North America/US - Page 167
Blank Rome raids Duane Morris and Reed Smith to open office
The 500-lawyer international practice Blank Rome has recruited four litigation partners from Duane Morris and a fifth from Reed Smith to form the basis of its new Pittsburgh office which opens today.
Workplace litigation boom predicted as plaintiff lawyers change focus
Employment law experts Seyfarth Shaw are predicting an increase in legal action against employers in the US - on a range of issues including equal opportunities, mobile working and pension plans.
Small deals dominate US law firm mergers
Last year was the second highest in terms of merger activity - even if 87% of the 82 law firm combinations were small acquisitions.
Amicus curiae briefs rise up agenda for inhouse counsel
Inhouse lawyers are having to think more about approaching outside bodies which might file an amicus curiae brief - as statistics show they are filed in over 90% of cases before the US Supreme Court and that they are common in state supreme courts.
Name partner moves to new practice after 44 years
Michael V Ciresi, a leading New York and Minneapolis litigator who has won US$12b for clients over his career, is leaving his 230-lawyer firm to set up a new small practice.
GC at top US body faces political challenge to curb powers
The powers of the GC at the US's famous National Labor Relations Board will be clipped if Republicans in the Senate - now dominated by Republicans - are successful in changing the basis on which it operates.
Growth in numbers of rainmakers earning US$10m
The rich are getting richer in the Am Law 100 law firms as the number of partners taking home more than US$10million a year has gone up.
IP firm plans high security building to protect client data
The law firm which acts for Garmin, the global GPS specialist, is planning to move into new premises next year which will use biometric security and other techniques to give added protection to client data.
Merger activity starts through 160-lawyer US combination
A new firm, Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, has been created by the merger of two Pacific Northwest practices - Miller Nash and Graham & Dunn.
Founder of Ravel Law named among top lawyers under 30
Legal entrepreneurs and White House officials feature prominently in the new '30 under 30 Law and Policy list' - including the first-named , Daniel Lewis, whose business Ravel Law is being used in half the top US law firms.
Morgan Lewis pushes up pro bono work
Boston-based Morgan Lewis & Bockius has increased the number of pro bono clients it is helping by 500, to take the total to 1,500, through its assumption of over 500 lawyers from Bingham McCutchen at the end of last year.
Dershowitz threatens Florida lawyer over sex abuse claims
Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz has vowed to begin disbarment proceedings against the lawyers who have made claims about him and Prince Andrew - and he is also threatening a possible defamation action.
Pennsylvania lawyers face tighter rules on investing client money
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has announced new rules aimed at making lawyers more accountable when they invest client funds.
IPOs neglect Jobs Act short cut, according to Paul Hastings
Companies being listed in the US have been slow to adopt provisions in the Jobs Act 2012 which could have made the process significantly easier, according to a report from Paul Hastings.
US city pays out over firing of two lawyers
New Haven in Connecticut has paid $109,000 to two lawyers who ued to work for the city corporation and who claim to have been sacked for trying to set up a trade union for lawyers.
Merger mania takes hold in Texas 2014 legal sector
Over 100 corporate lawyers in Texas have switched in 2014 from working for local practices to joining the larger national and multinational law firms - either through individual moves or through mergers.
Real estate law firm said to be under US political inquiry
Golberg & Iryami, based in New York, is said to have been making payments to a politician over the last decade - and that those payments have not been declared.
Wiley Rein acquires lobbying firm
The 270-lawyer Washington-based practice is acquiring McBee Strategic which will become a subsidiary of the firm.
Elite lawyers group dominate Supreme Court cases
A group of 66 lawyers are behind 0.5% of petitions filed to the US Supreme Court but a remarkable 43% of cases that the Court decides to hear.
Ex-partner charged with sending false bills to Wilkie Farr
A former competition partner in Wilkie Farr & Gallagher and Hunton & Williams has been charged with submitting false consultancy bills to the two firms in relation to shell litigation support corporations that she had set up.