Since June 2011, I’ve been reporting for The National Law Journal here in Washington, D.C. as the legal business reporter. Below are a sampling of some of my latest works:
A Winning Formula
BETHESDA’S LERCH, EARLY & BREWER FINDS A WAY TO THRIVE DURING DOWNTURN.
In recent years, Washington’s top law offices have been hit hard by the recession. As a result, many have shed lawyers at an unprecedented pace. But that hasn’t been the case for Lerch, Early & Brewer, the Bethesda, Md.-based firm that quickly but quietly has become the fourth-biggest law office in D.C.’s suburbs.Read more…
Howrey Exiles Fitting in with Big-Firm Rivals
SURVIVORS OF THE COLLAPSE, CAREERS REVIVED, ARE BREATHING SIGHS OF RELIEF.
Last summer, a few months after Howrey went under, about 20 of its former attorneys got together for drinks at Ici Urban Bistro, a block from the White House. The mood in the high-end bar was jovial. “It was a fun night — everyone was happy to see each other,” said Howrey alum Michael McNamara, now a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. “There were no petty, personal things that came out.” Read more…
An attorney free-for-all
LAWYERS HURLING INVECTIVE AT EACH OTHER IN BIG-STAKES CHEVRON CASE.
The long-running battle between Ecuadorian plaintiffs and Chevron Corp. lately has been overshadowed by harsh accusations and name calling between the big-firm lawyers in the case. Read more…
Legal Times 150: The Decline Continues
D.C. law firms lost headcount again in 2011.
The headcount among Washington firms continued to decline, but not as sharply as it did last year — the biggest recorded drop in 25 years. According to the Legal Times 150, our annual ranking of the Washington area’s largest law offices, the number of attorneys employed at Washington firms decreased by 343 — a little more than 2.2 percent of the total market of 14,945 attorneys. Read more…
Judge Finds Client Conflicts Tripped up Firm
Using unusually strong language, a federal bankruptcy judge recently slammed Washington’s Butzel Long Tighe Patton for failing to disclose a client conflict and stripped the firm of nearly $72,000 in fees. Read more…