District of Columbia

Covington Poised to Grow With New Chairman

Covington & Burling has a new chairman who is touting an expansion program for the law firm. Antitrust litigator Timothy Hester is the firm’s new chairman, Legal Times reports. Hester told Legal Times to watch for a big expansion in a few of the law firm’s offices. “We’re especially focusing…

Oct 2, 2007 12:29 PM CDT

Partnership Harder to Get, Easier to Lose

Just in case associates at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner haven’t already noticed, the Washington, D.C.-based intellectual property boutique called a meeting recently to announce that it’s harder than it used to be to make partner. Among other changes that are now being formally codified, the partnership track is…

Sep 28, 2007 7:18 PM CDT

Survey: Skadden #1 in Corporate Realm

In the corporate arena, one law firm clearly is the top of the list, a survey says: Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. There isn’t a category where Skadden isn’t a lead player,” Michael Rynowecer, president of BTI Consulting Group, tells Legal Times, in a story reprinted by New York…

Sep 28, 2007 6:52 PM CDT

Money-Making Game: ‘Second Life’ First?

A Canadian law firm claims to be the first to establish an office on Second Life, a 3D virtual community that has attracted millions of participants from all over the world. Davis LLP is staffing its Second Life office with lawyers from the firm’s Video Game law & Interactive Entertainment…

Sep 25, 2007 10:10 PM CDT

Lawmaker: Feds Didn’t Spot Cyber-Attack

Saying that the Department of Homeland Security didn’t notice for months that its computer system had been attacked by hackers, a Congressman who works closely with the department is now seeking a new government investigation—and blaming the contractor in charge of the system for lax oversight. Meanwhile, the FBI reportedly…

Sep 24, 2007 7:12 PM CDT

Suit Accuses Sheppard Mullin of Conflict

Pan Am is accusing Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton of a conflict of interest in a malpractice suit. The complaint contends the law firm agreed to represent Pan Am’s general counsel even though it had represented two Pan Am subsidiaries in the past, Legal Times reports. The suit claims Sheppard…

Sep 24, 2007 12:22 PM CDT

Perkins Coie Settles Malpractice Suit

Perkins Coie has agreed to settle a malpractice suit in a deal that will pay a former client $19 million, Legal Times reports. Terms of the settlement are confidential. But the ex-client, Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho, has announced it will receive $19 million in a malpractice settlement. Robert Giles, managing partner…

Sep 18, 2007 1:06 PM CDT

Lawyer Sues Over Partner’s Alleged Groping

A former nonequity partner at a Washington, D.C., law firm is suing for sexual harassment stemming from an incident at a party. Elisa Eisenberg claims Robert Rider Jr., also a nonequity partner, became intoxicated and groped her at a June 2006 party, Legal Times reports. Her suit says her law…

Sep 12, 2007 11:33 AM CDT

Two Old Firms Struggle With New Paradigm

Two big law firms in the nation’s capital have dropped in Legal Times’ top-20 D.C. rankings, prompting the publication to conclude the firms “seem to be having trouble adjusting to Washington’s new paradigm.” The firms—Arnold & Porter and Covington & Burling—are slipping in the rankings at the same time that…

Sep 11, 2007 11:09 AM CDT

Dogged Argument Lands PD in Jail

A Washington, D.C., lawyer with the public defender’s office ended up in a holding cell last week after a heated argument with a judge. Judge John Bayly Jr. said he acted because the PD, Liyah Brown, argued over with him over whether her client was homeless—and kept on arguing even…

Sep 5, 2007 12:48 PM CDT

Sonnenschein Faces $9 M Suit by Ex-Lawyer

A $9 million pay dispute between Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal and a former partner may soon be scheduled for trial. Douglas Rosenthal contends Sonnenschein owes him the money for big successes in two cases, Legal Times reports in a story reprinted by New York Lawyer. Rosenthal claims the law firm…

Sep 5, 2007 12:20 PM CDT

Iraq Contractors Hire High-Profile Firms

Some big-name law firms are representing Iraq contractors under investigation for defrauding the government. The government may have lost as much as $10 billion in fraud related to Iraq contracts, the National Law Journal reports. Investigators are looking at about 80 cases of possible misconduct and have referred about 20…

Sep 5, 2007 10:46 AM CDT

Morgan Lewis Helps Struggling Homeowners

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius is offering pro bono help to low-income homeowners who fall behind on property tax payments. The firm’s pilot project in Washington, D.C., which started in July, seeks to avoid foreclosures of homes for unpaid taxes, the New York Law Journal reports. The law firm has access…

Sep 4, 2007 12:48 PM CDT

Who’s the Lawyer? Suit to Decide

A malpractice suit against a well-regarded Washington, D.C., litigator raises an unusual issue: Which lawyer represented a man shot by a police officer nine times? A $5 million malpractice suit claims Michele Roberts failed to serve the police officer and missed deadlines in the case, leading to its dismissal, Legal…

Aug 30, 2007 11:30 AM CDT

UK Magic Circle Firms Add US Lawyers

Some of London’s biggest and best-known law firms are signaling their intention to establish a higher-profile presence in the U.S. legal market. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has sent two partners and three associates into the firm’s New York office from international locations, reports New York Lawyer (reg. req.), reprinting a Legal…

Aug 29, 2007 7:59 PM CDT