Small Law

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    How Attorneys Are Celebrating Pride Month In 2024

    This June, LGBTQ+ attorneys around the country at law firms big and small shared with Law360 how they — and their firms — are celebrating Pride Month.

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    Roberta Kaplan Leaving Namesake Firm To Launch Boutique

    Roberta Kaplan, the intrepid litigator who has won landmark victories for LGBTQ+ couples, survivors of white supremacist violence and a writer who accused former President Donald Trump of sexual assault, announced Wednesday that she is leaving Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP to launch a new boutique with two former prosecutors and a veteran of complex litigation.

  • Disbarred Colo. Injury Atty Faces Another Malpractice Suit

    A Colorado woman is suing a disbarred attorney for malpractice after he allegedly blew the deadline to file her personal injury suit against a grocery store, the third such case against the former lawyer, who faces a $1.2 million default judgment and warrant for his arrest in another malpractice suit.

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    Calif. Atty Won't Contest Claim He Stole Up To $282M

    A California lawyer has stopped defending himself against bar discipline charges that accuse him of stealing as much as $282 million from clients, and his posture has forced the cancelation of a trial that was scheduled for this week and makes his disbarment almost certain.

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    Most New Attys Don't See 'Flashy Lawyer Salary'

    While some new attorneys earn top dollar right out of their Juris Doctor program, that isn't actually the norm, according to a new study from Georgetown University, which found that when factoring in student loan debt, the median earnings for all law graduates land at just $72,000 four years after graduation.

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    The Case For BigLaw Being More Transparent About Suicides

    While BigLaw's suicide prevention efforts emphasize open communication around mental health, firms are largely less transparent about how they'd respond to the suicide of an employee.

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    'Righting The Wrongs': Ga. Attys Launch Personal Injury Firm

    A pair of former personal injury litigators at Schneider Hammers LLC have started their own personal injury law firm in the Atlanta area called Schneider Williamson, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • CSAA Seeks Exit From Conn. Atty's $1.4M Transfer Scam Case

    The insurance company covering a Connecticut attorney accused of helping steal $1.4 million from a development company via a fraudulent bank transfer is seeking to drop its coverage on the grounds that the attorney's alleged actions were intentional and criminal, and therefore not insured.

  • NYC Firm Settles Ex-Receptionist's Retaliatory Firing Suit

    Donaldson & Chilliest LLP has struck a tentative settlement with a former receptionist over claims that the firm retaliated and fired her after she reported that an associate had tried to rape her.

  • NC Bar Rips Immigration Atty's 'Absurd' Disbarment Appeal

    The North Carolina State Bar urged a state appellate court not to entertain an immigration attorney's appeal of his disbarment, stating that his appeal featured arguments that came too late and otherwise relied on a fallacious and "incoherent" reading of disciplinary regulations with "absurd results."

  • Pa. Justices Won't Hear Elliott Greenleaf Atty's $11M Fee Fight

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will not review decisions denying a former Elliott Greenleaf attorney a cut of an $11 million referral fee for a personal injury client, after lower courts found a letter from the client requesting that the lawyer be paid was not valid and otherwise presented too late.

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    Stone Hilton Brings On Litigation Pro From Austin Boutique

    The newest partner to join the roster of boutique litigation, appellate and government relations firm Stone Hilton PLLC came aboard from Austin boutique Ewell Brown Blanke & Knight LLP and also boasts experience at BigLaw outfits like Vinson & Elkins LLP and Covington & Burling LLP.

  • BigLaw Unlikely To Follow Suit On Midyear Bonuses

    Litigation-focused firms McKool Smith PC and Hueston Hennigan LLP have kicked off the summer by offering midyear bonuses to their hardworking attorneys. However, given the uneven demand across legal services, recruiters do not anticipate that major law firms will immediately follow suit.

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    Thompson Hine Adding LA Office With 11 Attys From Boutique

    Ohio-based Thompson Hine LLP announced Wednesday it is expanding to the West Coast, establishing a Los Angeles office by adding 11 lawyers from a Santa Monica litigation boutique, which will cease operations.

  • Firm Fights NC High Court Review Of Fight With Fla. Clients

    Wilson Ratledge PLLC urged the North Carolina Supreme Court to reject a petition by two Florida-based companies to duck a breach of contract suit by the Raleigh-based law firm, arguing that the trial court correctly found there are enough significant contacts with the state to haul the two companies into North Carolina court.

  • Law Firm Boss Admitted Breaking Ethics Rule, Regulator Says

    Connecticut attorney discipline authorities told a state court Monday that the managing partner of a Hartford-based personal injury and employment law firm cannot walk back an admission to a rule violation, reaffirming earlier calls to suspend Emanuele R. Cicchiello for threatening a criminal probe and downloading a departing junior attorney's personal emails.

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    Small Firms Put Unique Spin On Summer Associate Programs

    As the competition for sought-after BigLaw summer associateships continues to ramp up, some small firms and boutiques are seeing an opportunity to develop their own programs to attract law students looking to gain valuable experience.

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    Ga. Panel OKs COVID Aid To Atty Who Cared For 2 Young Kids

    A Georgia attorney who left his legal job to be the primary caregiver for his young children during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic should have qualified for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, a state appeals panel has ruled, overturning the state's decision to deny benefits.

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    Legal Office Leasing Stayed Strong In Q1, Cushman Says

    Cushman & Wakefield said in a report Tuesday that the legal sector continued to take on real estate at a strong clip in the first quarter of 2024 after reaching records among office leases in both 2022 and 2023.

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    Approach The Bench: Judge Nazarian Touts Mentorship

    Judge Douglas Nazarian of the Appellate Court of Maryland has given a lot of thought to clerkships since he took the bench more than 11 years ago.

  • Conn. Atty Agrees To 10-Day Suspension For Unexplained Fee

    A Connecticut attorney accused of charging an unreasonable fee and failing to communicate with a former client following an underlying vehicle buyback negotiation has agreed to a 10-day suspension and three hours of legal ethics-focused continuing education courses.

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    More Law Schools Boosting AI In Curricula

    Law schools are increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence into their curricula, including dedicated AI courses and opportunities for students to use AI tools, signaling a trend that the technology is becoming essential for future lawyers, according to results from an American Bar Association survey released Monday.

  • 9th Circ. Upholds Fine For Fake News In $18B Chevron Case

    The Ninth Circuit has affirmed a $268,000 fine against a Seattle attorney for filing a fake newspaper article as a court exhibit in an attempt to bolster his clients' efforts to enforce a nearly $18 billion arbitral award against Chevron.

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    Ex-Chicago Alderman Gets Two Years For Boosting Law Firm

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday sentenced former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke to two years in prison and fined him $2 million for using his official position to steer tax business to his personal law firm, closing what prosecutors called "another sordid chapter" in the city's history of public corruption.

  • Jurisdictional Discovery Ordered In NJ COVID Test Fraud Suit

    A New Jersey federal court has denied without prejudice a dismissal bid and ordered "tightly-targeted and prompt jurisdictional discovery" in a Garden State medical supply business' complaint accusing a Texas attorney and his solo practice of aiding in an alleged $2.45 million fraud scheme involving COVID-19 test kits that were never delivered.

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Expert Analysis

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    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Balance Social Activism With My Job? Author Photo

    Corporate attorneys pursuing social justice causes outside of work should consider eight guidelines for finding equilibrium between their beliefs and their professional duties and reputation, say Diedrick Graham, Debra Friedman and Simeon Brier at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Personality Tests And Machine Learning Applications In Law Author Photo

    Mateusz Kulesza at McDonnell Boehnen looks at potential applications of personality testing based on machine learning techniques for law firms, and the implications this shift could have for lawyers, firms and judges, including how it could make the work of judges and other legal decision-makers much more difficult.

  • AI Is Reshaping Lawyering: What To Expect In 2024 Author Photo

    The future of lawyering is not about the wholesale replacement of attorneys by artificial intelligence, but as AI handles more of the routine legal work, the role of lawyers will evolve to be more strategic, requiring the development of competencies beyond traditional legal skills, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Embrace Active Voice In Legal Writing — In Most Cases Author Photo

    Legal writers should strive to craft sentences in the active voice to promote brevity and avoid ambiguities that can spark litigation, but writing in the passive voice is sometimes appropriate — when it's a moral choice and not a grammatical failure, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona's James E. Rogers College of Law.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Help Associates Turn Down Work? Author Photo

    Marina Portnova at Lowenstein Sandler discusses what partners can do to aid their associates in setting work-life boundaries, especially around after-hours assignment availability.

  • How AI Legal Research Tools Are Shifting Law Firm Processes Author Photo

    Although artificial intelligence-powered legal research is ushering in a new era of legal practice that augments human expertise with data-driven insights, it is not without challenges involving privacy, ethics and more, so legal professionals should take steps to ensure AI becomes a reliable partner rather than a source of disruption, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

  • Data Source Proliferation Is A Growing E-Discovery Challenge Author Photo

    With the increased usage of collaboration apps and generative artificial intelligence solutions, it's not only important for e-discovery teams to be able to account for hundreds of existing data types today, but they should also be able to add support for new data types quickly — even on the fly if needed, says Oliver Silva at Casepoint.

  • Bracing For A Generative AI Revolution In Law Author Photo

    With many legal professionals starting to explore practical uses of generative artificial intelligence in areas such as research, discovery and legal document development, the fundamental principle of human oversight cannot be underscored enough for it to be successful, say Ty Dedmon at Bradley Arant and Paige Hunt at Lighthouse.

  • Why I Use ChatGPT To Tell Me Things I Already Know Author Photo

    The legal profession is among the most hesitant to adopt ChatGPT because of its proclivity to provide false information as if it were true, but in a wide variety of situations, lawyers can still be aided by information that is only in the right ballpark, says Robert Plotkin at Blueshift IP.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Use Social Media Responsibly? Author Photo

    Leah Kelman at Herrick Feinstein discusses the importance of reasoned judgment and thoughtful process when it comes to newly admitted attorneys' social media use.

  • Yada, Yada, Yada: The Magic Of 3 In Legal Writing Author Photo

    Attorneys should take a cue from U.S. Supreme Court justices and boil their arguments down to three points in their legal briefs and oral advocacy, as the number three is significant in the way we process information, says Diana Simon at University of Arizona.

  • How Firms Can Stop Playing Whack-A-Mole With Data Security Author Photo

    In order to achieve a robust client data protection posture, law firms should focus on adopting a risk-based approach to security, which can be done by assessing gaps, using that data to gain leadership buy-in for the needed changes, and adopting a dynamic and layered approach, says John Smith at Conversant Group.

  • 5 Life Lessons From Making Partner As A Solo Parent Author Photo

    Laranda Walker at Susman Godfrey, who was raising two small children and working her way to partner when she suddenly lost her husband, shares what fighting to keep her career on track taught her about accepting help, balancing work and family, and discovering new reserves of inner strength.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Turn Deferral To My Advantage? Author Photo

    Diana Leiden at Winston & Strawn discusses how first-year associates whose law firm start dates have been deferred can use the downtime to hone their skills, help their communities, and focus on returning to BigLaw with valuable contacts and out-of-the-box insights.

  • Resume Gaps Are No Longer Kryptonite To Your Legal Career Author Photo

    Female attorneys and others who pause their careers for a few years will find that gaps in work history are increasingly acceptable among legal employers, meaning with some networking, retraining and a few other strategies, lawyers can successfully reenter the workforce, says Jill Backer at Ave Maria School of Law.

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