How law departments can survive or even thrive in the event of a coming recession

The pandemic’s global economic and human impact has created new challenges for in-house legal teams. Supply chain disruptions, sharp increases or decreases in consumer demand, and the impact of uncertainty surrounding remote work options have pushed in-house legal teams to rethink the work they are doing and how they are doing it.

Oct 1, 2022 2:20 AM CDT

In-house lawyer will be eligible for parole at 81 after conviction for fatal car collision

A 51-year-old Atlanta-area lawyer was convicted of murder Tuesday for hitting a man with his Mercedes in what prosecutors alleged was a fit of rage.

Sep 21, 2022 11:28 AM CDT

NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals hire first in-house counsel in team’s history

The National Football League’s Cincinnati Bengals—which made an unexpected run to last season’s Super Bowl but ultimately lost to the Los Angeles Rams—have hired the first in-house attorney in the team's 55-year history.

Aug 15, 2022 1:35 PM CDT

Lawyer who once directed corporate law at Apple pleads guilty to insider trading

A former top lawyer at Apple who was tasked with enforcing its insider trading policy pleaded guilty Thursday in a scheme to trade on the company's material, nonpublic information.

Jul 1, 2022 9:02 AM CDT

Corporate legal departments spend more in-house than on outside law firms, survey finds

Corporate legal departments are spending 54% of their budgets in-house, outpacing their spending on outside counsel, according to a survey released last week by the Association of Corporate Counsel and legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa.

Jun 22, 2022 12:13 PM CDT

Sotomayor argues Texas court defied SCOTUS ruling in ineffective counsel case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear the case of a death row inmate who successfully argued two years ago that he received ineffective assistance of counsel.

Jun 13, 2022 1:16 PM CDT

Former elections GC pleads guilty to charges stemming from wrestling job seekers

Updated: A former general counsel for the New York City Board of Elections has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors for allegedly subjecting job seekers to a physical fitness assessment that included wrestling moves and measurement of body parts.

Jun 7, 2022 9:56 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Coca-Cola ex-GC’s $12M deal criticized; DOJ mostly loses first of six wage-collusion cases

Coca-Cola’s $12M deal with former GC is criticized

Proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis & Co. is advising shareholders to vote against Coca-Cola’s executive compensation plan because of the beverage company’s…

Apr 15, 2022 1:34 PM CDT

SCOTUS should not restrict counsel’s investigations in death penalty cases, ABA says

In an amicus brief filed Monday, the ABA urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reaffirm that counsel representing habeas petitioners should be able to investigate new evidence without first proving that the evidence will provide relief to their clients.

Apr 5, 2022 9:34 AM CDT

Chicago Park District seeks to seal lawyer’s suit claiming mayor defamed him in obscenity-laced Zoom call

The Chicago Park District is seeking to seal a lawsuit filed by a former park district lawyer contending that Mayor Lori Lightfoot defamed him by questioning his legal ability in an obscenity-laced Zoom call.

Apr 4, 2022 2:59 PM CDT

Coca-Cola never adopted diversity plan for law firms; group that threatened suit targets other companies

Coca-Cola never implemented a directive that required its outside law firms to use diverse lawyers for at least 30% of their billed attorney time on new matters.

Mar 30, 2022 8:39 AM CDT

Surveyed lawyers report they experience burnout in their jobs more than half the time

Lawyers are experiencing more burnout and a decline in well-being, according to a Bloomberg Law survey taken in the last quarter of 2021.

Mar 9, 2022 8:43 AM CST

Darryl Wilson shares love of cooking with others during COVID-19 pandemic

Darryl Wilson, an in-house attorney at Tyson Foods in Springdale, Arkansas, has used cooking as a form of therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. He launched his own Instagram account, where he regularly posts photos of his dishes, and taught two virtual cooking classes to members of the ABA Young Lawyers Division. “We always have to find things that make us happy and that are fulfilling or rewarding to us,” he says. “Mine just happens to be cooking.”

Jan 20, 2022 9:22 AM CST

Airport’s general counsel resigns amid reports that he slapped subordinate

The general counsel at the Denver International Airport has stepped down amid accusations that he repeatedly slapped a colleague at a holiday party.

Jan 6, 2022 10:52 AM CST

Former legal chief at Farmers Insurance awarded $150M in punitive damages in firing suit

The former legal chief for Farmers Insurance was awarded $150 million in punitive damages Thursday in a wrongful termination lawsuit claiming that he was wrongly blamed for a sex-bias suit filed by female attorneys.

Dec 20, 2021 8:58 AM CST