‘The alternative legal service provider (ALSP) market has ‘reached a point of maturity’, with US law firms and corporate legal departments using them for a wider remit of work, according to a Thomson Reuters survey,” reports Ben Edwards in The Global Legal Post’s Big Stories.

“The Alternative Legal Service Providers 2021 Survey … found that 79% of law firms and 71% of in-house teams now engage ALSPs for legal work compared to 51% and 61% respectively in 2016.”

“The report stated: ‘In general, this round of research shows an increasing sense of collaboration, rather than competition between law firms and independent
The survey highlighted the top three areas where law firms use ALSPs is for electronic discovery services (45%), legal research services (44%) and litigation and investigation support (39%). By contrast, the top three areas where in-house teams engage ALSPs is for regulatory risk and compliance services (35%), legal research services (29%) and specialised legal services provided by licensed lawyers (26%).'”

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Paul Hastings, a firm whose 2019 gross revenue was over $1.2B announced its year-end bonuses, and special bonuses, back in December 2020, reports Staci Zaretsky in Above the Law’s Biglaw.

“At the time, those special bonuses were only available for ‘qualifying associates’, i.e., those who had billed enough. Associates were understandably very upset.”

The firm announced an update about its regular bonuses and special bonuses last week.

“Everyone who qualified for a regular bonus will now receive a special bonus, too. On top of that, supplemental bonuses are now on the table. Paul Hastings sure knows how to make its associates feel loved.”

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“Recognizing the importance of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, Biglaw firms have started to implement strategies to improve how their workforces operate when it comes to moving toward achieving equity,” writes Staci Zaretsky in Above the Law’s Biglaw.

“We’ve previously acknowledged Dorsey & Whitney, Hogan Lovells, Reed Smith, and Cooley as firms where approved diversity and inclusion-related work will be billable for attorneys and will count toward bonus thresholds. We’ve just received word that yet another leading law firm has had a successful program like this that’s been quietly running since summer 2020 — and this firm is offering the highest number of billable diversity and inclusion hours we’ve heard of yet.”

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“Jacksonville’s former public defender may lose his right to practice law for the next six months after filing a voluntary guilty plea for ethics violations committed when he held the job …,” writes Dan Scanlan from the Florida Times-Union’s News.

“The Florida Bar said Shirk agreed to the suspension in a conditional plea in an 11-page document, which will be presented to the Florida Supreme Court for a final decision. If he is suspended from practicing law, he must have “proof of rehabilitation” prior to his reinstatement. He also is required to pay for the disciplinary costs.”

“Shirk is a private attorney in Jacksonville, handling criminal defense and immigration law. He could not be reached for comment following a text message and call.”

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“Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP reported revenues of USD $1.73 Billion for FY 2020, the seventh consecutive year of record revenue, and a 5.48% increase over the previous year. The firm also announced the elevation of 44 attorneys to shareholder and of counsel,” posted Greenberg Traurig in their Recent News.

“Greenberg Traurig’s 30 new shareholders span 17 offices and 12 practice areas. The 14 attorneys elevated to of counsel or counsel come from nine different offices and practice in six areas of law.”

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“Wigdor said Friday that Christine Hogan is joining the employment plaintiffs firm as a partner in New York from Littler Mendelson, where she worked defending employers for more than decade,” reports Chinekwu Osakwe in Westlaw Today.

“As a Littler partner, Hogan represented large companies and organizations in individual and class action litigation involving discrimination, harassment and wage and hour claims, with a clientele that has included The American Museum of Natural History, United Parcel Service Inc, Uber Technologies Inc and Walgreens Co.”

“But she said the pandemic gave her a chance to reevaluate her career, and she decided to make a change.”

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“Already the world’s highest-grossing law firm, Kirkland & Ellis has seen strong growth across all of its strongest areas,” reports Lawyer Monthly.

“Insiders at the Chicago-based firm said that its turnover was approaching $5 billion for the twelve months to the end of January, up from $4.45 billion in the previous year.”

“Kirkland & Ellis is the largest law firm in the world by revenue and the seventh-largest by number of attorneys. It is also the first law firm to have made $4 billion in annual revenue, a record it is now poised to beat.”

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“The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Formal Ethics Opinion 495 confirms what many have said is the law under ABA Model Rule 5.5 for a while now: Lawyers can sit in a jurisdiction in which they are not licensed so long as they are licensed in a U.S. jurisdiction and are ‘invisible’ as a lawyer where they sit,” posts Nellie Q. Barnard in Holland & Knight’s Insights.

“Still, this confirmation will come as welcome news to many who have either been forced or chosen to relocate outside of their licensed jurisdiction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Formal Opinion does caveat that it does not apply to those jurisdictions that have already affirmatively barred such “invisible lawyering,” though it does not identify any such jurisdiction.”

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“Legal tech company LawAdvisor is unveiling two new products for corporate legal departments and law firms with the help of Barclays plc and several law firms, including Bird & Bird,” reports Sara Merken in Thomas Reuters’ Westlaw Today.

“The London-based company said it worked closely with a ‘steering group’ that included the financial services giant and other international law firms such as Paul Hastings, Allen & Overy, Simmons & Simmons and Ashurst to get a better sense of challenges facing the legal industry.”

“The new products, which are customizable, have already been available to a select group of LawAdvisor’s clients, said Brennan Ong, the company’s CEO and founder. With Tuesday’s launch, the products are more widely available.”

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“Acritas, part of Thomson Reuters, unveiled the 2021 Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index today. Baker McKenzie retained the top spot for the 11th consecutive year, and DLA Piper remains second on the list. Dentons made the biggest move this year, up eight spots, from 11th to third. Linklaters was fourth, moving up four spots, and Clifford Chance and Hogan Lovells tied for fifth,” posts Jeff McCoy in MarketScreener’s News.

“In addition to Dentons and Linklaters, five firms increased their position on the index. The results highlight firms that benefitted from building long-lasting, trusted relationships as clients turned to them for strategic counsel and support. Additionally, firms with a true global presence, along with the capabilities to provide expertise and relationships on the ground locally, were able to strengthen their position in this unique environment.”

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“Fired in-house lawyer Paul MacNeal Davis isn’t happy with media reporting on his lawsuit that contends that voting changes resulted in an illegal election,” reports Debra Cassens Weiss in ABA Journal’s Daily News.

“As of Monday, Davis had filed eight documents in his lawsuit, while the defendants had not yet responded, Above the Law points out. One filing getting attention—and ridicule—was a request that the government be placed in stewardship, with a nod to Lord of the Rings.”

“Now, Davis is retreating from that request in a Jan. 25 legal filing, but the pundits haven’t eased up. Nor have his troubles, including overwork, threats and vandalism, he says in the filing.”

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Goodwin Procter just announced bonuses last week. The bonuses will match “the prevailing Baker McKenzie/Cravath scale,” reports Staci Zaretsky in Above the Law’s Biglaw.

“Associates at the firm must have met a 1,950 hourly threshold to be considered for a market bonus. Goodwin also uses a rating system when it comes to bonuses, and those who recorded hours ‘materially higher than 1,950 hours’ and received a ‘distinctive’ rating are eligible to receive bonuses that are above their class amounts. According to the firm, ‘43% of bonus recipients will receive an amount greater than the amount listed for their class, and 57% will receive their class amount.'”

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“About a decade ago, many law schools advertised somewhat misleading employment data. For instance, certain law schools listed the median starting salaries of graduates based on sample sizes that were unreasonably small so the statistic did not give an accurate picture of the salaries that graduates could expect,” reports Jordan Rothman in Above the Law’s Biglaw.

“In addition, some law schools played games with the percentage of graduates employed at graduation and nine months after graduation so that the employment outcomes of these schools seemed better than they actually were. Thankfully, legal organizations and nonprofits, including Law School Transparency, helped highlight how certain law schools were providing potentially misleading statistics, and this started a shift in legal education. Indeed, it is much more difficult now for law schools to fudge their employment data, and this is good for law students and applicants.”

“However, law firms still routinely advertise misleading employment statistics, and that can have an impact on the decisions of individuals who may choose to apply for jobs at such firms. More effort should be devoted to reducing any potentially misleading statistics so that applicants can have an accurate picture of the employment data at a firm.”

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“The majority of Biglaw firms have rolled back their COVID-19 austerity measures the world over, but the coronavirus-related changes are far from over. With employees set to be working from home for the indefinite future, restructuring is now the name of the game, and at some firms, that means layoffs,” reports Staci Zaretsky in Above the Law’s Biglaw.

“That’s what’s happening at Norton Rose Fulbright, a firm that placed just outside the top 10 in the most recent Am Law 100 rankings. NRF is conducting a restructuring in its Europe, Middle East, and Asia (EMEA) offices, and more than 130 jobs will be lost in the process. Most of the cuts will be made in the firm’s London office.”

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“The current environment has triggered uncertainty and has accelerated change in law departments in struggling and thriving industries. To best manage an ever-changing environment and, at the same time, advance their evolution, law departments must embrace three critical characteristics: they must be agile, value-centric, and tech-enabled. The foundation for this future state is a mature and data-driven legal operations program,” writes Kevin Clem in CLOC’s blog.

“To respond to the ever-shifting environment and clients’ ever-changing needs, law departments must be agile and responsive, continually flexing to meet emerging areas of need. The ability to be responsive to emerging client needs requires effectively allocating and empowering resources in an organizational framework.”

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“The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released today a formal opinion addressing the ethical obligations for lawyers to consider when they contemplate responding to online criticism and posted negative reviews,” released The American Bar Association.

“Formal Opinion 496 notes that lawyers are regularly targets of internet postings, and stresses that ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.6(a) prohibits them from disclosing information relating to any client’s representation or information that could reasonably lead to the discovery of confidential information by another. The formal opinion adds that a negative online review, alone, does not meet the requirements of permissible disclosure under the ‘self-defense’ provision of ABA model rules.”

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“Law firms learned lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic that could translate to permanent changes in the way that they manage their operations, deliver legal services and treat their employees, according to a report released Tuesday,” reports Debra Cassens Weiss in ABA Journal’s Daily News.

“There are signs that 2020 and 2021 may be regarded as a ‘tipping point’ for change—or at least a time for accelerated change, according to the 2021 Report on the State of the Legal Market.”

“The report was issued by the Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Thomson Reuters Institute.”

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“As many as 11 Boies Schiller Flexner summer associates in New York declined full-time job offers last year, according to sources familiar with the situation, a sign the litigation powerhouse’s reputation has taken a hit on the recruiting trail,” reports Roy Strom and Chris Opfer in Bloomberg Law’s The United States Law Week.

“The firm says it is hiring three first-year associates in New York following a 14-person summer associate program in 2019. One source said one of the summer associates was not offered a position at the firm, with the rest declining to join the firm to pursue opportunities at law firms or clerkships.”

“Boies Schiller’s recruiting troubles occur as the firm is trying to turn the corner with new leadership after last year experiencing nearly 60 partner departures, including prominent lawyers who represent companies including Facebook Inc., Uber Technologies Inc., Apple Inc., and Barclays PLC.”

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“A North Texas lawyer has been fired by his employer after he was seen on video outside the Capitol building along with hundreds of other supporters of President Trump on Wednesday,” reports Domingo Ramirez Jr. in the Forth Worth Star Telegram.

“Social media posts identified the attorney as Paul Davis, who was an associate general counsel and director of human resources at Goosehead Insurance, a company based in Westlake.”

“On Wednesday, Davis posted a video on Instagram saying that he was outside the Capitol building and he had just been tear-gassed.”

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“Dinsmore & Shohl announced a merger with Wooden McLaughlin that became official on January 1. That gives the newly expanded Dinsmore three new offices in Indiana (in Indianapolis, Evansville and Bloomington), and it’s being touted by the firm as ‘one of the largest such deals of two domestic-only firms in the legal industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.’ It brings the firm’s headcount to 630+, which is over a 7 percent increase,” reports Kathryn Rubino in Above the Law’s Biglaw.

“Just last month, megafirm Dentons announced a combination with Iowa law firm Davis Brown. That merger is part of Dentons ‘Project Golden Spike,’ which is a dual-partnership model that allows for local decision making. The new law firm will operate as Dentons Davis Brown.”

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