Large Firm

Morgan Lewis tax lawyer is in spotlight for helping Trump with asset trust

A tax partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius took center stage on Wednesday when she appeared at a press conference to explain the steps the president elect is taking to deal with conflicts issues related to his business. The lawyer, Sheri Dillon, is tax counsel for Donald Trump and the…

Jan 13, 2017 9:15 AM CST

Suit claims arrests over social media posts and rap lyrics violated First Amendment rights

Two men arrested and detained by San Diego police because of rap lyrics and social media posts have filed a federal lawsuit for alleged violation of their First and Fourth Amendment rights. One of the plaintiffs in the Jan. 10 lawsuit (PDF) is rapper Brandon Duncan, known as Tiny Doo,…

Jan 13, 2017 7:00 AM CST

These BigLaw firms had the best record for promoting women to partner

Three large law firms promoted only women to partnership in 2016. Five law firms promoted only men. Overall, 36.7 percent of the lawyers promoted to partner last year were women, according to partnership announcements at America’s top 100 law firms. Bloomberg Big Law Business did the analysis. The three firms…

Jan 12, 2017 9:11 AM CST

Meet Marc Kasowitz, the litigator who often represents Donald Trump

When Donald Trump needs a lawyer in defamation lawsuits and other knotty legal battles, he often turns to litigator Marc Kasowitz, the founder of Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman. In one suit that attracted press attention, Kasowitz sued an author in 2006 over allegations that Trump was worth less than…

Jan 11, 2017 9:44 AM CST

Golfer will wear law firm logo in sponsorship deal

PGA golfer William McGirt is sporting a Cozen O’Connor logo on his shirt as part of a sponsorship deal that also requires some personal appearances at client events. The two-year agreement, which took effect at the start of the year, requires McGirt to wear the logo at all PGA tour…

Jan 11, 2017 8:59 AM CST

2016 was a busy year for law firm mergers and acquisitions

2016 marked another busy year in law firm mergers and acquisitions. According to a Thursday press release from Altman Weil, there were 85 such combinations announced in 2016. In fact, Altman Weil MergerLine found that 2016 marked the fourth consecutive year that there were more than 80 law firm mergers…

Jan 9, 2017 8:45 AM CST

Looking for a section symbol key? New keyboard is designed for lawyers

BigLaw lawyer Brian Potts had a revelation after becoming annoyed by the multiple steps required to insert a section symbol in a brief he was typing. Potts decided to create a keyboard designed for lawyers, and it includes a key for the section symbol, according to LawSites by Robert Ambrogi.…

Jan 6, 2017 8:40 AM CST

California legislative leaders hire former AG Holder for legal advice in Trump legal battles

Leaders in California’s legislature have hired former Attorney General Eric Holder to represent them as outside counsel in any future legal disputes with the Trump administration. The Democratic legislative leaders of California said they hired Holder and his law firm to advise them “in our efforts to resist any attempts…

Jan 4, 2017 3:46 PM CST

Alleged BigLaw hackers made $4M trading on stolen information, federal prosecutors say

Federal prosecutors have charged three Chinese citizens with insider trading and computer intrusion for allegedly hacking into the computers of two prominent law firms to obtain information about pending deals. In an indictment (PDF) unsealed last Tuesday, federal prosecutors say the three men made about $4 million trading on the…

Jan 3, 2017 10:49 AM CST

Trump picks Skadden partner as US trade representative

President-elect Donald Trump has picked a BigLaw partner who has criticized China’s trade practices as his nominee for U.S. trade representative. Trump announced on Tuesday that he is picking Robert Lighthizer, a former deputy U.S. trade representative in the Reagan administration. Lighthizer is a partner with Skadden, Arps, Slate Meagher…

Jan 3, 2017 9:19 AM CST

How can barriers to advancement be removed for women at large law firms?

“How can we mentor women better? How can we sponsor women better?” Arin Reeves said her recent research demonstrates that “we don’t need to do anything ‘more’ for women. We need to get out of their way” by removing barriers and challenges.

Jan 1, 2017 1:00 AM CST

The top legal stories of 2016

Updated: As the ABA Journal staff looked back over the past year, these were the 10 legal stories that seemed the most important and prominent. A summary of each is below. 1. Trump wins. If someone had told you one year ago that the 45th president of the United States…

Dec 23, 2016 8:30 AM CST

Should law firm keep secret an email requesting legal help? Settled case raises issue

Baker Botts recently settled a suit that raises questions about a law firm’s obligations to keep confidential an unsolicited email requesting legal help with a possible whistleblower claim and suggesting the information could help the law firm’s clients. Kent Langerlan, an environmental investigator for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality,…

Dec 20, 2016 10:52 AM CST

Kirkland litigators are reportedly hit hard in reallocation of partner shares

Kirkland & Ellis has reportedly changed the way it allocates equity partner profits in a move said to hit litigation partners hard while benefiting corporate and possibly bankruptcy partners. Three unidentified sources told Law.com (sub. req.) about the change, and two of them described the reallocation as a “bloodbath.” One…

Dec 20, 2016 8:00 AM CST

Working Mother is surveying law firms to find the best ones for family flexibility

Think your law firm offers the best environment for women with children? Now is the time to enter it in an annual competition sponsored by Working Mother magazine. The publication surveys law firms with 50 or more lawyers, with a goal of publicizing information about family-friendly workplaces. Survey questions address…

Dec 19, 2016 3:15 PM CST