Archive for April 2009

Morning Docket 04.17.09

By Kashmir Hill

hilton lawsuit.jpg* Starwood Hotels sued Hilton Hotels yesterday, accusing its rival of using “stolen confidential Starwood documents” to develop a new chain of lux hotels. Interestingly, the Wall Street Journal reports that Hilton’s in-house legal team unknowingly came across the boxes of stolen documents while preparing for a different case. Since the documents were unrelated to the case, the lawyers sent them back to Starwood in an “abundance of caution,” not realizing they were part of a devious corporate espionage plot. Whoops. [Wall Street Journal (subscription) and USA Today]

* Nationwide Same Sex Marriage Watch: New York Governor David Paterson wants New York to join the list of states with wedding bell rights for all. [New York Times]

* The Pirate Bay crew were found guilty in Sweden of violating copyright law for the file-sharing services their site provides. [New York Times]

* WilmerHale sends yet another attorney from its ranks over into the open arms of Obama. Partner Stephen Preston, who spent the Clinton years at the Pentagon and the DOJ, will be nominated to be the CIA’s general counsel. [BLT/Legal Times]

* Nationwide Bankruptcy Deal Watch: Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is pressuring the MGM Mirage to fold its hand and file for bankruptcy. Earlier reports suggested Dewey & LeBoeuf would be the firm to help reshuffle those cards. [Wall Street Journal (subscription) and Associated Press]

* In other bankruptcy news, Weil and Kirkland are teaming up to help General Growth become General Restructuring. [Bankruptcy Beat/Wall Street Journal]

Above The Law’s Inaugural Law Revue Contest 2009
The Finalists

By Above the Law

Law Revue Video Contest.jpgIt’s the moment (some of) you have been waiting for. We’re ready to announce the six finalists in ATL’s First Ever Law Revue Video Contest.

We received many (many, many) submissions. We ordered sushi delivered to our SoHo office and pulled Biglaw hours to watch them all. As you may imagine, after many (many, many) hours of videos, our eyes were starting to glaze over, our ears were beginning to bleed, and our appreciation for the delicate intersection of legalese and funnies was beginning to fade.

But these six videos managed to shine through all that and make us laugh. Earlier this week, we gave you the (Dis)Honorable Mentions. (Excuse our harsh judging of those — we enjoyed channeling the acerbity of ATL commenters.) Now, we give you the finalists, hailing from NYU (2), UVA (2), Boston University, and Northeastern School of Law. We dare you to try to watch them without wetting your pants with laughter. Or at least emitting a little chuckle.

We’re also asking you to choose your favorite. Find the videos after the jump, and take our reader poll to help crown the first winner of the ATL’s Inaugural Law Revue Contest. Polls close Sunday at midnight.

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The Finalists“

Non-Sequiturs: 04.16.09

By Elie Mystal

Tea bag taxes.JPG* Texas Governor Rick Perry didn’t really suggest seceding from the Union. Sorry if you got your hopes up, but I think we’re stuck with Texas. [CNN]

* Really, if you lived your life in accordance with the teachings of Yoda, you’d probably end up as a pretty successful person (so long as you are never in charge of teaching an impetuous young man with unimaginable power). “You must unlearn what you have learned.” [Law and More]

* A person was denied admission to the New York State Bar for unpaid student loans. Some of the loans were outstanding from 1985. How long before we go back to throwing debtors in a prison colony? [Legal Profession Blog]

* A Blind lawyer is still able to compete despite the Great Recession. [Wall Street Journal]

* What is the next brand name to disappear? And who is their outside counsel? [What About Clients?]

* Some unknown writer had loads of fun with MSNBC anchor David Shuster. On Countdown, they got Shuster to say “It’s going to be teabagging day for the right wing and they are going nuts for it.” Maybe Shuster was in on the joke? And maybe the FCC doesn’t see anything wrong with a lovely cup of tea? It doesn’t matter. But it’s the writer that deserves a lot of credit here. [The Legal Satyricon]

HLS Grade Reform: The Official Memo

By Elie Mystal

Harvard Law School seal logo.jpgWay back in September, Harvard Law School announced that the school would be dropping the letter grading system in favor of a hybrid pass/fail system. Then the market crisis bled into the legal industry, Dean Elena Kagan fled to Washington, and grade reform became less of an immediate concern.

But acting Dean, Howell Jackson, and HLS faculty have been diligently working on the new system. Today, Dean Jackson unveiled the future of HLS grading:

Dear HLS Students:

At the student town hall in February, I committed to send additional information on the new grading system once we had worked out various details of implementation. We have now completed that process and I have attached to this message a draft description of the new grading system as it will appear in the HLS Handbook of Academic Policies for 2009-10. We will be polishing this language over the next few months until publication of the Handbook, but the substantive details of the system should not change.

Howell Jackson

Let’s get into the details after the jump.

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A Yale Law School Degree: Not Worth What It Used To Be?

By David Lat

yale law school.jpgAbout a decade ago, Harvard Law School hired — and paid a lot of money to — McKinsey & Co., the celebrated consulting firm, to offer suggestions on how to improve HLS. The hope was that, armed with McKinsey’s wisdom, Harvard would overtake Yale Law School in the influential U.S. News and World Report law school rankings.

But did HLS need to hire consultants to solve this problem? One simple solution would surely have put Harvard over the top: cut the size of its entering class by a third or a half, while leaving everything else — the size and quality of the faculty, the number of books in the library, the waterless urinals in Harkness — unchanged.

Okay, maybe consultants would be needed, to figure out how to replace the lost tuition dollars. But the overall point remains: when it comes to law school class size, small is beautiful. Fewer students means more resources per student. It’s not surprising that so many of the top law schools in the country — e.g. Yale, Stanford, Chicago — have entering classes under 200 students a year.

Oh wait — maybe not Yale. From an email just issued to the YLS community:

We write with an update concerning changes in the size of the incoming YLS Class of 2012, mentioned by Dean Koh in his State of the School address this past February. While it is difficult to precisely project the size of the class, according to the administration, they anticipate an increased JD class size of up to 25 additional students in the incoming class. This will most likely result in traditional small group sizes that range between 16-18 students in each group. The size of the graduate program is predicted to be in line with the class sizes over the last few years. As always, please contact us with any questions you may have regarding this issue at [redacted].

An increase of this size is significant for Yale. A typical YLS entering class has about 175 students, so an additional 25 students results in a class that’s about 15 percent larger.

What might this mean for Yale? More after the jump.

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Musical Chairs: Another Partner Leaves Akin Gump

By Elie Mystal

Akin Gump logo.JPGAkin Gump is dealing with another partner defection. AmLaw Daily is reporting that a big time litigator is leaving Akin Gump for Quinn Emanuel:

Andrew Rossman, former cohead of litigation at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, kept bumping into lawyers from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges on various cases, and came away impressed every time.

So Rossman, who has lived in and around New York city for his entire life, decided to leave Akin Gump this week to take a spot in Quinn’s growing New York office.

Rossman was more impressed with the Quinn lawyers he “kept bumping into” than his colleagues he worked with every day at Akin Gump? Ouch.

Some sort of an exodus seems to be taking place at Akin. The firm lost 17% of its partners last year.

More details after the jump.

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UCLA: The Latest Law School To Help Deferred Students

By Elie Mystal

UCLA School of Law logo.JPGJust yesterday, we were able to report on Northwestern University School of Law taking the initiative to help deferred 3Ls. Today we’ve learned that UCLA is also stepping up to the plate.

UCLA School of Law announced its Transition to Practice LL.M. Program today. It will allow 3Ls to take an extra year of classes geared towards teaching them the skills and practices they would have learned as first-year associates. The school’s press release explains what students will be learning:

A core component of the Transition to Practice program will be capstone courses that will draw heavily on practice-oriented projects in addition to substantial research and written work. Capstone courses will include part-time externships within corporate legal departments, as well as clinical simulations, where students work with real legal problems in a controlled environment that permits reflection and generalization of lessons learned. The Transition to Practice program will also include a required workshop series designed to introduce students to the practical issues that confront new lawyers, ranging from how to define a work-product to understanding a client’s business and goals, and handling practical problems of ethics and confidentiality. Capstone classes will be taught both by the core faculty of the law school and prominent practicing lawyers. The law school expects to develop curriculum in conjunction with leading law firms and corporate legal departments and to draw on the expertise of the Los Angeles legal community.

After the jump, Above the Law speaks with UCLA School of Law Dean Michael Schill.

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Pls Hndle Thx: Not Fade Away

By Marin

Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com.

pls hndle copy 2.jpgATL -

Last summer as 1L I tried out one of those quaint “secondary-markets” that I felt I’d be better suited for down the line. I really loved my work last summer in the boonies, but I’m not spending anytime this summer at my 1L employer – I’m summering at a big firm in NY. I’d like to keep up the good relations and stay on their radar in case I want to go back there. How should I do that?

Love’s Labour’s Lost

Dear Love’s Labour’s Lost,

It’s easy for summer associates (or former summer associates) to stand out to firms, but usually not in a good way. The two most memorable characters from my summer class did things such as a) buy cigars and top shelf liquor for a private poker night in an NYU dorm and then submit the $300+ receipt for reimbursement and b) ask a senior partner how he managed to score such a “hot wife.” This was in 2004, so naturally they both received offers. Making yourself desirable to your former firm is like Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes trying to seduce her husband while wrapped in Saran Wrap. Difficult, but not impossible.

One way to gain attention for yourself is to Facebook friend the partners at your former firm. They’ll love clicking through your craaaazy Halloween pics when you were dressed as Mystery (SO original) and they’ll appreciate knowing when you get In a Relationship. While you’re waiting for them to confirm your friend request, why not re-gift them with whatever swag you get from your NY firm this summer? Only the most ungrateful trolls would not appreciate a Shecky’s Nightlife Guide or a JP Morgan Corporate Challenge race t-shirt in size XXL. That you should also send the firm a scented copy of your resume and an 8 x 10 glossy of yourself, signed “Best Wishes” goes without saying.

In the opening montage of America’s Next Top Model, Tyra Banks asks, “Do you want to be on top?” and then the words “Fierce beauty, fabulous strut, fresh personality” roll across the screen. I’ve found that career-wise, that mantra has taken me places I didn’t think possible. Namely, my parents’ basement. Once you harness your ferocity and freshness you will remain on your ex-firm’s radar. All you’ve got to do is open your Tyra Mail.

Your friend,

Marin

After the jump, Elie can get you a good deal on watches.

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Lawsuit of the Day: God Bless the Yankees, And Nobody Else

By Elie Mystal

New Yankee Stadium Old Yankee lawsuit.jpgAs we mentioned this morning, just because the Yankees are opening a billion dollar ballpark today doesn’t mean that people can’t bitch about the Yankees. A 30-year-old Red Sox fan from Queens is suing because he was kicked out of old Yankee Stadium for his failure to observe the sabbath seventh. The New York Post reports:

In a suit filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union, Bradford Campeau-Laurion is challenging the Bombers’ “policy” of forcing fans to stand still during the seventh-inning singing of “God Bless America.”

Campeau-Laurion claims he was the victim of “political and religious discrimination” when he was booted from the Stadium for trying to take a bathroom break as the patriotic piece began last year.

He’s a Red Sox fan (Boston) and he lives in Queens (Mets), but he was in the Bronx (Hell)? Maybe that explains the NYPD’s conflicting report:

In a statement, Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne disputed Campeau-Laurion’s version of events, saying the officers “observed a male cursing, using inappropriate language and acting in a disorderly manner while reeking of alcohol and decided to eject him rather than subject others to his offensive behavior.”

Of course, Mr. America Hater disagrees. More details after the jump.

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Salary Cut Watch: Robinson & Cole’s Cuts in Connecticut

By Elie Mystal

Salary Cuts.jpgThe list of firms cutting associate salaries keeps growing. Yesterday, the Connecticut-based firm Robinson & Cole reduced all associate and counsel salaries by $10,000. According to the Connecticut Law Tribune:

On Wednesday, Hartford-based Robinson & Cole, which has about 240 attorneys, confirmed that it has decided to cut associates’ and counsel’s annual salaries by $10,000. The pay cuts are effective immediately and affect incoming and current associates and counsel in all nine offices in the Northeast and Florida.

Discussions about salary cuts began last month, according to Anne Elvgren, chief marketing officer at Robinson & Cole.

First years at Robinson are getting dangerously close to losing the six figure dream:

Starting salaries vary by office, according to law firm officials, but entry-level attorneys earn $115,000 at Robinson & Cole, according to information the firm provided to NALP, the association for legal career professionals.

After the jump, we wonder how Robinson’s managing partner is enjoying his new gig.

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Morning Docket 04.16.09

By Kashmir Hill

yankees above the law.jpg* The NYCLU is suing the NYPD to protect Yankees fans’ right to hate America. [Gothamist and New York Law Journal]

* Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan is resigning this weekend. Among those gunning for his job are two Foley Hoag partners: Michael B. Keating and Martin Murphy. That’s a little awkward when it comes to intra-firm politics, no? [Boston Globe]

* Former ATL ‘Lawyer’ of the Day Howard Kieffer was back in the courtroom this week, being convicted of mail fraud and making false statements. [Associated Press]

* Easter’s celebration of resurrection has inspired Eliot Spitzer. He’s contemplating another run for Attorney General. [New York Post]

* Earlier this week, a judge ruled that law firms need to make it clear that they are representing the company and not individual employees during the course of their investigations– Irell & Manella was on the short end of that ruling. Stanford Group’s former CIO was likely following that case closely. She has filed a malpractice and conspiracy complaint against Proskauer Rose and others for the same practices. [Courthouse News Service]

* More on the monster $55.1 million Lehman bill submitted in Manhattan bankruptcy court by Weil Gotshal. In addition to over 100,000 billable hours over four months, the bill includes “$200,000 for business meals, $439,000 for computerized and “other” research, [and] $115,000 on local transportation and $287,000 on duplicating charges.” Sigh. Just when Americans were starting to hate bankers more than lawyers. [Wall Street Journal (subscription)]

Non-Sequiturs: 04.15.09

By Elie Mystal

US News logo.JPG* U.S. News has released the ranking of part-time legal programs. Part-time. [U.S. News & World Report]

* Are you just a lawyer, or are you a hardcore lawyer? [The World's Ombudsman]

* Don’t Spitzer and Posner seem like an odd match? [Dealbreaker]

* The secret lawsuit. [Suits & Sentences]

* We now have finalists for the peeps contest. [ABA Journal]

* Magic language is bad. Magic cops would be awesome. [Underdog]

* Last night, we learned about the new world of Womble Carlyle. Maybe it’s time to start thinking about a future firm? You’re a winner. [IU Law]

Stealth Layoff Watch: 5% Litigation Cuts at Shearman & Sterling

By Elie Mystal

Shearman & Sterling logo Above the Law blog.jpgStealth layoff rumors have been swirling around Shearman & Sterling for months. We’ve reported on the quiet cuts before. But today, it looks like the firm cut a little too deep to keep it under the radar.

Shearman & Sterling has not responded to our multiple requests for comment, but several sources independently confirm that Shearman is laying off roughly 5% of its litigation associates and some associates in other practice groups.

According to our sources, all of the cuts are coming in the guise of an April performance review:

Shearman & Sterling has started another round of “reviews.” These reviews are resulting in so-called merit-based probations and firings and do not seem to discriminate by class year.

Generally, litigators have been more safe than their corporate brethren. After the jump, we try to explain why Shearman is disproportionately firing litigators now.

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Musical Chairs: Holland & Knight Picks Up Richard Raysman

By Elie Mystal

Thelen LLP new logo.jpgFormer Thelen associates might still be scrambling to pick up the pieces of their aborted legal careers, but former Thelen partners continue to land on their feet. The latest partner refugee is an All-Star. Richard Raysman (of what used to be known as Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner) has ended up at Holland & Knight.

Raysman left Thelen in August for Otterbourg Steindler. He got out before Thelen collapsed. Not surprisingly, Holland & Knight’s announcement downplays Raysman’s connection to his defunct former firm:

After graduating from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and receiving his J.D., from Brooklyn Law School while working at IBM as a systems engineer, Raysman founded the firm of Brown, Raysman, Millstein, Felder & Steiner which grew to 250 attorneys. The Brown Raysman firm was the first significant firm to focus on computer law. Raysman was among the first lawyers to recognize that the practice of law in the area of computers would be increasingly important as digital technology spread through commercial enterprises.

But ex-Thelen employees still remember My. Raysman. Remember, earlier this month former Thelen employees were granted class status to pursue claims against Thelen. Their lawyer has indicated a willingness to go after former partners of the firm.

But clients probably won’t care about Raysman’s connection with the unfortunate events surrounding Thelen. He’s a leading lawyer in an important field. We’re sure Holland & Knight will be thrilled by the extra rain.

Check out the full press release after the jump.

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In-House Counsel Layoff Watch: Wells Fargo Could Be Making Cuts

By Elie Mystal

Wells Fargo logo.JPGAn underreported aspect to all of the mass layoffs affecting the legal industry is the plight of in-house counsel. The day after Lehman folded, we wondered if the collapse meant the closing of a popular Biglaw exit option.

We all know that banks and other financial services institutions are laying off tons of employees. In-house attorneys are far from immune to these reductions.

But in-house lawyers also get laid off when banks merge and two legal departments have to be downsized into one. It happened when JPMorgan Chase acquired Bear Stearns. It happened when Bank of America swallowed Merrill Lynch.

And it looks like lawyer layoffs will be a negative externality of Wells Fargo’s merger with Wachovia. A tipster reports:

[Wells Fargo] is moving forward with a 15-20% across the board layoff in the law department (the new combined law department; WF and Wachovia). Layoffs will start as early as next week through June 1st…. Internal meetings with all employees in the department have already taken place.

After the jump, a Wells Fargo spokesperson responds to these reports.

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Northwestern Law Gets ‘Proactive’

By Elie Mystal

northwestern law school.gifEarlier today, we mentioned that Northwestern University School of Law has stepped up to help law students harmed by the terrible economy. We now have the full memo that details all the steps the school is taking to actually help students with the misfortune of graduating during the worst legal economy in recent memory. The school has some great plans to help its soon-to-be alumni:

[W]e are taking proactive steps to identify and establish additional ways that the Law School can help our graduating students and alumni during this challenging period. These options are grounded on the premise that it is important to continue pursuing activities that build your network, your skill set, and your resume. If you are currently in the midst of a job search, have been notified of a deferred start date by your future employer, or are experiencing other related circumstances, I encourage you to consider the following alternatives, which may serve as a short-term bridge to the next step in your career and the ensuing recovery in our economy which will eventually occur.

As the Chicago Tribune reported, the headline news is that Northwestern is encouraging people to apply for extended loan forbearance. For loans taken out directly with Northwestern, the school offers up to 36 months of forbearance, without a balloon payment requirement at the end of the period.

But just as importantly, Northwestern is helping people out with health care:

Health Insurance Extension

Graduating students with University Health Insurance may apply for privately provided Short Term Medical Insurance to bridge the gap between the termination of University coverage (August 31, 2009) and their employment start date. There are a number of products on the market, but the product that is recommended by Northwestern University, and with which University graduates have reported high levels of satisfaction, is offered by United Health Care: https://www.uhcsr.com/SHIP/ShortTermInsurance.aspx.

Northwestern also offers a short-term medical plan through Marsh Affinity Group Services for alumni who are seeking post-graduation employment; between jobs; in part-time or temporary positions; or in other circumstances that may require short-term health insurance coverage. For more information including a free online quote, please consult this website or call [Redacted].

You may finance the cost for this short-term health insurance coverage through Bar Examination Loans (see next). We also are researching alternative options for bridging the health insurance gap.

In this market people need their pills. There are so many deferral programs that are not helping incoming first years with health care that it is starting to look like a lottery system to see who ends up with coverage. Standardizing the process for all Northwestern graduates should really help the school’s students.

Did you notice that line about a bar loan? We get into that and post the full memo after the jump.

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Is Justice Thomas ‘A Little Tired’ of His Job?
(He has hired his clerks. Who are they?)

By David Lat

Clarence Thomas portrait Justice Clarence Thomas.jpgIn today’s Morning Docket, we linked to an interesting article, by Adam Liptak of the New York Times, concerning a recent public appearance by Justice Clarence Thomas before a group of high school essay contest winners. The WSJ Law Blog collects a number of fun tidbits — such as Justice Thomas’s declaration that “the dishwasher is a miracle,” and his weakness for Saving Private Ryan.

This passage caught our eye:

“I am rounding the last turn for my 18th term on the court,” [Justice Thomas] added, but his work — “this endeavor,” he called it, “or, for some, an ordeal” — has not gotten easier.

“That’s one thing about this job,” he said. “You get a little tired.”

So does this mean that Justice Thomas might retire? CT is usually silent on the bench; he doesn’t seem to enjoy the intellectual combat of oral argument, a la Justices Scalia or Breyer. One wonders whether he might be happier driving around in his RV, which is how he passes his summers, than hanging out at One First Street, cranking out opinions.

But don’t expect CT to step down anytime soon. He’s still just 60 years old — he turns 61 on June 23 — which makes him a spring chicken by SCOTUS standards. He sees his service on the Court as a great honor and civic calling, as he explained in his superb memoir, My Grandfather’s Son. He’s also quite good at his job: no matter what Senator Harry Reid might say, Justice Thomas is widely regarded as a fine craftsman of judicial opinions (including many in highly technical statutory fields).

Oh, and Justice Thomas has hired clerks for October Term 2009. Now, clerk hiring evidence is not conclusive; some justices warn their hires that they might retire at any time. But since it would be cruel and unusual punishment to bestow a SCOTUS clerkship on someone and then take it away, hiring clerks is certainly suggestive of an intention to stay (just like bulk conference room reservations, by the “Office of Attorney Development,” are circumstantial evidence of looming lawyer layoffs).

More on the subject of Supreme Court clerk hiring, after the jump.

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(He has hired his clerks. Who are they?)”

  • 14 Apr 2009 at 10:06 AM
  • Dreier

Marc Dreier: An Update

By David Lat

Marc Dreier Marc S Dreier LLP.jpgQuite some time has passed since our last discussion of Marc Dreier, the once highflying, now disgraced Manhattan litigator. We’d like to belatedly draw your attention to three items. First, an article from the New York Post:

Disgraced attorney Marc Dreier could be on the hook for $1.5 million to the white-shoe lawyers who took over his finances after he was busted in a $700 million impersonation scheme.

The eye-popping bill even includes a 27-percent discount off the fees and expenses normally charged by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, court-appointed receiver Mark Pomerantz said.

Sorting through the finances of a big-time fraudster: nice work if you can get it. No wonder Paul Weiss made it to the Final Four.

Second, if you haven’t seen it already, this New York magazine article about Marc Dreier is a must-read. It contains a detailed account of Dreier’s alleged fraud, as well as a history of his colorful career prior to his arrest. The article was written by a leading chronicler of Biglaw scandal, Robert Kolker — whom you may recall as the author of a lengthy piece about Charney v. Sullivan & Cromwell. (If you don’t have time to read the whole profile, here are some highlights.)

Third, from a tipster:

A group of us visited 499 Park last month and picked through the ashes of Dreier LLP [at a property auction]. We took this picture of a notice posted on a fridge. We thought you might get a kick out of it.

Check out the photo, after the jump.

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Non-Sequiturs: 04.13.09

By Elie Mystal

Canadian legal briefs.JPG* Did you take Friday off? Be glad you don’t work for a bank. [Dealbreaker]

* Kash reports that the student loan bailout movement has gone viral. We are this close. Quick, somebody throw me down a well and give me Bo. “Don’t you make me hurt your dog.” [True Slant]

* Wachtell does not think that it blew the Huntsman-Hexion case. Good. I’m not sure I can live in a world where Wachtell could make an error. [Dealbook / New York Times]

* Thank God for companies that get sued 50 times in three years. [Fashionista]

* If Solicitrix General Kagan decides to eschew the morning coat, what should she wear to Court? Clerquette welcomes your suggestions. [Underneath Their Robes]

* More Harold Koh craziness. You never know what will happen when you leave the Ivory Tower. [Professor Bainbridge]

* Be careful when you defend pirates. Apparently, Navy Seals have Jason Bourne training and can probably take down a law professor during office hours and make it look like an extreme case of priapism. [Blackbook Legal]

* Yep, the South Park Underpants Gnomes episode was on this weekend. If you write for a website or are starting your own firm, you have time to stay on top of these things. [The Young Texas Lawyer]

* Making fun of in-house counsel used to be good sport. But now in the winter of Biglaw, the domesticated lawyers are eating canned meats while their wild cousins scrounge for scraps on the open and unforgiving plain. [What About Clients?]

* It’s Canadian Legal Week. Poutine and LaBatts for everybody! [Law21 via Blawg Review]

Greenberg Traurig: Cutting Salaries of First Years and Summers

By Elie Mystal

Greenberg logo.JPGIt has taken us a while, but Above the Law is now able to confirm that Greenberg Traurig has decided to cut salaries of its summer and first year associates.

As with McGuire Woods and Allen Matkins, first year associates are looking at a 10% pay cut. A Greenberg spokesperson characterized the news in this statement to Above the Law:

First-year associates will start between September and January depending

on the city and the practice area.

We have made changes to our summer associate and first-year compensation structure that emphasize our focus on the needs of our clients, performance, and that are appropriate in the current business environment. Any changes are specific to local markets and confidential.

As in any other year, our focus is to provide top quality legal service to our clients and support the career development of our associates.

After the jump, we look at other Greenberg cost cutting measures.

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