Modern Lawyer

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    Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Baron & Budd's Scott Summy

    Fighting early in his career on behalf of two North Carolina trailer parks across the street from a gas station that was leaking a gasoline additive, Scott Summy of Baron & Budd PC had an idea that would reshape drinking water litigation in the United States and even lead to him being called "the most important water lawyer in American history" by his co-counsel.

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    Yoga Lawyer: A Way of Being In The (Legal) World

    More than a decade ago, a stressful job and a pile of physical ailments prompted attorney Cindy Pensoneau to take a deep dive into yoga. Today, she continues to work as both a lawyer and as a yoga teacher, illustrating the growing role that the ancient mind-body practice can play in improving attorney mental health.

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    GCs Help Companies Close The Gap On Mental Health Efforts

    While they wait for their companies to implement more wellness policies that reach the root causes of employees’ stress and burnout, some general counsel and chief legal officers are filling the gap to help their law teams feel more supported.

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    Here's Why This GC Went Public With Her Bipolar Diagnosis

    Kelly Rentzel, who has held several general counsel positions throughout her career, largely credits her law degree for giving her the confidence to talk publicly about her bipolar diagnosis — which is something she had contemplated for two decades before taking the initial steps that ultimately led her to a lectern.

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    Former A&O Vet Leaves As Shearman Megamerger Lifts Off

    A former long-time Allen & Overy LLP veteran who was leading Shearman's finance team has not joined the newly-formed A&O Shearman, it emerged, as the megamerger went live Wednesday.

  • Sam Dixon

    Womble Bond Promotes UK Partner To Innovation Chief

    Womble Bond Dickinson in the U.K. has elevated partner and head of innovation Sam Dixon to chief innovation officer, the transatlantic law firm announced earlier this week.

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    Crowell & Moring Adds 2 More Neal Gerber Attys In Chicago

    Crowell & Moring LLP announced Wednesday that it has hired two more attorneys from Chicago-based Neal Gerber & Eisenberg LLP to bolster its corporate services.

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    Blank Rome Opens Boston Office With New 25-Atty Team

    Blank Rome LLP said Wednesday that it has opened a Boston office with 25 corporate and finance attorneys from Burns & Levinson LLP, including 13 partners.

  • Reed Smith Beats Ex-Paralegal's Sprawling Bias Suit

    A former Reed Smith LLP paralegal hasn't shown that the firm's flagging of her work performance issues and her eventual termination stemmed from age and race discrimination, a New Jersey federal judge ruled Tuesday, handing the law firm a final win in the nearly 9-year-old litigation.

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    A&O Shearman Faces Challenge To Unify Distinct Markets

    As the newly combined Allen Overy Shearman Sterling launches Wednesday, so far the signs are that the biggest merger in the sector in a decade may leave two distinct markets operating on either side of the Atlantic.

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    Clark Hill Combines With Colo. Food And Beverage Firm

    Clark Hill PLC has expanded its national food, beverage and hospitality practice through a combination with Boulder, Colorado-based LaszloLaw, a corporate and commercial transactional and litigation firm focused on those industries.

  • ABA Knocks Down 'Implausible' Data Breach Class Action

    The American Bar Association members suing the organization over a data breach have not identified any security measures the ABA failed to take, a New York federal judge said Tuesday when nixing what the organization called the members' "implausible" proposed class action.

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    HSF's Paula Hodges On Arbitration's Future — And Her Own

    Herbert Smith Freehills LLP announced earlier this month that Paula Hodges KC will retire from the firm as of Wednesday, with Simon Chapman KC and Andrew Cannon taking her place as co-heads of the global arbitration practice. Law360 recently sat down with Hodges, who spent her entire 37-year career at Herbert Smith Freehills, to talk about what's next, how commercial arbitration has evolved over her career, and her experience as one of the first women in international arbitration.

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    Attys Who Move Between Firms, Cos. Can Be Bridge Builders

    There has been a recent flurry of effective, seasoned attorneys leaving decadeslong careers at law firms and transitioning to positions at the top of corporate legal departments, and vice versa. How do these hires affect the attorney-client relationship in the long run?

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    Goodwin Private Funds Partner Joins Fried Frank In NY

    Fried Frank has announced it hired a New York-based asset management attorney who spent more than a decade at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and was most recently a partner at Goodwin Procter LLP.

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    FDA Vet Brings Regulatory, Compliance Expertise To Sidley

    Sidley Austin LLP on Monday announced the addition of a longtime U.S. Food and Drug Administration attorney, touting his regulatory and compliance expertise connected to drugs, biologics, medical devices, food, cosmetics and tobacco.

  • Johnson Downie, Lippman Jungers Tout 2 Post-Merger Hires

    Newly merged legal recruiting outfits Johnson Downie and Lippman Jungers announced their first major recruitments as a combined entity on Monday, bringing on two partners from Major Lindsey & Africa to focus on recruiting for New York firms.

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    Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: BLB&G's Jeroen Van Kwawegen

    Were it not for the University of Amsterdam's study abroad program, Netherlands-born Jeroen van Kwawegen might have never moved to the United States. And were it not for a long-distance relationship that got its start in the U.S., van Kwawegen might still be based across the Atlantic.

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    Kennedys Names 17 New Partners In 2024 Promotion Cohort

    Kennedys said Tuesday it has named 17 partners in its latest annual promotion round, bringing the law firm's worldwide total to 349, but the 2024 cohort marks the second straight year of declining numbers of partner promotions for the firm.

  • Judge Says $4.5M Davis Wright Deal Should Be Approved

    An Oregon federal magistrate judge has recommended approval of a $4.5 million deal resolving investor claims against Davis Wright Tremaine LLP for its role in endorsing an alleged real estate securities scheme.

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    Return To Office Poses Pitfalls For Atty Mental Health

    As a therapist specialized in treating lawyers, Stacey Dougan hears a lot about law firm politics, addiction and the career's overwhelming demands. But lately, her clients have been bringing up a new source of anxiety: returning to the office.

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    Ethics Probes Take Mental Toll On Solo, Small Firm Attorneys

    Facing a disciplinary complaint can take a toll on any attorney’s mental health. But for solo practitioners and small firm lawyers, who typically juggle all aspects of their business from handling client matters to administrative tasks like managing trust accounts, it can threaten to upend their lives.

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    Mid-Law Not Immune To Structural Mental Health Challenges

    Despite the common narrative that lawyers can trade higher pay for better well-being and work-life balance by moving to smaller firms, experts say that Mid-Law firms are generally facing the same industry pressures that contribute to long hours, stress and poor attorney mental health.

  • A&O Shearman Names UK And US Managing Partners

    Allen & Overy LLP and Shearman & Sterling LLP named on Tuesday the partners set to lead the soon-to-be merged A&O Shearman for the U.S. and U.K. markets.

  • Dentons, Boies Schiller Hit With $300M Fraud Suit

    The owner of a company that attempted to contract with Senegal to develop a power plant in the African nation has filed a $300 million racketeering suit against Dentons and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, accusing the BigLaw firms of fraud and extortion in connection with their allegedly botched representation of the company.

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Expert Analysis

  • Law Firms Cannot Ignore Attorneys' Personal Cybersecurity Author Photo

    Law firms that fail to consider their attorneys' online habits away from work are not using their best efforts to protect client information and are simplifying the job of plaintiffs attorneys in the case of a breach, say Mark Hurley and Carmine Cicalese at Digital Privacy and Protection.

  • Why Writing CLE Should Be Mandatory For Lawyers Author Photo

    Though effective writing is foundational to law, no state requires attorneys to take continuing legal education in this skill — something that must change if today's attorneys are to have the communication abilities they need to fulfill their professional and ethical duties to their clients, colleagues and courts, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona.

  • How To Find Your Inner Calm When Client Obligations Pile Up Author Photo

    In the most stressful times for attorneys, when several transactions for different partners and clients peak at the same time and the phone won’t stop buzzing, incremental lifestyle changes can truly make a difference, says Lindsey Hughes at Haynes Boone.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Support Gen Z Attorneys? Author Photo

    Meredith Beuchaw at Lowenstein Sandler discusses how senior attorneys can assist the newest generation of attorneys by championing their pursuit of a healthy work-life balance and providing the hands-on mentorship opportunities they missed out on during the pandemic.

  • Law Firm Cybersecurity Should Not Get Lost In The Cloud Author Photo

    A recent data leak at Proskauer via a cloud data storage platform demonstrates key reasons why law firms must pay attention to data safeguarding, including the increasing frequency of cloud-based data breaches and the consequences of breaking client confidentiality, says Robert Kraczek at One Identity.

  • Advice For Summer Associates Uneasy About Offer Prospects Author Photo

    There are a few communication tips that law students in summer associate programs should consider to put themselves in the best possible position to receive an offer, and firms can also take steps to support those to whom they are unable to make an offer, says Amy Mattock at Georgetown University Law Center.

  • How Law Firms Can Cautiously Wield AI To Streamline Tasks Author Photo

    Many attorneys are going to use artificial intelligence tools whether law firms like it or not, so firms should educate them on AI's benefits, limits and practical uses, such as drafting legal documents, to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving legal market, say Thomas Schultz and Eden Bernstein at Kellogg Hansen.

  • Keys To Managing The Stresses Of Law School Author Photo

    Dealing with the pressures associated with law school can prove difficult for many future lawyers, but there are steps students can take to manage stress — and schools can help too, say Ryan Zajic and Dr. Janani Krishnaswami at UWorld.

  • Can Mandatory CLE Mitigate Implicit Bias's Negative Impacts? Author Photo

    Amid ongoing disagreements on whether states should mandate implicit bias training as part of attorneys' continuing legal education requirements, Stephanie Wilson at Reed Smith looks at how unconscious attitudes or stereotypes adversely affect legal practice, and whether mandatory training programs can help.

  • Ditch The Frills And Start Writing Legal Letters In Plain English Author Photo

    To become more effective advocates, lawyers need to rethink the ridiculous, convoluted language they use in correspondence and write letters in a clear, concise and direct manner, says legal writing instructor Stuart Teicher.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Negotiate My Separation Agreement? Author Photo

    Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey discusses how a law firm associate can navigate being laid off, what to look for in a separation agreement and why to be upfront about it with prospective employers.

  • DoNotPay Cases Underscore Hurdles For AI-Fueled Legal Help Author Photo

    Recent legal challenges against DoNotPay’s "robot lawyer” application highlight pressing questions about the degree to which artificial intelligence can be used for legal tasks while remaining on the right side of both consumer protection laws and prohibitions against the unauthorized practice of law, says Kristen Niven at Frankfurt Kurnit.

  • For The Future Of Legal Practice, Let's Learn From The Past Author Photo

    At some level, every practicing lawyer is experiencing the ever-increasing speed of change — and while some practice management processes have gotten more efficient, other things about the legal profession were better before supposed improvements were made, says Jay Silberblatt, president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

  • Why All Law Firms Should Foster Psychological Capital Author Photo

    Law firms will be able to reap great long-term benefits if they adopt strategies to nurture four critical components of their employees' psychological wellness and performance — hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, says Dennis Stolle at the American Psychological Association.

  • A GC's Guide To Litigation, Inspired By Sun Tzu's 'Art Of War' Author Photo

    With caseloads and spending increasing, in-house counsel might find themselves called to opine on the risks and benefits of litigation more often, and they should look at five Sun Tzu maxims from the ancient Chinese classic "The Art of War" to inform their approach to any suit, says Jeff Golimowski at Womble Bond.

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