Practice Management

Duane Morris Trims Office Staffers

Duane Morris has cut 26 of its 724 legal secretaries and file clerks, a move that is part of an overall trend of reducing the number of office staffers helping lawyers. Duane Morris spokesman Joshua Peck confirmed the cuts in a conversation with the Daily Business Review. He said the…

Feb 28, 2008 2:22 PM CST

Cadwalader Splits Job of Managing Partner and Chairman

On the heels of the layoffs of 35 associates, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft has changed the job of Robert Link, the firm’s chairman and managing partner. Robert Link will stay in the job of managing partner and will handle day-to-day administrative responsibilities, the New York Law Journal reports. But the…

Feb 28, 2008 11:50 AM CST

Another Merger for LeClairRyan Puts Va. Firm in Calif.

Fast-growing LeClairRyan is merging with another Richmond-based law firm that has two offices in California. The combination with 50-attorney Wright Robinson Osthimer & Tatum will provide the 270-lawyer merged firm with nine-attorney offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Gary LeClair, the firm’s chairman, expects both offices to grow significantly…

Feb 28, 2008 1:30 AM CST

Are You a Mac or a PC Lawyer?

By Ben Stevens and Rick Georges The decades-long Mac versus PC battle recalls those video games in which the Big Boss Bad Guy just can’t seem to squash our nimble little hero. Clever marketing and product development vie against massive market share. And with each round, the question grows: Is…

Feb 27, 2008 4:04 PM CST

Salary Wars Pit Associate Pay Against Partner Profits

Associate pay hikes have taken a bite out of profits for equity partners, according to some leaders of California law firms. Many large California firms matched their New York counterparts last year and agreed to pay starting salaries of $160,000 to new associates. Something—or more accurately, someone—had to give, the…

Feb 27, 2008 11:31 AM CST

London BigLaw Associates Have Growing Role in Firm Management

Although they obviously don’t run the show, associates at major United Kingdom law firms are reportedly playing an increasing role in firm management. One common practice, for instance, is to have an associate forum that lobbies law firm leaders on behalf of the firm’s junior attorneys, reports the Lawyer. Even…

Feb 26, 2008 6:40 PM CST

New Public Website for Lawyers: ‘Give Content. Get Noticed.’

Two years ago, as attorney Aviva Cuyler was working late, night after night, drafting and responding to motions in a demanding case, she had a brain flash. “This is crazy,” the San Francisco litigator thought to herself. “I know other people have addressed these issues.” Today a new public website…

Feb 26, 2008 3:17 PM CST

Like to Golf? San Diego Law Firm Seeks Associate Rainmakers

In an unusual recruiting effort, a small San Diego law firm apparently isn’t seeking hardworking associates who never leave the office until night has fallen and they’ve met their billable-hours quotas. In fact, a yen to spend a sunny Friday afternoon on the golf course or at a leisurely lunch…

Feb 22, 2008 7:37 PM CST

Writers Used YouTube To Drum Up Support

Writer’s Guild members used their strike time creatively—to drum up public sympathy, their chief negotiator says. Writers Guild of America-West President Patric Verrone, chief negotiator for 10,500 TV and film writers during the three-month strike, is an Emmy-winning producer-writer for the animated series Futurama. He’s also a member of the…

Feb 15, 2008 12:16 AM CST

7 East Coast Cities Announce Planned Gun-Crime Database

Seeking to coordinate state and federal efforts to reduce gun crime and control firearms trafficking, a group of East Coast cities and a federal agency have announced a new tactic in their ongoing battle: A planned joint database that will make it easier to share information between jurisdictions along the…

Feb 14, 2008 9:44 PM CST

More Major US Firms Report Major Profits

After news of record-breaking gross revenue at two U.S. legal goliaths, handsome profits for 2007 have been reported by four more BigLaw firms. Weil Gotshal & Manges soared past the $2 million mark in profits per equity partner, up 11 percent from last year to $2.11 million. Meanwhile, another New…

Feb 14, 2008 9:01 PM CST

Longtime Legal Secretary Dies at Age 98, Eight Years After Retirement

A woman who worked as an executive legal secretary for 63 years has died at the age of 98, eight years after her retirement. Elizabeth Leonard Mayo began work in 1937 for Francis M. Shea, who founded the law firm Shea & Gardner, the Washington Post reports. Mayo followed Shea…

Feb 14, 2008 7:16 PM CST

Big Bankruptcy Case Discovers Forged Attorney Opinion Letters

When opinion letters apparently written by a prominent New Jersey lawyer were sent to Merrill Lynch Business Financial Services in 2004 along with alleged fake financial statements, the bank reportedly took the documents at face value. Relying on them, it issued a multimillion-dollar loan to a now-bankrupt company. But now…

Feb 13, 2008 9:25 PM CST

Skadden Joins Latham at Record $2B Revenue Level

Following swiftly on the heels of the news that total 2007 revenue for Latham & Watkins exceeded $2 billion, another major U.S. law firm has joined in the record-breaking announcement. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom also had gross revenue of more than $2 billion in 2007, reports the Lawyer.…

Feb 13, 2008 6:43 PM CST

Ex-Gov. to Help Launch Chadbourne & Parke’s Climate Practice

Former New York Gov. George Pataki will help lead a new climate-change practice being launched by Chadbourne & Parke. The practice group will help clients deal with the legal and economic impact of global warming. Joining Pataki to lead the new practice group is John Cahill, former commissioner of the…

Feb 12, 2008 7:21 PM CST