United Kingdom / Great Britain
-
Crime, Television, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Standard Of Review: 'Undercover' Falls Apart In Its Second Half
Sophie Okonedo and Adrian Lester are fantastic, even when the show around them is not. -
Job Searches, Technology
This Week In Legal Tech: Is This App The Tinder Of Legal Hiring?
Its founders believe it's already disrupting legal hiring by providing a quick, easy alternative to legal recruiters. - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Crime, Television, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Standard Of Review: BBC America's 'Undercover' Blends Legal And Family Intrigue
Undercover is perfectly entertaining, and it grapples with issues that are still relevant today.
-
Biglaw, Law Firm Mergers, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Law Firm Merger Mania: Eversheds And Sutherland Are Talking
What's driving this deal, which would create a Biglaw behemoth with more than 2,000 lawyers worldwide? -
Biglaw, Layoffs
World's Largest Law Firm Conducts Layoffs
We wish all affected individuals at the firm the best of luck. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 11.03.16
* Why would liberal states “remain [] member[s] of this union when the president is a raving narcissist that some describe as a sociopath?” Some law professors are having a difficult time imagining Donald Trump as president, and have said that things like secessions or coups could become real possibilities under Trump’s leadership if he should win the election. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Biglaw firms in the U.S. have made great strides when it comes to parental leave, but across the pond in the U.K., they don’t seem to be doing as well; in fact, these firms seem to be “hemorrhaging female talent,” and it’s “crippling” law firm diversity and career progression for lawyers with children and families. [The Lawyer (sub. req.)]
* Speaking of the U.K., its High Court has ruled that Prime Minister Theresa May must seek parliamentary approval before attempting to leave the European Union, writing “the Crown — i.e. the government of the day — cannot by exercise of prerogative powers override legislation enacted by Parliament.” Sorry, Brexit bros. [New York Times]
* “[A] well-intentioned majority acting in the name of tolerance and liberalism, can, if unchecked, impose its views on the minority in a manner that is in fact intolerant and illiberal.” Trinity Western University has won the right to operate a Christian law school, despite the fact that it intends to discriminate against LGBTQ students. [Globe and Mail]
* “They changed the legislative nature of the judicial system, they changed the American constitution, they paved the way for a lot of people’s lives.” Loving, the film that tells the tale of Richard and Mildred Loving’s landmark Supreme Court victory that struck down legislation prohibiting interracial marriage, is out in theaters this Friday. [Reuters]
* Glamour has named Emily Doe, the college student who survived Stanford swimmer Brock Turner’s sexual assault and helped to change a California law that once allowed for lighter sentences in sexual assault cases where victims were unconscious or intoxicated, as one of the magazine’s Women of the Year for 2016. Congratulations. [Glamour]
-
Biglaw, Partner Issues, Women's Issues
The Hunger Games And The Law Firm Life
Law firm life is like the Hunger Games -- and that's not entirely bad, according to partner Jayne Backett. -
General Counsel, In-House Counsel, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Roche GC And ‘Point of Light’ Recipient Funke Abimbola Once Struggled To Get Her Foot In The Door Of The Legal Profession
Now Funke Abimbola is shattering glass ceilings and serving as a role model for her peers. - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.28.16
* Slowly but surely, the effects of Brexit have started to take their toll on Biglaw firms in the United Kingdom. Thanks to the declining value of the pound, following a salary review, Akin Gump has decided to completely overhaul its compensation system and will now pay its junior associates in line with current exchange rates. Ouch! [The Lawyer (sub. req.)]
* “I do not consider it a coincidence that this Democratic smear on Justice Thomas comes as he celebrates 25 years on the court, and in the heat of a presidential election.” Former assistant White House counsel Mark Paoletta is having trouble believing attorney Moira Smith’s groping allegation against Justice Clarence Thomas, while the justice himself says it’s “preposterous,” claiming “it never happened.” [Washington Post]
* “[M]ale management has not uttered a verbal word to me since April 1 — radio silence — despite my repeated invitations and efforts to sit down and discuss important issues that need to be sorted out….” If you’d like to know what life has been like for partner Kerrie Campbell since she filed her $50M suit against Chadbourne & Parke, this interview, though it may be brief, will tell you quite a bit about it. [Big Law Business]
* A troubled Florida law firm — one that’s currently grappling with an ethics investigation against at least two attorneys and whose managing partner has previously been disciplined by the state bar — has turned to layoffs in an attempt to solve some of its financial problems. Thus far, more than 50 employees have been let go from the firm since this past spring. We may have more on this later today. [Orlando Sentinel]
* “This is an attack on the credibility of the court.” Just when you thought elections for state judges couldn’t get any duller, Microsoft’s Bill Gates is banding together with other billionaires to oust Washington State Supreme Court Justice Charles Wiggins from his seat on the bench. In all, they’ve spent $850,000 to fund political action committees in an effort to convince voters to cast ballots for his opponent. [WSJ Law Blog]
-
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.21.16
* Rhonda Crawford, the Illinois law clerk who allegedly posed as a judge and was running unopposed for her own judgeship, was indicted for her judicial impersonation. Crawford does not intend to drop out of the race for a seat on the bench, despite the state bar ethics commission seeking to suspend her license to practice. [Chicago Tribune]
* London firms CMS and Olswang are merging with international firm Nabarro for a three-way combination that’s set to close in May 2017 and operate under the name CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, but rumor has it an American firm wants to get in on the action. Will Hunton & Williams join in for four-way fun? [The Lawyer]
* “[M]aybe Republicans can stop with the 60-something repeal votes they’ve taken … and just work with the next president to smooth out the kinks.” President Obama hopes that maybe when his second term in the White House is over, his signature healthcare law can be fixed. He doesn’t even care if they change its name to “Reagancare.” [Reuters]
* “The panic is starting to set in. Those who have a lot of interests at stake need to do work now.” Lawyers across the pond are poised for a profitable 2017 thanks to people scrambling for legal advice following Brexit, but those billables won’t last forever; after all, lawyers aren’t “immune to a broader economic slowdown.” [Big Law Business]
* More law schools are partially or completely covering bar exam preparation costs for their students, but with pass rates plummeting across the nation, you must be curious if this trend has had any positive effect. It worked for Loyola New Orleans and Southern University, whose pass rates for first-timers increased quite a bit. [ABA Journal]
-
Biglaw
What Firm Is Working Its London Associates The Hardest?
Looking at average clock in and clock out times for Biglaw firms. -
Biglaw, Partner Issues, Women's Issues
Women And The Panopticon Of The Law (Part 2): A Letter To My Pre-Lawyer Self
Biglaw partner Jayne Backett reminds herself of the journey she has taken so far through the legal profession. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.11.16
* As we previously mentioned, London-based firms CMS and Olswang and international firm Nabarro were considering entering into a merger. Partners at all three firms have officially voted in favor of the merger, which will close in May 2017. The new firm will operate under the CMS name. We’ll have more on this later. [Legal Week]
* “The infringement has been affirmed, now it’s whether this huge judgment should be affirmed.” In the Supreme Court’s first design patent case in more than 120 years, Samsung will face off against Apple today, where the smartphone companies will duke it out over how much Samsung should have had to pay for copying the iPhone. [Reuters]
* “Justice [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg no longer needs to worry about whether she seems threatening to the Court. She is the Court.” A new linguistics research study tells us what we can learn from Justice Ginsburg’s accent as a lawyer versus her accent as a Supreme Court justice, and how all lawyers make accommodations in their speech. [TIME]
* By edict of a federal court — and over Governor Rick Scott’s objections — Florida’s voter registration deadline has been extended to 5 p.m. Wednesday thanks to Hurricane Matthew’s interference with last-minute sign-ups. Florida’s Democratic Party alleged many voters would be “severely burdened” by the hurricane’s effects. [CNN]
* Sorry, social justice warriors: Harvard Law 1Ls wanted to feed the university’s striking dining services workers at their sections’ social committee events, but Dean Marcia Sells shut down their plans, saying it “does not seem to make sense for us to encourage … students to bring in food to feed workers who are on strike.” [The Concourse / Deadspin]
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
-
Biglaw, Billable Hours
Biglaw Firm Tells Lawyers To Bill Clients For Time Spent On Toilet
If you ever receive crappy advice from this mega-firm, you know who to blame. -
Biglaw, Partner Issues, Women's Issues
Women And The Panopticon Of The Law (Part 1): Navigate The Smoking Club Rules
Five tips from a female Biglaw partner on how to survive -- and thrive -- in the male-dominated legal profession. -
Biglaw, Gay, Minority Issues
How Reed Smith Partner Daniel Winterfeldt Plans To Address Intersectionality Issues In The Legal Profession
What can law firms do right now to have an immediate impact on diversity and inclusion? -
Family Law, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Judge Employs Emojis And Simple Language In Opinion And It's Terrific
The reason behind this is dead-on right. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 09.16.16
* Former Berkeley Law dean Sujit Choudhry is suing the school, claiming that Berkeley discriminated against him by punishing him more harshly for alleged sexual harassment compared to white professors. [Law.com]
* The family of Sandra Bland settles its lawsuit over her death for $1.9 million. [New York Times]
* The Sixth Circuit, sitting en banc (and rather splintered), rules that the mental-health ban on gun ownership could violate the Second Amendment. [How Appealing]
* Congratulations to Miami corporate partner Ira Coleman, who will replace Peter John Sacripanti and Jeffrey E. Stone as chair of McDermott Will & Emery in January. [Big Law Business]
* Ashurst remains in a tailspin, with five partners (including two office heads) leaving in the span of 24 hours. [Ashurst]
* In other U.K. law firm news, Freshfields is replacing “Dear Sirs” with gender-neutral salutations in all communications and legal documents. [The Lawyer via Big Law Business]
* More exciting news for Bancroft: recognition for its pro bono work, which partners pledge will continue after they move over to Kirkland. [Law360]
* Paging parents who left Davis Polk to raise their kids: here’s a program to bring you back into Biglaw. [Law.com via ABA Journal]
-
Layoffs, Partner Issues
New York Outpost Of British Firm Cutting Lawyer Headcount, Including Partners
The cuts are part of a change in strategy for the firm. -
Biglaw, Layoffs
Biglaw Firm Announces Mass Layoffs, Almost 200 Left Jobless
Which firm is slashing jobs this time?