Business of Law

News

Proceed With Caution: Geographic Expansion Carries Risks for NY's Midsize Law Firms

Susan DeSantis | April 15, 2018

"f you have 50 lawyers spread over a dozen practice areas, it’s hard to persuade clients you have the bench strength to become a powerhouse.”says Jon Lindsey, managing partner for Major, Lindsey & Africa.

News

Wilson Sonsini Partner Talks About Other Kozinski Clerks 'Waiting, Dying' to Testify in Aborted Investigation

Ross Todd | April 12, 2018

Katherine Ku spoke as part of a discussion called "Making the Future #NOTMeToo" about how women can ward off and respond to sexual harassment in the legal profession.

Q&A

KBR: Keeping Millennials' Careers on Track in a Collegial Atmosphere

Susan DeSantis | April 04, 2018

Julianna Ryan of Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan says the biggest threat to the defense bar, generally, is the trend toward commoditization of legal services that fails to account for the quality of the service and case results. All firms do not deliver the same results, says Ryan.

News

Waffle House Exec’s Wife Defends Husband in Sex Tape Trial

R. Robin McDonald | April 03, 2018

The judge earlier in the day tossed out the conspiracy charge against the attorneys and their client.

Letter to the Editor Commentary

ABA President Sees Call to Action in Quinn Emanuel Partner's Story of Depression

Hilarie Bass | March 30, 2018

Sadly, our profession is falling short when it comes to well-being. Law firms need to emphasize that mental health is an indispensable part of a lawyer’s competence and work to educate lawyers on mental health and addiction issues.

Commentary

Quinn Emanuel Partner Suffers From Depression and He Wants Everyone to Know

Joseph Milowic III | March 28, 2018

Struggling to find meaning in your work? Lacking motivation? Thinking about quitting? Please read this first.

Commentary

Symptoms of Depression

Colin Jamron | March 28, 2018

Depression is a mental condition that affects millions of Americans each year. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over 16 million Americans have suffered at least one major depressive episode in 2016.

News

White & Case Grabs Houston M&A Partner from Paul Hastings

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | March 27, 2018

Steven Tredennick joins White & Case's new Houston office in the firm's global M&A practice.

Commentary Q&A

Former Justices on the Appellate Division, 1st Department, Reflect on Careers and Friendships

David B. Saxe | March 22, 2018

The New York Law Journal asked if these former colleagues and friends would welcome an intrusion into a recent get-together and they were happy to share some of their thoughts about things past and present at the Appellate Division, First Department.

News

What It's Like to Be Ben Brafman: Confessions From a Big-Time Criminal Defense Lawyer

Susan DeSantis | March 14, 2018

"People ask how I spend my days," criminal defense lawyer Ben Brafman said. "They think I’m clubbing with Puff Daddy or throwing passes to Plaxico Burress in my backyard. I'm not."

Q&A

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin: How to Stay True to Entrepreneurial Roots

Susan DeSantis | March 13, 2018

"As we change, we are very conscious to stay true to our values and maintain our close-knit and collaborative culture," says Alan Tarter, managing partner of Tarter Krinsky & Drogin, in describing how his young, midsize firm strives to stay true to its entrepreneurial roots while continuing to grow.

News

Orrick Continues Lateral Hiring Spree in California, New York

Xiumei Dong | March 12, 2018

The firm, which saw its gross revenue rise last year, has hired a founder of Silicon Valley's Edgewood Law Partners and added a pair of intellectual property experts in New York.

Analysis

What's So Hot About Texas? For Law Firms, Apparently Everything

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | March 12, 2018

The state's strong energy sector and booming economy are luring out-of-state law firms looking to boost business.

News

Cybersecurity: NY's Midsize Law Firms to Face Increased Scrutiny

Susan DeSantis | March 08, 2018

Big banks put the pressure on Big Law first when concerns about cybersecurity came to the forefront, experts say. But now, midsize law firms that have successfully competed for some of that business will lose those clients if they don't meet the same cybersecurity standards as the big firms do.

Q&A: Jim Walden on His 'Icarus' Cameo, Creating a No-Drama Law Firm

Christine Simmons | March 05, 2018

Walden, who left Gibson Dunn to start a boutique where partners all bill the same rate, appeared in the Academy Award-winning"'Icarus" and was portrayed by Idris Elba in the Oscar-nominated "Molly's Game."

News

Shearman & Sterling Opens Austin Office with Eight Lawyers from Andrews Kurth

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | Christine Simmons | March 01, 2018

The firm will also open an office in Houston in a few months.

News

Latham Tunes in for Spotify IPO

Xiumei Dong | March 01, 2018

The global legal giant and two leading European firms are advising the music streaming service on an unconventional direct listing that will have no underwriters.

In Brief News

DLA Piper Adds Partners in NY, California

Xiumei Dong | February 28, 2018

The firm's lateral recruitment surge continued this week with raids on Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, Jenner & Block and a boutique formed by former DLA Piper lawyers.

News

Retired Dow Jones GC Returns to Cornell to Train 1st Amendment Lawyers

Susan DeSantis | February 27, 2018

The Cornell Law School clinic is hoping to have a national impact on First Amendment law although it will primarily represent clients in upstate New York, western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio.

News

White & Case Adds Another Oil and Gas Partner in its New Houston Office

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | February 26, 2018

After hiring laterals from Andrews Kurth Kenyon and Vinson & Elkins, White & Case adds an oil and gas partner from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld for its Houston office.

News

Shearman & Sterling Targets Baker Botts Lawyers as It Prepares to Open Houston Office

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | Christine Simmons | February 23, 2018

The head of Baker Botts' oil and gas practice is expected to join Shearman & Sterling at its new office in Houston.

News

What's Working to Increase Diversity Among Associates, Partners? Midsize Firms Share Their Secrets

Susan DeSantis | February 21, 2018

There are some midsize firms that have made dramatic changes or at least started on the evolutionary path to diversity. Here are their secrets.

News

For Many Midsize Law Firms in NY, Diversity Remains Elusive

Susan DeSantis | February 21, 2018

New York's midsize law firms are struggling to achieve diversity, especially at the partnership level.

News

It's Official: Andrews Kurth and Hunton & Williams Will Merge

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | Christine Simmons | February 21, 2018

Partners at the two firms have voted to approve the merger.

Q&A

Barclay Damon: Am Law 50 Firms Fighting Hard to Regain Lost Market Share

Susan DeSantis | February 20, 2018

"Firms that figure out how to harness the power and energy of Generation X and the millennials will be the winners," said John Langan, managing partner of of Barclay Damon.

Q&A

FisherBroyles: Partners Earn Twice as Much as They Did at BigLaw

Susan DeSantis | February 16, 2018

James M. Fisher II of FisherBroyles tells the NYLJ how the firm grew from six attorneys to 210 over 16 years. It now represents many Fortune 500 clients that appreciate the firm's lower rates, Fisher said. Nevertheless, the partners earn twice as much as they did at much bigger law firms.

In Brief News

Cozen O'Connor Names New Managing Partner for Midtown New York Office

Lizzy McLellan | February 16, 2018

With Cozen O’Connor since 2005, Schmidt previously was the 50-lawyer office's second in command and is vice chair of the labor and employment practice.

News

Eaton & Van Winkle's Deal With Offit Kurman Collapses

Lizzy McLellan | February 15, 2018

Absorbing most of New York's Eaton & Van Winkle would have been mid-Atlantic firm Offit Kurman's biggest group hire to date. But the plan fell apart at the last minute.

News

White & Case Launches Houston Office

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | February 13, 2018

The new office, intended to bolster the firm's oil and gas practice, opens with lateral hires from Vinson & Elkins and Andrews Kurth Kenyon.

Q&A

Littman Krooks: To Get Business, You Have to Demonstrate the Value of Counseling That Can't Be Downloaded on an App

Susan DeSantis | February 09, 2018

Mitchell Littman, managing partner of Littman Krooks, spoke to the NYLJ about the advantages and challenges of being a small law firm in a city where everything is supersized.

News

Schiff Hardin Bags Commercial Litigator Beugelmans in Bay Area

Xiumei Dong | February 06, 2018

Mauricio Beugelmans, a former executive director and compliance counsel at Morgan Stanley who set up his own private practice in 2009, has joined Schiff Hardin in San Francisco.

News

Andrews Kurth Loses Seven Partners to New Katten Muchin Dallas Office

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | February 05, 2018

Andrews Kurth Kenyon loses more lawyers in Dallas—the latest to depart the firm in recent weeks as it negotiates a merger with Virginia-based Hunton & Williams.

News

Former Treasury Department Senior Adviser Austin Bramwell to Rejoin Milbank’s Trusts & Estates Group

Susan DeSantis | February 01, 2018

Austin Bramwell, who departed Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in June 2017 to serve as senior adviser in the Office of Tax Policy in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, has rejoined the New York office as a partner in the trusts and estates group.

News

White Fleischner & Fino Splits Into 2 Firms

Susan DeSantis | February 01, 2018

Eight insurance attorneys have formed a New York law firm, Fleischner Potash Cardali Chernow Coogler Greisman Stark Stewart.

Letter to the Editor

Article on Millennials Breaks Free From Conventional Wisdom

Nicholas W. Allard | January 24, 2018

Unlike so much tiresome, downbeat, and predictable coverage of legal education and law practice, and because she avoided the temptation to pick winners and losers, Ms. DeSantis portrays a vibrant, frankly exciting job market in the new world of law.

News

NY Names New Appellate Term Associate Justice for the Second Department

Susan DeSantis | January 23, 2018

"It is a whole new assignment and it’s an exciting assignment for me to help shape the law and that’s what you do at the appellate level," Bernice Siegal, new associate justice of the appellate term, said.

Q&A

Olshan Frome Wolosky: Small Enough to Be Cost-Effective, Big Enough to Handle Complex Transactions

Susan DeSantis | January 23, 2018

As a “right size firm”—big enough to handle large, complex transactions, but small enough to be conscious of doing it efficiently and cost-effectively—Olshan lawyers really know their clients and their needs, something that large firm “client service teams” have been trying to figure out for years.

Conversation

Millennial Attorneys, Firm Leaders on the Lure of Midsize Firms: In Their Own Words

Lora Hollien | January 22, 2018

As part of a series on midsize firms, the Law Journal has been discussing what draws younger lawyers. Here is some of what millennials and managing partners at midsize firms say is the appeal.

News

Millennial Lawyers Explain Why They Flock to New York's Midsize Firms

Susan DeSantis | January 17, 2018

The leaders of New York's midsize law firms say they are uniquely suited to give millennials meaningful work, recognition for their accomplishments and a better work/life balance—all values that studies show are attractive to that generation.

Q&A

Farrell Fritz: How Recession Created Competitive Advantage for Midsize Firms

Susan DeSantis | January 16, 2018

"The legal market has changed significantly since the recession. We believe that these changes create opportunities for middle market firms like Farrell Fritz," says Robert Creighton, the firm's managing partner.

News

Offit Kurman Absorbs Eaton & Van Winkle in NY Expansion Bid

Lizzy McLellan | January 09, 2018

The deal grows Offit Kurman's New York presence and adds international clients, while a firm with a nearly 200-year history is no more.

In Brief

Brooklyn Law School Holds Boot Camp

Susan DeSantis | January 08, 2018

Students at Brooklyn Law School are going to boot camp this week.

Q&A

Morrison Cohen: How a Midsized Law Firm Makes Its Size a Competitive Advantage

Susan DeSantis | January 05, 2018

David Scherl, chairman and managing partner of Morrison Cohen, which has 105 lawyers, spoke to the New York Law Journal about the advantages and challenges of being a midsize law firm in a city where everything is supersized.

News

Recruiter Alleges in Suit That Simpson Thacher Owes $937K for Lateral Hire

Andrew Denney | December 29, 2017

A Massachusetts-based job recruiter said in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan that Simpson Thacher & Bartlett should cough up more than $937,000 for bringing the firm a high-profile lateral from Sullivan & Cromwell.

News

Midsized NY Law Firms See Flexible Fees as Competitive Advantage

Susan DeSantis | December 28, 2017

Midsized law firms aren't waiting for clients to suggest alternative fee arrangements. They're aggressively selling dozens of pricing strategies as a way to differentiate themselves from what they see as their competition—all the other great lawyers in New York.

News

William Schwartz, Lawyer for Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, Dead at 84

Susan DeSantis | December 27, 2017

William Schwartz, 84, a lawyer in the New York office of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, died Dec. 20.

News

Otterbourg: How Smaller Firms Compete in a Supersized Market

Susan DeSantis | December 27, 2017

Richard Stehl, the chairman of Otterbourg, a 50-attorney law firm, speaks to the New York Law Journal about the advantages and challenges of being a smaller law firm in a city where everything is supersized.

Q&A

Harter Secrest & Emery: How a Midsize Upstate NY Law Firm Competes With Big Law

Susan DeSantis | December 22, 2017

Craig Wittlin, managing partner of Harter Secrest & Emery in upstate New York, discusses his firm's competitive advantages: its partnership structure, low overhead and meaningful work for younger associates.

Q&A

Pryor Cashman: The Challenges and Advantages of Being a Midsize Law Firm in a Supersized City

Susan DeSantis | December 20, 2017

Ronald Shechtman, managing partner of Pryor Cashman, addresses issues facing midsize law firms in New York. The New York Law Journal is making midsize law firms a focus of our coverage in 2018.

News

Panel Won't Dismiss Fraud Claims Lodged Against CNN Analyst Paul Callan by Former Firm

Jason Grant | December 19, 2017

In a lawsuit that draws battle lines between Callan, a 30-year litigator, and the Manhattan law firm he helped create, a unanimous Appellate Division, First Department, panel has weighed in with a decision that points to unspecified “evidence in the record” of improper conduct by Callan against ex-firm.