<b>Corner Office</b>: Are Gray-Haired Partners Expendable?
February 27, 2007
Gray-haired, older, or as I shall refer to them, senior partners, as a class, represent a challenge that most managing partners find vexing. Many firms have avoided addressing this very complex issue either because of the emotional reaction it invokes, or because they just don't see it as a real problem yet. Others have adopted the apparently simple solution of setting a mandatory retirement age at which the partner is expected to stop practicing and head for a retirement community.
Advising e-Commerce Business Startups: A Crib Sheet
February 27, 2007
In the first of a two-part article, our expert author examines some issues that e-commerce counsel should pay particular attention to when advising e-commerce startups, particularly small, single-entrepreneur or small-group driven Internet-based storefronts.
Hedge Fund Analysis and Valuation
February 27, 2007
Determining the value of a hedge fund investment is completely different from and far more complex than the relatively straightforward way of determining the value of shares of a publicly traded stock. During the past 10 years, the explosive growth of the hedge fund industry has made the analysis of hedge fund investments and hedge fund businesses an increasingly common part of the financial due diligence necessary in matrimonial cases.
Associate Bonus Plateau
February 01, 2007
Law firm associate bonuses generally were flat in 2006 compared with the year before. Few would argue that year-end perks up to $65,000 for senior associates were skimpy, but with business brisk and law firms scrambling to attract and keep good associate help, the question is: 'Why?'
Challenges to Law Firm Mandatory-Retirement Policies
February 01, 2007
A 2006 survey report indicated that 57% of law firms with 100 or more attorneys have mandatory retirement age policies. See L. Jones 'Pitfalls of Mandatory Law Firm Retirement,' <i>National Law Journal</i>, May 24, 2006. But legal challenges to mandatory retirement policies at law firms are likely to become more common as baby boomers reach retirement age.
News Briefs
January 31, 2007
Highlights of the latest franchising news from around the country.
Court Watch
January 31, 2007
Highlights of the latest franchising cases from around the country.
Getting Published: The Foundation For Business Development
January 31, 2007
Business development in the legal community is a science, but it requires the creativity of an artist. That artistry can be demonstrated most powerfully through the written word, a tool of great lawyers for centuries. Encapsulating an interesting case or complex transaction into 500 or 1000 words for the benefit of colleagues and the business community at large is the single best way to demonstrate expertise on a macro scale. It is at the very core of client generation.
Musical Chairs for Firms' Public Faces
January 31, 2007
It all started when communications director Peter Columbus left O'Melveny & Myers for a position at Kaye Scholer this fall. To fill the opening at O'Melveny, John Buchanan left his job at Heller Ehrman. To fill that slot at Heller, Patrick Bustamante left his post at DLA Piper. 'Clearly there's a domino effect,' Buchanan said.
Intra-Law Firm Communications
January 31, 2007
Can a firm decline to produce the e-mails, notes and memoranda relating to its internal investigation on the grounds that the material is protected by the firm's own attorney-client or work product privileges?<br>The answer is a definite 'maybe.'