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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.
Haynes and Boone LLP has launched a task force to help clients navigate the business court and additional court of appeal created last year by the Texas Legislature and set to begin operations Sept. 1.
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.
Paul Hastings LLP announced Tuesday that it has continued its rapid Lone Star State expansion with the addition of a trial and regulatory enforcement partner in Dallas who came aboard after 15 years with Vinson & Elkins LLP.
Legal practice management software provider Smokeball struck up a partnership with the State Bar of Texas that will give all members free access to the company's trust accounting billing software, according to an announcement Tuesday.
Microsoft asked a Texas federal court Friday to order Ramey LLP to pay its $100,000 attorneys' fees tab for "vexatiously" pursuing infringement litigation against it, even when the patent plaintiffs firm's now-former client CTD Networks LLC called for it to end.
Dykema Gossett PLLC announced that it has hired three Texas-based insurance attorneys from Chasnoff Valkenaar & Stribling LLP in some of the state's biggest markets.
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.
Foley & Lardner LLP announced Monday that it hired three Texas attorneys including a pair of media and entertainment partners from Jackson Walker LLP.
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.
Bumble Inc., the parent company of the dating app Bumble, said Monday it had promoted its former assistant general counsel to chief legal officer.
The State Bar of Texas said in-house lawyers working for companies owned by nonattorneys are barred from providing legal services to the businesses' customers unless the work meets specific criteria because otherwise, the companies run afoul of rules forbidding the unauthorized practice of law, according to a proposed ethics opinion.
A former Texas deputy assistant attorney general and a Diamond McCarthy LLP partner are among Gov. Greg Abbott's latest picks for the statewide business court, according to a Friday announcement.
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.
The Texas Supreme Court agreed Friday to review a lower court's decision to revive an ethics charge against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's first assistant over a failed lawsuit challenging the results of the 2020 election.
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.
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.
Chamblee Ryan PC has escaped a $1.1 million jury verdict in a malpractice suit brought by former client JBS Carriers Inc., with a Texas appeals court finding that the food transportation giant failed to submit expert testimony showing that the firm was negligent in failing to settle an underlying car crash lawsuit.
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.
Several law scholars who spoke with Law360 Pulse agree with the Fifth Circuit's recent decision not to adopt a proposed rule on the use of artificial intelligence in court filings and hope the decision will influence other courts to take a similar approach.
A Houston-area crisis response business wants a Texas federal court to toss international law firm Dentons Europe CS LLP's complaint accusing it of failing to pay more than $4.7 million in legal fees, arguing the action is deficient and that the dispute belongs in England.
Spencer Fane LLP announced Thursday that it has expanded its Houston roster with a team of five litigators who came aboard from Sheehy Ware & Pappas PC, a Texas firm now known as Pappas Grubbs Price PC.
Technological shifts during the pandemic and beyond should force firms to rethink how legal secretaries can not only better support timekeepers but also participate in elevating client service, bifurcating the role into an administrative support position and a more elevated practice support role, says Lauren Chung at HBR Consulting.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can I Ace My Upcoming Annual Review?Jennifer Rakstad at White & Case highlights how associates can emphasize achievements and seek support before, during and after their annual review, despite the pandemic’s negative effects on face time with colleagues and business development opportunities.
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.