Posts from ‘January, 2010’

Three years after publishing a book in which he criticized New York City Criminal Court judges as “belligerent” and “spoiled divas,” a lawyer-turned-author has become the recipient of harsh words from the bench for his conduct in a proceeding involving a former client. David Feige left the Bronx Defenders to write “Indefensible,” a chronicle of his legal career. Subtitled “One Lawyer’s Journey Into the Inferno of the Criminal Justice System,” the book later inspired a TV series called “Raising the Bar.”

Judge John R. Tunheim thinks it fair to say that no court system in the world offers as many people as easy access to as many documents as is offered by PACER. Tunheim addresses questions that have arisen recently about the service’s fee structure, functionality and privacy protections.

As improvements in information technology continue to impact e-discovery, online research, case and matter management, and time and billing software, lawyers are better equipped to render quality legal services, retain more clients, and master the business of law. What are the next improvements in IT for the legal profession? Law.com Technology Editor Sean Doherty previews the advances expected to share the spotlight at LegalTech New York, being held Feb. 1-3.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday revived a Pittsburgh couple’s lawsuit against Google for allegedly trespassing on their property and posting photographs of their home and swimming pool on the “street view” portion of Google Maps. In the suit, Aaron and Christine Boring claim that their 1,000-foot private drive is clearly marked with a “No Trespassing” sign, but that a Google driver “disregarded” the sign and entered their property in a vehicle equipped with a panoramic camera.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Kelley Drye & Warren on Thursday for its use of a compensation system the agency claims discriminates against attorneys based on age. The EEOC claims Kelley Drye discriminated against labor and employment partner Eugene D’Ablemont, 79, and other partners by forcing them to give up their equity at 70 and earn less than younger attorneys in the firm with similar collections and billings. Kelley Drye’s managing partner said the firm does not believe the suit has any merit.

As a legal recruiter, Laurence R. Latourette has met a growing number of lawyers who are bumping up against their firms’ mandatory retirement age but who are interested in continuing to practice law. And that trend will accelerate over the next five years, he notes, in part because about 60 percent of law partners are now 55 or older. Latourette discusses the current state of mandatory retirement policies at law firms, and how attorneys can help themselves to make a late career lateral move.

Last year was a tough year for most industries, and especially hard hit were law firms — so it is no wonder marketing is also seeing significant cuts, notes consultant Jessica Sharp. But there’s a silver lining, according to Sharp. This may be the best time to market your firm, and — even better news — it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg (or rather an associate and an end-of-year bonus). She provides 10 marketing tips that you can start using now to help promote your law firm and generate business.