In-house Counsel

Former Penn State general counsel cleared of ethics violations in Sandusky investigation

An ethics panel has found that the former general counsel of Penn State did not violate any ethics rules in her representation of Penn State officials during the investigation into child molestation complaints against assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. The disciplinary board panel recommended dismissal of all ethics charges against…

Oct 31, 2018 9:54 AM CDT

Lawyer survey shows growing awareness and use of litigation finance

Litigation finance is gaining in popularity as more clients and law firms are figuring out how to use it. That is the takeaway from a survey commissioned by litigation financing company Burford Capital, according to Liz Bigham, chief marketing officer at Burford who spoke with Bloomberg Law about the results.…

Oct 23, 2018 12:28 PM CDT

James Beckett: Scoring legal work

In his former job as chief business development officer at Frost Brown Todd in Louisville, Kentucky, James Beckett was hungry to learn how his firm could do better.

Sep 1, 2018 2:25 AM CDT

2 Legal Rebels join forces to design the legal department of the future

Sitting on a beach in Florida with his wife, Jeff Carr was enjoying his retirement in April 2017 when he received a phone call asking him to join Univar as general counsel.

Aug 27, 2018 2:26 PM CDT

In-N-Out Burger sends pun-filled letter to beer maker to address ‘brewing’ trademark issue

In-N-Out Burger has advised the makers of In-N-Stout beer that it wants to “hop to action” to resolve a “brewing” trademark issue “in good spirits.” In-N-Out sent its pun-filled cease-and-desist letter to San Francisco-based Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery after it touted the upcoming release of its In-N-Stout beer, report…

Aug 23, 2018 11:38 AM CDT

Chief roles: General counsels earn top dollar, new titles and C-suite access

A growing number of companies are replacing the title of general counsel with that of chief legal officer. The move signifies an equal position in the C-suite and greater influence within the organization.

Aug 1, 2018 3:00 AM CDT

Prince’s estate files lawsuit over cybersquatting of prince.com

The estate of the late recording artist and actor Prince is suing an Englewood, New Jersey-based domain broker for cybersquatting the prince.com website. Filed last Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the suit alleges that Domain Capital is infringing on the estate’s “PRINCE” trademark…

Jul 30, 2018 12:45 PM CDT

Ex-Lions Gate in-house lawyer got $2.5M settlement for alleged harassment by then-general counsel

A former in-house lawyer at Lions Gate Entertainment is talking to the media about allegations of unwanted sexual contact by general counsel Wayne Levin, who resigned last November. Levin’s departure came nearly a year after the company first reached a $2.5 million agreement to resolve misconduct claims by the former…

Jul 26, 2018 11:52 AM CDT

Can law students improve contracts drafted by accomplished lawyers?

I had had great teachers of contracts, but they emphasized theory, not practice. I resolved to prepare law students to tackle the costly, time-consuming problems of contract ambiguities. Many years of practice allowed me to make good on this resolution.

Jul 16, 2018 7:15 AM CDT

Some corporate clients are making ‘unpalatable’ demands in outside counsel guidelines, partner says

Corporate clients are increasingly making broad demands in outside counsel guidelines that restrict the type of work law firms can do for other clients, observers say.

May 18, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

More than 25 new legal tech AI players have emerged in past year, report says

Artificial intelligence offerings in the legal tech field have increased by nearly two-thirds over the last year.

May 17, 2018 3:08 PM CDT

General counsel at Novartis to retire after acknowledging payments to Cohen were an ‘error’

The group general counsel at the pharmaceutical company Novartis, Felix Ehrat, has announced his retirement after acknowledging that the agreement to pay lawyer Michael Cohen $1.2 million for consulting work was an “error.” Ehrat will retire in June, report Law.com, Bloomberg Politics, the Washington Post and the New York Times.…

May 16, 2018 11:13 AM CDT

The rules on being general counsel in the cyber century

In what we are calling the cyber century, the first signs of danger appear on a screen; a hack, a viral video, a tweet. Any of these can be the opening shot of a bruising battle that can quickly escalate to a crisis. As general counsel, are you ready to…

May 8, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Outgoing Adobe GC Mike Dillon saw changes that digitization and globalization wrought (podcast)

Mike Dillon has seen a lot change over his career as general counsel to some of the nation’s largest technology companies.

Apr 4, 2018 8:30 AM CDT

Program places law students in paid internships that help them see the business picture

A team of prominent law professors and legal professionals has formed a national nonprofit, the Institute for the Future of Law Practice, which will place law students in paid internships that will expose them to legal operations principles.

Mar 15, 2018 3:00 PM CDT