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Average U.S. law firm revenue rose at a historic clip during the first half of 2024, but law firm financial experts are predicting a further influx of business for midsize and large firms primarily as a result of increased transactional activity following Wednesday's interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve.
A roster of fewer than 50 high-quality attorneys with deep roots in the state who are accustomed to handling significant cases has kept Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller one of the top firms in Pennsylvania over the last year.
Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads LLP expanded its litigation services in Philadelphia with the recent addition of a white collar and defense attorney who left Saxton & Stump after more than a year to join the firm.
Fifty-five percent of general counsel saw a budget increase in 2024 for their legal departments, and that number is expected to rise even higher next year, according to a new report from alternative legal service provider Axiom.
The Senate voted 52-41 Tuesday to confirm Mary Kathleen Costello as U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, but first the chamber's top Republican took time to blast judiciary policymakers for backing what he said were Democratic initiatives regarding the federal bench.
General counsel base salaries at companies making $5 billion or more in revenue has increased from last year, while their total compensation has decreased, according to a report released Tuesday by the Association of Corporate Counsel and Empsight International LLC.
Things are looking up for associates, recruiters say, as a strong economic outlook for the legal industry appears to be driving increased demand for younger attorneys after two straight years of layoffs.
Holland & Knight LLP urged a Pennsylvania federal judge on Monday to throw out what it called a "scattershot and vague" lawsuit alleging that a former firm partner unlawfully accessed a client's confidential documents in order to gain an upper hand in the partner's contentious divorce proceeding.
A former chief counsel with PNC Bank is leaving the world of in-house for McNees Wallace & Nurick, where she will help boost the firm's work in fiduciary litigation and disputes involving trusts and estates.
Kline & Specter may not be responsible for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas' reputation for "nuclear verdicts," but some of the firm's recent wins — including an eye-popping $2.25 billion jury award against Monsanto — haven't hurt that perception, while multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts around Pennsylvania have shown it's not just a matter of home-court advantage.
A Philadelphia-based real estate company caught up in a contract dispute over an allegedly botched North Carolina development project has accused the defunct Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP of engaging in a "phantom billing scheme" to boost the firm's revenue ahead of its eventual dissolution last September.
Lynch Carpenter established itself as one of Pennsylvania's high-performing firms in 2024, from involvement on the plaintiffs' steering committee overseeing the $600 million deal to resolve the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment litigation, to its assistance in achieving a settlement in CPAP medical device litigation of at least $479 million, as well as several wins in the realm of tuition reimbursement from universities that eliminated in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While initially hesitant about using generative artificial intelligence because of confidentiality concerns, Ballard Spahr LLP eventually adopted an AI tool from a startup that cut down on time spent in litigation.
Kennedys said on Monday it has boosted its back-office technology and knowledge management teams with the hire of two experienced experts in legal procedures and practices and IT.
The law firms on Law360's list of 2024 Regional Powerhouses reflected the local peculiarities of their states while often representing clients in deals and cases that captured national attention.
After months of a relatively steady pace of law firm mergers and acquisitions, the trio of proposed BigLaw tie-ups announced in recent days will likely spur more firms toward entertaining similar deal talks, experts say. Here, Law360 offers a snapshot of the proposed deals.
Legal training provider AltaClaro released a generative artificial intelligence supervisory course for law firm partners that it developed with law firm K&L Gates LLP.
The Third Circuit won't revive a Philadelphia police officer's lawsuit alleging that city District Attorney Larry Krasner violated his civil rights by hitting him with a murder charge that was ultimately tossed, finding that the officer couldn't overcome the immunity granted to prosecutors when advocating on behalf of the state.
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP attorneys and Texas litigator Richard L. Stanley lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions after the Federal Circuit on Monday revived a patent infringement case for their client Contour IP Holding LLC against GoPro Inc.
Another BigLaw firm merger and a report about rising litigation spending rocked the second week of September. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse’s weekly quiz.
The U.S. Senate is set to vote Monday on the nomination of Kevin Ritz to join the Sixth Circuit bench despite strong objection from the senior senator from Tennessee, one of the circuit's four states.
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC didn't have to look far for its new chief operating officer.
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP is building out its white collar team with former veteran prosecutors, announcing Wednesday it had added two partners and an associate from Greenberg Traurig LLP who will bolster its San Francisco and Philadelphia offices
Nearly four years after leaving the corporate defense world to launch her own five-attorney plaintiffs' boutique, former Wilkinson Stekloff LLP founding partner Alexandra Walsh says she's looking forward to spending more time in the courtroom as her firm is absorbed by Philadelphia-based mass tort and personal injury firm Anapol Weiss. Here, Law360 Pulse speaks with Walsh about the decision to merge and about her move from the defense to the plaintiffs' bar.
Most law firms are using artificial intelligence tools for routine tasks over the coming year or plan to use them, but lawyers are concerned about the accuracy and security of the technology, an industry survey revealed on Thursday.
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.
Narges Kakalia at Mintz recounts her journey from litigation partner to director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the firm, explaining how the challenges she faced as a female lawyer of color shaped her transition and why attorneys’ unique skill sets make them well suited for diversity leadership roles.