Large Firm

Around the Blawgosphere: Law Blog’s Haiku Contest Deadline Today; Grumbling About Legal Directories

Can You Haiku? We know our readers like to write haiku, so take note, because there may still be time: Bracewell & Giuliani’s bankruptcy blog, Basis Points, is having a haiku contest. The best single haiku that the blog receives by 5 p.m. ET today will win its author two…

Jun 24, 2011 1:57 PM CDT

Attorney Charged in Child Porn Case Died in Mexico After News Reports of Alleged Crime

Updated: A former BigLaw associate who was criminally charged in a child pornography case described by a prosecutor as involving “truly sickening” images was found dead in Mexico City within a few days after the case was publicized. Moshe Gerstein, 35, died June 16, Reuters reported. The cause isn’t immediately…

Jun 23, 2011 8:18 PM CDT

DLA Piper Ordered to Turn Over MLB Material to Roger Clemens Despite Asserted Work Product Privilege

Despite an asserted work product privilege, DLA Piper has been ordered by a federal judge to turn over to famed pitcher Roger Clemens some of its investigative material from a probe about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball, reports Bloomberg. Law firm notes and memos about statements…

Jun 23, 2011 5:18 PM CDT

5 Years After Guilty Plea, Ex-Fried Frank Bookkeeper Still Owes More than $300K in Restitution

A former bookkeeper at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson has repaid the law firm only $4,000 in the five years after her guilty plea in a $350,000 embezzlement scheme. Gerry Mathews, who worked in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office for nearly 20 years, was sentenced in 2006 to a…

Jun 23, 2011 1:23 PM CDT

Retired BigLaw CEO to Serve as New Law School Dean for University of Western Ontario

A former chairman and CEO of one of Canada’s biggest law firms says he had no idea when he retired at the beginning of the year that his next gig would be as a law school dean. But Iain Scott, 59, says the unusual appointment will make use of a…

Jun 22, 2011 9:01 PM CDT

As Martin Lipton Turns 80, Legal Observers Speculate on Changes at His Firm

Martin Lipton is celebrating his 80th birthday today, raising questions about how his Wall Street law firm will change when he eventually leaves. Lipton, a founder, rainmaker and mergers partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, has been handing high-profile deals to younger lawyers, the Wall Street Journal reports. Meanwhile,…

Jun 22, 2011 12:34 PM CDT

Debevoise Hiring Partner Looks for Meaningful Conversations and Passion

Don’t expect legal hypotheticals or behavioral interview questions if you are looking for a job at Debevoise & Plimpton. “Oh, that’s so silly,” according to hiring partner Maurizio Levi-Minzi, who talked to the Careerist about his interview style. Instead, Levi-Minzi said he looks for candidates who are passionate and “authentic.”…

Jun 22, 2011 11:40 AM CDT

Cozen Raids IP Litigation Boutique in NYC, Takes Away 19 of 27 Lawyers, Including 5 Senior Partners

In a raid that is expected to significantly enhance its intellectual property litigation team, Philadelphia-based Cozen O’Connor has lured away most of the lawyers from Cohen Pontani Lieberman & Pavane. The New York City IP litigation boutique is losing 19 of its 27 lawyers to Cozen, including five senior partners,…

Jun 21, 2011 11:48 PM CDT

Ex-McGuireWoods Partner Gets Home Detention for Falsifying IRS Doc to Avoid Levy for Unpaid Tax

A former partner of McGuireWoods has been given home confinement and community service for interfering with Internal Revenue Service efforts to collect more than $110,000 she owed in unpaid income tax for 2006 to 2008. When the IRS attempted to levy on partnership payments to Michelle Renee Walker, she provided…

Jun 21, 2011 5:39 PM CDT

Are More Women Torn Between Work, Parenting? Yes, Says Litigator Whose Husband Stays Home with Kids

Weighing in on an ongoing New York Times debate about whether men and women react differently to the conflict between work demands and children, a Manhattan lawyer whose husband is the stay-at-home parent in their household says she believes biology is, to some degree, destiny. Although her husband is an…

Jun 20, 2011 10:42 PM CDT

Sullivan & Cromwell Raids UK Law Firm for New Hong Kong Hires

Following the lead of at least six other New York-based international law firms in less than two years, Sullivan & Cromwell has added to its attorney roster in Hong Kong. It has raided Hong Kong managing partner Ng Kay Ian and counsel Gwen Wong from a major London-based competitor, Freshfields…

Jun 16, 2011 11:46 PM CDT

32 Law Firms Certified for Empowering Women

Thirty-two law firms have received a “Gold Standard Certification” for hiring women equity partners and promoting them to leadership positions. The Women in Law Empowerment Forum certified law firms with more than 100 lawyers that met three of six criteria for percentages of equity partners and leaders, the National Law…

Jun 15, 2011 1:26 PM CDT

Can Law Firms Put Aside Focus on Single-Year Profits? Crowell Chairman Says They Must

Law firms that focus on single-year profits and that employ information-hording lawyers won’t be able to deliver on client demands for greater efficiency, according to Crowell & Moring chairman Kent Gardiner. Law firms competing for business need “a first-class knowledge management program” and well-trained associates, Gardiner says in an article…

Jun 15, 2011 12:19 PM CDT

Altman Weil Survey Says 95% of Law Firms Plan to Up Fees By a Median 4%

After much talk of a paradigm shift in the practice of law and the need to provide clients with more value for their money in recent years, it appears that the legal economy is on the upswing. Almost all of the law firms responding to a survey by consultant Altman…

Jun 14, 2011 10:12 PM CDT

Weil Stuns Clifford Chance With Raid on London HQ; ‘Most Damaging Team Hire Ever’ By US Firm?

Weil Gotshal & Manges has stunned British behemoth Clifford Chance with a raid on the firm’s London headquarters in which the New York-based BigLaw firm has stolen four of CC’s five so-called City funds partners. Described by Legal Week as “most damaging team hire ever inflicted on a leading City…

Jun 14, 2011 12:46 AM CDT