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Legal consultant criticizes ACC's law firm rating index
An Association of Corporate Counsel law firm rating system unveiled last month has triggered a lot of interest from the association's in-house lawyer members, who have submitted 1,500 firm reviews. Lawyers at firms are less enthused.
Winston & Strawn hosts a newsroom in its Chicago headquarters
The attorneys in Winston & Strawn's Chicago headquarters got some new officemates this week: the reporters and editors of the Chicago News Cooperative, a fledgling journalism venture that's creating a stir in news circles. The firm is donating office space and legal advice to the startup during its launch.
Diligence pays off for plaintiffs' attorneys in Wal-Mart wage-and-hour case
A federal judge granted final approval to a settlement under which Wal-Mart will pay between $65 million and $85 million to resolve 39 consolidated wage-and-hour class actions involving more than 3 million Wal-Mart employees — the largest wage-and-hour class on record.
Neal Gerber partners file rebuttal to malpractice claim
Two partners of Chicago-based Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg struck back last week at their former client, a real estate heiress, who sued them and their law firm for alleged malpractice.
WASHINGTON
Crowell-Folger deal hinged on benefits of big
Most litigators at San Francisco-based Folger Levin & Kahn looked at Crowell & Moring and saw a firm that functions like a midsized outsider despite having more than 400 lawyers worldwide. Crowell's partnership was much more receptive.
BUSINESS
The future of the meeting will be televised
Last spring, DLA Piper became the first law firm to purchase Cisco Systems Inc.'s TelePresence, one of a growing number of cutting-edge videoconferencing systems designed to replicate the feeling of in-person meetings through state-of-the art cameras, screens, lighting and audio. The relatively high cost means that some industries — including law firms — have been slow to buy in.
Julia Huston to chair trademark and copyright practice at Foley Hoag
Julia Huston, the trademark practice chair at Sunstein Kann Murphy & Timbers and a Boston legal organization leader, is jumping to Boston's Foley Hoag to chair its trademark and copyright practice group.
Former client sues Seyfarth Shaw, claiming malpractice, conflict of interest
Supply chain management company PCG Trading LLC is suing Seyfarth Shaw and four of its current and former Boston attorneys for failing to minimize PCG's risk of paying judgments in employment cases brought against Converge Inc. after PCG bought Converge's assets.
Lewis Brisbois sets up shop in Texas
Los Angeles-based Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith plans to open offices in Houston and Beaumont, Texas, through the acquisition of Adams & Heald, an insurance defense law firm with 11 attorneys.
Survey says: Women lag far behind as rainmakers
The National Association of Women Lawyers' annual report on retention and promotion of women in law firms has zeroed in on women as rainmakers. The conclusion: Women are "surprisingly weak" in bringing in new business. "We were shocked to find how big a disparity there is," said Lisa Gilford, president of the association.
Mintz Levin renews lease in Manhattan's Chrysler Center
Mintz Levin has renewed a lease for 85,000 square feet of Manhattan office space at the Chrysler Center. The Boston-based firm signed a 12-year lease with options for an additional 10 years, said Stephen Gulotta Jr., managing partner of the firm's New York office.
2009 Legal Times 150: D.C.'s Largest Law Offices
The Washington area's largest law offices reported a barely 1% rise in head count, going virtually flat after five years of steady increases, according to the this year's Legal Times 150 survey.
Corporate counsel discuss risks of landing in the hot seat
In-house lawyers at the Association of Corporate Counsel's annual meeting this week conferred on ways to combat the rising number of lawsuits and government investigations faced by their ranks. Suits in which in-house lawyers have been named as parties include actions ranging from bankruptcy to corporate waste. And even when they're not the targets of a lawsuit, in-house lawyers are increasingly being deposed as witnesses, according to seminar panelists.
NALP finds slight improvement in law firm diversity, but pockets of decline
Diversity advocates have voiced concern about the toll recent law firm layoffs have taken on women and minority attorneys, and it appears that their fears were not entirely unfounded.
The latest attorney demographic survey from the National Association of Law Placement indicates that law firm diversity ticked up slightly overall during the past year, but declined in several markets.
Littler recruits Nixon Peabody veteran to open Rochester, N.Y., office
Littler Mendelson has opened an office in Rochester, N.Y., hiring Margaret A. Clemens, the former chairwoman of the ERISA litigation practice group at Nixon Peabody. Clemens specializes in ERISA litigation including class actions and trial and appellate work.
Campaign against loan modification misconduct claims three attorneys' licenses
Three Southern California attorneys have resigned due to misconduct related to loan modifications, according to the State Bar of California, which this year has stepped up its prosecution of lawyers who offer homeowners such services.
