Posts on ‘July 23rd, 2009’

Bias against women and minority attorneys in New Jersey’s courts may be in the eye of the beholder, but even if that’s all it is, the state needs to remedy the matter, according to a new survey. Women and minority attorneys are far more likely than their male and white colleagues to perceive race and gender bias, the study by the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Women in the Courts concluded. Those results point up a need for training on bias awareness for judges and court staff.

Attorneys are responding to recent studies that show a big chunk of the work force is saying no to vacation this year, worried that a short break from work may lead to a permanent one. Not only are employers at risk of having burned-out employees coming to work during this downturn, but many are also going to get stuck cashing out millions of dollars in unused vacation days at the end of the year, says Littler Mendelson’s Brian Dixon, who offers tips on how to make sure vacation is taken.

An attorney’s duties in representing clients extend beyond the practice of law, says consultant Eric Mosca. They are frequently asked to be knowledgeable in records management. Mosca looks at three areas in which law firms can help lawyers overcome their reluctance to deal with records.

The war between Donald Trump and his former lawyers at Morrison Cohen is over. Trump has settled two state suits he brought against the law firm on the eve of one going to trial. Both sides said Tuesday they were pleased with the deal, which resolved separate claims of malpractice and misappropriation of Trump’s name on the firm’s Web site. “They’re happy, I’m happy, and everyone’s happy at this time,” Trump said in an interview. The firm still represents a property group in litigation against Trump’s company.

The president of the American Bar Association said Wednesday the group
may file a suit by the end of next week if it cannot persuade the
Federal Trade Commission to exempt lawyers from new regulations set to
take effect Aug. 1. The ABA has been lobbying for months to have lawyers
kept out of the regulations, which require businesses and organizations
that act as “creditors” to establish a program for preventing identity
theft. The FTC and the ABA differ on how much of a burden the
regulations would put on businesses.

The concept of law firms talking to clients isn’t a new one. But most general counsel and consultants say firms that employ client interviewers and use other client relationship management tools are still in the minority. However, the paradigm shift in the business of law is starting to generate some much-needed lip service. “If you don’t have communication and they can’t tell you what they like and dislike, then you’re leaving them one choice and that’s to leave,” says Flaster Greenberg managing partner Peter Spirgel.