News

Duane Morris Links With Cannabis Trade Group as Legal Pot Spreads

Lizzy McLellan | October 17, 2018

The firm and the American Trade Association for Cannabis & Hemp said it's the first time a national cannabis trade organization has partnered with an Am Law 100 law firm.

News

Immigration Firm, After Deloitte Alliance, Enters New York With 60-Person Epstein Team

Christine Simmons | October 17, 2018

Berry Appleman's leader said the firm had been looking to launch in New York for several years, but the Deloitte deal, announced in June, provided another nudge.

News

V&E Targeting New York, DC, London for Expansion

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | October 17, 2018

The Houston-based firm is beefing up offices in financial centers with transactional and finance partners.

News

Survey: Corporate Execs Optimistic About M&A Market in 2019

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | October 17, 2018

While optimistic about the M&A market, survey respondents said most deals will be valued at $100 million or less.

Baker McKenzie Picks Tampa for US Operations Base

Dan Packel | October 17, 2018

The global firm, which expects to employ 300 people at the Florida center, already has back offices in Manila and Belfast and plans another in Latin America.

News

Cadwalader's Entire Health Care Group Leaves to Join Crowell & Moring

Christine Simmons | October 17, 2018

The New York-based health care practice was looking for a firm "where our practice was mainstream," its leader said.

News

Ex-Big Law Kiwi Killed by Fallen Sign, Court Hears

Brian Baxter | October 16, 2018

A British court is currently hearing a case involving Jacob Marx, a former in-house lawyer at LexisNexis who died in London five years ago after being crushed by a gaming giant's storefront sign.

Amid Boycott, Saudi Arabian Conference Draws in Global Arbitration Lawyers

Dan Packel | October 16, 2018

As "Davos in the Desert" dries up due to the controversy surrounding Jamal Khashoggi, international arbitration lawyers from around the world were scheduled to rub elbows with Saudi leadership at another conference down the road.

Q&A

Does 'Covering' Help Mask a Diverse Big Law Workplace?

Xiumei Dong | October 16, 2018

At the recent DLA Piper Global Technology Summit in Silicon Valley, law professor Kenji Yoshino discussed the best ways to measure diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

News

Ex-Foley Partner Gets 2-Year Suspension for Document Tampering

Scott Flaherty | October 16, 2018

A onetime Foley & Lardner partner admitted to disciplinary authorities that he backdated and pasted clients' signatures onto documents related to a client's estate.

News

IP Lateral Hiring Trend Continues With Cozen's Latest Additions

Lizzy McLellan| October 16, 2018

A strong appetite for laterals among big firms is keeping IP lawyers on the move around the country.

Commentary

Why Are Women Lousy Negotiators? Hint: They Don't Lie Enough

Vivia Chen | October 16, 2018

Men are outgunning women at the negotiation game. And that negative repercussion carries over to what women earn, contributing to that gender gap in pay.

News

Litigation Funder Therium to Launch in Australia

John Kang | October 16, 2018

London-based litigation funder Therium Capital Management will open an office in Melbourne starting next year.

Analysis

The Case for Doubling Year-End Associate Bonuses

Hugh A. Simons| October 16, 2018

Law firm leaders should pre-empt another round of salary increases with something smarter.

News

Morgan Lewis Adds High-Level Labor Dept. Lawyer

Erin Mulvaney | October 16, 2018

As the Labor Department's deputy solicitor for national operations, Susan Harthill managed the provision of legal services across department's programs.

Jones Day Again Tops Trump Campaign's Legal Billing, New FEC Filings Show

C. Ryan Barber | October 15, 2018

After Jones Day, the highest-paid firm identified in Monday’s filing was one that had not previously appeared in Trump's campaign finance reports: Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo.

News

Boies Schiller Partner Tapped as Special Prosecutor in Arpaio Appeal

Ross Todd | October 15, 2018

Christopher Caldwell has been called on by a Ninth Circuit panel to argue for upholding the contempt of court finding against the former Maricopa County sheriff after the Department of Justice has indicated that it supports vacating Arpaio's conviction.

News

V&E Picks Up Former Head of DOJ Environmental Division as Partner in DC

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | October 15, 2018

Ronald Tenpas, who comes from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, joined Vinson & Elkins as a partner. He spent 12 years at the DOJ and worked on President Trump's transition team.

News

Litigation Boutique Spins Off From McKool Smith, Promising Innovative Model

Christine Simmons | Xiumei Dong | October 15, 2018

Reichman Jorgensen, with offices in Silicon Valley, Atlanta and New York, is promising to eschew hourly billing and to pay associates on a scale higher than Cravath's.

News

Former Orrick CEO: 'Everybody Wins' If Law Firms Invest, Adapt

Roy Strom | October 15, 2018

Ralph Baxter sees a future for Big Law that isn’t bleak. But it requires change.

News

Meet the Former Kirkland Partner Under Consideration to Be the Next White House Counsel

Ryan Lovelace | October 15, 2018

Pat Cipollone is a litigator at Stein Mitchell Cipollone Beato & Missner and a former partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Washington.

News

Offit Kurman Combines With 70-Year-Old Firm in Latest NY Tie-Up

Lizzy McLellan | October 15, 2018

The mid-Atlantic firm is adding about a dozen lawyers from New York's Salon Marrow in its third expansion in the city this year.

News

LegalZoom GC Eyeing New Tech, Expansion Into Foreign Markets

Phillip Bantz | October 15, 2018

"It’s really hard sometimes to look back on a fight and try to think of something positive about it," Chas Rampenthal said of his company's conflict with the NC State Bar.

News

King & Wood Mallesons Under Investigation for Overworking Lawyers in Australia

John Kang | October 15, 2018

Employees of the Sino-Australian giant were allegedly subjected to grueling conditions, with some employees sleeping at the office to meet deadlines and cope with the heavy workload that arose from a public inquiry into financial sector misconduct that involved some of their clients.

Commentary

Baker McKenzie Admits 'Shortcomings' in Handling Sexual Assault + More News

Vivia Chen | October 15, 2018

The law firm seems to be making the best of an awkward situation. Plus, a note to all Supreme Court aspirants: Buy your domain names now.

News

Atlanta Lawyer Convicted of Fraud for Taking $26M From His Firm

Meredith Hobbs| October 12, 2018

Federal jurors convicted the Atlanta lawyer on Friday of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 21 counts of wire fraud and one count of making false statements to federally insured banks.

News

Top Canadian Law Firm Names a New Leader

Meghan Tribe | October 12, 2018

Marc Barbeau, a longtime partner at Montreal-based Stikeman Elliott, has assumed leadership of the firm.

News

Ropes Reels in M&A Pro to Grow 2 Offices

Xiumei Dong | October 12, 2018

Matthew Jacobson, a veteran transactional lawyer, is returning to California after more than a decade away.

News

Dechert Keeps Up IP Growth With Hughes Hubbard Hire

Dan Packel | October 12, 2018

Stephen S. Rabinowitz is the firm's fourth senior hire in the practice in the last six months.

Podcast

One Big Law Attorney’s Journey with Depression, One Firm’s Response to the Profession’s Problem

Leigh Jones | Vanessa Blum | October 12, 2018

A Baker Hostetler lawyer discusses her depression, and Latham & Watkins' COO talks about what her firm is doing to dispel the stigma of mental health challenges.

News

Boies Schiller Cleared to Keep Billionaire Ex-Client's File Amid Fee Dispute

Scott Flaherty | October 12, 2018

With a New York state court ruling on Friday, Boies Schiller can continue hanging onto a discovery file that serves as leverage while the firm tries to recover more than $825,000 in unpaid fees from a billionaire former client.

News

Ex-Polsinelli Partners’ Cannabis Company Sells for Record High

Roy Strom | October 12, 2018

The bud business has been good to a few former Big Law partners.

News

Paul Hastings Advises China Vanke on $1.3B Commercial Real Estate Deal

John Kang | October 12, 2018

The Chinese property giant acquired a portfolio of 20 shopping malls across 19 cities in China from Singaporean developer CapitaLand.

News

A Day of Reckoning for NY Law Firms When the Lease Expires

Susan DeSantis | October 12, 2018

Manhattan law firm offices are designed to dazzle clients with breathtaking views and the latest wizardry at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. But a decade later when the lease expires, law firms face a day of reckoning.

News

Kirkland Nabs New Partners From Davis Polk, Simpson Thacher

Brian Baxter | October 11, 2018

The world’s largest law firm by gross revenue has continued its lateral hiring spree on both coasts.

News

Boies Schiller in Spat With Billionaire Over Unpaid Legal Fees

Scott Flaherty | October 11, 2018

Boies Schiller Flexner withdrew from representing billionaire Alex Shnaider in September, citing irreconcilable differences and unpaid legal bills. Now Shnaider's arguing that the firm is improperly withholding a case file he needs for an upcoming trial.

News

'Ever Argue With a Woman?' Florida and Texas Lawyers Fight Over Trademarked Slogan

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | October 11, 2018

Florida lawyer Melissa Wilson sued San Antonio lawyer Heather Clement Tessmer and her firm over use of a slogan that's similar to the trademarked one that Wilson holds.

Merger Brings Boston Litigation Boutique to Tort-Rich St. Louis

Dan Packel | October 11, 2018

Manning Gross + Massenburg's tie-up with Kurowski Shultz will create a combined firm of over 100 attorneys in 14 offices spanning the country.

News

Death of Stanford Law Student, Wachtell Associate Ruled an Accident

Meghan Tribe | October 11, 2018

Leon Cain, a 3L at Stanford Law School who had recently signed on to begin his career at Wachtell, died last month from what a medical examiner described Thursday as "multiple blunt force injuries."

News

Cleary Adds Chief Talent Officer as Law Firms' C-Suite Shake-Up Continues

Meghan Tribe | October 11, 2018

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is the latest big firm to add an executive position with a talent management and diversity focus.

News

Think Big Law Is Your Ticket to Success? These 4 Big-Company GCs Came From a Midsize Firm in Texas

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | October 11, 2018

The general counsel of General Motors, Chevron Phillips Chemical, LyondellBasell Industries, and American Air Liquide Holdings all once worked at the now-shuttered litigation boutique Beirne, Maynard & Parsons.

News

Baker Donelson Swaps Leaders After Extended Growth Spurt

Ryan Lovelace | October 11, 2018

Birmingham-based Timothy Lupinacci will take over from Ben Adams as chairman and CEO of the firm, which ballooned to 750 lawyers and 22 offices during Adams' tenure.

Analysis

Seoul and Tokyo: A Tale of 2 Legal Markets

John Kang | October 11, 2018

South Korea has no plans to further open up its legal market to foreign law firms but liberalization continues in Japan.

News

New Report Finds Female Path to Law Firm Partnership a Sluggish Crawl

Meghan Tribe | October 10, 2018

A survey found that given the legal industry's current growth rate, it would take nearly a century for women to make up half of the equity partnership tier.

Ex-Big Law Partner Ravelo Sentenced to 5 Years for Vendor Fraud Scheme

Christine Simmons | October 10, 2018

Prosecutors said former Hunton & Williams and Willkie Farr & Gallagher partner Keila Ravelo defrauded her law firms and client MasterCard out of $7.8 million to fuel a lavish lifestyle.

News

Leading Litigation Funder Sets Aside $50 Million for Women-Led Matters

Meghan Tribe | October 10, 2018

With Burford Capital "sitting atop a pile of money," the company thinks it's found a new way to help close the legal industry's gender gap.

Commentary

Listen Up, Counselor! Here’s How to Get What You Want From Clients

Alexander M. Geisler| October 10, 2018

Craving clear instructions? Wishing for repeat business? In three decades as a law firm partner, I’ve figured out it’s up to me to create the right conditions.

Commentary

Will You Report Sexual Harassment or Bullying? Be Honest.

Vivia Chen | October 10, 2018

A notable percentage of female lawyers experience harassment and bullying, yet the vast majority of them never report it, a recent study finds.

News

Senior SEC Attorney Lands at White & Case

Meghan Tribe | October 10, 2018

Era Anagnosti is joining the firm's Washington office amid a growth spurt and a doubling-down on its capital markets practice.

News

Boies Schiller Nabs Prominent Attorney Susan Estrich From Quinn Emanuel

Scott Flaherty | October 10, 2018

Estrich will be a Los Angeles-based partner in the appellate practice at Boies Schiller, which has made a string of recent hires in California.

Firms Vie for Top M&A Billing as Dealmakers Zero In on US

Dan Packel | October 10, 2018

Latham hits a trifecta, and other takeaways from Mergermarket, Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters' rankings for the first three quarters of 2018.

News

Ex-Big Law Associate Launches International Boutique in DC

Ryan Lovelace | October 10, 2018

After stints at Paul Hastings, Freshfields and Allen & Overy, Diogo Pereira is teaming up with a Brazilian colleague to launch his own cross-border shop.

News

Amid US Law Firm Merger Mania, an Interesting Tie-Up in the Old Soviet Space

Brian Baxter | October 09, 2018

While some global firms have struggled in the former Soviet Union, Asters has expanded by acquiring the Ukrainian operations of one of Russia’s largest law firms.

News

Dorsey & Whitney Taps Firm ‘Lifer’ as Managing Partner

Roy Strom | October 09, 2018

For the first time in six years, the nearly 500-lawyer Am Law 200 firm will have a new leader in January.

News

Victory in Case Against FTC Offers Glimpse Into Ropes & Gray’s Hourly Rates

Scott Flaherty | October 09, 2018

Although Ropes & Gray sought a discounted rate for its pro bono representation of LabMD in a data breach case, the firm's fee request provides insight into what one of the country's highest earning firms could charge per hour.

News

Ex-Big Law Partner to Be Sentenced Wednesday in $7.8M Law Firm Fraud Scheme

Charles Toutant | Christine Simmons | October 09, 2018

Lawyers for Keila Ravelo, a former Hunton & Williams and Willkie Farr & Gallagher partner who pleaded guilty last year to tax evasion and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, said she is "a true shell of her former self."

News

Allen & Overy Political Law Leader Jumps to Holland & Knight

Dan Packel | October 09, 2018

Charles Borden, who helped launch Allen & Overy's D.C. office in 2011, projects an "explosion" in his practice between now and the 2020 presidential election.

News

Women-Owned Law Firms Surge Amid Gender Disparity in the Profession

Angela Morris| October 09, 2018

By founding their own firms, women are crafting new game rules that provide for fair compensation, equal promotions, full inclusion and better career development opportunities.

Commentary

In Legal Marketing, Apathy Is the Enemy

Jennifer Scalzi| October 09, 2018

Firms looking to succeed must devote attention to the process of talent acquisition.

News

Goodwin Procter Grabs 2 Gunderson Partners in San Francisco

Xiumei Dong | October 09, 2018

The firm hired Josh Cook, the former head of Gunderson Dettmer’s San Francisco office, and his colleague Jon Novotny.

News

Sidley Lands Life Sciences Licensing Pro From King & Spalding

Xiumei Dong | October 08, 2018

Thomas Duley, a well-regarded life sciences lawyer in the Bay Area, has joined Sidley in San Francisco.

News

The Cost of Free Wi-Fi Could Be Private Company Data

Caroline Spiezio | October 08, 2018

Lawyers seeking internet outside of company walls should steer clear of public Wi-Fi, highlighted by the Department of Justice's indictment of Russian hackers last week.

News

DC Circuit Vacancy Buzz Ramps Up After Kavanaugh's Elevation

C. Ryan Barber | Ellis Kim | October 08, 2018

Washington’s appellate bar was abuzz about who might be nominated to fill the newly vacant seat on the D.C. Circuit days after Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed the U.S. Supreme Court.

News

Dykema, Lewis Brisbois Expand Out West

Meghan Tribe | October 08, 2018

The two Am Law 200 firms have absorbed the bulk of smaller outfits in Minneapolis and Las Vegas, including one that once advised the inventor of the Tilt-A-Whirl theme park ride.

News

In Law Firm Battles Over Placement Fees, 2 Courts Side With Recruiters

Christine Simmons | October 08, 2018

The recent decisions show that courts are continuing to enforce recruiter contracts with firms, even if they are oral or do not include a signature.

News

After Kavanaugh's Confirmation, Feinstein Chief Counsel Jumps to Wiley Rein

Ryan Lovelace | October 08, 2018

Peter Hyun, a former Sidley Austin associate who spent more than three years as California Sen. Dianne Feinstein's top lawyer, is headed back to private practice.

Commentary

Trying to Get Pregnant? Management Would Like to Know.

Vivia Chen | October 08, 2018

The co-leader of Jones Day’s health care practice at a recent meeting apparently "encouraged" women to tell management if they were pregnant or planning on be. Is that so wrong?

News

China's Haiwen Lures Away Ropes & Gray Shanghai Partner

Anna Zhang | October 08, 2018

Corporate lawyer Jieni Gu is the latest global firm partner to join a Chinese firm.

Infographic

Data Snapshot: Is Big Law Boosting Its Pro Bono?

Nicholas Bruch, Director, ALM Intelligence | Ben Hancock | October 08, 2018

Attorneys at the nation's largest law firms gave more of their time to pro bono matters than ever. Jenner & Block led the way.

Meet Justice Kavanaugh's Four Female SCOTUS Law Clerks

Marcia Coyle | October 07, 2018

"I’ll be the first justice in the history of the Supreme Court to have a group of all women law clerks. That is who I am. That is who I was," Brett Kavanaugh said on Sept. 27, testifying after the emergence of sexual misconduct allegations.

News

Sidley, Kirkland Score Roles on Two Big Corporate Bankruptcies

Brian Baxter | October 05, 2018

American Tire and Mattress Firm have turned to both Am Law 100 firms for counsel on their restructuring efforts.

News

Winston & Strawn Adds DLA Piper's Fund Formation Head to Lead Venture Practice

Roy Strom | October 05, 2018

The Chicago-based legal giant has bolstered its venture capital group with a high-profile hire in Chicago from DLA Piper.

Commentary

The Trouble With Origination Credit

Blane R. Prescott| October 05, 2018

In many cases, credit systems work against much of what law firms are trying to accomplish.

Perkins Coie Takes In $1.4M For OSU Probe as Firms' #MeToo Work Piles Up

Dan Packel | October 05, 2018

Documents also show a Schiff Hardin partner's $500-an-hour billings for digging into harassment allegations in the Illinois Legislature.

Podcast

From Federal Judge to Private Practice: Why This Debevoise Partner Left His Ultimate Dream Job

Vanessa Blum | Leigh Jones | October 05, 2018

Serving as a federal judge in the Eastern District of New York was “the best job in the world,” says Debevoise partner John Gleeson. So why give it up?

News

Legal Sector Adds Jobs in September After Two Months of Decline

Scott Flaherty | October 05, 2018

The uptick in legal services employment comes as the U.S. economy as a whole added jobs and unemployment dropped to its lowest level in decade.

News

Japan Leads Asia M&A Activity Amid Strongest Year in Nearly 4 Decades

Anna Zhang | October 05, 2018

Deals involving Japanese companies totaled $290.5 billion during the first nine months of this year—the strongest showing since 1980.

News

US Lawyers Spend Only 30 Percent of Workday on Billable Hours, Report Says

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | October 05, 2018

So what are they doing the rest of the day?

News

Can New Leave Policies Help Big Law Escape the Parent Trap?

Meghan Tribe | October 05, 2018

Facing frustration—and sometimes litigation—over their approach to motherhood and parental leave, law firms are wrestling with how far to go to support new parents.

News

Appellate Lawyers Who Backed Kavanaugh Say He's Still Their Man

Ellis Kim | October 04, 2018

With a final vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination looming, several appellate lawyers say they’re still backing the U.S. Supreme Court nominee.

News

Lawyers Maintain an Edge in Rising Billing Rates, Study Finds

Dan Packel | October 04, 2018

Average law firm billing rates are keeping pace with inflation, a report found, but the picture is worse for nonlawyers.

Q&A

Partner Suing Ogletree for Gender Bias Tells Her Story

Scott Flaherty | October 04, 2018

Dawn Knepper, a former nonequity shareholder at Ogletree Deakins, opened up about her gender bias lawsuit against her prior firm.

Commentary

By Failing to Collaborate, Law Firms Are Leaving Money on the Table

Heidi Gardner| October 04, 2018

Firms are letting down clients and losing revenue.

As Partners Come Forward, Law Firms Walk Fine Line in Kavanaugh Controversy

Christine Simmons | October 04, 2018

An effort by an Akin Gump practice leader to provide information to the FBI highlights how major law firms are navigating the unusually controversial confirmation fight.

News

Sedgwick Demise Highlights Challenges GCs Face When Outside Law Firms Dissolve

Phillip Bantz | October 04, 2018

“It’s in the best case somewhat disruptive and in the worst case extraordinarily disruptive to the lawyers and their clients,” said one consultant.

News

UK M&A Activity Plummets as Brexit Effect Begins to Take Hold

Hannah Roberts| October 04, 2018

Total deal value fell 66 percent on Q2 after the quietest quarter for U.K. M&A activity since 2012.

News

These Big Law Firms Are Backing an App Store for Legal Tech Products

Roy Strom | October 04, 2018

Legal tech companies, listen up. Big Law wants “containerization.”

News

Big 4 Dominate as Law Firm Alternatives Press Their Brands

Dan Packel | October 04, 2018

PwC landed in the No. 1 spot in a new ranking of alternative legal services providers' brand strength, and its peers were all in the top five.

News

Quinn Emanuel Adds Irell & Manella Entertainment Litigator in LA

Xiumei Dong | October 03, 2018

The firm hired Bobby Schwartz, a prominent trial lawyer who previously spent more than 30 years at O'Melveny & Myers.

Commentary

How Marketing and Business Development Can Unite Business and Law

Jill Huse| October 03, 2018

Law firms need to find a way to bridge the gap.

News

Ogletree, Ex-Partner in Gender Bias Case Spar Over Arbitration Pact

Scott Flaherty | October 03, 2018

Dawn Knepper, a former nonequity shareholder at Ogletree, argues that the firm shouldn't be able to invoke an arbitration agreement in light of several flaws. Ogletree, meanwhile, argues Knepper knew plenty about the agreement when it took effect.

News

Upstart Law Firm Lands Seasoned Litigator’s Co-Counsel From ‘Pink Slime’ Trial

Roy Strom | October 03, 2018

Benesch has hired a pair of Winston & Strawn partners looking to build their own reputations at a growing firm.

News

Alleged Co-Conspirator a No-Show as Hardwick Prosecution Rests

Meredith Hobbs | October 03, 2018

Asha Maurya, the former controller for Morris Hardwick Schneider who pleaded to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, will not take the stand at Nat Hardwick's trial.

News

Kirkland Touts Largest-Ever Global Promotions Round

Hannah Roberts | October 03, 2018

A total of 122 associates have been made up globally, including 37 new partners in the firm's Chicago headquarters.

Commentary

Rachel Mitchell: Mean Girl, Victim or Both?

Vivia Chen | October 03, 2018

Mitchell's folksy, disarming approach to questioning Christine Blasey Ford didn't mask her motives—or the GOP's—for long.

Commentary

Pay Raises Can Be a Bittersweet Bump for Big Law Associates

The Young Lawyer Editorial Board| October 03, 2018

Associate raises have side effects that firms should acknowledge and address.

Law Firms Are More Profitable Than Ever. How are They Doing It?

Nicholas Bruch, Director, ALM Intelligence | October 03, 2018

Given the obstacles law firms are facing, profitability shouldn't be increasing. A look at how firms are doing it.

News

Once Storied Sedgwick Files for Bankruptcy as Wind-Down Fails

Roy Strom | October 02, 2018

The firm's insolvency comes after a broad expansion effort, practice groups that sparred with each other and an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to stabilize an institution rocked by the financial uncertainty that comes with Big Law's free agent era.

News

Mid-Market Moves, 'Serial Acquirers' Drive Law Firm Merger Mania

Dan Packel | October 02, 2018

"Almost every law firm we work with is actively considering its merger options in 2018," said Altman Weil consultant Eric Seeger.

Analysis

How Law Firms Are Capitalizing on the Private Equity Boom

Roy Strom | October 02, 2018

The biggest private equity shops are predicted to double in size over the next seven years. Catching a piece of their deals is a recipe for Big Law success.