Law Firms

Nice Perk for N.Y. School Lawyer: Lifetime Medical Coverage

Updated: A 71-year-old retired lawyer in New York had a part-time school district job during his final few years of practice that many attorneys might find appealing. Jerome Ehrlich was not only paid a $60,000 annual salary for his part-time employment in 2005 and 2006 but is to receive lifetime…

Mar 6, 2008 7:46 PM CST

3 Lawyers’ New Gigs: Headmistress, Concrete Worker, Rap Artist

For lawyers unhappy in their current jobs, three recent reports of career changes by successful attorneys might offer some food for thought. Pinney Allen, 54, a top female partner at Alston & Bird, is leaving the firm July 1 to run the Atlanta Girls’ School, according to a Daily Report…

Mar 6, 2008 5:39 PM CST

Jenner & Block Demotes or Ousts at Least 10 More Equity Partners

The Chicago-based law firm of Jenner & Block is pushing at least 10 more partners out of the equity partnership ranks and asking some of the lawyers to leave, sources told the Chicago Tribune. The firm’s chairman, Anton Valukas, refused to confirm numbers but said some lawyers have been put…

Mar 6, 2008 4:44 PM CST

What Women Lawyers Want: Flex-Time and Part-Time Options

Flexible work arrangements are key to retaining women lawyers, but the culture of the legal profession doesn’t appear to value part-time work, according to a new study of Georgia law firms. The study by the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers found that only 30 percent of the surveyed law firms…

Mar 6, 2008 4:11 PM CST

Bork Litigation PR Firm Takes On Duke, Defends Litigation Website

The son of the man whose U.S. Supreme Court bid went down in flames in 1987 refuses to be borked by a court filing in a lawsuit filed by lacrosse team members. Robert Bork Jr. runs a litigation consulting firm known as Bork Communication Group, which represents the plaintiffs’ law…

Mar 6, 2008 2:44 PM CST

McGuireWoods Merges With N.C. Law Firm

McGuireWoods is merging with a 120-lawyer firm in North Carolina, a move that will increase the larger firm’s roster to almost 900 lawyers. Currently McGuireWoods has just one North Carolina office, in Charlotte. The merger gives it additional offices in Raleigh and Wilmington and increases the number of lawyers in…

Mar 6, 2008 11:43 AM CST

Discovery Debacle: How Not to Duplicate Qualcomm’s E-Mail Issues

After some $10 million in court-ordered penalties, attorney sanctions and a switch of both in-house and outside counsel, it is clear that Qualcomm Inc. didn’t handle its discovery obligations in a patent dispute with Broadcom Corp. in an optimal manner. But despite these severe sanctions over 46,000 e-mails that Qualcomm…

Mar 6, 2008 1:32 AM CST

Md. Attorney and Assistant Charged in Asylum Fraud Case

A Maryland attorney and his legal assistant are facing criminal charges for allegedly submitting falsified paperwork to federal agencies on behalf of asylum clients and coaching them to falsify their testimony. Indicted last week in federal court were Patrick G. Tzeuton, 41, of Silver Spring and Henri Marcel Nzone (or…

Mar 5, 2008 9:55 PM CST

Client Sues McGuireWoods re Ex-Partner’s Claimed $17M Trading Scheme

A former client has sued McGuireWoods for malpractice over claimed illegal trading of the client’s stock by a law firm partner acting as issuer’s counsel. He allegedly made more than $17 million from selling stock of the plaintiff, Alternative Energy Sources Inc., and at least six other ethanol companies, but…

Mar 5, 2008 9:00 PM CST

Amidst Layoffs, Some Law Firms Prosper

Updated: Although some law firms are suffering as a result of the current turmoil in the U.S. economy, others are doing fine. One secret to their success: avoiding hot practice areas that now are not. Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney’s bankruptcy practice, for instance, wasn’t cut when the economy boomed and…

Mar 5, 2008 7:35 PM CST

Allen & Overy’s Secret to Success: Yearbook and Musical

A musical. A website. A yearbook. Planned get-togethers with classmates. Seemingly, these must be part of a high school or college group’s activities, but they’re not. All are features of Allen & Overy’s program for law firm alumni. Launched in 2005, it now involves some 2,000 former lawyers and staff…

Mar 5, 2008 4:46 PM CST

Court: ‘No Way on Earth’ Should Lawyers Get Fee of $46K for $45 Error

An off-duty police officer sought class action status for his lawsuit after he was shorted $45 in pay for crowd control, and following a settlement, his law firm sought $46,000 in attorney fees. That’s not going to happen. “No way on earth,” says a California appeals court, which slashed the…

Mar 5, 2008 3:25 PM CST

Two Coughlin Stoia Lawyers Linked to Contingency-Paid Witness

Two securities class action lawyers who jumped to Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins have been linked to an expert witness who pleaded guilty last week to perjury. The plea settled allegations the witness was paid on a contingency basis by the lawyers’ prior firm, giving him an incentive to…

Mar 5, 2008 1:49 PM CST

Obama Lawyer Dials in to Clinton Conference Call

Barack Obama’s campaign lawyer, Bob Bauer, found an unusual way to get some free press yesterday evening: Crash a conference call for the media convened by the Clinton camp. Bauer dialed in and called on his primary opponent to stop attacking the caucus process in Texas, clashing with Clinton communications…

Mar 5, 2008 1:13 PM CST

Bankruptcy Lawyers Become a Hot Commodity

When business is bad, business is good for bankruptcy lawyers. As more big businesses seek bankruptcy protection this year, more law firms are gearing up to handle the work. In the first two months of this year, 18 big U.S. companies with liabilities over $12.4 billion filed for bankruptcy, double…

Mar 5, 2008 12:48 PM CST