Diversity

Hazed and abused, some lawyers see bullying as part of job while others leave, new study says

Bullying experienced by lawyers is causing increased turnover and “a talent drain from the profession,” according to a new Illinois survey and study thought “to be one of the first wide-scale research projects” of its kind in the United States.

Oct 2, 2024 12:03 PM CDT

Finding a Pathway: Assisting Native American and Indigenous law students requires confronting the challenges they face

Aspiring Native American lawyers face a host of unique challenges in their journeys to, through and beyond law school, even as law schools and legal associations offer support throughout the pipeline all the way to their first job. Research about Native and Indigenous law students and lawyers uses a variety of criteria, making it hard to compare facts and figures. But all point to the same fact: Native and Indigenous people are underrepresented in the legal profession, starting in law school.

Oct 1, 2024 3:40 AM CDT

Formidable Foe: Roberta Kaplan doesn't back down from tough fights

Lawyers who know Roberta Kaplan say they weren’t surprised when she agreed to represent writer E. Jean Carroll in her litigation against former President Donald Trump, even though it meant being the subject of intense media scrutiny. Kaplan, her friends say, isn’t the type of person to be intimidated.

Oct 1, 2024 3:30 AM CDT

Corporate lawyer leaves BigLaw to grow diaper vending machine business

Diaper duty is a task that favors the prepared, especially when out in public. But there can be no diaper change without a clean, correctly sized diaper. And that was precisely what Erin England, a Dallas corporate finance lawyer, was missing back in 2016 when she faced her infant daughter’s “code brown” in a restaurant bathroom.

Oct 1, 2024 1:40 AM CDT

Firms should consider billable hour credit for DEI and bar association work

Many firms already credit pro bono hours toward their attorneys’ billable hour requirements. But what about the time attorneys devote to bar association activities and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives?

Oct 1, 2024 12:30 AM CDT

Suspended federal appeals judge, 97, has ‘extraordinarily high level of cognitive ability,’ evaluation says

A suspended 97-year-old federal appeals judge appears to be a “super-ager” because she shows no effects of age on cognition and demeanor, according to a neurosurgeon who is also a lawyer and an inventor.

Sep 25, 2024 11:44 AM CDT

The Supreme Court is a liberal body—when it comes to legal writing

Legal writing professor Jill Barton spent five years analyzing more than 10,000 pages of SCOTUS opinions to produce The Supreme Guide to Writing. Her biggest takeaway? The justices are not a conservative bunch when it comes to writing style.

Sep 25, 2024 8:48 AM CDT

Straight white woman can’t sue over BigLaw diversity fellowship because she didn’t apply, motion says

A former law student has no standing to sue over King & Spalding’s summer associate diversity fellowship because she never applied for the position, the law firm has said in a Sept. 19 motion to dismiss.

Sep 23, 2024 3:05 PM CDT

Judge’s advocacy for domestic violence survivors changed Arizona laws

“When I first became a judge, law enforcement and judges basically had the same attitude for domestic violence,” says Judge Elizabeth Finn. “They were quote unquote ‘family disputes,’ and we just wanted them to go away.”

Sep 12, 2024 3:15 PM CDT

Paul Weiss partner, ‘a skilled handler of high-ego politicians,’ is helping Harris with debate prep

A partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison helped Vice President Kamala Harris prepare for Tuesday's presidential debate with former President Donald Trump, even as she prepared as lead attorney for Google in an antitrust trial based on alleged online advertising dominance.

Sep 10, 2024 11:10 AM CDT

Lawyer alleges ‘impeachment by subterfuge’ after federal appeals judge, 97, suspended for another year

Judge Pauline Newman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has been suspended from hearing cases for another year amid concerns about her “cognitive state.”

Sep 9, 2024 9:44 AM CDT

White male law student settles suit against Chicago Bears over ‘legal diversity fellow’ position

A student at the DePaul University College of Law has settled a lawsuit claiming that the Chicago Bears football team refused to consider him for a “legal diversity fellow” position because he is a white man.

Sep 5, 2024 10:36 AM CDT

Justice Sotomayor’s side hustle during a hectic term? A children’s musical

“Of all my legacies, this is the one I’m most proud of,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor told about 200 parents, children, actors and musicians gathered in a church hall to rehearse a musical adaptation of her children’s book Just Ask. “You have brought to life a book that was in my head for over 35 years.”

Aug 29, 2024 12:45 PM CDT

These firms are ‘ceiling smashers’ for having highest percentage of women in equity partnerships

Women lawyers still lag behind their male counterparts in leadership positions, according to Law360 Pulse's 2024 Women in Law Report.

Aug 22, 2024 2:44 PM CDT

Racial disparities in law school applicants remain, AccessLex Institute says

Racial disparities among law school applicants persist, according to the AccessLex Institute’s Legal Education Data Deck.

Aug 15, 2024 9:36 AM CDT