NLJ Home > Special Reports
2009
Special section: Diversity
While recognizing that attitudes toward diversity have improved over time and that minority representation has improved slightly, a sample of diversity advocates, law firm partners, general counsel and law school leaders generally agreed that the legal profession needs to make deeper, more collective changes to jump-start the stalled diversity movement.
THE 2009 PLAINTIFFS' HOT LIST
We asked our readers to nominate firms in the United States that did exemplary, cutting-edge work on the plaintiffs' side between the summer of 2008 and the summer of 2009. Firms needed at least one significant win and an impressive track record within the previous three to five years. We also looked for wins that could effect significant social change or civil rights gains. We looked for firms that struck us as representing the bar's best qualities and that demonstrated unusual flair and creativity.
2009
WHO REPRESENTS CORPORATE AMERICA
Our annual survey of the law firms representing America's largest companies.
2009 U.S. Supreme Court Review
Our annual look at the high court examines the numbers and trends that shaped the last term and will affect the term to come.
The Sotomayor Nomination
The National Law Journal's daily coverage of the Senate confirmation hearing of Sonia Sotomayor as U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Check back for daily updates.
2009
40 Under 40
The National Law Journal predicts that these young Washington-area lawyers will play a major role in the legal community of the nation's capital — and therefore of the nation — for years to come. Selected by the editors based on nominations and reporting, these 40 individuals have already made their marks in private practice, in government agencies, on Capitol Hill and with public interest groups. Some have garnered headlines; others are less well-known. And not one has reached the age of 40.
THE MIDSIZE HOT LIST
Our inaugural Midsize Hot List includes 20 law firms — selected from a flood of nominations — that demonstrate exemplary innovation in practice management, fee arrangements, attorney recruitment and retention, and business development, especially in the face of current economic challenges. These firms have shown particular agility in adapting their practices to the recent changes in the legal services market. They range in size from 50 to 300 attorneys and are located across the country.
WINNING
Profiles of successful attorneys and their strategies.
CHAMPIONS, VISIONARIES & PIONEERS
From the firms to the courts to the halls of Congress, they made a difference in Washington law.
The 2009 D.C. 25: Flat & Happy
Washington's top 25 revenue-generating firms show slow growth and consider themselves lucky.
2009
THE APPELLATE HOT LIST
We asked our readers to nominate firms with stellar records in appellate advocacy, and the response was overwhelming. We received dozens of nominations for firms that really have been shaking things up. We looked for firms that scored at least one significant appellate win since February 2007, plus an impressive legacy overall. A "significant win" meant prevailing before the U.S. Supreme Court, a federal circuit court or a state court of last resort when the financial stakes were high or an important legal principle was at stake. The firms on this list contributed in meaningful ways to the most important appeals of the year, whether through drafting the main briefs, presenting oral arguments or as friends of the court.
Most Influential General Counsel
Amid the pressure that general counsel face in an economy with a moribund stock market, an unemployment rate of 8.1% and ballooning bankruptcies, a select group of in-house leaders continues to demonstrate innovation. They have shown particular finesse in managing their legal departments, choosing outside counsel and remaining committed to diversity in their own ranks and those of the law firms they hire. We have highlighted 20 attorneys whose leadership has proven strong during the turmoil in the legal industry.
Litigation makes like the economy
The litigation year just past was a typical one of fluctuating fortunes, but lawyers buffeted by a roiling economy that has boiled over into crisis are wondering what comes next. "Previous recessions spawned a huge amount of litigation," said Hunton & Williams partner Marty Steinberg, "but in this recession companies are being extremely cautious in every realm, including litigation. They are asking what the cost is, what is the benefit?"
LAW SCHOOLS
Hiring from top schools steady in '08
Despite the economic nosedive that began gaining momentum in 2008, the nation's biggest law firms hired just about the same percentage of graduates from top schools last year as they did the year before. At the same time, NLJ 250 firms brought aboard more graduates from the 20 schools that they relied on the most, which themselves had larger classes. The development suggests that law firms were not well positioned for the recession they now face — and that big firms may be forced to rethink the traditional hiring model.
BIG DEALS
Forced combinations prop up the market
Crisis combinations of banks and financial services companies propped up last year's weak U.S. mergers and acquisitions market, which was battered by volatile stocks markets, the credit crisis and deals that withered before closing.
There was almost a "forced consolidation" of major parts of the banking and insurance sectors due to the economic and credit crisis, said Jim Woolery, a corporate partner at New York's Cravath, Swaine & Moore.
2008 NLJ PRO BONO AWARDS
Each year, The National Law Journal recognizes the firms that have done the most to uphold the legal profession's responsibility to ensure that people's legal rights aren't contingent on their ability to pay. This year, we honor firms engaged in struggles that took on particular resonance in 2008: voting rights, same-sex marriage, refuge for Iraqis who endangered their lives by working with U.S. forces, and reparations for the remaining victims of the Nazis' "ghetto work" program.
GLENN A. FINE
The Lawyer of the Year
The Justice Department's reputation suffered one black eye after another in 2008 — largely due to the politicization of the department. Inspector General Glenn Fine and the team he has assembled in the past eight years emerged as beacons of nonpartisanship and independence as they thoroughly investigated problem after problem and revealed where the department went off track. Fine is our choice for Lawyer of the Year for his work in ensuring the department's fulfillment of its motto: "who prosecutes on behalf of justice."
2008 NLJ BILLING SURVEY
Law firm fees defy gravity
Despite the rancid economy of 2008, attorney billing rates continued their escalation trend, with nearly 71% of law firms reporting an increase in the amount that they charged clients compared with 2007. This figure represents law firms that increased their average and median billing rates firmwide. Also this year, partner billing rates broke record highs, with one firm exceeding the $1,200 mark and another rising above $1,100 per hour.
THE NLJ 250
The National Law Journal's 31st annual survey of the nation's largest law firms found that hiring slowed significantly in 2008. At this time last year, we reported that overall growth had picked up to levels not seen since 2001. These days, of course, it's a different story. The current economic crisis is hitting law firms hard — seven large law firms announced layoffs this year, and the demise of two major firms on the list, Heller Ehrman and Thelen, will affect approximately 1,200 attorneys. It's not all bad news, at least for some law firms: DLA Piper maintained its spot at the top of the chart and K&L Gates, through a series of successful mergers and lateral hires, has climbed into the top 10 firms.
2007-08 U.S. Supreme Court Term in Review
From the Rehnquist Court to the now third term of the Roberts Court, a pattern has endured: Eight justices divide equally, and one generally holds the key to the outcome of constitutional questions triggering their fundamentally different views. Regardless of what the future of the court may hold, for now at least Justice Anthony M. Kennedy plays the pivotal role. Read our legal analysis and commentary on the high court's past term, plus summaries and full text of the 67 cases reviewed by the justices.
WINNING
The lawyers featured in The National Law Journal's 2008 Winning special report share a knack for artfully swaying judges and juries and taking risks when they see the opportunity to seize an advantage in the courtroom. We chose the victors of 10 cases from scores of nominations offered from firms of all sizes from just about every state in the union. The basic criteria required that nominees have at least one significant win within the past 18 months, and a history of noteworthy wins during the past several years.
PROFILES IN POWER
The 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America
A mere 5.4% of partners at U.S. law firms were members of minority groups. For women of color, the figure was fewer than 1.7%, according to the legal placement organization NALP. But what an amazing group of people those numbers represent, and what a payoff for the firms, law schools and corporations that invested in diversity. The National Law Journal presents 50 minority lawyers who have had a national impact in their legal fields.
THE 2007 DEFENSE HOT LIST
The National Law Journal's third annual report on law firms that have done exemplary, cutting-edge defense work. We asked readers to nominate firms and we supplemented those suggestions with our own research. We looked for firms with overall impressive track records that managed at least one significant defense bench or jury verdict since July 1, 2006.
The 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America
We asked our readers to nominate women lawyers who have had a national impact in their fields and beyond during the last five years. We looked for women with the demonstrated power to change the legal landscape. There were a lot of close calls in the course of our highly subjective review. In the end, this list reflects not just the most influential women lawyers, but some of the most influential lawyers, period.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW
The end may be near for reverse-payment settlements
In view of the drive to reduce health care costs, the perceived overpricing of drug products based on "weak" patents and a greater inclination to bring antitrust enforcement actions, it seems that momentum is building against reverse-payment settlements.
LITIGATION BOUTIQUES
Rocky economy pushes attorneys to set up shop
Former Irell & Manella partners heed client demands for lower fees, greater attention at new firm.
LAW SCHOOLS
Reality's knocking
The movement to incorporate practical skills into legal education isn't new, but legal educators and researchers say that the floundering economy is creating a greater incentive for law schools to revamp their curriculum with an eye to preparing students for the realities of the legal profession.
