Posts from ‘September, 2008’

As a former law professor, is it OK that people still address me as ‘professor’?

John Roberts, Clarence Thomas or Ruth Bader Ginsburg don’t immediately come to mind when many daytime TV viewers rate their favorite jurists. Think Judy Sheindlin, Joe Brown or Marilyn Milian. For that audience, Jeanine Pirro is an important appointment. The former suburban New York district attorney will join the crowded field of TV justice shows Monday, when “Judge Jeanine Pirro” premieres on the CW network. She’ll try to settle small claims disputes in an entertaining fashion for an hour each weekday.

Those who opt for arbitrating matrimonial cases choose to hire a private arbitrator to collect the evidence and make a decision on an efficient basis. Many praise the benefits of prompt resolution of the most difficult family law cases. A case that could take months or years winding through the legal system can be resolved in weeks via private arbitration. Attorney Mary Cushing Doherty explains what facilitates a successful arbitration, such as: Memorialize any stipulations in writing or on the record.

Wisconsin’s assistant prosecutors’ union says the state is negotiating a new contract in bad faith. The Association of State Prosecutors has been working without a contract since its old one expired on June 30, 2007. Association officials filed a complaint with state employment officials Monday alleging the Office of State Employee Relations didn’t make them a new wage offer for seven months. The association also argues the office won’t address high turnover in assistant prosecutors ranks.

In the past several months Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has dealt with a series of partner defections and reports of discontent among its disparate offices. Now the national firm is revamping its management structure, appointing Kim Koopersmith, a New York-based litigation partner, as its first managing partner. Koopersmith will be one of only a handful of female managing partners from Am Law 100 firms. Prior to joining Akin Gump 15 years ago, she worked at New York’s Anderson Kill & Olick.

As the football season gets underway, Marc Edelman, who teaches at Rutgers School of Law-Camden, talks about how he has managed to turn his longtime hobby of fantasy sports into a side business. In 2004 Edelman founded SportsJudge.net, a precursor to SportsJudge.com, a Web site dedicated to resolving disputes — over, say, a lopsided trade or an interpretation of league rules — between owners of fantasy sports teams. Edelman supervises a small staff that writes opinions for customers who pay $15 a pop.

Most law students will be rejected by at least one large law firm during their job search, predicts humor columnist The Snark, who says the proper handling of rejection is important to both the law students being rejected as well as to the big firm doing the rejecting. After all, law students will want to avoid any actions that prevent future employment, and law firms will want to avoid the wrath of those cast aside. Because chances are high that in a few years both sides will be back in the lateral market.

Heller Ehrman may soon be no more.
The latest round of merger talks with Mayer Brown ended Monday.  A Mayer Brown statement cited client and practice conflicts which could not be resolved.
Partners were told Wednesday that dissolution was one of the options for the firm and management understood that partners would begin talking to other firms. [...]

 
Most corporate law firms rely on financial institutions as the bedrock clients on which they are built.  Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy and the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America have sent a wave of anxiety through New York’s top law firms.  This news, along with the earlier demise of Bear Stearns and probable imminent [...]

 It’s clear that the only winners in the Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.’s bankruptcy will be lawyers.  The bankruptcy will probably occupy over 100 lawyers working for Lehman and claims by the creditors will provide work for thousands of bankruptcy attorneys. 
Lehman’s Chapter 11 filing, the biggest one in history, names Harvey R. Miller and Shai [...]