Employees

How the federal judiciary will continue operations during shutdown

The federal judiciary will tap funding, such as court fee balances, to temporarily continue paid operations during the government shutdown.

Oct 2, 2025 2:40 PM CDT

Judge blocks Kari Lake from laying off over 500 Voice of America staffers

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth temporarily blocked the layoffs of more than 500 Voice of America employees, delivering a setback to the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the United States’ international broadcasting agency.

Sep 30, 2025 10:24 AM CDT

Should there be discipline for employees’ controversial social media posts?

Updated: No First Amendment protection exists for private employees’ speech. However, after the death of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, some lawyers emphasize the importance of individually assessing workers’ controversial public statements, rather than immediate termination.

Sep 25, 2025 1:31 PM CDT

Husch Blackwell accused of using employee 401(k) contributions for months to cover operating expenses

A would-be class action lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that Husch Blackwell engaged in “a deliberate scheme” to temporarily use its employees’ retirement plan contributions for its benefit in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Sep 17, 2025 9:19 AM CDT

Perkins Coie lawyer is out of a job, apparently because of post criticizing Charlie Kirk after his shooting death

Updated: Perkins Coie has fired a lawyer for a social media post criticizing conservative political activist Charlie Kirk after his shooting death Wednesday during an appearance at a college campus event in Utah.

Sep 15, 2025 12:43 PM CDT

$675K settlement in suit against Schnader Harrison over alleged misuse of retirement funds gets preliminary OK

A federal judge in Philadelphia has preliminarily approved a $675,000 settlement in a lawsuit claiming that Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis used 401(k) contributions to fund operations and make distributions to equity partners when it suffered financial difficulties.

Aug 21, 2025 9:22 AM CDT

Judge tosses fired associate’s suit alleging WilmerHale discriminated based on his Cameroonian origin

A fired associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr won’t be able to pursue his October 2023 lawsuit against the law firm and a former counsel who worked there.

Aug 7, 2025 2:47 PM CDT

Record-setting employment rate for class of 2024 law grads comes with asterisk, new NALP report finds

Class of 2024 law graduates had the highest ever overall employment rate and the highest ever employment rate in bar-admission-required jobs, but percentages only tell part of the story, according to Nikia L. Gray, the executive director of the National Association for Law Placement.

Aug 5, 2025 9:04 AM CDT

Firm founders who sought liquidated damages for early attorney exits should be suspended, conduct board says

The founding partners of a law firm who required lawyers to pay liquidated damages for early exits should be suspended for 90 days, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals’ Board on Professional Responsibility said in a July 30 opinion.

Aug 4, 2025 11:54 AM CDT

At Sheppard Mullin, employee benefits include help with tasks like finding care for aging parents

It’s a common theme—law firm staff and attorneys juggling caregiving responsibilities in their personal lives with their careers. But Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton says it has found a way to help.

Aug 4, 2025 9:34 AM CDT

Suit by fired BigLaw associate alleges ‘egregious and open racism’ that included ‘white power’ comment

Updated: A Black female associate was “unceremoniously terminated” from McDermott Will & Emery after she complained about a “particularly harmful act of discrimination” in summer 2024, according to a July 30 lawsuit.

Jul 31, 2025 9:44 AM CDT

Justice Department unit defending Trump policies is losing nearly two-thirds of its lawyers, report says

Sixty-nine out of about 110 lawyers who defend Trump administration policies at the Justice Department have voluntarily left or are planning to leave, according to a list reviewed by Reuters. Reuters was able to confirm the departure of all but four of the lawyers on the list through court records…

Jul 15, 2025 12:57 PM CDT

Straight white woman doesn’t have to present special evidence to sue under Title VII, Supreme Court rules

A straight white woman does not have to clear a higher hurdle to bring a reverse bias claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday.

Jun 5, 2025 11:22 AM CDT

Pipeline internship program used by prestigious law firms discriminates based on race, group contends

A law firm fellowship program for incoming law students is “the largest racially discriminatory hiring pipeline program in the legal field," according to a charge of discrimination filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by a legal advocacy group.

May 14, 2025 9:17 AM CDT

Firm failed to honor exit package after retaliating for bias complaint, former BigLaw partner alleges

A former salaried partner at Womble Bond Dickinson has filed a lawsuit alleging that the law firm cut her pay by half and offered her an exit package—which it didn't honor—after she complained about a hostile work environment.

Apr 29, 2025 10:53 AM CDT