At Justice Department's Request, Federal Judge Dismisses FCPA Sting Case

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a high-profile foreign bribery prosecution as he questioned the government's litigation tactics and legal theories underpinning the case. "This appears to be the end of a long and sad day in the annals of white-collar enforcement," U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said in court, several hours after prosecutors asked him to dismiss with prejudice the largest-ever Foreign Corrupt Practices Act case against individuals.

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MGA's Revived Antitrust Claim Fails to Persuade

The National Law Journal

12:45 P.M. ET

An attorney for MGA Entertainment, citing a "last effort" to prove that Barbie maker Mattel has monopolized the fashion doll market, has vowed to appeal a federal judge's final dismissal of his client's $1 billion antitrust suit.

Supreme Court Wades Back Into Affirmative Action

The National Law Journal

The Supreme Court announced Tuesday it would revisit the divisive issue of affirmative action in higher education. But it will do so without Justice Elena Kagan, who recused herself, and without Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who retired in 2006 after rescuing affirmative action from conservative attack three years earlier.

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Clifford Chance Advising Shell on $1.6 Billion African Energy Deal

The Am Law Daily | Feb. 22, 2012

Moving to expand its reach into East Africa, Royal Dutch Shell has made a conditional offer to buy oil exploration company Cove Energy for $1.6 billion. Clifford Chance and U.K. firm Lawrence Graham are advising.

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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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