1st Circuit Steps on SOX Whistleblowers

Employees of privately held contractors or subcontractors of public companies are not eligible for whistleblower protection under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, a split panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in a case of first impression. In a vehement dissent, Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson criticized the majority for barring "a significant class of potential securities-fraud whistleblowers from any legal protection."

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9th Circuit Sides With Gay Couples in 2-1 Ruling on Prop 8

The Recorder

5:30 P.M. ET

Taking a narrow approach in deciding the blockbuster challenge to California's ban on gay marriage, a split 9th Circuit panel on Tuesday found Proposition 8 unconstitutional. The majority punted on the broader question of whether marrying a partner of the same sex should be a fundamental right -- a move that scholars said was designed to help the opinion withstand review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
See related story: ProtectMarriage.com GC Sees 'Clear Path' to Supreme Court for Prop 8

Pepper Hamilton Hires Nonlawyer CEO to Run Firm

The Legal Intelligencer

12:00 P.M. ET

Pepper Hamilton has made a rare move for am Am Law 100 or 200 firm by hiring a nonlawyer chief executive officer to take over management of the firm.

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Law.com Blog Network

Owing Millions, Former Lobbyist Abramoff May Return to the Movie Business

The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times | Feb. 6, 2012

With $44 million in restitution to pay off, former influence peddler Jack Abramoff may return to show business. Speaking at a Public Citizen forum in Washington on Monday, Abramoff, who pleaded guilty in 2006 to corruption and tax evasion charges, said he may pursue work as a movie producer -- a job he held before he joined Preston Gates Ellis (now K&L Gates) in 1994.

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While the nation's 100 highest-grossing firms rebounded from a disastrous 2009 by posting healthy gains in 2010, gains at the Second Hundred were less robust. The Second Hundred's total gross revenue rose 2.2 percent, to $17.46 billion in 2010 from $17.08 billion in 2009, while average revenue per lawyer increased just 1.5 percent, to $579,749 from $570,999. Average profits per partner rose 3.4 percent, to $665,665 from $643,580. So why aren't they worried?

The 2011 AmLaw 200

Gross Revenue

RPL Top 20

After watching profits per partner sink 4.3 percent in 2008 and revive only 0.3 percent in 2009, Am Law 100 firms finally posted a healthy increase—8.4 percent—in 2010. But much of that gain is attributable to firms’ aggressive cost-control measures, especially in the area of headcount, which dropped 2.7 percent over 2009. As a result, growth in revenue per lawyer—the most reliable measure of the overall financial health of law firms—was more tepid, 4.4 percent

Overview: Back in Black

Gross Revenue

Revenue Per Lawyer

The NLJ 250, The National Law Journal's annual survey of the nation's largest law firms, shows that Big Law continued to shed lawyers at a brisk clip in 2010. Nearly 2,900 fewer lawyers worked for the 250 top firms last year. That's in addition to the approximately 6,600 attorneys who departed in 2009. In the 34 years The NLJ has been surveying large firms to gather headcount numbers, there have never been multiyear declines of this magnitude.

THE 2011 NLJ 250

Branch Offices

Gains & Losses

Largest U.S. Law Offices

Since the early days of our survey, which ranks the world's largest law firms by revenue, international reach and profit have seemingly grown hand in hand. But when one examines the performance of individual firms in 2010 or charts their performance over time, it is unclear if there is truly a causal relationship between global expansion and financial success. Star performers can be found among the most stubborn homebodies and the most persistent imperialists.

The 2011 Global 100: Most Revenue

The 2011 Global 100: Most Profits Per Partner

The 2011 Global 100: Most Lawyers

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