In The Marketplace
February 24, 2005
Highlights of the latest equipment leasing news from around the country.
Mergers And Attorney Departures: Ethical Pitfalls To Avoid
February 24, 2005
As anyone connected with the modern law firm can readily attest, lawyers come and lawyers go. As anyone connected with the ethics function at the modern law firm can attest, attorney arrivals and departures create conflict of interest and other issues that sometimes seem unsolvable. <br>To be sure, the dynamics are readily different when attorneys arrive at the firm, as compared to when they depart. On the front end of a new relationship, everyone is hopeful and excited ' in stark contrast to the mindset of departing attorneys, in many circumstances, toward their soon-to-be former firm, and vice versa. Regardless of the dynamics, however, important ethical rules and principles must be followed. Otherwise, serious economic and reputational harm ' as well as attorney grievance investigations ' can follow.
Competing For Staff In A Tight Labor Market
February 24, 2005
Some traditions take a long time to die. Unfortunately, staff recruiting is one of them.<br>It's a highly competitive labor market for professionals, and one in which you can't always compete in dollars. What's to be done?
Collaborating With Consultants On In-House Training Programs
February 24, 2005
In-house training programs are an important part of any law firm's professional development curriculum. They allow for a level of customization that makes content more meaningful and immediately useful and they offer the greatest flexibility in how and when they can be delivered. Yet for all their benefits, planning an effective, substantive group of training offerings in-house presents numerous challenges.
Around the Firms
February 24, 2005
Movement and news among major law firms and corporations.
Men Report Changed Attitudes Toward Work And Life
February 24, 2005
At last some hard data on what men want from life and work! The results of a study released in October 2004 titled "Generation & Gender in the Workplace" documents many things that change the equation regarding workplace attitudes. It was conducted by the Families and Work Institute and sponsored and funded by the American Business Collaboration (ABC), a group of eight major businesses, including two accounting/consulting firms, that believe collaboration can accomplish more than working alone.
Quarterly State Compliance Review
February 24, 2005
This edition of the Quarterly State Compliance Review looks at some of the legislative enactments and court decisions of interest to corporate lawyers that occurred over the last 3 months. Included is a look at three new limited partnership acts, a Delaware decision granting shareholders access to a corporation's privileged communications, and an Illinois decision holding that an internal corporate memo could be the basis of a defamation action.
A Picture May Be Worth A Thousand New Clients
February 24, 2005
People say a picture is worth a thousand words, but Mountain View, CA-based Stratify Inc. is hoping that a picture may well be worth new clients, too. To that end, the e-discovery software firm launched its next-generation suite ' Stratify Legal Discovery 5.0 ' at the recent LegalTech 2005 show in New York.
Executive Compensation: Are You In Compliance?
February 24, 2005
What does the in-house lawyer need to be doing today to be prepared for the upcoming Proxy Statement season and to ensure that his client's deferred compensation plans and agreements are in compliance with (or exempt, <i>ie</i>, grandfathered, from) IRC '409A?
Surviving a Malpractice Fiasco: 10 Views
February 24, 2005
Recently I asked members of <i>A&FP</i>'s Editorial Board and several new contributors for their thoughts on how a law firm might best deal with the financial blow of an unusually large settlement or penalty assessed against the firm. <br>Although a large financial hit could arise from many scenarios, including a client slipping on a banana peel near the firm's negligently wide-open elevator shaft, our 10 discussants immediately zoomed in on professional malpractice as the source of liability on which to focus.
