NYC's Cohen & Gresser Launches in London

Dan Packel | May 25, 2018

London will become the midsize firm's third international office.

News

A Kick in the Pants? Ex-Judge in Infamous 'Pants' Lawsuit Faces 90-Day Suspension in DC

Scott Flaherty | May 25, 2018

The disciplinary board said former administrative law Judge Roy Pearson Jr. pursued a legal theory in litigation over a lost pair of pants that "morphed into the preposterous."

News

A Dutch Treat? Some Lawyers See Netherlands as Next Class Action 'It' Spot

Miriam Rozen | May 24, 2018

There are a number of reasons for lawyers representing plaintiffs and defendants to believe that Dutch courts could become an ideal overseas venue to resolve class action disputes. But uncertainties still abound.

News

International Trade Lawyers Make Hay as Sanctions Shine

Dan Packel | May 24, 2018

"Like taking a drink out of a fire hose" is how one lawyer described his practice, as the implications of international sanctions and trade disputes grow ever more complex.

News

Nixon Peabody Beefs Up NY Real Estate Group With New Partner, New Practice

Meghan Tribe | May 24, 2018

The firm added infrastructure partner Roderick Devlin from Squire Patton Boggs, and separately launched a new cooperative and condominium practice led by Erica Buckley.

News

Paul Hastings Makes 4 Big Hires in 2 Cities

Rose Walker and Brian Baxter| May 24, 2018

Roger Barron, a veteran corporate partner at Linklaters in London, has left the Magic Circle firm for Paul Hastings, which has been busy in recent weeks recruiting new talent into its partnership.

Expert Opinion

General Counsel Need to Seek Flat Fees More, Research Finds

Aaron Kotok and Michael Williams| May 24, 2018

In the first key finding of its GC Thought Leaders Experiment, AdvanceLaw assesses whether flat fees generate better or worse law firm performance on legal matters than do hourly fees.

News

Eversheds Sutherland Scraps Annual Performance Reviews

Rose Walker | May 24, 2018

The firm becomes the latest to move away from annual reviews, opting instead for more regular feedback.

News

Pepper Hamilton Practice Leader Heads to Utah, and to Snell & Wilmer

Meghan Tribe | May 23, 2018

Ivan Knauer, who co-led Pepper Hamilton’s securities and financial services enforcement group from Washington, D.C., said he was ready for a change.

Commentary

The Tiger Cubs Today; White Man Repents + More!

Vivia Chen | May 23, 2018

Remember poor Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld, daughter of Yale Law School professors Amy Chua (aka Tiger Mom, as if you needed reminding) and Jed Rubenfeld (a person in his own right)? Here's the official postscript: She just graduated from Yale Law School!

News

Fast-Growing Kobre & Kim Adds Lawyers in Asia, London, NY, DC

Dan Packel | May 23, 2018

A key part of the firm's model is finding former federal prosecutors eager to work on the ground in foreign jurisdictions.

News

Holland & Knight Welcomes A Dozen Winstead Real Estate Finance Lawyers

Roy Strom | May 23, 2018

The Charlotte office of fast-growing Holland & Knight has made its third round of hires from the local outpost of Texas-based Winstead.

News

Judge Chides Tex McIver’s Lack of Apology in Imposing Life Sentence for Murder

R. Robin McDonald | May 23, 2018

Georgia law dictated McIver’s life sentence, foreclosing any discretion by Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Robert McBurney, except on the question of whether McIver could be eligible for parole.

News

Carlton Fields Faces $15M Malpractice Action Over Procaps Litigation Loss

Scott Flaherty | May 23, 2018

After a magistrate judge gave Carlton Fields a dressing down in an acrimonious antitrust case, the firm's former client is now suing for alleged malpractice and seeking damages of more than $15 million.

News

Reed Smith Raids Norton Rose for Life Sciences/Health Care Team, Adds Austin Office

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | May 23, 2018

A 14-lawyer group from Norton Rose Fulbright moved to Reed Smith offices in Washington, D.C., New York and a new office in Austin.

News

Greenspoon Marder Snaps Up Pro-Pot Lobbying Group in DC

Meghan Tribe | May 23, 2018

Deepening its bet on the fledgling cannabis industry, the firm has acquired The Liaison Group to help clients lobby lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Introducing Lean Adviser Legal from Law.com

Lean Adviser Legal| May 23, 2018

There's a gap between the way lawyers are trained and the skills required to practice in today's competitive environment. That's where Lean Adviser comes in.

News

Abbe Lowell, Counsel to Kushner, Joins Winston From Norton Rose Fulbright

Ryan Lovelace | May 23, 2018

Lowell is just the latest Norton Rose Fulbright partner to join Winston & Strawn over the past year.

News

In California, Lateral Moves No Longer Mean Automatic DQ

Miriam Rozen | May 22, 2018

The Golden State has become the latest jurisdiction to not automatically grant lateral move-based disqualification motions.

News

Two Partners Leave Kirkland to Lead Covington's Private Equity Practice

Christine Simmons | May 22, 2018

Amy Wollensack and Sergio Urias will co-chair Covington's private equity group from New York.

News

Several States Weigh ABA's Anti-Discrimination Rule

Scott Flaherty | May 22, 2018

With the public's eye trained on harassment and discrimination issues, Arizona and several other states are considering an anti-bias rule for lawyers that predates #MeToo.

News

Am Law 200 Rankings Bring Mixed Results for New York Firms

Christine Simmons | May 22, 2018

Two Second Hundred firms in New York saw their revenue drop, two ascended to the Am Law 100 via mergers, and one enjoyed a staggering 49 percent rise in revenue.

News

'Catwoman,' a Bankrupt New York Socialite, Owes Big Money to Her Lawyers

Miriam Rozen | May 22, 2018

Jocelyn Wildenstein, who once snagged $2.5 billion in a massive divorce settlement, now owes more than $300,000 to various lawyers and law firms.

News

'Queen of Toxic Torts' Sheila Birnbaum Leaves Quinn Emanuel for Dechert With 2 Partners

Dan Packel | May 22, 2018

Quinn Emanuel pre-emptively announced Tuesday that Sheila Birnbaum, Mark Cheffo and Douglas Fleming are leaving the firm five years after they came aboard from Skadden.

News

O'Melveny Nabs Leading DOJ Criminal Division Prosecutor

Ryan Lovelace | May 22, 2018

Ben Singer, who led the Criminal Division's securities and financial fraud unit, will join O'Melveny & Myers this summer.

News

Robert Bennett's Leaving Hogan Lovells for DC Boutique Schertler & Onorato

Ellis Kim | May 22, 2018

Bennett said he wants to try more cases and represent more individuals before retiring.

Q&A

Law Grad Headed to Paul Weiss Takes a Hollywood Detour

Karen Sloan | May 22, 2018

Chad Klitzman juggled law school, an internship at JetBlue, and the production of "Candy Jar"—a movie he wrote about high school debaters featuring Helen Hunt and Christina Hendricks.

News

US, Global Law Firms Look to Ireland for 'Brexit Insurance Policy'

Dan Packel | May 22, 2018

DLA Piper just announced Ireland plans, and Covington & Burling and Dechert have attorneys on the ground. Experts expect other firms to follow.

News

Six Texas Firms Among Am Law Second Hundred

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | May 22, 2018

Six large Texas firms make the Am Law Second Hundred list of the highest-grossing firms. Earlier, five other Texas firms made the Am Law 100 ranking.

Chart

The 2018 Am Law 200 By the Numbers

Ben Seal | May 22, 2018

The Second Hundred saw revenues dip as a group, while the Am Law 100 had one of its best years in a long time.

Chart

The 2018 Am Law 200: Top 20s

Ben Seal | May 22, 2018

Irell & Manella is the only Second Hundred firm to make all three top-20 lists.

Expert Opinion

The Second Hundred Are Stuck in the Middle

Marcie Borgal Shunk| May 22, 2018

The Second Hundred serve the same demanding clients as the Am Law 100 and are asked to deliver the same sophisticated legal advice, but with limited resources it's harder to get ahead.

Chart

The 2018 Am Law Second Hundred Ranked by Gross Revenue

Ben Seal | May 22, 2018

While 15 Am Law 100 firms posted double-digit increases in gross revenue, just eight Second Hundred firms did.

Chart

The 2018 Am Law Second Hundred: A to Z

Ben Seal | May 22, 2018

There was an unusual amount of movement in the Second Hundred this year, brought on, in part, by a series of mergers that took Chadbourne & Parke, Kaye Scholer, Strasburger & Price and Sutherland Asbill & Brennan out of the picture, as well as the closing of Sedgwick.

Editor's Letter

How We Put Together the Am Law 200

Jeanne Graham| May 22, 2018

A closer look at how we report law firm financials.

Analysis

Debunking the Consolidation Myth

Hugh A. Simons and Nicholas Bruch| May 22, 2018

If you thought law firms have been consolidating through merger, think again.

Analysis

Will Law Firms Be Ready When the Next Recession Hits?

Dan Packel | May 22, 2018

The bottom is eventually going to drop on the U.S. economy, and many law firms won't be positioned to handle the fallout.

News

D.C.-Based Firms Find Fertile Ground in the Swamp

Ryan Lovelace | May 22, 2018

No Second Hundred firm in Washington saw its partner profits dip last year.

Analysis

The New York Elite Keep Raking in the Big Bucks

Christine Simmons | May 22, 2018

More than half of the 17 New York-based firms in the Am Law 200 saw revenue growth of 5 percent or more.

Analysis

California Was No Bear Market in 2017

Xiumei Dong | May 22, 2018

From San Francisco to Silicon Beach, the Golden State was golden for Second Hundred firms.

News

Atlanta Firms Trade Elbow Room for Rising Revenues

Meredith Hobbs | May 22, 2018

In the last five years, seven Am Law 200 firms have ventured into Atlanta, but the crowding isn't slowing growth.

Analysis

Pennsylvania Firms Turn Efficiency Into Profits

Lizzy McLellan | May 22, 2018

All but two of the 13 Am Law 200 firms founded in the Keystone State saw gains in profits per partner last year.

Editor's Letter

From the Editor-in-Chief: The Ties That Bind

Gina Passarella Cipriani | May 22, 2018

Law firm leaders are struggling to balance the demands of a partnership with the more businesslike demands of the current legal model.

Analysis

The Second Hundred Are Being Lapped by the Top Tier

Miriam Rozen | May 22, 2018

The group as a whole declined in all major metrics, but eight Second Hundred firms had double-digit revenue growth and 22 hit at least 5 percent.

News

Orrick Snags Weil Gotshal's Patent Litigation Co-Chair

Scott Graham | May 21, 2018

Twenty-five year Weil Gotshal veteran (and former Orrick associate) Jared Bobrow joins Tuesday as co-lead of Orrick's global IP practice.

News

Some Big Law Firms Hang On in Turbulent Venezuela

Dan Packel | May 21, 2018

Hogan Lovells has exited the reeling Latin American nation after 12 years, but other firms, including Baker McKenzie, aren't ready to abandon Venezuela yet.

Analysis

Racist Rant, Other Events Show Social Media's Power Over Lawyers

Scott Flaherty | May 21, 2018

A racist rant. Scrutiny over prolific billable hours. Controversy over arbitration pacts. All three have made news in the legal world in the past few months, and all were thrust into the spotlight through social media.

News

Managing Partners’ Frustration Mounts as Law Firm Innovation Stagnates

Roy Strom | May 21, 2018

A new survey shows that law firm leaders are increasingly fed up with their partners' resistance to change. Meanwhile, half of firm leaders said there's nothing especially different about their firms compared to their competitors.

Analysis

Across the Atlantic, #MeToo Complaints Get Counted

Dan Packel | May 21, 2018

While lawyers in the U.S. and the U.K. have yet to feel the full effect of the #MeToo movement, the regulatory environment on the other side of the Atlantic may offer a more fertile ground for rooting out misconduct.

News

Dating Leads to Marriage as Dentons Officially Heads to Hawaii

Roy Strom | May 21, 2018

The global legal giant will absorb Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing a year after affiliating with the 40-plus lawyer Hawaiian firm.

News

Fox Rothschild Practice Leader Steps Up to Defend Alleged Defecator

Roy Strom | May 18, 2018

Matthew Adams, the newly installed co-chair of the white-collar group at Fox Rothschild, may have one of the most interesting clients in Big Law.

News

Cadwalader Adds Simpson Thacher Financial Services Pro in New York

Meghan Tribe | May 18, 2018

Mark Chorazak served as lead regulatory counsel on some of the largest bank mergers in the wake of the financial crisis.

News

Akerman, in Growth Mode, Beefs Up Chicago Office

Dan Packel | May 18, 2018

The Florida-based firm, which added three new partners in Chicago from Hinshaw & Culbertson and Seyfarth Shaw, has grown sevenfold in the Windy City since opening there in 2014.

News

Akerman Hit With Malpractice Claims Over Work for Corporate Raider's Estate

Scott Flaherty | May 18, 2018

A former acquaintance-cum-business partner of notorious corporate raider Victor Posner has sued Akerman, alleging the firm gave shoddy advice to the person who took over as curator of Posner's estate some 13 years after he died.

News

Schulte Roth Bags Cambridge Analytica Bankruptcy Work

Brian Baxter | May 18, 2018

SCL USA Inc., the parent company of embattled political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, filed for Chapter 7 protection Thursday in New York.

Podcast

Big Law Leader Shares Struggles with Alcoholism, Challenges for Profession

Leigh Jones | Vanessa Blum | May 18, 2018

Steven Wall, managing partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, says this was his turning point: "The cracks were getting bigger and everything else around me was beginning to fail."

Expert Opinion

Investing in AI? Strategy Principles Say Go Lightly and Later

Hugh A. Simons| May 18, 2018

From a strategy perspective, there is no rush for law firms to invest in AI, Hugh Simons argues.

News

Law Firm Survey Says Millennial Era Is Here, But Change Has Just Begun

Meghan Tribe | May 18, 2018

Millennials already outnumber any other generation in the legal industry, and a new report says the pace of change will only quicken as their numbers and influence grow.

The Law Firm Disrupted: In Heavyweight Bout, It's Clients v. Law Firms

Roy Strom | May 18, 2018

The Legal Marketing Association's P3 Conference in Chicago was the scene of a robust debate about legal service delivery and more than a few body blows.

News

Hispanic Bar Association Leaders Discuss Initiative to Increase Latino GC Numbers

Caroline Spiezio | May 17, 2018

"It’s time to create our own pipeline, set our own goals, and execute," said Angelita Hernandez, an in-house lawyer at Target who helped start the initiative.

Commentary

What Women Can Learn From Michael Cohen

Vivia Chen | May 17, 2018

Unlike the president's lawyer, most of you have actual expertise, so stop underestimating yourself!

News

Hourly Rate Gap Widens as Top Billers Leave Others Behind

Ryan Lovelace | May 17, 2018

It's easy to be impressed by individual partner rates approaching $2,000 an hour, but the widening gap between whole categories of law firms may mean more for the industry's future.

News

Backlash Mounts Against Attorney Whose Racist Rant Went Viral

Scott Flaherty | May 17, 2018

A lawyer caught on video making racially-charged comments to employees at a Midtown Manhattan eatery has been heavily criticized since the video went viral. But will he also face attorney disciplinary action?

News

Big Law Vets Target Buzzy Blockchain for Growing Boutique

Dan Packel | May 17, 2018

A pair of former partners at Reed Smith and Hogan Lovells launched DLx Law earlier this month. They've now named their first new attorney, a top securities enforcer for the state of Delaware.

News

A Funding Scramble Down Under for AMP Class Action Suits

Miriam Rozen | May 17, 2018

AMP Ltd., Australia's largest wealth manager, is facing suits from at least five firms as it grapples with a misconduct scandal. Who will fund the pursuit of those claims has become a key issue in the world of Australian class actions.

News

Kirkland Private Equity Team Jumps to Gibson Dunn

Christine Simmons | May 17, 2018

The four partners making the switch were longtime partners at Kirkland & Ellis, which has mainly been on the receiving end of other firms' corporate talent lately.

News

Mayer Brown Hires M&A Team From White & Case in Mexico

Meghan Tribe | May 16, 2018

Mayer Brown has welcomed aboard a three-lawyer team in Mexico City led by partner Raúl Fernández-Briseño and two associates. Fernández-Briseño will serve as his new firm's head of local M&A.

News

For 2 Merging Chicago Firms, Midsize Is a Sweet Spot

Lizzy McLellan | May 16, 2018

Much Shelist is absorbing Bronson & Kahn in June, creating a 100-lawyer firm.

News

Some Lawyers Chafe as Clients Expand Outside Counsel Guidelines

Miriam Rozen | May 16, 2018

As corporate clients demand greater fealty from their external lawyers, some see a threat to their professional independence.

News

New Initiative Aims for 100 Black GCs at Top Companies by 2025

Kristen Rasmussen | May 16, 2018

The long-term goal is to increase the number of black in-house legal leaders in both public and private large companies.

News

Law Firm Optimism Up as Pressures Remain on Rates, Cybersecurity: Survey

Scott Flaherty | May 16, 2018

A new survey of business-side professionals at law firms showed that optimism is high in the industry, while innovation is increasingly important to the largest firms.

News

MoFo Private Equity Funds Co-Chair Becomes Kirkland's Latest High-Profile Hire

Roy Strom | May 16, 2018

Kirkland & Ellis' latest lateral hire is the fifth partner from the fourth U.S. city the firm has been linked to hiring so far this month. All but one is in the private equity market that has long been a key Kirkland practice.

News

Proskauer, O’Melveny Headline Record-Setting Panthers Deal

Brian Baxter | May 16, 2018

The largest-ever sale of a National Football League franchise has its roots in a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling and the #MeToo movement.

News

Witness Payment Claims Persist Against Human Rights Lawyer, Florida Firm

Scott Flaherty | May 15, 2018

A simmering and long-running legal battle between energy company Drummond and an active human rights lawyer has spun off accusations of witness payments.

News

Pillsbury Snags 13-Lawyer Tax Team From Eversheds Sutherland

Miriam Rozen | May 15, 2018

The moves double the size of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman's state and local tax practice, beefing up its presence in New York and California.

News

Long Live the Billable Hour? The Twittersphere Reacts to a Top Biller

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | May 15, 2018

Not all lawyers looked kindly upon the 3,600 hours one lawyer billed in 2017.

News

Akin Gump Adds On-Site Counseling as Firms Fret Over Mental Health

Ryan Lovelace | May 15, 2018

The firm is making Washington, D.C., its first office to offer on-site counseling services—and finding pent-up demand.

News

Big Law Partner, Ex-Bay Area Police Commission Head Found Dead

Xiumei Dong | May 15, 2018

L. Julius Turman, head of the San Francisco office at labor and employment firm Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, died over the weekend at 52.

News

Reed Smith 'Innovation Hours' Program Gives Credit for Non-Client Work

Dan Packel | May 15, 2018

The newly adopted initiative gives attorneys up to 50 hours of billable hour credits for putting time in new innovations.

Commentary

Trending Now: Crappy Law Schools and Crappy Lawyers

Vivia Chen | May 15, 2018

Not to be alarmist, but some recent developments portend that the profession is going to hell.

Legal Operations is Hot. But Legal Culture is Lukewarm Toward It

Mark A. Cohen| May 15, 2018

Legal operations is growing in importance - despite resistance from many lawyers.

News

DLA Piper Set to Launch Office in Dublin as It Prepares for Brexit

Hannah Roberts | May 15, 2018

The firm will initially focus on the financial services, technology, and life sciences sectors from its new base in the Irish capital.

News

Top Law Schools Ask Firms to Disclose Summer Associate Arbitration Agreements

Meghan Tribe | May 14, 2018

Yale Law School and 13 other top law schools are issuing a survey to law firms asking them to disclose whether or not they require summer associates to submit to forced arbitration agreements and related nondisclosure deals.

News

Regulatory Regime Change Helps Axiom Put Its Promise to the Test

Dan Packel | Miriam Rozen | May 14, 2018

Axiom’s Chris DeConti said GDPR and Brexit can be “proof points” for the company's value as an alternative to traditional law firms.

News

More Women Accuse Ogletree of Gender Bias in $300M Suit

Scott Flaherty | May 14, 2018

Ogletree Deakins faces allegations of gender bias from a growing number of women who served as shareholders at the labor and employment firm.

News

Racking Up Those Billable Hours? This Michigan Lawyer Has You Beat

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | May 14, 2018

The Howard & Howard IP lawyer billed 3,600 hours in 2017— the equivalent of almost 70 hours a week every week of the year.

Kirkland Hires A&O Global IP Head Nicola Dagg in London

Rose Walker | May 14, 2018

In hiring Dagg, Kirkland delivers another blow to its Magic Circle rivals. Earlier this year, it hired Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer private equity partner David Higgins.

Analysis

The Legal Market Is Looking Up, Citi Q1 Survey Shows

David Altuna and Gretta Rusanow| May 14, 2018

The first quarter of 2018 continued the growth trends experienced at the end of 2017 and leave a lot to look forward to for firms as they move further into the year. But volatility and stratification still lurk.

News

A Demand Turnaround for Law Firms? Not for Everyone

Roy Strom | May 14, 2018

In the legal market, it remains true that bigger is better. A new report says Am Law 100 firms significantly outperformed their smaller peers in the first three months of 2018.

News

Baker Donelson Duo Tied to $100M Ponzi Scheme in Mississippi

Scott Flaherty | May 11, 2018

A lobbyist and a lawyer at Am Law 100 firm Baker Donelson operate an investment business that appears to have loaned money, including investments by a U.S. senator, to an admitted Ponzi schemer.

News

In Rare Move, A Small Firm Hires a Big Law COO as CEO

Lizzy McLellan | May 11, 2018

Brubaker Connaughton Goss & Lucarelli's newest hire joins the 14-lawyer firm as CEO from COO roles at Fisher & Phillips and Drinker Biddle & Reath.

News

Bain Capital Deputy GC Jumps to Kirkland in Boston

Meghan Tribe | May 11, 2018

In its seemingly never-ending quest for new lateral hires, the firm has brought aboard a longtime in-house lawyer and managing director at Bain Capital LP as a corporate partner in Boston.

News

Q&A: Goodwin Procter and the Nuts and Bolts of Going Global

Dan Packel | May 11, 2018

As Goodwin Procter works to grow its reach, the firm's new managing director of international operations and its COO talked about the mechanics of competing on a global stage.

News

A&O Plans to Launch Its Flexible Legal Services Business in New York, Frankfurt

Rose Walker | May 11, 2018

The service has grown rapidly and the firm is looking to expand it internationally.

News

Kirkland Scores High-Powered DLA Piper Duo

Roy Strom | Christine Simmons | May 10, 2018

Two Chicago-based partners are poised to leave DLA Piper for Kirkland & Ellis, just weeks after DLA Piper saw a roughly 50-lawyer team decamp for McDermott Will & Emery.

News

Looking Behind the Numbers in The Am Law 200 Rankings

Gina Passarella Cipriani | May 10, 2018

The Am Law 200 results tell an interesting, complex story. We will examine what the results mean for that market segment and the firms around it.

News

Big Law Sports Deal Vet Takes a Turn as Team Owner

Meghan Tribe | May 10, 2018

Irwin Raij, an O'Melveny & Myers partner known for handling high-profile sports transactions, recently saw his four-year wait finally end for the debut of a new professional soccer team that he co-owns in Los Angeles.

News

Hughes Hubbard Partner Named Top Lawyer at US Chamber of Commerce

Dan Clark | May 10, 2018

John Wood, who will start as the Chamber's legal boss in early June, has also been a U.S. attorney and worked as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

News

Michael Cohen Referral Was Top 10 Lobbying Client of Squire Patton Boggs This Year

Ryan Lovelace | May 10, 2018

Whatever Squire Patton Boggs expected from its association with Michael Cohen, it's gotten more than it bargained for.

News

Giuliani Resigns From Greenberg Traurig for 'All-Consuming' Trump Role

Christine Simmons | May 10, 2018

After taking an unusual unpaid leave from the firm to represent the president, Rudy Giuliani and Greenberg Traurig have fully parted ways.