http://www.law.com/jsp/llf/index.jsp Updated daily en-us 02/11/2008 Copyright 2006 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.law.com/service/terms_conditions.shtml http://www.law.com/img/newswire/llf_rss.gifhttp://www.law.com/jsp/llf/index.jsp No matter how good a loss-prevention program a firm has in place, it's a sad but inevitable fact that it will have claims. A firm manager's goal, therefore, is not to reduce claims incidence to zero but rather to have a sound program in place to identify and respond to claims in a manner that minimizes losses. Here are some thoughts on how to do that from the perspective of Goulston & Storrs trial lawyer Richard Zielinski, who has spent much of the past 30 years defending law firms against such claims.http://www.law.com/jsp/llf/PubArticleLLF.jsp?id=1202469648746&rss=llfA Seattle school district that lost a case before the U.S. Supreme Court is arguing that its opposing counsel, Davis Wright Tremaine, should not be entitled to nearly $1.8 million in attorney fees. The school district is raising the increasingly contentious issue of whether large law firms that successfully represent clients on a pro bono basis are entitled to seek substantial legal fees from the defendant. It's the second high-profile case in a year to challenge the fees in pro bono cases.http://www.law.com/jsp/llf/PubArticleLLF.jsp?id=1202469637991&rss=llfIn an era of ever-flighty associates, some firms are finding that the best way to avoid an empty nest is to provide in-house career counseling. While most firms have forms of professional development, few have embraced the idea of a formal, permanent, in-house career counselor. The position can offer associates a neutral and confidential third party to go to with questions. Career counselors are "really the associates' advocate," says Chris Boyd, senior director of professional services at Wilson Sonsini.http://www.law.com/jsp/llf/PubArticleLLF.jsp?id=1202423013080&rss=llfConventional wisdom is that students' inadequate research skills are a longtime problem that is only getting worse. Law librarian Tricia Kasting agrees, noting that the situation is serious enough that the ABA is considering whether there should be a legal research component to the bar exam. Today's tech savvy students already know how to find information, Kasting writes, but they need to be taught how to determine the kind of information they need and what to do with the information once they find it.http://www.law.com/jsp/llf/PubArticleLLF.jsp?id=1198663500736&rss=llf