Legal IndustryRSS

  • April 26, 2013

    US Tells Philly Housing Agency To Repay $8M In Legal Fees

    The Philadelphia Housing Authority was asked Thursday to reimburse the federal government for nearly $8 million in legal fees and expenses identified as needless and unreasonable in a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development audit commissioned after PHA’s former director was fired in 2010 following several sexual harassment suits.

  • April 26, 2013

    Quinn Emanuel Slams Contract Atty's Overtime Action

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP asked a New York federal court on Friday to nix a contract attorney's putative wage class action, asserting that contract attorneys performing document review are not entitled to overtime pay.

  • April 26, 2013

    Firms Told To Disclose Political Gifts In Diamond Foods Row

    A California federal judge on Tuesday ordered Chitwood Harley Harnes LLP and Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP to disclose contributions made to the Democratic Attorneys General Association in a securities class action accusing Diamond Foods Inc. of making improper payments to walnut growers that doomed an acquisition of the Pringles brand.

  • April 26, 2013

    Fla. Legislature Votes To Shift Expert Testimony Standard

    Both houses of the Florida Legislature voted Friday to shift the state's standards for evaluating the admissibility of expert witness testimony away from the Frye standard used since 1923 and in line with the Daubert standard currently used in federal courts and numerous states.

  • April 26, 2013

    Paralegal Slips On Dog Poo, Sues Law Firm

    A former paralegal at a personal injury law firm sued her ex-employer on Tuesday in California state court, alleging she was wrongfully fired for requesting overtime pay and for complaining about slipping on feces left behind by her colleagues’ dogs.

  • April 25, 2013

    Law360's Weekly Verdict: Legal Lions & Lambs

    This week's legal lions were in good company with a toxic tort star joining Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and a labor defense lawyer leading a pride to Littler Mendelson PC. The legal lambs culled from the flock include Greenberg Traurig LLP, which got fired by a client for some alleged shady info sharing, and an ex-BigLaw chairman who is thanking his insurance agent in a settlement stemming from  the firm's bankruptcy.

  • April 25, 2013

    Brooklyn Law Ducks Grads' Suit Over Jobs Data

    A New York state judge has tossed a lawsuit brought by five Brooklyn Law School graduates who claimed they were duped by the school's graduate employment and salary numbers, saying that everything students needed to know about the shrinking legal job market was provided by the school. 

  • April 25, 2013

    Fla. Lawmakers Question Need For Expert-Testimony Update

    A bill that would update Florida's standards for expert-witness testimony faced scrutiny from the state Senate on Thursday, with members questioning the need and readiness of state courts for the change before amending and positioning the measure for a full vote.

  • April 25, 2013

    Lender Denied $28M Slice Of Alioto Attys' Fees In LCD Case

    A California federal judge on Thursday shot down LFG National Capital LLC's bid to force plaintiffs' attorney Joseph M. Alioto to repay a $28.2 million loan debt from attorneys' fees awarded in multidistrict litigation over alleged price-fixing among liquid crystal display companies.

  • April 25, 2013

    Attys See Teachable Moment In Greenberg Insider Probe

    An insider trading investigation that forced Greenberg Traurig LLP to cut ties with clients in the political intelligence industry has underscored the dangers of doing business with companies eager to gain an edge in the shadowy market for public policy information, leaders at other top firms say.

  • April 25, 2013

    Chief Judge Of Pa.’s Western District Found Dead

    Chief U.S. District Judge Gary Lancaster of the Western District of Pennsylvania, who died suddenly at his home Wednesday evening, was remembered Thursday by his colleagues and area attorneys as both a dedicated and practical jurist and a wise and witty man.

  • April 25, 2013

    Greenberg Traurig Grilled On Ties To Political Intel Firms

    Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., on Thursday asked Greenberg Traurig LLP to disclose its links to controversial groups known as political intelligence firms, after a purported leak this month involving an attorney from the firm’s lobbying arm supposedly caused health insurers' shares to spike by more than $660 million.   

  • April 25, 2013

    K&L Gates Can't Nix $500M Malpractice Row In Pa. High Court

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to review a ruling reviving a $500 million malpractice suit accusing K&L Gates LLP of failing to uncover the criminal fraud that eventually brought down Le-Nature’s Inc., allowing the case to proceed before a state judge.

  • April 25, 2013

    5 Courtroom Fashion Flops Lawyers Should Avoid

    Whether lawyers like it or not, what they wear says something about them in the courtroom. Attorneys may be gifted with the best advocacy skills on the planet, but if they argue their case in a baggy, wrinkled suit or five-inch heels they can barely walk in, their ensemble can quickly steal the show — and even hurt their case — experts said.

  • April 24, 2013

    BigLaw Faces Stiff Competition In Crowded Korean Market

    The wave of foreign firms setting up shop in South Korea's newly opened legal market is already causing concern about a scramble for limited high-end work and fee competition from established domestic firms trying to protect their turf, according to market experts. 

  • April 24, 2013

    Partner's Work Romance 'Poisoned' Office, Ousted Atty Says

    A California attorney claims she was forced from her job at Mendes and Mount LLP following an argument with another associate who was in a romantic relationship with a partner overseeing her work, according to a recent lawsuit.  

  • April 24, 2013

    Weil Chastised By Fed. Circ. For Conflict Rule Violation

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday reprimanded Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP for violating a rule that bars former employees of the court from working on cases that were pending before the court during their employment.

  • April 24, 2013

    New Technology Transforms Law Firms' Bottom Lines

    Law firms are cutting costs with new technology ranging from basic tools like document assembly software to complex programs that use bioscience-based algorithms to compare contract changes, and experts envision a future in which an attorney will store data on cloud systems and never go to an office.

  • April 24, 2013

    Howrey Avoids Suits As Deal With Holland, Fenwick OK'd

    A California bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved Howrey LLP’s settlements with Holland & Knight LLP and Fenwick & West LLP that wrap up unfinished-business claims but leave individual attorneys who left Howrey for the other two firms open to potential clawback claims.

  • April 23, 2013

    Miami Atty Wants Cut Of $218M Big Tobacco Fees, Suit Says

    A former associate with Miami law firm Stanley M. Rosenblatt PA launched suit in Florida state court Thursday alleging he was denied a bonus for work he performed on the massive Engle v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. class action that netted the firm $218 million in attorneys’ fees.