Departing Partners: Duties and Pitfalls
A modern day fixture of the law firm is the revolving door. The increasing frequency with which partners leave law firms for new ones raises many issues concerning the permissibility of a withdrawing attorney's conduct regarding client/attorney solicitation, removal of client files or other documents and breach of anti-competition clauses in partnership agreements. In addition to adherence to the professional ethical rules, a partner is subject to a fiduciary duty to his firm and is thus constrained by such duty throughout the life of the partnership.
The Lateral Partner Process: Three Perspectives
According to <i>The American Lawyer</i>, fully 40% of partners in the AmLaw 200 firms will move laterally at least once as partners. This is an astonishing statistic, since lateral partner movement was virtually unheard of a generation ago. Freed from the stigma that once haunted a partner who abandoned his partnership, today's law partners tend to be pragmatists who no longer view their firms as homes for life. Instead, they see them as vehicles to drive their businesses to higher levels. In this article, we take a brief look at lateral partner recruitment from the different perspectives of the law firms, the candidates and the recruiters.
Features
Decisions of Interest
Recent decisions of importance to your practice.
Features
A Word to the Wise
Discovery of electronic communications. Employees generally cannot live without it (if they hope to state a claim), but often cannot afford to pay for it. Employers can generally afford to pay for it, but resent paying to help a plaintiff make his or her case against them. This dilemma is only further exacerbated by the proliferation of electronic communications that has made the discovery of such information very time-consuming and expensive.
Dispute Resolution Gets a Makeover
Several governmental and regulatory bodies have announced new initiatives aimed at increasing access to their dispute resolution programs, strengthening the credentials of their neutral panels, and improving the efficiency of their dispute resolution processes. These decisions were reached, in part, after evaluating success rates and feedback relating to these dispute resolution programs.
John Gaal's Ethics Corner
Your ethics questions answered by the expert.
Jury Awards $5.2 Million in Disability Case
A jury awarded $5.2 million to a plaintiff whose former employer, a modeling agency, failed to accommodate her asthma, subjected her to a hostile work environment, and terminated her in retaliation for making complaints about smoking in the workplace. <i>Gallegos v. Elite Model Mgmt. Corp.</i>, No. 120577/00 (N.Y. Co. Sup. Ct. 5/14/03)
Features
Direct Evidence Not Required in Mixed Motive Case
Last month, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a plaintiff must present direct evidence of discrimination in order to obtain a mixed-motive instruction under Title VII, as amended by the Civil Rights Act of 1991. <i>Desert Palace, Inc. v. Costa</i>, 2003 WL 21310219 (U.S. June 9, 2003) The Court unanimously held that direct evidence is not required.
The JGTRRA of 2003: Financial Implications for Divorce
On May 23, 2003, the U.S. Congress approved the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (JGTRRA) and, within a week, President Bush signed the act into law. JGTRRA reduces tax rates across the board, increases the Child Tax Credit from $600 to $1000, and eases the marriage tax penalty. It also reduces the tax on dividends and capital gains and increases write-offs on capital assets for businesses. Marriage-penalty relief directly affects married taxpayers, but what effect will the new law have on people going through divorce?
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- The Right to Associate in the DefenseThe "right to associate" permits the insurer to work with the insured to investigate, defend, or settle a claim. Such partnerships protect the insurer and can prove beneficial to the insured's underlying case and ultimate exposure.Read More ›
- Removing Restrictive Covenants In New YorkIn Rockwell v. Despart, the New York Supreme Court, Third Department, recently revisited a recurring question: When may a landowner seek judicial removal of a covenant restricting use of her land?Read More ›
- Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult CoinWith each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.Read More ›
- Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright LawsThis article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.Read More ›
- The World of Finder's Fees After <i>Futersak v. Perl</i>Anyone drafting a finder's fee agreement should be aware that they may be walking into a minefield that is waiting to explode if he or she makes a wrong move.Read More ›