Law Firm News Spotlight

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The SoCal Fires

Join Law.com bloggers and co-hosts J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi as they talk to three San Diego lawyers affected by the recent wildfires. They also take a look at Morrison & Foerster's "Helping Handbook" -- which provides legal information for victims of the fires -- discuss how law firms are coping and legal issues surrounding the fires and look ahead at what's next for firms affected and how they're dealing with the aftermath legally.
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Mayer Brown Taps Litigation Co-Head as Partner-in-Charge of N.Y. Office

New York Law Journal

One month after a management shake-up at Mayer Brown, the firm announced that Richard Spehr, co-head of its New York litigation group, will take the helm of the firm's 200-lawyer New York office. The appointment comes amid a raft of changes at Mayer Brown, including its adoption of a new governance structure approved in April, shortly after former Mayer Brown Chairman James Holzhauer stepped down. Two weeks ago, three Mayer Brown partners, including the vice chairman, Paul Maher, joined Greenberg Traurig's new London office.

Second Female Managing Partner Takes Helm at Carroll, Burdick & McDonough

The Recorder

Vicki Freimann will be taking over today as managing partner of Carroll, Burdick & McDonough, making her the second woman to lead the 66-member firm. The firm's first female managing partner, Angela Bradstreet, left in 2007 to become California's labor commissioner. Bradstreet said Freimann has "that perfect combination" of business acumen, client service and people skills to lead a firm. Freimann will oversee the firm's expansion beyond California and internationally, partner Rodney Eshelman said.

A-List Rankings Show Power Shift Among Top Law Firms

The American Lawyer

The legal world has been transformed in the last year, and so has The American Lawyer's seventh annual A-List, which ranks the nation's elite law firms -- those that are best at balancing a thriving business with their obligations to the profession. Only four firms held on to the ranking that they had in 2008. Four firms -- all based in Manhattan -- fell off the list, while others slid down the ranks, due in part to a methodology change involving diversity scoring.

Womble Carlyle Faces Malpractice Suit

The National Law Journal

Womble Carlyle is facing a legal malpractice suit from a Catholic radio broadcaster and education group that alleges mistakes by the firm cost it millions of dollars. The North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation alleges that Womble missed crucial deadlines and made other mistakes that caused the foundation to lose its bids for several telecommunications channels and new broadcast licenses. The foundation's complaint names Womble and former Womble attorney Howard Barr as defendants.

Former Bingham Associate Files Date Rape Suit Against Firm

The American Lawyer

A former Bingham McCutchen associate has slapped the firm with a civil suit, seeking damages for allegedly being drugged at a holiday party by a Bingham staffer. The woman alleges she was drugged with Tegretol -- an anti-seizure medication that causes memory loss when mixed with alcohol -- while attending a lunch party with about 100 other Bingham employees in 2007. She also claims that at least one other female associate was drugged and raped by a Bingham employee the previous year.

Too Few Women Among Top International Arbitrators

Focus Europe

Just two female arbitrators appeared in Focus Europe's first survey of large arbitrations in 2003. Six years after that first scorecard, those two women, Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler and Brigitte Stern, have risen to become the second- and third-busiest arbitrators in the survey, with 20 or more cases apiece. But while the highest echelon of the club has clearly been integrated, women have a precarious foothold in the rest of the list, representing only 4 percent of the arbitrators in this year's survey.

Linklaters Continues Its NYC Expansion With Lateral Hire

The American Lawyer

Instead of bolstering its U.S. presence through a merger with a prestigious New York-based firm, Linklaters decided some time ago to build its New York office via lateral hires and recruiting -- a strategy that seems to be working, says the office's co-managing partner. The firm just hired bank regulatory partner Robin Maxwell from Goodwin Procter, the third major lateral hire Linklaters has made in the last year. The hire brings the office's head count to about 170.

Former Latham Partner Gets 15 Months in Prison for Defrauding Clients and Firm

New York Law Journal

A former partner at Latham & Watkins was sentenced Friday to 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and $350,000 in restitution to Latham for defrauding both clients and his own firm. Samuel A. Fishman, an M&A specialist in the firm's New York office from 1993 to 2005, admitted that he had billed fraudulent expenses to clients. In addition, he obtained reimbursement from Latham for personal expenses.

Courtroom Attire Not Such an Issue in Connecticut

The Connecticut Law Tribune

When a 7th Circuit judges' panel discussion last month turned into a complaint session over inappropriate courtroom attire, it caused quite a stir. But if such a courtroom trend has hit Connecticut, no one seems to have noticed yet. Middletown Superior Court Judge Clarance Jones reports seeing "a lawyer that may need to pull a tie up but that's very rare." And 28-year litigation veteran Gregory Nye says the only courtroom trend he's noticed recently is "loud ties" -- a trend he admits to following.

Disbarred Lawyer Says He's a Victim of Federal Fraud Suit

Fulton County Daily Report

Disbarred lawyer James S. Quay, the target of an injunction filed by the State Bar of Georgia earlier this month, said he's long since ceased advertising himself as an attorney, and that the Bar's action is actually the result of an outcry by the victims of an unrelated, multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme orchestrated by another lawyer, and in which he was an unwitting participant.