Modern Lawyer


  • Hueston Hennigan, McKool Smith Bonuses Top Milbank Scale

    Trial firm Hueston Hennigan LLP is the latest boutique to award above-market, year-end bonuses, the firm said Thursday.

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    The Year In Legal Ethics: AI, Judicial Scandal And More

    A number of legal ethics topics dominated the conversation in 2024, including artificial intelligence and the fallout of an undisclosed relationship between a Texas bankruptcy judge and an attorney whose firm appeared before him for years.

  • Firms Expand Recruiting Departments Amid Strategic Push

    Law firms have grown their internal talent acquisition and recruiting teams as they compete to add partners who further the firms' strategic goals, according to a survey released this week.

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    Law Firms Tap Business-Savvy Leaders Amid 2024 Shakeups

    The legal industry has seen ongoing leadership changes in 2024, with law firms increasingly turning to business-savvy leaders to oversee operations and better compete in a challenging market.

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    High Court Bar's Future: McDermott's Paul Hughes

    Paul W. Hughes of McDermott Will & Emery LLP knows U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments are unpredictable — you can end up as the butt of a justice's joke or have the whole bench fully embrace your novel legal theory — so he focuses on what he can control: being overprepared for any version of the court he meets.

  • Jay-Z, Quinn Emanuel Accused Of Paying Ex-Buzbee Clients

    Texas personal injury lawyer Tony Buzbee added a new front to his feud with Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter on Wednesday, accusing the rapper's company Roc Nation and law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP of recruiting and paying former clients to bring malpractice claims.

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    Attorney Billing Rates Continue To Climb In 2024

    Billing rates for outside counsel continued to rise in 2024, with law firm associate rates experiencing the sharpest growth, increasing by 3.11% compared to the previous year, according to a recent report from Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions.

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    Foley & Lardner Promotes Talent Leader To COO In Houston

    Foley & Lardner LLP has elevated its Houston-based chief talent officer, a five-year employee of the firm, to chief operating officer, according to an announcement Wednesday.

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    The Top Judicial Ethics Cases Of 2024

    Multiple federal judges, including a U.S. Supreme Court justice, found themselves in ethical hot water in 2024, with the fallout from some of the highest-profile of those cases likely to continue in 2025.

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    K&L Gates Gains L&E Atty In NY From Duane Morris

    K&L Gates LLP announced another addition to its labor, employment and workplace safety practice last week, welcoming a former Duane Morris LLP attorney to its New York office.

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    ArentFox Schiff Elevates 15 Attys To Partner

    ArentFox Schiff LLP has announced the promotion of 15 attorneys to partner, with the majority of the elevations once again coming out of its Washington, D.C., office.

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    Proactive And Patient: DLA's Meltzer On Law Firm Leadership

    Roger Meltzer has thoughts to share with today's law firm leaders. Meltzer served as global chairman of DLA Piper from 2015 until his retirement in 2021, and now holds the title of chairman emeritus at the firm.

  • Lewis Brisbois Wins $543K In Fees In Name TM Spat In Texas

    Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP is entitled to $543,146.81 in fees after securing a $1.5 million judgment in a trademark lawsuit it prosecuted against the owners of a mediation business that took the BigLaw behemoth's name, a Texas federal judge said Tuesday.

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    After Decades, Atty Shares Children's Book On Resilience

    Inspired by childhood talks with his mother, Dallas-based Haynes and Boone LLP partner Jeff Dorrill recently published a children's book about an orphaned boy and a friendly monster after having shelved the manuscript three decades ago.

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    Law Student Diversity Staying Constant, Despite High Court

    The racial diversity of 2024's incoming law school classes remained largely unchanged from 2023, according to data from the American Bar Association, even in the face of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling banning race-based admissions criteria.

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    PBS Atty Rolls The Dice With New Supreme Court Board Game

    A forthcoming board game designed by Talia Rosen, an associate general counsel for PBS and lifelong gaming enthusiast, lets players experience the history of the U.S. Supreme Court.

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    Ex-Reed Smith Atty Seeks To Appeal NJ Bias Damages Limit

    A former Reed Smith LLP labor and employment lawyer has told the New Jersey Appellate Division that a lower court was wrong to conclude that a pay discrimination law does not apply retroactively, limiting her potential damages against the firm in a bias lawsuit.

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    Bonuses At Susman Godfrey, Other Boutiques Top Milbank's

    Susman Godfrey LLP, Pallas Partners, Yetter Coleman LLP and other litigation boutiques are offering associates bonuses exceeding the market scale set by BigLaw firms this year.

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    Fisher Phillips Remains Steady With 25-Atty Partnership Class

    International labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips announced Tuesday that it has promoted 25 attorneys to partner effective Jan. 1, about the same number as in previous years.

  • Faegre Drinker Promotes 26 To Partner For 2025

    More than two dozen Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP attorneys have been selected this week to move up to the partner level at the start of the new year.

  • DWF Hires Polish Team From Hogan Lovells' Warsaw Office

    DWF Group LLP said Tuesday that it had taken on three prominent Polish partners from Hogan Lovells' closing Warsaw office, bolstering its presence in Poland.

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    Quinn Emanuel Taps 2 London Partners In Global Promotions

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP has named 11 new partners in its latest round of promotions, with two in the British capital.

  • Boies Schiller Promotes 9 To Partner And Counsel In US, Italy

    Boies Schiller Flexner has announced the promotion of five attorneys to partner and four to counsel, elevating litigators and corporate lawyers on the East Coast and in Italy.

  • DAC Beachcroft Debuts In US With LA, NYC Offices

    DAC Beachcroft LLP said Tuesday that it is entering the U.S. market by opening offices in New York City and Los Angeles, as the insurance specialist continues its global expansion.

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    Experienced Retail Adviser Joins Hunton In DC

    Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP announced Monday that a longtime vice president and senior counsel at the National Retail Federation has joined the firm's Washington, D.C., office as a public policy and government relations partner.

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Expert Analysis

  • How Firms Can Benefit From Creating Their Own ALSPs Author Photo

    As more law firms develop their own legal services centers to serve as both a source of flexible personnel and technological innovation, they can further enhance the effectiveness by fostering a consistent and cohesive team and allowing for experimentation with new technologies from an established baseline, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Modernizing Legal Education Through Hybrid JD Programs Author Photo

    Amid pandemic-era shifts in education, law schools and other stakeholders should consider the wide geographic and demographic reach of Juris Doctor programs with both online and in-person learning options, and educators should think through the various ways hybrid programs can be structured, says Stephen Burnett at All Campus.

  • How BigLaw Can Mirror Small Firm Attorney Engagement Author Photo

    BigLaw has the unique opportunity to hit refresh post-pandemic and enhance attorney satisfaction by adopting practices that smaller firms naturally employ — including work assignment policies that can provide junior attorneys steady professional development, says Michelle Genet Bernstein at Mark Migdal.

  • Ditch The Annual Review To Boost Attorney Job Satisfaction Author Photo

    In order to attract and retain the rising millennial generation's star talent, law firms should break free of the annual review system and train lawyers of all seniority levels to solicit and share frequent and informal feedback, says Betsy Miller at Cohen Milstein.

  • How Attorneys Can Narrow LGBTQ Gap In The Judiciary Author Photo

    Lawyers can take several steps to redress the lack of adequate LGBTQ representation on the bench and its devastating impact on litigants and counsel in the community, says Janice Grubin, co-chair of the Judiciary Committee at the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York.

  • Employers Must Heed Rising Attorney Stress And Alcohol Use Author Photo

    Krill Strategies’ Patrick Krill, who co-authored a new study that revealed alarming levels of stress, hazardous drinking and associated gender disparities among practicing attorneys, highlights how legal employers can confront the underlying risk factors as both warnings and opportunities in the post-COVID-19 era.

  • Lawyers Can Get Ready For Space Law To Take Flight Author Photo

    While international agreements for space law have remained relatively unchanged since their creation decades ago, the rapid pace of change in U.S. laws and policies is creating opportunities for both new and veteran lawyers looking to break into this exciting realm, in either the private sector or government, says Michael Dodge at the University of North Dakota.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: What Makes A Successful Summer Associate? Author Photo

    Navigating a few densely packed weeks at a law firm can be daunting for summer associates, but those who are prepared to seize opportunities and not afraid to ask questions will be set up for success, says Julie Crisp at Latham.

  • How To Successfully Market Your Summer Associate Program Author Photo

    Law firms can attract the right summer associate candidates and help students see what makes a program unique by using carefully crafted messaging and choosing the best ambassadors to deliver it, says Tamara McClatchey, director of career services at the University of Chicago Law School.

  • Opinion

    Judges Deserve Congress' Commitment To Their Safety Author Photo

    Following the tragic attack on U.S. District Judge Esther Salas' family last summer and amid rising threats against the judiciary, legislation protecting federal judges' personal information and enhancing security measures at courthouses is urgently needed, says U.S. District Judge Roslynn Mauskopf, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

  • 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.

  • Series

    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.

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