Legal News

So Much For Robert Morgenthau's First Big Public Assignment at Wachtell

Posted on June 02, 2010
Amid New York City officials' claims that he's got an ax to grind, the former Manhattan district attorney is being replaced as the special master overseeing a federal discrimination case. Debevoise's Mary Jo White will take his place

THE AM LAW 200 2010: No Place to Hide

Posted on June 01, 2010
Much like their Am Law 100 counterparts, Second Hundred firms struggled in 2009 under the twin burdens of decreased transactional work and increased client sensitivity to litigation costs.

The Careerist: Eat, Pray, Love

Posted on June 01, 2010
Or, as Gretchen Rubin suggests in her book, The Happiness Project, clean, sing, hug. These acts--along with making (and living by) some personal "commandments"--can transform a life into something ... better. Does Rubin's formula finally offer an antidote to the perpetually dissatisfied condition of (most) lawyers' lives?

On Tour, Conan O'Brien Sings The Legal Blues

Posted on June 01, 2010
It's been a few months since NBC booted Conan O'Brien out of its late-night lineup. Since then, he's inked a deal for a new show on TBS and hit the road for a series of live performances. On Tuesday, O'Brien's Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour touches down in New York for a show at Radio City Music Hall--just across the street from where he got his on-air start two decades ago...

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Vivendi/Messier Trial Opens in Paris

Posted on June 01, 2010
After a setback in a federal court in New York earlier this year, French media conglomerate Vivendi is now facing off against former chairman and CEO Jean-Marie Messier in a trial that opened in Paris today.

Wilmer Grabs Wheel For Zipcar IPO

Posted on June 01, 2010
Zipcar, the popular car-sharing service for city slickers, plans to raise $75 million through an IPO, the company has revealed in an SEC filing.

Facebook Community Pages Vex Some Firms

Posted on June 01, 2010
Most members of the summer associate class of 2010 have started the first leg of their legal careers with the firms they hope to settle in with after law school. If they?re looking for some details about those firms on Facebook, they might be surprised by what they find.

Willkie, Ropes on $2.6 Billion Medical Device Deal

Posted on June 01, 2010
Products aimed to fighting vascular disease are at the heart of Covidien's acquisition of ev3.

Haynes and Boone Dueling with Former Partner

Posted on June 01, 2010
Harvey Kesner, a former partner in Haynes and Boone's New York office, sued the firm last month in New York federal court for wrongful termination, demanding $15 million in damages. Haynes and Boone filed suit in Texas state court last week accusing Kesner of breaching firm policy...

Law Firms Don't Have to Worry About Pesky ID Theft Rule

Posted on June 01, 2010
The FTC has postponed putting the law into action.

The Bankruptcy Files: Oil Companies Go Bust as Extended Stay Seeks Solvency

Posted on May 28, 2010
Extended Stay's $4 billion bankruptcy court sale involved enough lawyers to fill one of the company's hotels. Plus: Kirkland & Ellis and Vinson & Elkins pick up debtors' work for two ailing oil and gas companies.

The AIG/Prudential Deal: Still Going

Posted on May 28, 2010
And how are you spending Memorial Day weekend?

Toys "R" Us Going Public...Again

Posted on May 28, 2010
With the economy still sputtering, PE firms are cashing in on investments they made at the height of the go-go 2000s.

Arent Fox On "Sexy" Einstein Suit Against GM

Posted on May 28, 2010
Note to ad agencies and their clients: Secure those IP rights before proceeding.

The '90s Are Back: Real Estate Restructuring Is a Boon to Firms

Posted on May 28, 2010
Real estate restructuring work, a bandwagon that many firms jumped on in the past year, shows no signs of slowing. More than $1.4 trillion in commercial loans are coming to term in the next four years, according to the Congressional Oversight Panel studying financial reform, and will likely keep the distressed-property business booming...

Fire Up That Grill: A Pre-Memorial Day Deal Round-up

Posted on May 27, 2010
As the weather warms up around Am Law Daily headquarters, it appears that the once-moribund M&A market is also finally starting to get hot. Two major energy transactions, plus the sale of a British supermarket chain and a pair of beer deals bode well for corporate lawyers with an eye on headier times.

Sex Abuse Suit Against Brooklyn High School Gets Major Boost

Posted on May 27, 2010
The plaintiffs--including a Simpson Thacher partner--will get their chance to proceed with some major discovery.

Public Reprimand for Kraft in Cadbury Plant Closing

Posted on May 27, 2010
Considering that the verbal slap on the wrist carries no financial penalty, it could be seen as something of a win for Arnold & Porter as well.

Transocean Taps Skadden, Sutherland for Oil Spill Work

Posted on May 27, 2010
As the "top kill" effort to stanch one of the worst oil spills in U.S. history appeared to be making some headway, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon confirmed that it has retained two leading law firms to advise the company in litigation and congressional hearings.

Finally: Fried Frank, Wachtell on Pequot Insider Trading Settlment

Posted on May 27, 2010
It's a busy Thursday at the SEC.

Another Age-Motivated Lateral Move Linked to Mandatory Retirement

Posted on May 27, 2010
Citing the firm's mandatory retirement policy, a prominent Washington, D.C white-collar defense attorney is changing his work address.

Another Suit Targeting JPMorgan's Pre-Bailout Actions

Posted on May 27, 2010
First it was WaMu, now it's the Lehman estate.

Four Firms Advise on Revised $15 Billion NYC Development Deal

Posted on May 26, 2010
A long-awaited development deal for a 26-acre tract of land on New York City's West Side was finally completed Wednesday, as a major new investor in the project announced it had taken on a new general partner and a binding contract with the city was signed...

The Careerist: Associate Deferral Programs a Success, Report Concludes

Posted on May 26, 2010
The Pro Bono Institute's recently released report on the deferral programs implemented by law firms this past year concludes that they were a success. But what will life be like for young lawyers once they return to their law firms?

Update: WaMu Bankruptcy Still Won't End

Posted on May 26, 2010
Now it's the shareholders--the shareholders!--who want their shot at additional recovery.

Arguments: Tell Me No Lies

Posted on May 26, 2010
A federal law that requires government employees to lie? Really? Yes. The military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy institutionalizes dishonesty, writes contributor Richard Painter. A preview from the June 2010 issue of The American Lawyer.

Wachtell on the Case For Minority Firefighters

Posted on May 26, 2010
And guess who will lead the firm's team?

Prominent Yale Donor and Former Outside Counsel Charged With Fraud

Posted on May 26, 2010
The New York County District Attorney's Office has charged James Mazzuto, former CEO of Industrial Enterprises of America, and James Margulies, an outside lawyer who also briefly served as the company's top executive, with running a $60 million stock scheme.

Sonnenschein, Denton Wilde To Merge

Posted on May 26, 2010
The move, which is subject to a partnership vote next month, will create a 1,400-lawyer global behemoth.

AZ Governor Taps Snell & Wilmer's Bouma for Suits Over Controversial Immigration Law

Posted on May 25, 2010
Five legal challenges already await the chairman of the 400-lawyer firm, who told The Am Law Daily in a recent interview that Arizona's tough new law "really doesn't do anything more than the federal statute in making certain things illegal...

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