Modern Lawyer

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    US BigLaw Firms Accelerate Enviro Efforts, But Diversity Lags

    Amid a number of recent legal challenges, large law firms in the U.S. have amped up many of their environmental, social and governance-related efforts, with particular growth in environmental sustainability action, while areas like diversity, equity and inclusion have been less successful, according to a report out Wednesday that examined firms' public-facing communications.

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    Carlton Fields Group Co-Leader Joins Ballard Spahr

    The co-chair of Carlton Fields' commercial finance industry group, who has nearly 40 years of legal experience and served as vice president and deputy general counsel of Fannie Mae, has moved her practice to Ballard Spahr LLP, where she'll continue working on housing finance matters, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • National Basketball Players Association Head Joins JAMS

    An attorney known for becoming the first woman to head a major professional sports union in North America has decided to take the next step of her career at JAMS, the alternative dispute resolution service announced on Tuesday.

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    Duane Morris Adds Corporate, Banking Partner In New York

    Duane Morris LLP has brought on a former Stinson LLP partner for its corporate practice group in New York, the firm said Wednesday.

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    Sullivan & Cromwell Dropped From FTX Investor Suit

    FTX customers dismissed Sullivan & Cromwell LLP from ongoing multidistrict litigation over the crypto exchange's collapse on Wednesday, after an investigation by the customers' counsel into the firm and dialogue with the FTX bankruptcy estate and appointed examiner resolved concerns about the law firm's conduct. 

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    Girardi Seeks New Fraud Trial Over Memory Issues

    Disbarred attorney Tom Girardi has called on a California federal court to overturn his conviction for misappropriating $15 million in client settlement funds, arguing he was not competent to stand trial due to memory problems that left him unable to remember witnesses or even his own attorneys.

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    DLA Piper Adds Former Faegre Drinker Litigator In Philly

    DLA Piper has expanded its litigation services in the Philadelphia office this week by adding an attorney with more than 30 years of courtroom experience.

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    AI-Focused Exec Roles Are Having A Moment At Law Firms

    Several law firms this year, including Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and McDermott Will & Emery LLP, have filled artificial intelligence-focused chief and director roles to keep up with technological advances and client demands, according to legal recruiters.

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    Feds Seek 16 Months For Ex-BigLaw Partner's Tax Dodging

    Prosecutors told a Wisconsin federal judge that a former Husch Blackwell LLP and Dykema Gossett PLLC partner who pled guilty to tax evasion should be sentenced to 16 months in prison, saying he lied to IRS revenue officers to keep them at bay while spending lavishly on private planes, jewelry and golf club memberships.

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    Holland & Knight Hires Squire Patton Litigation Atty In DC

    Holland & Knight LLP's newest partner in Washington, D.C., is a former Squire Patton Boggs LLP litigator who has experience working on international issues in the Middle East. 

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    Paul Hastings Adds Former Asst. US Solicitor General

    Global firm Paul Hastings LLP announced Wednesday that a former assistant to the U.S. solicitor general is joining the firm to strengthen its appellate and Supreme Court practice.

  • Ex-Girardi Keese CFO Inks Plea Deal Over Firm Embezzlement

    Girardi Keese's former Chief Financial Officer Christopher K. Kamon reached a plea agreement Tuesday with Los Angeles federal prosecutors, who allege he spearheaded a "side fraud" that bilked millions of dollars from the embattled law firm's accounts behind disbarred attorney Tom Girardi's back.

  • Ex-Judge Can Testify In Suit Against Blank Rome Attys, 2 Cos.

    An attorney suing three Blank Rome LLP lawyers, an aircraft motor manufacturer and its parent company was unable to persuade a Pennsylvania federal court to stop a former judge from testifying for the defense as an expert witness in a retaliation case stemming from her decision to switch from representing companies to doing plaintiffs work.

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    Judge Security Data Reflects Policy Shifts As Much As Threats

    Former employees of the U.S. Marshals Service say that while judicial security has never been more urgent, finding trends is nearly impossible: The way threats against federal judges are tracked has varied so much from year to year, the data is essentially meaningless.

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    Polsinelli Taps Chief Of Staff As First Practice Strategy Leader

    Polsinelli PC announced Monday that it promoted its chief of staff to serve as both its staff lead and as its first chief practice strategy officer, tasking her with managing how its practices work together to benefit clients and promoting innovation through strategies such as the use of artificial intelligence.

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    Greenberg Hires Clyde & Co. Middle East Arbitration Head

    Less than a month after expanding the practice in London, Greenberg Traurig LLP announced Monday that its international arbitration and litigation team has welcomed the former head of the Middle East arbitration group at Clyde & Co.

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    Morgan Lewis Lands Capital Markets Pro From Davis Polk

    Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP announced Tuesday that it has added to its capital markets and public companies practice with the hiring of an attorney who formerly was at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and served as an attorney-adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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    Willkie Adds Faegre ERISA Litigation Co-Head With Duo Hire

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is expanding its Midwest team, announcing Tuesday it is bringing in a Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigator and a Chapman and Cutler LLP finance expert as partners in its Chicago office.

  • Robin AI CTO Says Innovation Puts Pressure On Hourly Billing

    The traditional hourly billing model in the legal industry is facing increasing scrutiny as in-house legal teams leverage technology to enhance efficiency, the co-founder of a leading AI service told Law360.

  • Int'l Arbitration Pro Joins Linklaters From Paul Hastings

    Linklaters LLP announced Tuesday that the former global co-chair of Paul Hastings LLP's international arbitration practice joined the firm's Washington, D.C., office as a partner and its new international arbitration global co-head.

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    White & Case Adds Marketing, Innovation Execs Amid Growth

    White & Case LLP announced Monday the appointment of both a chief innovation officer and a chief marketing officer as the firm continues to expand through hiring and office openings.

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    More Law Firms Want To Merge, But Deals Aren't Skyrocketing

    Law firm management consultants say they continue to see historic interest among law firms to engage in merger talks, driven further by a spate of big deals announced during the third quarter of the year, but the number of actual combinations inked has remained fairly steady, Law360 Pulse data shows.

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    Crowell & Moring Gets Corporate Atty From Kleinberg Kaplan

    Crowell & Moring LLP announced Tuesday that it has added a former Kleinberg Kaplan Wolff & Cohen PC partner to its corporate practice in New York.

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    Major Lindsey Elevates Longtime UK Associate Recruiter

    A former managing director and practice lead for Major Lindsey & Africa's Europe, Middle East and Africa associate practice group has been promoted to executive director of associate recruiting, the legal consulting and recruiting firm said Tuesday.

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    Littler Adds Excelitas Exec As Chief Digital Innovation Officer

    Labor and employment firm Littler Mendelson PC has added the former executive vice president and chief information officer at photonics and light technology company Excelitas Technologies as its chief digital innovation officer.

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Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can Recalcitrant Attys Use Social Media? Author Photo

    Social media can be intimidating for reluctant lawyers but it can also be richly rewarding, as long as attorneys remember that professional accounts will always reflect on their firms and colleagues, and follow some best practices to avoid embarrassment, says Sean Marotta at Hogan Lovells.

  • Keys To Digitizing Inefficient Contract Management Processes Author Photo

    Neville Eisenberg and Mark Grayson at BCLP explain how they sped up contract execution for one client by replacing email with a centralized, digital tool for negotiations and review, and how the principles they adhered to can be helpful for other law firms looking to improve poorly managed contract management processes.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Firms Coach Associates Remotely? Author Photo

    Practicing law through virtual platforms will likely persist even after the pandemic, so law firms and senior lawyers should consider refurbishing their associate mentoring programs to facilitate personal connections, professionalism and effective training in a remote environment, says Carol Goodman at Herrick Feinstein.

  • How Law Firms Can Welcome And Celebrate Autistic Lawyers Author Photo

    As the U.S. observes Autism Acceptance Month, autistic attorney Haley Moss describes the societal barriers and stereotypes that keep neurodivergent lawyers from disclosing their disabilities, and how law firms can better accommodate and level the playing field for attorneys whose minds work outside of the prescribed norm.

  • Law Firm Tips For Evaluating AI And Machine Learning Tools Author Photo

    Many legal technology vendors now sell artificial intelligence and machine learning tools at a premium price tag, but law firms must take the time to properly evaluate them as not all offerings generate process efficiencies or even use the technologies advertised, says Steven Magnuson at Ballard Spahr.

  • A Call For Personal Accountability On Diversity And Inclusion Author Photo

    While chief legal officers are increasingly involved in creating corporate diversity, inclusion and anti-bigotry policies, all lawyers have a responsibility to be discrimination busters and bias interrupters regardless of the title they hold, says Veta T. Richardson at the Association of Corporate Counsel.

  • Learning How To Code Can Unleash New Potential In Lawyers Author Photo

    Every lawyer can begin incorporating aspects of software development in their day-to-day practice with little to no changes in their existing tools or workflow, and legal organizations that take steps to encourage this exploration of programming can transform into tech incubators, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Supporting Associates Amid Pandemic's Mental Health Toll Author Photo

    As junior associates increasingly report burnout, work-life conflict and loneliness during the pandemic, law firms should take tangible actions to reduce the stigma around seeking help, and to model desired well-being behaviors from the top down, say Stacey Whiteley at the New York State Bar Association and Robin Belleau at Kirkland.

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    Ask A Mentor: Should My Law Firm Take On An Apprentice? Author Photo

    Mentoring a law student who is preparing for the bar exam without attending law school is an arduous process that is not for everyone, but there are also several benefits for law firms hosting apprenticeship programs, says Jessica Jackson, the lawyer guiding Kim Kardashian West's legal education.

  • The Importance Of Client Engagement In Law Firm Innovation Author Photo

    As clients increasingly want law firms to serve as innovation platforms, firms must understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach — the key is a nimble innovation function focused on listening and knowledge sharing, says Mark Brennan at Hogan Lovells.

  • The Unique Challenges Facing Women-Owned Law Firms Author Photo

    In addition to establishing their brand from scratch, women who start their own law firms must overcome inherent bias against female lawyers and convince prospective clients to put aside big-firm preferences, says Joel Stern at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.

  • The Pursuit Of Wellness In BigLaw: Lessons From My Journey Author Photo

    Jane Jeong at Cooley shares how grueling BigLaw schedules and her own perfectionism emotionally bankrupted her, and why attorneys struggling with burnout should consider making small changes to everyday habits.

  • Why We Must Recruit And Advance More Black Prosecutors Author Photo

    Black Americans make up a disproportionate percentage of the incarcerated population but are underrepresented among elected prosecutors, so the legal community — from law schools to prosecutor offices — must commit to addressing these disappointing demographics, says Erika Gilliam-Booker at the National Black Prosecutors Association.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Deal With Overload? Author Photo

    Young lawyers overwhelmed with a crushing workload must tackle the problem on two fronts — learning how to say no, and understanding how to break down projects into manageable parts, says Jay Harrington at Harrington Communications.

  • A Scientific Path For Improving Diversity At Law Firms Author Photo

    Law firms could combine industrial organizational psychology and machine learning to study prospective hires' analytical thinking, stress response and similar attributes — which could lead to recruiting from a more diverse candidate pool, say Ali Shahidi and Bess Sully at Sheppard Mullin.

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