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In books, television shows, and perhaps a few news articles, law firms are dens of treachery — places where, as one California federal judge recently put it, "partners stab each other in the back every day and move on to the next one." But reality for most lawyers does not reflect that cynical view, Law360 Pulse's new survey shows.
In a nonprecedential opinion, the Ninth Circuit has refused to restore a COVID vaccine mandate suit brought by federal workers and contractors who also sought to disqualify a judge they believed was conflicted, finding the workers lacked standing because they named officials who cannot reinstate them rather than their employers.
The story has become all too familiar: A large law firm wants to improve its profitability ranking and so pushes out partners at lower billing rates and makes equity partnership increasingly elusive for associates.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP said on Tuesday that it has elected the partner in charge of its New York office and a corporate specialist in London to jointly lead the firm as its longtime chair prepares to step down next year.
The former criminal chief of the Los Angeles city attorney's office is seeking more than $1 million over claims she faced a "barrage of retaliation" and was unfairly placed on leave after reporting the city attorney's alleged excessive on-the-job alcohol consumption, her refusal to prosecute certain companies and other purported misconduct.
Can lawyers shower their referral sources with money and gifts? In California, the answer is sometimes yes — in theory, you could even give someone a sports car, speakers said at a recent California Lawyers Association webinar. But you have to know the rules.
Two decades after parting ways with his pop-punk band Something Corporate, Snell & Wilmer commercial finance partner Joshua Partington is going back on the road for the piano rock ensemble’s “Out of Office” reunion tour.
California firm McGrath Kavinoky LLP, which inked more than $374 million in settlements for women who say they were sexually abused by a UCLA Health gynecologist, misled its clients and "bullied" them into accepting far smaller amounts than they were promised, according to a lawsuit in state court by two ex-clients.
Cloud computing software company Nutanix Inc. has found its new top attorney in a veteran in-house attorney who most recently was general counsel to electric-vehicle battery maker Lyten Inc., Nutanix said Monday.
A California state judge has tentatively granted McDonald's request for over $231,000 in fees after winning an anti-SLAPP victory against Byron Allen's suit claiming that it fraudulently pledged to increase spending on Black-owned media, but the judge asked the restaurant Monday to submit a proposed judgment to account for its work in filing the fee request.
UnitedLex CEO James Schellhase recently joined the legal services company after serving as the top executive at data management consulting firm Breakwater Solutions. He spoke with Law360 Pulse about his plans for the company.
Irico Group and a subsidiary on Thursday opposed a special masters report recommending the Chinese electronics companies should be on the hook for over $2 billion in default judgment in litigation alleging they participated in a cathode ray tube price-fixing conspiracy, telling a California federal court the remedy is "drastic" and unwarranted.
Whether it's a peer, a contract lawyer or a robot, small firms need to be cautious and proactive about selecting and working with co-counsel on big litigation, panelists at the California Lawyers Association Solo and Small Firm Summit said on Thursday.
Littler Mendelson PC this week moved to drop a lawsuit accusing a former associate of stealing confidential documents following a settlement in which the firm agreed to pay her nearly $1 million, though a separate, newer case in which the lawyer accuses Littler of violating that deal remains open.
Williams & Connolly LLP and Littler Mendelson PC lead this week's edition of Law360's Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court made it tougher for the National Labor Relations Board to win injunctions against employers.
Sidley Austin LLP has announced the hiring of a former Cooley LLP partner in Palo Alto, California, to lead its newly formalized venture capital fund formation practice as the firm looks to expand its existing bench in that area.
Autodesk paid its chief legal officer close to $4 million during the recent fiscal year, most of which was stock awards, according to a Friday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Four years since it launched in 2020, Husch Blackwell LLP's remote office, called The Link, has grown from 50 attorneys and business professionals to more than 700, with around a quarter of the law firm's attorneys practicing as part of the office.
California-based technology company Scalr Inc. has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against data and professional services company UnitedLex in federal court , accusing the Kansas-based company of continuing to use its infrastructure software after its contract expired on Dec. 31.
This was another busy week for the legal industry as BigLaw firms expanded their reach and the U.S. Supreme Court term heated up. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.
A real estate broker who had exclusive rights to represent Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP has slammed the firm with a breach of contract suit in California state court, alleging its abrupt termination of their deal will cost him millions in commissions.
Mark Thierfelder is not only a Dechert LLP co-chair and partner; he’s also a Tony-nominated Broadway producer up for an award this June 16. Here, Law360 Pulse talks to Thierfelder on how he balances his legal work with his creative pursuits.
McGuireWoods LLP announced that the business development officer at Proskauer Rose LLP joined the firm's Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia, offices as its chief marketing and business development officer.
The California state bar has reported a "significant" increase in attorney-initiated complaints resulting from a new rule requiring lawyers in the state to report their peers' misconduct, but ethics attorneys say the spike is largely the result of anxious lawyers erring on the side of caution as they grapple with an unclear regulation.
Dentons announced that an attorney who previously spent over 25 years at the firm and its preceding organization rejoined its Los Angeles office as a partner in the capital markets practice, following several years of working as general counsel for lending companies.
In order to be perceived as prestigious by clients and potential recruits, law firms should take their branding efforts beyond designing visual identities and address six key imperatives to differentiate themselves — from identifying intangible core strengths to delivering on promises at every interaction, says Howard Breindel at DeSantis Breindel.
Law firms looking to streamline matter management should consider tools that offer both employees and clients real-time access to documents, action items, task assignee information and more, overcoming many of the limitations of project communications via email, says Stephen Weyer at Stites & Harbison.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can I Successfully Switch Practices?Associates who pivot into new practice areas may find that along with the excitement of a fresh start comes some apprehension, but certain proactive steps can help tame anxiety and ensure attorneys successfully adapt to unfamiliar subjects, novel internal processes and different client deliverables, say Susan Berson and Hassan Shaikh at Mintz.
Amid demands from clients and prospective hires for greater sustainability efforts, law firms should think beyond reusable mugs and create programs that incorporate clear leadership structures, emission tracking and reduction goals, and frameworks for reporting results, says Gayatri Joshi at the Law Firm Sustainability Network.
Associates may hesitate to take on the added commitment of pro bono matters, but such work has tangible skill-building benefits, so firms should consider compensation and leadership strategies to encourage participation, says Rasmeet Chahil at Lowenstein Sandler.
The pandemic has likely exacerbated the prevalence of problem drinking in the legal profession, making it critical for lawyers and educators to address alcohol abuse and the associated stigma through issue-specific education, supportive assistance and alcohol-free professional events, says Erica Grigg at the Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program.
Opinion
Lawyers Have Duty To Push For Immigration Court ReformAttorneys must use their collective voice to urge federal lawmakers to create an Article I immigration court outside executive branch control, helping address the conflicts of interest, political influence and lack of adjudication consistency that prevent migrants from achieving true justice, say Elia Diaz-Yaeger and Carlos Bollar at the Hispanic National Bar Association.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can 1st-Year Attys Manage Remote Work?First-year associates can have a hard time building relationships with colleagues, setting boundaries and prioritizing work-life balance in a remote work environment, so they must be sure to lean on their firms' support systems and practice good time management, say Jenny Lee and Christopher Fernandez at Kirkland.
Attorney team leaders have a duty to attend to the mental well-being of their subordinates with intention, thought and candor — starting with ensuring their own mental health is in order, says Liam Montgomery at Williams & Connolly.
As law firms begin planning next year's summer associate events, they should carefully examine how choice of venue, activity, theme, attendees and formality can create feelings of exclusion for minority associates, and consider changing the status quo to create multiculturally inclusive events, says Sharon Jones at Jones Diversity.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Do I Negotiate Long-Term Flex Work?Though the pandemic has shown the value of remote work, many firms are still reluctant to embrace flexible working arrangements when offices reopen, so attorneys should use several negotiating tactics to secure a long-term remote or hybrid work setup that also protects their potential for career advancement, says Elaine Spector at Harrity & Harrity.
Instead of spending an entire semester on 19th century hunting rights, I wish law schools would facilitate honest discussions about what it’s like to navigate life as an attorney, woman and mother, and offer lessons on business marketing that transcend golf outings and social mixers, says Daphne Delvaux at Gruenberg Law.
Female lawyers belonging to minority groups continue to be paid less and promoted less than their male counterparts, so law firms and corporate legal departments must stop treating women as a monolithic group and create initiatives that address the unique barriers women of color face, say Daphne Turpin Forbes at Microsoft and Linda Chanow at the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession.
Opinion
We Need More Professional Diversity In The Federal JudiciaryWith the current overrepresentation of former corporate lawyers on the federal bench, the Biden administration must prioritize professional diversity in judicial nominations and consider lawyers who have represented workers, consumers and patients, says Navan Ward, president of the American Association for Justice.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Do I Retire Without Creating Chaos?Retired attorney Vernon Winters explains how lawyers can thoughtfully transition into retirement while protecting their firms’ interests and allaying clients' fears, with varying approaches that turn on the nature of one's practice, client relationships and law firm management.