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Commission on Summer Associate Recruiting Recommends No 2L Offers Until January

The American Lawyer

A commission organized by NALP and charged with revamping summer associate recruiting recommends that law firms and schools adopt a system in which top firms are not allowed to make formal offers until a set date in mid-January. The report, released Thursday, is designed to address concerns over a 2L recruiting schedule that has moved into August. Firms say that interviewing so early amounts to making hiring decisions two years in advance -- and several months before firms have a handle on their year-end financial data.

Crowell & Moring Sued by Two U.S. Clients in Airplane Hijacking Case

The National Law Journal

Two American victims of the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 have sued Washington's Crowell & Moring over its demand that they share their multimillion-dollar award with other Flight 73 victims represented by the law firm. At the core of the suit is the legitimacy of a retainer agreement and a joint prosecution agreement as well as their effect following the 2008 U.S.-Libya treaty settling terrorism-related legal claims of U.S. citizens for $1.5 billion.

Embassy Bombing Case Previews Issues in 9/11 Prosecution

New York Law Journal

A hearing set for next week in the case of al-Qaida confederate Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, who is accused of helping to blow up two U.S. embassies in Africa, could have far-reaching implications for the U.S. government's decision to try the alleged 9/11 terrorists in the civilian justice system. Judge Lewis Kaplan will hear arguments Monday on whether or not the indictment against Ghailani should be dismissed on speedy-trial grounds, a decision that could serve as a template for the 9/11 cases.

Pillsbury Sets First-Year Salaries at $160K in N.Y., and $145K Elsewhere

The Recorder

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman said Thursday it will pay incoming associates $145,000, except those in New York, who will make $160,000. The class was deferred in 2009 and will start at the firm next week. Many firms have cut incoming first-year salaries to $145,000, among them Morrison & Foerster, which also made an exception for New York associates.

$165 Million Schering-Plough Class Action Settlement Includes $37 Million in Fees

New Jersey Law Journal

A federal judge has approved a $165 million settlement of a securities fraud suit against Schering-Plough -- one of the five largest securities class action recoveries in the District of New Jersey -- that includes more than $37 million for the plaintiffs lawyers. The suit accused Schering-Plough -- now a part of Merck & Co. -- of misleading investors by failing to disclose deficiencies in the manufacture of Clarinex that led the Food and Drug Administration in 2001 to delay its approval.

Relationship Getting Serious? You Can Keep It to Yourself, Appeals Court Tells Defendant

New York Law Journal

A sentencing judge's order that a defendant inform the probation department when he enters into a "serious romantic relationship" -- and confess to his significant other his history of possessing child pornography -- has been struck down by a federal appeals court. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the condition imposed by Eastern District Judge Nicholas Garaufis on the post-release supervision of Lamont Reeves was "unduly vague and not reasonably related to the goals of sentencing."

$176 Million Settlement OK'd in Deadly R.I. Nightclub Fire

The Associated Press

A federal judge overseeing lawsuits stemming from a Rhode Island nightclub fire that killed 100 people endorsed a $176 million settlement Thursday, bringing survivors and victims' relatives closer to receiving money and moving years of legal wrangling toward a final resolution. Judge Ronald Lagueux also authorized the creation of a trust fund to hold the settlement money for the more than 300 people affected by the 2003 fire at The Station nightclub. Separate criminal charges from the fire were resolved in 2006.

Relative of Alleged Fort Hood Shooter Joins Defense Team

Texas Lawyer

Texas solo John Galligan, who represents Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who allegedly went on a shooting spree at Fort Hood on Nov. 5, says he has added a close relative of Hasan's from out of state to the defense team as of Tuesday. Galligan says he added the relative to make it possible for that relative to visit with Hasan for more than a few hours a week and to do so without being observed and possibly videotaped by Army investigators.

Four Partners Leaving Latham

The American Lawyer

A Latham spokesman has confirmed that M&A partner David Schwartzbaum in New York, commercial and IP litigator Kenneth Fitzgerald in San Diego, and IP litigators Emmanuel Baud and Jean-Christophe Tristant in Paris have resigned from the firm's partnership. Schwartzbaum is headed to Greenberg Traurig, Baud to Jones Day, Tristant to Allen & Overy, and Fitzgerald, as name partner, to San Diego litigation boutique Chapin Fitzgerald Sullivan. The lateral moves appear to be unrelated to each other.

No Charges for Attorney Who Brought Grenade to Court

The Associated Press

The Kansas attorney general's office has declined to file charges against a defense attorney who brought a dead grenade into a courtroom in November. Sam Kepfield was defending a client on forgery and theft charges when he pulled out the dud grenade as part of his attempt to demonstrate "imminent threat" and to convince jurors that his client committed the crimes under threat of bodily harm.

Creditors Try to Block Last Paychecks to Employees of Former Rothstein Firm

Daily Business Review

A creditors committee in the bankruptcy case of defunct law firm Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler unsuccessfully tried Thursday to block salary payments to three employees in the wake of founder Scott Rothstein's alleged $1.2 billion fraud. The committee's attorney opposed paying a total of $7,220 to firm CFO Irene Stay, assistant managing shareholder Grant Smith and billing agent Aimee Villegas because of their possible involvement in the alleged Ponzi scheme.

Calif. High Court Justices Push Past Krishnas' Airport Appeal

The Recorder

A lawyer for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness was clearly on the losing end during oral arguments in the California Supreme Court over a 13-year-old policy that lets members of the group distribute literature and speak to travelers in the Los Angeles International Airport's pre-screening open areas, but not solicit money. Cities statewide are watching the case closely, because the court's decision could affect all California airports and seaports, as well as ferry and bus terminals and train depots.

Ex-McKinsey Director Pleads Guilty in Galleon Insider Trading Case

The Associated Press

A former director of global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. pleaded guilty Thursday to securities fraud charges, admitting making $2.6 million by feeding inside stock information to one of America's richest men in history's largest hedge-fund insider trading case. Anil Kumar entered the plea in New York federal court in a cooperation deal aimed at strengthening the government's case against billionaire Raj Rajaratnam, founder of the Galleon Group hedge funds.

Bail Request Denied for Defense Attorney Convicted of 11 Felonies

New York Law Journal

New York defense attorney Robert Simels must begin his 14-year prison sentence today following a 2nd Circuit panel's denial Thursday of his motion for bail pending appeal. Simels was convicted of 11 felonies in August related to his role in a plot to threaten and bribe witnesses in a drug case.

Virtualizing SharePoint

Special to Law.com

Fenwick & West recently virtualized its Microsoft SharePoint extranets to better use hardware, reduce costs, enhance manageability, and improve disaster recovery. Mark Gerow, head of the firm's application development team, discusses the benefits and challenges of virtualization.

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Bending the Truth Can Break a Legal Career

The Connecticut Law Tribune

Give a long second thought to padding that resume or fudging the truth on a job application, especially if you're a lawyer. Consider the case of a lawyer whose professional standing is under attack because Connecticut grievance officials believe he lied multiple times on his resume and an application submitted for a state agency position. Frank E. Rudewicz, an attorney who investigates people and companies for BDO Consulting, said professional service firms have been contacting his company more than ever before.

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Patent Lawyers, Including Small Firms, Jointly Representing Numerous Defendants

The National Law Journal

In an increasing number of patent cases across the country, defendants have banded together in a joint representation, hiring a single law firm to fight the plaintiff attacking them all. Defendants are embracing this strategy in the face of shrinking corporate legal budgets, and the united front can also pose a more powerful force in court or at the negotiating table. And joint representation doesn't always mean large firms, as defendants are also tapping smaller firms for the job.

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