A 20-year-old woman is being sued by a Houston law firm after she wrote negative reviews of the firm on Facebook and Yelp, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle.

Lan Cai, who had been injured in a serious auto accident, says the lawyers in the Law Offices of Tuan A. Khuu and Associates failed to work with her after she hired them, so she vented her frustration online which spurred the law firm to sue her.

According to the Chronicle, she posted on Facebook, “…they came to my house and into my room to talk to me when I was sleeping in my underwear. Seriously, it’s super unprofessional! After that I found someone else to switch to… I came in the office to meet with my previous attorney, but he literally ran off… So please DON’T waste your time…”

Keith Nguyen, an attorney with Tuan A. Khuu, said what Cai posted online isn’t true but wouldn’t explain what was false about it, reports Will Axford.

The firm is seeking $100,000 to $200,000 in damages, according to reports.

Read the article.

The firms of Loewinsohn Flegle Deary LLP and Simon, Ray & Winikka LLP have merged to become Dallas-based Loewinsohn Flegle Deary Simon LLP. The 15-lawyer firm works in high-stakes and employment law litigation, business disputes, bankruptcy claims, and general counsel services.

“It’s not every day that you see two firms with our capabilities teaming up, which is why the media and other lawyers are taking notice,” says name partner Craig Simon.

The release from the firm continues:

In The Dallas Morning News, name partner Alan Loewinsohn is noted for his prior work in high-profile cases involving professional athletes Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon and others. The complete article is available online at dallasnews.com.

Mr. Loewinsohn spoke with Texas Lawyer about how the merger discussions began in early 2016 with the goal of expanding combined services for clients in various industries.Read the full article HERE.

The Dallas Business Journal quoted Mr. Simon about the unique capabilities that Loewinsohn Flegle Deary Simon brings to every case: “There are very few, if any, firms of our size that can provide the broad and deep knowledge and track record in the courtroom and through negotiation that we bring to the table,” he told the publication in the article you can read HERE.

Loewinsohn Flegle Deary Simon LLP is a business-friendly law firm based in Dallas. The firm’s attorneys represent both plaintiff and defense clients from various industries in a wide variety of matters inside and outside the courtroom, including business disputes, employment law, bankruptcy litigation and business restructuring, product liability, and general counsel services, among others.

Dallas-based trial law firm Deans & Lyons, LLP, is expanding its Texas footprint with the addition of five prominent trial attorneys in the firm’s newly opened Houston office at 1001 Fannin St., Suite 1925.

Joining the firm are veteran Houston trial lawyers Tom Sartwelle, Matt Pletcher and Jeff Nobles, previously with the Houston office of Beirne, Maynard & Parsons, LLP, and Chad Castille and Matt McCracken, previously of Houston-based Serpe Jones Andrews Callender & Bell, PLLC.

According to a release published by the firm, Castille will serve as managing partner of the Houston office. His practice is concentrated on complex civil litigation, representing individuals, small businesses and Fortune 500 corporations in a diverse array of industries. His expertise includes cases involving medical and hospital negligence, oil and gas, commercial and residential construction, pharmaceutical liability, medical devices, catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death, and commercial business disputes and torts.

Read the article.

Parsons McEntire McCleary & Clark PLLC announces the opening of its new law practice focused upon trials, arbitrations, appeals, and dispute resolution nationwide and in all forums.

PMMC opens with 10 attorneys and with offices in Houston and Dallas. Name shareholders are Jeff Parsons, Sawnie McEntire, Roger McCleary, and David Clark. David Walton, Kristen McDanald, and Rob Rosen are also shareholders in the new firm. The associates are Brandon Montminy, Sarah Sparling, and Ryan Starbird.

Jeff Parsons, a former member of the Texas State Bar Association Board of Directors, is PMMC’s chair. Sawnie McEntire is manager of PMMC’s Dallas office, and Roger McCleary is PMMC’s vice-chair.

In a release, the firm said PMMC’s attorneys have experience handling complex commercial and personal injury litigation and arbitration disputes, including complex business litigation involving contract, fraud, misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference, unfair competition, and other business claims; energy industry litigation; major construction cases; complex insurance coverage disputes; intellectual property cases; defense of products liability and other wrongful death and bodily injury litigation; class action, banking, finance, and securities litigation; environmental and toxic tort lawsuits; fidelity and surety claims; and myriad other types of claims.

According to the release, PMMC’s clients include AIG, AWAC, Capital One, Cushman & Wakefield, CWS Capital Partners, Hallmark Financial, Hubbell, Ironshore, Level 3 Communications, Lexington, LVL Claims, Matthews International, Superior Energy, Universal Protection Services, York Risk Services, and Wood Group.

Birmingham, Alabama-based Maynard Cooper & Gale, P.C. announces that the firm has elected veteran leader Greg Curran as chairman of the firm. Curran is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and has most recently served as chair of the firm’s Business Section.

Jeff Grantham, another tenured leader of the firm, was elected vice-chairman and chief strategy officer. He also is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and has served as chair of the firm’s Litigation Section.

Curran will succeed Mark Drew who served as managing shareholder of the firm for the last decade. Drew has been appointed executive vice president and general counsel of the firm’s long-time client, Protective Life Corporation. With this appointment, he will continue a legacy of Maynard Cooper alumni leadership at Protective Life.

“Mark has been a great leader for the firm for the past ten years and he will be missed. We will stay true to our culture and remain focused on executing the firm’s strategic plan. Providing value to our clients and our people will be at the center of all we do,” said Curran.

In the past decade, Maynard Cooper has expanded across Alabama into markets including Huntsville and Mobile, and is expanding outside the state with the opening of an office in San Francisco. The firm has grown from 145 attorneys in 2006 to 240 today.

Jeff Grantham commented, “We are grateful for Mark’s years of leadership. He will be a great asset to Protective Life’s management team. He has set a high bar but the firm is blessed with distinguished clients and a deep bench of talented individuals. We will continue to focus on the needs of our clients, invest in our talent and execute on growth opportunities.”

Practical Law will present a complimentary webinar on the use of Practice Point to incorporating new technologies into legal practices.

The 75-minute event will be Wednesday, August 3, at 1 p.m. EDT.

The discussion will cover three projects: an executive employment agreement, the creation of leave policies, and independent contractor classification, with explanation on how in-house practitioners can leverage Thomson Reuters.

Presenters:

Kate Bally, Co-Director, Practical Law Labor and Employment Service
Kate Bally joined Practical Law from Littler Mendelson P.C., where she worked as an associate in the employment group. Previously she was also an associate at Day Pitney LLP and a law clerk to the Honorable Stefan R. Underhill. Kate is Co-Director of Practical Law’s Labor & Employment Service.

Craig Vaughn, Strategy Manager, Practical Law
Craig Vaughn joined Practical Law in 2010, where he was one of the first Trainers and Account Managers to roll out the offering to the US market. Craig is now the Strategy Manager for Know-How and helps firms and companies best use Practical Law and Practice Point.

This program has been approved for CLE credit in AK, AZ, AR, CO, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NY, NJ, NV, ND, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, UT, VT, WV, WI and WY.

Register for the webinar.

One of the founders of futuristic transportation start-up Hyperloop One has filed a wrongful termination suit against his former co-founder, alleging nepotism and harassment, CNN is reporting.

The company is competing to build a Hyperloop transportation system to transport people and cargo up to 760 mph in a partially pressurized tube.

“On the outside, Hyperloop One appeared to be leading the competition with plans to have a working Hyperloop by 2020.” report Heather Kelly & Laurie Segall. “Inside, the startup was apparently being torn apart by mismanagement and growing tensions between leaders, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on July 12.”

Plaintiffs allege the current leaders of the company gave  lucrative jobs and raises to relatives and, and in one case, a girlfriend, pocketed money themselves and harassed other employees.

Read the article.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C. has been named best in class in patent litigation by Intellectual Asset Management Patent Survey in 2015 and again in 2016 and was named one of the 10 largest IP firms in Houston in 2016 by the Houston Business Journal.

In a release, the firm said AZA’s IP patent stable includes partners Demetrios Anaipakos, Amir Alavi and Steve Mitby; and Of Counsel David Warden, Brian E. Simmons and Scott W. Clark. Three on the team are board certified civil trial lawyers, and three on the team including associate Alisa Lipski are licensed as patent attorneys before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A number of our lawyers have formerly been chemists, engineers, electrical engineers and biochemists. AZA lawyer Ifti Ahmed, a former engineer, served as a law clerk to both Judge Alan D. Lourie of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and to Judge John Ward of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

Read the article.

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP announced that Michael Drankoski has been named the firm’s new executive director, effective immediately. He will replace Judy Vetkoetter upon her retirement from Gardere later this year.

Drankoski has more than 20 years of experience working with AmLaw 100 firms, with a primary focus on information technology. He joins Gardere from Norton Rose Fulbright’s Dallas office, where he held the position of director of administration, overseeing all non-attorney functions in that office.

“Michael’s extensive background in legal management makes him the ideal fit to assume the executive director position,” says Gardere Chair Holland N. O’Neil. “He is a results-oriented leader, who I am confident will provide the best support for our attorneys, staff and clients.”

As executive director, Drankoski will oversee Gardere’s administrative functions throughout the Firm’s five offices and will play a key role in the firm’s Dallas office move this fall.

Quarles & Brady LLP has announced that Daniel G. Radler will become the firm’s managing partner, effective Dec. 1, 2016. Fredrick G. Lautz, who has served in the position since its inception in 2007, will continue to support key strategic growth initiatives, including lateral recruitment, following the transition.

Radler will be the second managing partner in the firm’s history. Lautz, the first to assume the role after the unexpected passing of Firm Chair Pat Ryan, has overseen the firm’s significant success and growth over the last nine years, including the opening of new offices in Indianapolis, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. In a release, the firm said his tenure has been marked by a strong commitment to attract the nation’s most talented attorneys, particularly within the firm’s key practice areas, including franchise & distribution; financial services; business law; health & life sciences; intellectual property litigation; and data privacy.

The release continues:

The firm has also strengthened its financial and operational positions as a result of its measured growth under Lautz’s leadership. In addition to opening three new locations, the size of the Chicago office has doubled from 50 attorneys to 110 attorneys today, and the firm’s other offices have experienced significant growth as well.

“Our approach to client service has always been to source talented attorneys in increasingly demanding regional markets and industry sectors, and then build offices around those practitioners,” said Lautz. “Dan is a brilliant attorney and tremendous leader, and I’m excited about the direction in which he’ll be taking the firm over the next several years.”

“Quarles & Brady’s growth has been and continues to be rooted in the legal savvy and client service that is the hallmark of our firm,” said Kimberly Leach Johnson, firm chair of Quarles & Brady. “It’s about delivering excellence and Fred has been a tremendous champion for it, not only in his own work, but in the expectations all of us in the firm extend to each other. Dan carries that same fierce commitment to excellence. His knowledge and experience will continue to advance our focus on new and more innovative ways to deepen our expertise and serve our clients even more strongly.”

As a former engineer, Radler brings a practical solutions mindset to the managing partner role. During his 19 years at Quarles & Brady, he has served in leadership roles that include national chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group and a member of the Executive Committee.

“I’m honored to be following in Fred’s footsteps, and continuing the growth trajectory and tremendous momentum he has created for the firm,” said Radler. “Additionally, I am firmly vested in building upon the firm’s core values surrounding client service, innovation, diversity and inclusion, and civic involvement.

About Dan Radler

In addition to his J.D., Radler holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Systems Engineering, adding a substantive level of technical knowledge to his grasp of IP law. Before he became an attorney, Radler spent several years as an engineer designing and testing propulsion systems for advanced technology aircraft, and later working as a project manager responsible for the design and construction of automated materials handling systems and warehouses.

In private practice, he advises clients on all aspects of intellectual property law with a particular focus on patent procurement; patent re-examinations; infringement and validity opinions; and licensing in a variety of disciplines, including materials handling equipment, heavy machinery, manufacturing and molding processes, fluid dynamics, printing technology, hydraulics, seals, bearings, and general mechanical and electro-mechanical devices.

About Fredrick Lautz

Lautz is a corporate attorney by trade but has been fully ensconced at Quarles & Brady’s helm, supervising the partnership, guiding the firm’s strategic and operational growth, and working hand-in-hand with the firm chairperson to chart Quarles’ long-term course. He has maintained a singular focus on the firm’s business objectives, continuously conferring with partners to maintain a strong sense of developing trends and themes and how they inform the delivery of superior legal services

Lautz practices law in the areas of mergers & acquisitions and corporate finance & securities, working with clients of all types and sizes, including financial institutions, mutual funds, and manufacturing, retail, distribution, and professional services companies. He advises businesses on corporate governance matters, buy/sell agreements, executive and equity compensation programs, general operational matters, and securities offerings (including public and private offerings of equity and debt securities). His experience representing mutual funds and investment advisors includes organization and initial registration, board composition and corporate governance matters, regulatory compliance, share distribution structures and relationships, and acquisitions and reorganizations.

Mitratech, a provider of Enterprise Legal Management (ELM) solutions, announces the latest release of eCounsel, the company’s first major software release since the acquisition of Bridgeway in the fall of 2015.

In a release, the company said extending Collaborati to eCounsel clients works across multiple product lines.

Specific enhancements and benefits in this latest release include:

• Collaborati Integration
• Security Assertion Markup Language support
• Security Enhancements

Read the Mitratech release.

Edward F. Donohue III of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP has published the third installment in his series on client arbitration agreements for lawyers.

“Many attorneys have been using the same engagement agreements for decades designating standard commercial providers such as the American Arbitration Association to resolve client disputes,” he writes. “In recent years some have learned the hard way that their agreements do not comply with consumer protection rules that have developed in recent years. The failure to incorporate new standards into fee agreements means not only that non-conforming provisions will be deemed unenforceable.  In some cases attorneys will find that their arbitration agreements are wholly unenforceable.”

This installment has subheadings titled “Guess What? Your Fee Agreement is Non-Compliant,” “If Your Wealthiest Client is a “Consumer” Should You Abandon Arbitration Clauses?,” and “If You Still Want to Arbitrate Catch Up With the Rules.”

Read the article.

About 107 law firms have issued raises to their associates after the initial big salary hike announced by Cravath, Swaine & Moore almost a month ago, reports Above the Law editor Joe Patrice in a transcribed interview with Casey Sullivan on Bloomberg Law.

“Not all of these firms have matched Cravath entirely,” Patrice explains. “Some only matched in some markets, others have matched for younger classes but offered more modest raises to senior attorneys. A couple have issued holding statements that they will increase salaries but won’t release details until later.”

He says general counsel’s concern over higher billing rates is overblown. Even if firms passed 100 percent of the cost of the raises on to clients, the hike would amount to about a $10 per hour increase in billing rates for associates, he says.

Read the interview.

Corporate clients have been unenthusiastic on the topic of the $180,000 first-year lawyer, as well as the idea of big-name lawyers charging their clients $2,000 per hour, reports Above the Law. But this environment could present opportunity for competition from non-mega firms.

The site tells how the global general counsel for Bank of America let the nation’s largest law firms know that he doesn’t intend to absorb the cost of the salary increase. “While we respect the firms’ judgment about what best serves their long-term competitive interests,” he wrote in an email that has become public, “we are aware of no market-driven basis for such an increase and do not expect to bear the costs of the firms’ decisions.”

But there’s an opportunity here for firms that don’t appear on the top 100 lists, writes David Perla. “With the many tools available today, smaller providers of legal services have the capacity to present (in both appearance and reality) truly viable alternatives to their elite competition. This is true both for individual lawyers and for law firms as a whole,” he writes.

Read the article.

Bank of America’s top lawyer isn’t the only in-house attorney expressing displeasure with associate salary raises announced recently by BigLaw firms and boutiques, reports Sara Randazzo of The Wall Street Journal. She says other general counsel are sending letters to their outside law firms, warning them of the potential for relationship problems if they join in the pay hikes.

The report quotes a letter Allstate Corp.’s general counsel, Susan Lees, sent to some law firms, challenging the logic of paying first-year associates $180,000.

“[O]ne must question the merits of a business model that compensates fresh law school graduates, who are devoid of any meaningful lawyering experience, with a salary greater than that of a seasoned in-house corporate attorney with a decade or more of experience counseling senior leaders in our organization,” states Ms. Lees’s letter, which was reviewed by Law Blog.

Read the article.

Like many lawyers, Evan Kaine, a personal injury attorney in Atlanta, had seen the statistic about how 80 percent of all low-income Americans have unmet civil legal needs. To that end, he came up with the idea to set up shop in an area where most of those underrepresented people shop: local Wal-Mart stores, according to a report in the ABA Journal.

His firm, Kaine Law, has offices inside three Atlanta-area Wal-Marts. Kaine says that he opened his first Wal-Mart office in 2012 before expanding to two additional stores last year.

“Kaine says his offices are full-service, although he emphasizes that he has built up relationships with a number of other local firms that specialize in different areas of the law and often refers work to them,” says the report by Victor Li. “In fact, he estimates that he only keeps about 20 percent of the cases that come into the Wal-Mart offices. Kaine says the Wal-Mart offices operate on a fixed-fee basis and even offer a number of free services, including a basic last will and testament and notary public services.”

The article also describes another firm’s efforts in Missouri.

Read the article.

In a new Bloomberg article, Stephen Poor, chair emeritus of Seyfarth Shaw, offers some perspective on what lies ahead for law firms in light of the recent escalation of pay for associates. He concludes that firms “still using a more traditional structure will experience this compensation increase as the first domino in a cascade throughout all fee earners, putting immense pressure on future performance and the health and stability of the firm.”

Traditionally, he writes, firms passed the burden of salary hikes to their clients via higher rates, reducing expenses elsewhere in the organization, raising (often silently) expectations on associates or being quicker to cut expenses (and people) in the face of declining demand.

“This time is different,” he writes. “Not because Big Law has moved into some form of corporate socialism, but because circumstances have changed. As power has shifted to buyers of legal services and the options for legal service delivery have expanded, the idea that firms will be able to shift some or all of the cost of associate compensation to rate increases seems almost inconceivable. Over a period of years? Perhaps. From the start? Not likely.”

Read the article.

David Lat of Above the Law muses on the effect the most recent round of pay increases for BigLaw associates could have on the people who ultimately make the pay raises possible: the clients.

Cravath, Swaine & Moore recently announced it will start paying first-year associates annual salaries of $180,000, and some other firms have followed suit.

The article quotes some current and former in-house counsel with reservations about the Biglaw pay raises. “I understand that junior attorneys need training, but considering how much money these large firms make, why should the client have to pay for it?,” asks one in-house lawyer.

Another in-house lawyer said, “clients don’t notice the change, if at all, until the next negotiation over rates.”

“If firms try to pass too much of their increased overhead on to clients, the clients will balk — and in this day and age, with competition from great boutiques and alternative legal services providers, clients have significant leverage,” writes Lat.

Read the article.

DLA Piper announced that Joe Kernen has been named managing partner of the firm’s Philadelphia’s office and Nancy Rappaport chair of the office Litigation practice. Kernen succeeds Carl Buchholz, and Rappaport succeeds Kernen in the litigation role.

Buchholz, who passed away on May 23, 2016, served as office managing partner since 2014. He led the office through significant expansion and substantially raised its profile locally and regionally, while championing its deep commitment to pro bono service focused particularly on veterans, seniors and education. The Philadelphia office is currently comprised of more than 100 employees, including approximately 55 lawyers.

In a release, the firm said:

Kernen, who joined DLA Piper legacy firm Piper and Marbury as an associate months after it opened its Philadelphia office in 1992, maintains a diverse litigation practice with an emphasis on commercial disputes and class action matters for international, national and local clients. He also regularly counsels and defends companies in employment matters. In his previous role as office litigation practice group leader and hiring partner, he was integrally involved in the office’s recent expansion.

Rappaport focuses her practice on product liability and mass tort litigation, including the defense of multinational manufacturers in catastrophic injury cases arising from the use of consumer and commercial outdoor power equipment, agricultural and construction equipment, and exposure to asbestos and chemicals. She also acts as national counsel for various manufacturers, litigates cases in state and federal courts nationwide, and counsels clients in preparing manuals and warranties for new products.

Quarles & Brady LLP has announced that the firm’s Washington, D.C. office has a new location. The firm is now located at 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20006.

“Our expansion and relocation allows us to better execute on the firm’s strategic goal of enhancing our presence in the D.C. market,” said Larry Cote, Washington, D.C. office managing partner. “The design of our new office maximizes the efficient use of space through same-sized offices and several collaborative work areas, which encourages teamwork, assists in recruiting top talent, and greatly supports our efforts to provide exceptional service to our clients.”

In a release, the firm said:

The space, designed by Chemistry in PlaceSM, focuses on flexibility, collaboration, and client service. The office will house a permanent collection of photographic images of Washington, D.C. taken by students from the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design at George Washington University. The new office also showcases the latest innovative products in furniture and floor covering from Steelcase and Milliken.

“This new office space is perfect for what we need moving into the future,” said Kelly Williams, Washington, D.C. office manager. “1701 Pennsylvania gives us the opportunity to expand, and we are looking forward to adding additional members to our D.C. office.”

The office will retain its existing phone and fax numbers. The firm occupies suite 700, located on the seventh floor of the building. To learn more about 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue, click here.