Solos/Small Firms

These 4 conservative law firms are thriving under Trump

Jones Day played a prominent role in the first presidency of President Donald Trump. The law firm represented Trump in his first presidential campaign and sent several lawyers to work in the administration, including Don McGahn, who was the White House counsel. But Jones Day “hasn’t had the same prominence in Trump circles this time around,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Now, several smaller, conservative firms are seeing “boom times.”

Jun 26, 2025 1:31 PM CDT

Attacks on rule of law will fail because lawyers ‘are fierce’ and ‘very resourceful,’ says DC Bar president-elect

“Lawyers are fighters, and judges will follow the law,” says Diane Seltzer, the president-elect of the D.C. Bar for the 2025-2026 term. “We are fierce; we care deeply about justice; and we are very, very resourceful in finding ways to make sure we prevail.”

Jun 20, 2025 11:17 AM CDT

How Atlanta defense lawyer Brian Steel got name-checked by rapper Drake

Atlanta criminal defense lawyer Brian Steel made headlines during the YSL Records trial. In February, rapper Drake released a song that name-checks YSL and the trial judge and celebrates freedom in general. Its title? “Brian Steel.”

Jun 1, 2025 1:30 AM CDT

What to know when hiring the next generation of lawyers

It's not your grandfather's law firm anymore. Technology, shifting societal norms and generational differences are reshaping today's legal practices. To attract the new generation of legal professionals, lawyers must throw out "the way things have always been done" and reinvent their firm's culture.

May 19, 2025 11:11 AM CDT

Sanctions imposed for ‘collective debacle’ involving AI hallucinations and 2 firms, including K&L Gates

A special master has imposed a $31,100 sanction against K&L Gates and a second law firm for submitting a brief with “bogus AI research.”

May 14, 2025 12:50 PM CDT

Litigation boutique firm will pay special bonuses as high as $60K

Litigation boutique law firm Wilkinson Stekloff will pay special bonuses to associates ranging from $25,000 to $60,000, the firm recently told employees in a memo.

Apr 17, 2025 12:51 PM CDT

Top 10 Your Voice columns of 2024

One of the ABA Journal’s most precious assets is our access to engaged legal professionals with a knack for writing and a point of view to share. Since 2018, we have featured their words in our Your Voice section. Here are the top 10 of 2024.

Dec 24, 2024 9:00 AM CST

2 BigLaw firms reject routine special bonuses as several boutiques match or surpass market rate

Above the Law’s bonus tracker continues to expand, as an increasing number of boutique law firms announce associate bonuses that match or surpass market rates set by Milbank. But some BigLaw firms are not falling in line with the standard special bonuses.

Dec 19, 2024 11:00 AM CST

Car-racing costs can’t be deducted by lawyer as marketing expense, 10th Circuit rules

A solo personal injury lawyer can’t count the costs of car racing as a marketing activity, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

Dec 11, 2024 8:48 AM CST

RNC election lawyer, a ‘very genial guy,’ will be new White House counsel

The White House counsel in the new Trump administration is a former BigLaw lawyer who worked as the Republican National Committee’s outside counsel for election integrity in the 2024 presidential campaign.

Nov 13, 2024 11:24 AM CST

Which law firms are expected to win influence in Trump administration?

Boutique and smaller law firms that have advised President-elect Donald Trump and his allies may be among the legal counsel who benefit when he takes office in January.

Nov 7, 2024 9:22 AM CST

What’s next for Clio? ‘We’ll always remain focused on customer success’

As Jack Newton, the CEO and founder of Clio, a legal technology company, took the stage for his keynote address Monday at the 12th annual Clio Cloud Conference, happening this year in Austin, Texas, he was in a reflective mood.

Oct 10, 2024 3:10 PM CDT

Judge tosses lawyer’s dueling lawsuit against Willkie partner in spat over New York Post story

A solo practitioner accused of facilitating a negative story about a BigLaw partner in the New York Post can’t sue for a declaratory judgment that his actions were protected by the First Amendment, a Connecticut judge has ruled.

Oct 1, 2024 10:54 AM CDT

How midsize firms are achieving growth through adaptation

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Debbie Foster, the CEO of Affinity Consulting; Jennifer Sherman, the chief product and experience officer at Caret Legal; and Laura Wenzel, the global marketing and insights director at iManage.

Aug 23, 2024 10:14 AM CDT

Lawyers must lead in efforts to preserve accessible, equitable and transparent rule-of-law system

As a nation, we have made the decision to be governed by the rule of law. This means that as a society, we have agreed to abide by a set of transparent, fairly enacted and fairly applied laws and rules that will govern our conduct in our private and public affairs.

Aug 21, 2024 1:39 PM CDT