February 2009
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9th Circuit, Bernie Madoff, Federal Judges, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Sexual Harassment, Supreme Court
Morning Docket 02.23.09
* Legal experts write a letter to Congress suggesting term limits for Supreme Court justices. [The Washington Post] * SCOTUS will discuss whether judges should excuse themselves from voting in cases involving big campaign contributors when they hear a case involving a West Virginia judge. [Detroit Free Press] * 3 jurors who convicted Alfred Trenkler […]
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 02.20.09
* Drop everything, click on this site, and move your cursor over the pictures, to reveal the greatest firm photos known to mankind. [The Ticktin Law Group] * Some Disturbia news about the potential charges against Chris Brown [Popsquire] * Mega-jerk Stephen Fowler, who hurled every conceivable vicious insult at his”new wife” on Wife Swap, […] - Sponsored
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Faegre & Benson, Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Faegre & Benson (67 Staff)
Not satisfied with just oil spills and attorney spills, Faegre & Benson has aimed its tanker at staff. Yesterday, the firm sent out the dreaded email: With regret, we will reduce by 58 the number of Legal Administrative Assistants, Administrative Department Staff, and Paralegals in our U.S. offices. Tomorrow will be the last day at […]
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Book Club, Books
ATL Book Club: A Cure for Night's Justin Peacock
Justin Peacock is living the dream. The lawyer-turned-successful-writer dream, that is. His first novel, A Cure for Night, got rave reviews. The Washington Post called it “terrific.” The New York Times praised Peacock for forgoing “the flashier precincts of John Grisham, where all is conspiracy and the legalese is leavened with bombs and gunplay, and […] -
Layoffs
If You Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine(Or: A casual comparison of severance packages.)
When non-lawyers ask what’s happening in the world of law these days (i.e., what ATL is covering), our first response is usually one word: layoffs. It’s been a dominant theme in our coverage since the fall. Non-lawyers are often sympathetic, but couch their sympathy with, “Well, lawyers get six months of severance, right? Getting fired […] -
New York Times, UVA Law, Weddings, White House Counsel
Legal Eagle Wedding Watch 2.15: First-Rate
There was no LEWW last Friday because last week’s wedding pages were even bleaker than the Biglaw employment news. We’ve bounced back nicely, though, because Valentine’s Day fell on a Saturday this year, making this week’s weddings section a February feast of premium nuptial news. We present three outstanding couples for your consideration: 1. Parisa […] -
Layoffs, McKee Nelson
Nationwide Layoff Watch: McKee Nelson (Redux)(Or: The proper way to do layoffs.)
Layoffs are a fact of life in this terrible economy. But not all layoffs are created equal. They can be handled well, or they can be handled… poorly. McKee Nelson, which last November laid off 32 (17 lawyers and 15 staff), recently announced a new round of cuts. This time the firm let go of […] -
Layoffs
The National Law Journal: Hiring, Firing Steady
Remember that kid from first grade who just couldn’t get his act together and start reading like the rest of us? Apparently that kid grew up to be The National Law Journal. In an article entitled Hiring from top schools steady in ’08, the Journal provides some watershed facts: Despite the economic nosedive that began […] - Sponsored
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Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Watch:10% of Attorneys at Carter Ledyard & Milburn Feel the Burn
As tips continue to roll in about layoffs, I am reminded of The Hangman, the poem by Maurice Ogden. It begins: Into our town the Hangman came,Smelling of gold and blood and flame.And he paced our bricks with a diffident air,And built his frame in the courthouse square. Sadly, the Hangman has come to ply […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 02.20.09
* Lobbyist Vicki Iseman settled her suit with the New York Times. The NYT will run a note in today’s paper explaining that it did not intend to insinuate that Iseman and John McCain had gotten it on. Iseman and the Times are a bit at odds over the meaning of their joint statement though. […]
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Partner Profits
Partner Profit Watch: CravaTTTh?
Some big news just in, from Am Law Daily: In one of the sharpest drops in revenue and profitability among Am Law 100 firms, Cravath, Swaine & Moore saw 2008 gross revenue fall 13 percent, while profits per partner tumbled 24 percent to $2.5 million…. The firm signaled last November that 2008 was a tough […] -
Biglaw, Cellphones, Layoffs, Rudeness
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to New YorkPillsbury Admits Gaffe -- and Looming Lawyer Layoffs
Time for a brief follow-up to our earlier post about Biglaw partner Robert Robbins, head of the corporate practice of Pillsbury Winthrop, and how he spoke — a little too loudly, on a crowded Acela train — about the firm’s planned layoffs. You may have already seen it in the comments, but in case it […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 02.19.09
* Akin Gump gets sued by the Hotel Del Coronado. Partner retreats at nice resorts: damned if you do, damned if you don’t. [AmLaw Daily] * Antitrust humor from AAG designate Christine Varney: “Telling a liberal Democrat to go out and enforce Section 2 is a little bit like telling a Catholic ‘do not sin.’ […]
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Intellectual Property, Music, Technology, Trials
Will The Pirate Bay Walk the Plank?
Ed. note: This is a guest post by Keith Chapman, a lawyer with more knowledge of BitTorrent and all things tech than the regular crew on the ATL ship. Avast ye hearties! Especially if you’re one of those hearties using a BitTorrent client to purloin copyrighted materials. Today marks the fourth day in the highly […] -
Biglaw, Day Pitney, Layoffs, Staff Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Day (Pitney) of Reckoning(66 Staff Fired)
Dreams of a pleasant morning coding documents and browsing eHarmony turned into a nightmare for 66 assistants and paralegals at Day Pitney. Jim Sicilian, co-chair of the Executive Committee, told ATL via phone that 66 staff members were laid off across all firm offices. According to Jim, no associate layoffs are planned for the moment. […] -
Practical Law Company (PLC)
A Helpful Tool for Tough Times: Say Hello to PLC
If you’re not already familiar with Practical Law Company (PLC), now isn’t a bad time to get acquainted with their services. Given the grim economic climate, clients are demanding value and efficiency from their law firms — which PLC can help maximize. Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the prospect of running a closing, afraid […] -
Practical Law Company (PLC), Technology
A Helpful Tool for Tough Times: Say Hello to PLC
If you’re not already familiar with Practical Law Company (PLC), now isn’t a bad time to get acquainted with their services. Given the grim economic climate, clients are demanding value and efficiency from their law firms — which PLC can help maximize. Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the prospect of running a closing, afraid […] -
Nationwide Bonus Watch: MoFo Giveth, Then Taketh Away
Yesterday When I was a kid, I used to steal the Reese’s Peanut Butter cups from my younger sister’s Halloween bag, eat them, place the empty wrappers back in the bag and steal away into the night. My thinking was that at no time would my sister discover that the wrappers were empty, and if […] -
Allen & Overy, Layoffs, Salary Freeze
International Layoff / Salary Freeze Watch: Allen & Overy Hits Us With Their Best Shot(Layoffs hit almost 10 percent of lawyers and staff.)
This morning Allen & Overy quit beating around the bush and sent a firm-wide email announcing that there’d be some changes around there — major changes. It was with a heavy heart that firm managing partner Wim Dejonghe and senior partner David Morley inflicted a world of pain on its personnel: Since the beginning of […] -
Biglaw, Cellphones, Layoffs, Partner Issues, Rudeness
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to New York(Or: Pillsbury associates, brace yourselves.)
Law firm partners need to watch more Gossip Girl. If they did, they’d learn the perils of talking about private matters in public places. In the age of BlackBerrys, texting, and cameraphones, it’s ridiculously easy for tipsters to leak details of overheard conversations and not-so-secret rendezvous to their favorite online gossip girl (or boy — […]