Modern Lawyer


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    Lessons In 'Value-Centered Lawyering' From Atty Turned Prof

    Katya Cronin, a professor at George Washington University Law School and former BigLaw attorney, argued in a recent academic paper that law schools need to do more to encourage students to examine their personal values and pursue legal careers in line with them.

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    What 2024 Looked Like For 4 Small Firms

    A lot can happen in a year for small firms. Law360 Pulse caught up with four, some just getting started and others with long legacies, to talk about what their 2024 looked like.

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    Foley & Lardner's New COO Wants To 'Champion' Firm Culture

    As Jen Cafferty Patton moves up from chief talent officer to chief operating officer at Foley & Lardner LLP, she says she is prioritizing keeping the firm’s people-focused culture strong for both employees and clients.

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    How DC Students Help Blank Rome Spread Holiday Cheer

    In a tradition stretching back just over a quarter century, Blank Rome LLP taps into the Washington, D.C., community by hosting a competition for students at a local arts-focused high school to submit designs for the annual holiday card sent out to the firm’s thousands of clients.

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    Office Snapshot: Lathrop GPM Moves Up In Boston

    Lathrop GPM LLP's Boston team is settling into its new office space 21 floors up in the Financial District building it has called home for 13 years, becoming yet another firm that's found efficiencies allowing it to downsize its physical footprint in a hybrid work setting.

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    3 Ways Associates Can Survive An Average Annual Review

    You're a rock star associate in your fourth or fifth year trying to make partner, and you just got an average review after previously receiving high marks. Although it's tempting to panic, experts say it's possible to come back after such setbacks by being proactive.

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    New Davis Wright Exec Talks 'Running The Business' Of Firm

    After more than two decades as an employment attorney at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Jenna Mooney has taken on the role of its second-in-command with a focus on running the business of the firm.

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    Generative AI Continued To Drive Legal Tech Scene In 2024

    Generative artificial intelligence remained the top issue for legal tech in 2024, as vendors continued rolling out generative AI tools while law firms tested them and trained their attorneys on the underlying technology.

  • Proskauer Beats DQ Bid In NJ Hospital Antitrust Fight

    A New Jersey federal judge refused to disqualify Proskauer Rose LLP from defending healthcare network RWJBarnabas Health Inc. in an antitrust lawsuit brought by competitor CarePoint Health Management Associates LLC, saying the present case wasn't substantially related to work the law firm previously did for CarePoint.

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    High Court Bar's Future: Williams & Connolly's Sarah Harris

    Sarah M. Harris of Williams & Connolly LLP never planned on being a U.S. Supreme Court advocate, or even an appellate one. She stumbled upon that career path after realizing her initial goal of becoming a national security or government lawyer wasn't the right fit.

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    Litigator On The Roof: The Acting, Singing Mass. Solicitor

    The top appellate lawyer in the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General will be ringing in the new year by performing a comical cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, the latest show in a lengthy side career in music.

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    How Akin Helped Holocaust Survivors Win Reparations

    The Anti-Defamation League recently honored a Holocaust survivor who went on to become the face of a movement seeking accountability from the French national railroad company SNCF for its role in taking tens of thousands of Jews to Nazi concentration camps. The movement was assisted pro bono by attorneys from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

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    Approach The Bench: What Judges Had To Say This Year

    Jurists weighed the benefits of partisan elections, praised innovations in telehearings and worried about the future of the profession in nearly a dozen interviews with Law360 this year.

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    Gunster $8.5M Data Breach Deal Needs More Info, Judge Says

    A Florida federal judge this week denied preliminary approval of an $8.5 million settlement in a data breach class action against Gunster and demanded more information on payouts, the plaintiffs' standing in the case and a historical breakdown of settlement rates.

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    Veteran Littler Mendelson Policy Expert Dies At 76

    Michael Lotito, a veteran management-side labor and employment attorney who most recently practiced at Littler Mendelson PC, died Thursday, the firm confirmed.

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    Reed Smith Financial Pro Jumps To Eckert Seamans As CFO

    Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC announced Friday it has hired Reed Smith's global director of financial intelligence as its firmwide chief financial officer.

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    Baker McKenzie Names 18 New Partners In North America

    Baker McKenzie announced the promotion of 18 North American-based attorneys to partner, a slight increase from last year but still significantly lower than in previous years.

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    NJ Bar's Diversity Plan Isn't Biased, Panel Says

    A New Jersey state appeals court reversed and remanded on Friday a lower court's ruling that found the state bar association's diversity practices to be an unlawful, discriminatory quota system.

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    How Law Firms Are Reinvesting 2024's Near-Record Profits

    U.S. law firms are set to close out 2024 with near-record increases in revenue and profits, according to industry surveys. Here, a look at how seven law firm leaders are planning to reinvest the windfall.

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    MoFo, Irell Latest Firms To Unveil Competitive Bonuses

    Morrison Foerster LLP and litigation boutique Irell & Manella LLP have joined a chorus of firms announcing associate bonuses that meet or exceed the BigLaw standard for associate bonuses this year, with MoFo offering up to $218,200 and Irell handing its lawyers as much as $175,000.

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    Cooley Capital Markets Pro Joins Sidley In California

    Sidley Austin LLP has grown its capital markets offerings in California with the addition of a Cooley LLP attorney as the firm sees demand growth in equity transactions.

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    Secret Of Success Was All In The Family For Stephen Cozen

    Longtime colleagues of Cozen O’Connor co-founder Stephen Cozen, who died yesterday at age 85, remember the Philadelphia attorney as a hard-working advocate for his clients who built one of the biggest firms in the country with a family-oriented culture of entrepreneurship and mentorship.

  • How Lawyers May Sue The Trump Administration … Again

    During the last Trump administration, BigLaw firms challenged White House policies, focusing on immigration, environmental regulations and healthcare. This time around, attorneys could rely on old tools, and some new tactics, to stall the executive branch.

  • Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    This week's Legal Lions leader comes from the public sector, as federal prosecutors secured a $650 million settlement from McKinsey & Co. to resolve a lawsuit over the consulting giant's role in Purdue Pharma's promotion of OxyContin.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    This was another action-packed week for the legal industry as law firms announced large associate bonuses, opened up new offices, and made notable hires. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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Expert Analysis

  • 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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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Seek More Assignments? Author Photo

    In the first installment of Law360 Pulse's career advice guest column, Meela Gill at Weil offers insights on how associates can ask for meaningful work opportunities at their firms without sounding like they are begging. 

  • Legal Sector Regulatory Reform Is Key To Closing Justice Gap Author Photo

    In order to improve access to justice for those who cannot afford a lawyer, states should consider regulatory innovations, such as allowing new forms of law firm ownership and permitting nonlawyers to provide certain legal services, says Patricia Lee Refo, president of the American Bar Association.

  • 7 Tips For Predeposition Meetings Under New Federal Rule Author Photo

    Attorneys can use a new predeposition meet-and-confer obligation for federal litigation — taking effect Tuesday — to better understand and narrow the topics of planned testimony, and more clearly outline the scope of any discovery disputes, says James Wagstaffe at Wagstaffe von Loewenfeldt Busch.

  • Guest Feature

    Preparing The Next Generation Of Female Trial Lawyers Author Photo

    To build the ranks of female trial attorneys, law firms must integrate them into every aspect of a case — from witness preparation to courtroom arguments — instead of relegating them to small roles, says Kalpana Srinivasan, co-managing partner at Susman Godfrey.

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