Estate Planning: Tips to Know When Entering the Field According to a recent study, most U.S. citizens haven't made even a simple will, to say nothing of a more comprehensive plan to avoid probate or save on estate taxes. No surprise there, as I believe the study also had the U.S. public ranking estate planning as an activity right below getting a root canal. (50 views)
Transportation Attorneys Face a Rapidly Evolving Industry There was a time, not so long ago, when the lawyers who handled a firm’s transportation and logistics clients may have had relatively little to do: keep track of federal trucking regulations for one client, maybe defend the occasional airline accident for another. (44 views)
What's Hot? Today's Legal Specialties Business trends at large affect the legal industry and the specializations that are most in demand. Successful lawyers keep an eye on business trends and marry passion with specialization. Here is our determination of the current top five areas of specialization, based on our placement of contract attorneys across the country. (780 views)
Why more Attorneys want to move from their exisiting jobs? More Money or Lack of Freedom at work. Considering the landscape of news, gossip, and reviews that has influenced the world of associates and partners in 2006-2007, one thing remains certain: the ongoing salary war undertaken by law firms throughout the U.S. has changed the playing field (and future) of attorneys in this country. Perhaps more so, it has ushered in changes in business models and visions for a... (8 views)
How David Kelly, partner with Cahill, Gordon & Reindel got his job. This week, David Kelley, partner with Cahill, Gordon & Reindel and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, tells LawCrossing how he landed his first job in the legal industry, paving the way for his successful future in the field. (176 views)
How Ari Kaplan got his job. This week, New York attorney and writer Ari Kaplan tells LawCrossing how he bridged his way into his first associate position at Siegel, Mandell & Davidson, which later merged with Graham & James. (6 views)
How to Prepare for a Career in Technology Law You can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without a job. That tedious catch-22 applies with special force to technology law because so many people want in. But whether you're a lawyer, law student, or paralegal, you can break in, and not just by joining a global law firm. The gate to the tech law kingdom has two keys: (1) knowledge of the legal... (5874 views)
How Mayer Morganroth Got His First Job as an Attorney This week, veteran attorney Mayer Morganroth, of his own firm, Morganroth & Morganroth, PLLC, tells LawCrossing about how he got his first job immediately after graduating from Detroit College of Law, which is now Michigan State University College of Law, when he was only 23 years old: (47 views)
The transition from the world of fashion to legal career by Rory Brewton Have shows like Project Runway and America's Next Top Model got you itching to jump up off your thrift store couch and strut your stuff? Do you often feel like your own little version of Stacy London and Clinton Kelly walking around telling everyone what not to wear? Why not take a hint from Baylor Law School's Rory Brewton and stage your very own law school fashion show? (108 views)
Summer 2007: Current Visa and Other Considerations Affecting Foreign Lateral Candidates Wishing to Join U.S. Practice The hot summer months of July and the much-anticipated ''holiday'' downtime of August prompt many foreign associates and partners to review their careers more closely. Very often, such close examination leads to thoughts of a lateral move to U.S. practice, which promises cutting-edge work and high-market-value deals. This summer, however, making a lateral move to U.S.... (27 views)
401(k) Fee Suits on the Rise Following the surging trend of employees filing lawsuits against their employers, employers have yet another reason to be wary: 401(k) plans. Recently, fees associated with 401(k) plans have come under close scrutiny and are resulting in mounting lawsuits against small and large corporations alike. (1 views)
Family Responsibilities Discrimination Claims Increase Employers know that it is illegal to discriminate against employees, or potential employees, on the basis of gender, yet there has been an increase in the number of lawsuits filed against companies where employees claimed they were discriminated against based on family caregiving responsibilities. Although such claims have existed since the 70s, the number of cases filed... (6 views)
Drug Companies and ''Off-Label'' Marketing Recently, pharmaceutical companies have come under fire for allegedly employing a practice known as ''off-labeling,'' whereby they persuade physicians to prescribe drugs for reasons other than the drugs' developed purposes. As a result, Congress has launched an investigation into the practice, class-action suits have been filed, and large settlements have been reached. (2 views)
I Wish I Knew How to Quit You: The Guide to Making a Graceful Exit Before turning the doorknob to enter a partner's office, stop, breathe, and repeat after me: ''Less is more.'' (28926 views)
How Denise Ben-David Got Her Job as a Paralegal Denise Ben-David tells LawCrossing how she got her job as a paralegal and later became a lawyer: (25 views)
Extra! Extra! Law Firms Battle For Top Pay Hike As Giddy Associates Cheer Them On Biglaw starting salaries flatlined over the last five years but recently have begun showing signs of life. Last year, top New York firms raised salaries by roughly $10,000 to $150,000, with many DC firms boosting salaries from $125,000 to $135,000 or $140,000. While not a substantial increase, the ripple effect was felt as far away as Charlotte, Atlanta, and Nashville, as... (16 views)
Mesothelioma: A Thriving Practice Area Although it was thought to be an ideal building component for many years, asbestos, an inexpensive and flexible material used in cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation, was demonstrated to cause some serious health conditions in the 1970s. This resulted in its ban in 60 countries worldwide in 1978. (48 views)
Extra! Extra! Law Firms Battle For Top Pay Hike As Giddy Associates Cheer Them On Biglaw starting salaries flatlined over the last five years, but recently have begun showing signs of life. Last year, top New York firms raised salaries by roughly $10,000 to $150,000, with many D.C. firms boosting salaries from $125,000 to $135,000 or $140,000. While not a substantial increase, the ripple effect was as far away as Charlotte, Atlanta, and Nashville, as... (32 views)
The Perpetual Salary Wars Back when I was younger and in college, I remember being amazed that salaries at some of the largest New York law firms were as high as $50,000 per year. This was not that long ago. Since I had wanted to be a lawyer from a fairly early age, the fact that salaries for attorneys were so impressive sounded pretty good. By the time I had graduated from college, salaries at the... (109 views)
Top 3 Reasons Attorneys Decide to Move In-house What is it about going in-house that seems to increasingly draw attorneys from law firms to in-house legal departments? According to a recent survey by NALP, the attrition rate for experienced attorneys with about five years of experience jumped dramatically, from 60 percent in 2000 to 78 percent in 2005. A BCG Attorney Search survey concluded that approximately 80 percent... (115 views)
Real Estate Attorneys Play Bigger Role in Corporate Deal-Making Real estate attorneys are adopting more deal-making skills characteristic of their corporate counterparts, according to an article in the National Law Review. Real estate attorneys say clients that are buying and selling high-dollar, multi-property assets increasingly want a lawyer who not only understands how to access properties, but who can also play a role in crafting... (101 views)
Strong Relationships and Resources Helps in Job Search Developing strong relationships with law school professors can be rewarding later on down the road. For instance, Bart Epstein, who is now the Vice President of Corporate Development and General Counsel of Tutor.com, said his professors were instrumental in helping him land his first job. (11 views)
Survey finds dissatisfaction of companies hiring outside Consel Corporate America is not happy with its outside counsel, according to a recent client-service survey. Only 32% of surveyed executives said they would recommend firms that worked for them, and 70% said they were dissatisfied with their primary law firms. (29 views)
From Engineering to Law: How the transition happened for Nobles This week, LawCrossing talks with Kimberley Chen Nobles, who is a partner in Crowell & Moring's intellectual property and international practice groups, about how she got her job at the firm. (33 views)
New Disclosure Rules for Public Employers As new accounting rules go into effect for public employers, lawyers can expect an influx of legal work. (13 views)
General Counsel Frustrated with Licensing Rules Frustration is brewing for many general counsel, as new licensing laws are being approved in more states. Abiding by the new rules, which require lawyers to obtain limited licenses to practice in states in which they have not been admitted to the bar, can be costly and time-consuming. (19 views)
Cybercrime Costly for Companies Whether or not corporate cybercrime is escalating is unclear, but one thing is certain: companies are experiencing increased financial and operational losses from electronic crimes, according to a recent survey. (34 views)