Large Firm

Trial set to begin for Martin Shkreli’s BigLaw lawyer; ethics experts may testify

Oral arguments are scheduled for Wednesday in Brooklyn, New York, in the federal trial of Evan Greebel, a former BigLaw lawyer accused of conspiring with convicted ex-drug company CEO Martin Shkreli to commit securities fraud. Jurors in the trial “will be asked to decide whether Greebel purposefully aided the fraud…

Oct 17, 2017 12:26 PM CDT

Bryan Cave and UK law firm confirm merger talks

Update: Bryan Cave and U.K. law firm Berwin Leighton Paiser have confirmed they are discussing a merger. The combination would create a 1,500-lawyer firm with 32 offices in 12 countries, according to Legal Week (sub. req.), the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and a press release. The merger would be subject to…

Oct 16, 2017 1:11 PM CDT

LeClairRyan merges with workers’ compensation law firm

LeClairRyan has merged with a firm of 14 lawyers that represents insurance companies in workers’ compensation disputes. LeClairRyan announced the merger with Pizzo & Haman on Tuesday, reports the Am Law Daily (sub. req.). A press release is here. Pizzo & Haman has experience in managing, designing and implementing national…

Oct 11, 2017 11:28 AM CDT

Former Dewey CFO escapes jail time for misleading lenders before firm’s collapse

Joel Sanders, the former chief financial officer of Dewey & LeBoeuf, won’t be going to prison for misleading lenders and bond buyers about the firm’s finances before its 2012 collapse.

Oct 10, 2017 9:56 AM CDT

Former federal prosecutors increasingly shun BigLaw to open boutique firms

A small but growing number of former federal prosecutors are choosing to open their own law firms rather than join large law firms. Federal prosecutors are opening their own legal boutiques as they seek to maintain the autonomy and power they had in U.S. attorney’s offices, the New York Times…

Oct 3, 2017 9:58 AM CDT

Will law firms benefit from Trump tax plan? Details are sketchy

Some law firms might benefit if President Donald Trump’s plan to limit the maximum tax rate of pass-through entities wins approval. But large law firms may not qualify, the New York Law Journal (sub. req.) reports. The tax plan proposes limiting the tax rate to 25 percent for pass-through businesses…

Oct 3, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Milbank offers buyouts to legal secretaries in New York

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy is offering a voluntary buyout to its legal secretaries in New York in advance of a move next year from the Financial District to the West Side of Manhattan. Milbank said in a statement that it is offering a generous voluntary package to the New…

Oct 2, 2017 10:03 AM CDT

Law firms borrow a concept from the NFL to address lack of diversity in their leadership ranks

In a Diversity Lab project, 55 participating law firms will agree to abide by the so-called Mansfield rule when making decisions on leadership opportunities within the firm.

Oct 1, 2017 2:10 AM CDT

Duane Morris settles with client who said firm went $600K over budget

A Pennsylvania doctor has settled his overbilling dispute with Duane Morris, the Legal Intelligencer reported Wednesday. The law firm reached a confidential settlement with Edward Zaloga in Pennsylvania state court and will dismiss the case, the newspaper says. Zaloga retained Duane Morris in 2010 to sue the municipal government of…

Sep 27, 2017 5:08 PM CDT

Oops! WilmerHale email to reporter reveals apparent SEC probe into PepsiCo GC’s departure

Updated: A misaddressed email from WilmerHale informed a Wall Street Journal reporter that the Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating the departure of PepsiCo’s general counsel.

Sep 27, 2017 10:59 AM CDT

Suit by former income partner claims Winston tethered her career to male lawyers’ employment

A former income partner at Winston & Strawn contends in a lawsuit that the firm discriminated against her by tying her continued employment to the careers of male equity partners and retaliated against her when she refused the law firm’s request to leave. The plaintiff, Constance Ramos, is a former…

Sep 26, 2017 9:55 AM CDT

Revenue rises nearly 3 percent for Global 100 law firms; which firms top the list?

Overall revenue for law firms in the American Lawyer’s Global 100 rose just 2.8 percent in 2016, a figure that the publication views as a sign of challenging times. Total revenue was $99.3 billion, and the gain was the lowest since the Great Recession, the American Lawyer (sub. req.) reports.…

Sep 26, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Justice Department reportedly asks Skadden for information about Manafort-related work

The U.S. Justice Department has reportedly asked Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom for information about its work on behalf of the former government of Ukraine, which was led by a client of President Donald Trump’s ex-campaign chairman. Paul Manafort had arranged for Skadden to draft a report that some…

Sep 21, 2017 4:27 PM CDT

PwC to open US law firm, a sign of increasing focus on legal operations by Big 4 accounting firms

The Big Four accounting firms have legal divisions operating overseas that put them on a par with the largest law firms in the world, according to a report by ALM Intelligence.

Sep 21, 2017 8:35 AM CDT

Hogan Lovells offers voluntary retirement to about 400 business services staffers

Hogan Lovells is offering a voluntary retirement package to about 400 staff members in business services who have been with the law firm for at least five years. The law firm says it expects between 5 percent and 10 percent of staffers to accept the offer’s “enhanced terms” for retirement,…

Sep 19, 2017 4:50 PM CDT