Large Firm

Akerman Senterfitt Opens New Office in Salt Lake with 2 Partners from Van Cott Bagley

Adding another two attorneys to a rapidly growing consumer finance team that has increased by 50 lawyers over the past 12 months, Akerman Senterfitt today announced that it is opening a Salt Lake City office with two former partners of Van Cott, Bagley, Cornwall & McCarthy. Robert Scott and Chandler…

Aug 9, 2011 5:17 PM CDT

Facing Multiple Suits re $32M in Client Funds, K&L Gates Sues Ex-Partner in Custody in Hong Kong

A former partner in the Hong Kong office of K&L Gates is in custody, charged with theft and forgery. Navin Kumar Aggarwal, 44, resigned from the law firm in mid-June, after being confronted with the allegations, K&L Gates tells Bloomberg. He is accused of stealing approximately $2 million from the…

Aug 8, 2011 10:01 AM CDT

Polsinelli Ponders Another Possible Site for New Kansas City Headquarters Office

Offered another office site at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, the Polsinelli Shughart law firm may at last have found a new home following criticism of its previous plan to establish a 200,000-square-foot office elsewhere, reports the Kansas City Business Journal (sub. req.). As detailed in a prior…

Aug 5, 2011 10:38 AM CDT

Squire Sanders Raids Major Australia Firm; 15 of 19 Minter Partners in Perth Likely to Join US Firm

Squire Sanders & Dempsey has has raided the Perth office of a major Australia-based law firm, where it plans to set up its first office on the continent. Only 4 of 19 Minter Ellison partners in Perth are expected to stay with the firm, moving to a new office in…

Aug 5, 2011 10:04 AM CDT

Pro Bono Goes High-Tech, and Homeless Veterans Benefit

Skype can be used to talk to your spouse, catch up with a friend, or talk over a business matter. The Minnesota Justice Foundation has found another use for the technology—linking low-income people in need of legal help with lawyers who have the expertise to counsel them. This spring, the…

Aug 4, 2011 11:53 PM CDT

Former Sullivan & Cromwell Partner Allegedly Failed to File Returns and Pay Tax on $10.8M in Income

A former mergers and acquisitions partner at Sullivan & Cromwell has been criminally charged for allegedly failing to file returns and pay federal tax on almost $10.8 million in income he earned at the firm between 2001 and 2008. John O’Brien is accused of spending money he should have used…

Aug 4, 2011 6:00 PM CDT

Some Firms Housing Busy Lawyers On Site in Sleeping Pods

Lawyers working night and day on big corporate cases in London have little time for personal routines, including going home for a good night’s rest or a few minutes of shuteye. Instead, many are taking up residence in rooms at their firms, some of them reportedly in the style of…

Aug 4, 2011 3:00 PM CDT

Firms Chase White-Collar Defense Work in Asia as U.S. Investigations Persist

While federal prosecutors in the U.S. are pursuing dozens of cases under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in an effort to root out bribery in Asia and beyond, law firms are beefing up practices to advise clients who can face millions of dollars in fines to resolve claims of wrongdoing.…

Aug 4, 2011 10:26 AM CDT

Ex-Associate Sues Ropes & Gray, Says Firm Discriminated Against ‘Token Black Associate’

Claiming that he was treated as a “token black associate” despite credentials including a degree from Harvard Law School and a clerkship on the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a former associate of Ropes & Gray has sued the law firm for discrimination and retaliation. John Ray III…

Aug 3, 2011 11:04 PM CDT

Malpractice Suit Targets Quality of BigLaw’s Temporary Lawyers

A legal malpractice suit filed against McDermott Will & Emery raises questions about outside lawyers hired to help screen documents for clients. An amended malpractice suit filed last week by J-M Manufacturing, also known as JM Eagle, claims McDermott’s outside contract lawyers “negligently performed their duties” while screening documents, the…

Aug 3, 2011 11:59 AM CDT

Lesbian Spouse of Deceased Cozen Partner Sues Firm and Spouse’s Parents Over Benefits

Married in Canada to a Cozen O’Connor partner, the lesbian spouse of Sarah Ellyn Farley filed a counterclaim in federal court in Philadelphia yesterday staking a claim to benefits following Farley’s death. Naming the firm and Farley’s parents as defendants, Jennifer Tobits says she is entitled to her spouse’s profit-sharing…

Aug 2, 2011 8:27 PM CDT

Top Mass. Court Nixes Seyfarth Claim That Texas Law Firm Said Too Much, Gives Pro Hac Vice OK

Rejecting an argument by Seyfarth Shaw that an out-of-state lawyer from a Texas law firm should be precluded from appearing pro hac vice in a legal malpractice case against Seyfarth, the top court in Massachusetts held that negative statements by a Bickel & Brewer attorney about Seyfarth, in a state-court…

Aug 2, 2011 6:58 PM CDT

BigLaw Chafes at Online Reverse Auctions, Increasingly Used by Corporations to Cut Legal Bills

Large law firms are increasingly being asked to participate in online reverse auctions where corporations award business to the lowest bidder. The process is spreading to more complex projects, raising concerns among some lawyers, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. Among the companies that pit law firms against each…

Aug 2, 2011 11:16 AM CDT

Morocco Is Suddenly Hot: For 3rd Time in 2 Weeks, British BigLaw Firm Announces Planned Office There

For the third time in two weeks, one of the top London-based international law firms has announced plans to open an office in Morocco. This time, it’s Norton Rose. The firm expects to open its doors in Casablanca in September, staffing the new site with three lawyers from its Paris…

Jul 28, 2011 9:35 PM CDT

Legal Recruiter Sued by BigLaw Partner She Sent to Patton Boggs Says He’s to Blame for Any Issues

A Texas legal recruiter sued by a partner of Bryan Cave has filed an answer (PDF) to his Dallas County complaint (PDF). Contrary to what Chris Gilbert contends, says Diane Caldwell of Caldwell & Associates Inc., she never owed contractual or fiduciary alleged duties to him, let alone breached them…

Jul 28, 2011 7:45 PM CDT