Latest legal news

A US bankruptcy judge has approved a $71.5 million settlement plan for former partners of defunct New York law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf. | 13yrs

Constance Briscoe, one of Britain's few black female judges, was arrested at her home in south-west London at the weekend. | 13yrs

Burness and Paull & Williamsons are set to create the biggest all-Scottish legal merger, forming a firm with an estimated turnover of around £38 million. | 13yrs

Pittsburgh-based international law firm Reed Smith has opened its fourth Asian office, adding Singapore to its already existing presence in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. | 13yrs

Weight Watchers show no signs of slimming down their legal department, while pharmaceuticals giant Novartis shakes up its own in-house team. | 13yrs

Routine matters that do not necessarily require the input of legal departments could be handled more efficiently by business clients through training, a panel of in-house lawyers has suggested. | 13yrs

The Association of Corporate Counsel has launched a project to document the frequency with which in-house lawyers are targeted by prosecutors and regulators when their employers are in trouble. | 13yrs

In-house lawyers may not be aware of the extent to which they can be held liable as a company officer, the senior legal counsel at information technology giant Hewlett Packard has warned. | 13yrs

A local legal profession leader has criticised the Law Council of Australia (LCA) for allegedly supporting the interests of the country's large firms over reform issues. | 13yrs

Leading law firms must take drastic action to remain competitive in the rapidly changing English legal profession, a panel of specialists meeting today in London advised. | 13yrs

Malaysian lawyers have fired a direct challenge at the country's established bar council with the launch of an organisation they claim will protect the rights of all lawyers in the country. | 13yrs

Women are joining the French legal profession in stronger numbers than men, but far fewer hold managing and partnership positions, according to a recent study from the Paris Bar Association. | 13yrs

A Beijing law firm and one of its former partners are facing a law suit in the US for allegedly embezzling $10 million from a range of investment funds. | 13yrs

US law firm Baker & McKenzie is to expand its presence in South America by merging with a Lima-based legal practice, becoming the first global player to launch an office in Peru, the Chicago-based lawyers announced yesterday. | 13yrs

London-based global law firm Eversheds has rejigged its Middle East management team as the practice continues to expand in the region. | 13yrs

A prominent Haitian lawyer has claimed that he and his firm are being victimised for work that is politically at odds with the national government. | 13yrs

New Orleans firm Jones Walker is today sponsoring a blood drive following a gun attack on one of its lawyers during a carjacking last week. | 13yrs

The US legal sector perked up last month with the addition of 1,000 jobs across the country, according to government figures released last week. | 13yrs

New York-based law firm Jacoby & Meyers has resurrected a challenge against a state rule preventing law firms from seeking investment from non-lawyers, claiming the prohibition is unconstitutional. | 13yrs