Posts on ‘March 10th, 2010’

Just a decade ago, China’s rise as an economic superpower still seemed uncertain. Back then, the China practice of major international firms was still mainly the province of the Old China Hands — lawyers who perhaps had a deeper affinity for Chinese language and culture than the practice of law — who focused on representing foreign companies opening factories and shops in China. But with the country’s economic rise, the face of the China practice at international firms has grown increasingly … Chinese.

Associate hiring and compensation are perpetually hot topics of discussion for most law firms, but what about those same issues with regard to support staff? There seem to be few hard and fast rules for determining nonlawyer compensation, according to some Pennsylvania firm leaders.

“You’re so lucky you work for yourself; you don’t have to work with people like [fill in the blank].” Solo practitioner Paul Schorn hears this often from friends in midsize and large firms, and in his heart, he knows they’re right: Part of what makes solo practice worthwhile is getting to avoid some of the people who can drain all the fun out of practicing law. Here are four types of people Schorn is happy not to face on a daily basis, along with the lessons he believes people can learn from them.

A central New York attorney active in defending women’s and gay rights pleaded guilty Monday to a Class E felony tax fraud charge that will result in her disbarment. Bonnie Strunk admitted to fourth-degree criminal tax fraud before Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti in Syracuse. Strunk acknowledged in court that she failed to file a personal income tax return for 2008. Prosecutors contended she owed about $11,700 in taxes.

At a hearing Tuesday, Houston Judge Kevin Fine rescinded his March 4 order in which he granted defendant John E. Green’s motion to declare the state’s death penalty statute unconstitutional, according to Alan Curry, appellate division chief in the Harris County district attorney’s office. Curry says Fine now wants the parties to brief the issue that the judge believes was raised in Green’s motion, which is: “Is it OK to execute an innocent person so that we can maintain a death penalty?”