggressive tax shelters. But many lawyers and staffers go to the same office and even sit at the same desks at Fountain Place in Dallas. They’re working at Hunton & Williams, thanks to a…

Mar 31, 2008 3:35 PM CDT

Jurors Laud Sonnenschein Defense, Give Ex-Partner a Mixed Verdict

A former partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal had sought $8.2 million in his lawsuit against the firm, but he’s getting far less than that. Two jurors said they found ex-partner Douglas Rosenthal was underpaid by more than $500,000 even though Sonnenschein had better lawyers in the case, Legal Times…

Mar 31, 2008 11:25 AM CDT

Law Firms Beef Up For Bankruptcy Work, the Hottest Growth Area

A new survey has found that lawyers expect bankruptcy to be the hottest growth area for law firms this year. That’s no secret to law firm managers who are already beefing up bankruptcy practices. One out of four lawyers surveyed said the fastest area of growth would be in bankruptcy…

Mar 31, 2008 10:55 AM CDT

Ms. JD Holds Summit to Form National Law Student Sorority

The cyberspace coalition that is “Ms. JD” is leaving the safety of its virtual world to host a real-live program in New York. Thanks to some BigLaw underwriting, Ms. JD will host a blue-ribbon lineup of judges, practitioners and a journalist at its April 4-5 “Leadership Summit.” The summit will…

Mar 28, 2008 9:29 PM CDT

Ala. Solo Answers Military Call to Afghanistan

When Alabama attorney and Navy Reserve officer Sterling DeRamus got married, his wife felt reasonably sure he would be a full-time solo practitioner and weekend soldier. After all, the Berlin Wall had fallen and the Soviet Union had shattered into several small nations. It was years before al-Qaida flew planes…

Mar 28, 2008 8:28 PM CDT

Associates Get Cut of New Biz at this Flex-Schedule Friendly Firm

Chicago lawyer Deane B. Brown set her sights on looking for a new firm, with more realistic expectations, after she gave birth in 1996. Nights, weekends away from home left her feeling cheated. So in 2002, she joined a smaller shop, Beermann Swerdlove, where she told Business Week recently, “We…

Mar 28, 2008 7:42 PM CDT

Rep. Wynn Resigns Early to Join D.C.‘s Dickstein Shapiro

Veteran U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn, D-Md., announced this week he’s resigning from Congress early to become a partner at Dickstein Shapiro, which is known in part for a strong lobbying practice. Wynn will join the firm’s public policy practice, a release notes. “I have known Congressman Wynn since our…

Mar 28, 2008 6:45 PM CDT

In-House Jobs Not So Cushy or Exciting, Says Veteran Lawyer

If you think a jump from a law firm to an in-house position is the ticket to a cushy, stress-free job, think again. The life of an in-house lawyer is not exactly a bed of roses. That’s the assessment of Gloria Noh Cannon, a former in-house lawyer who is now…

Mar 27, 2008 4:00 PM CDT

Drug Companies Beware: FTC Commissioner Kovacic Gets Promoted

William Kovacic, a commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission, has been named chairman of the agency. He will replace Deborah Platt Majoras, who is leaving to join the legal department at Procter & Gamble. Kovacic is former general counsel of the agency, the Associated Press reports. He also taught at…

Mar 27, 2008 1:33 PM CDT

Linda Greenhouse to Teach at Yale

Linda Greenhouse, the longtime U.S. Supreme Court reporter for the New York Times, will become a journalist-in-residence and senior fellow at Yale Law School. The Yale Daily News calls the appointment “a marquee catch” for the law school’s new law and media program, which is aimed at journalists and law…

Mar 27, 2008 11:02 AM CDT

First Female Judge Named in United Arab Emirates

The president of the United Arab Emirates has appointed the federation’s first female judge. Acting in his role as the ruler of Abu Dhabi, the wealthiest of the seven member-states of the UAE, President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan yesterday named Kholoud Ahmad Jouan al-Dhaheri as a new member of…

Mar 26, 2008 4:50 PM CDT

Cravath Partner Offers Practice Tips

In the 30-plus years he has been a lawyer at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, John Beerbower has learned a few things about litigation. Among them: Don’t try to be the client’s friend. Yet listen, empathize and try to understand what the client wants. (It’s often not what the client thinks…

Mar 26, 2008 12:58 AM CDT

Move Over AmLaw 100, Here’s the Lawyer’s Spin on the Top 50

In a reinvention of the AmLaw 100, a United Kingdom legal publication has compiled a list of the top 50 U.S. law firms based on revenue. Atop the list is DLA Piper, followed by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Latham & Watkins; Baker & McKenzie; and Sidley Austin. Together,…

Mar 25, 2008 7:45 PM CDT