ABA Journal - Law News Now
As supervisors increasingly make objectionable comments to employees via text messages, resulting harassment cases over after-hours comments no longer are based simply on "he said, she said" evidence. But this seeming bonanza of proof for plaintiffs lawyers is surrounded by potential pitfalls for defense attorneys, according to a Texas Lawyer article reprinted in Corporate Counsel. It may be a violation of an employee's privacy or statutory rights for in-house counsel to access text messages without the worker's express consent, even if the employer pays for the BlackBerry, cell phone or PDA device from which they were sent, the legal publication…
Rothstein Firm Is Running on Fumes, Newspaper Says
Despite an effort by partner and president Stuart Rosenfeldt to create a new law firm out of the apparent ashes of Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler, the well-known Fort Lauderdale, Fla., law firm is running on fumes. After stunning revelations of alleged misconduct by a top partner, the departure of some other lawyers, a federal raid and a firm-requested receivership within the last week, the firm now has $300,000 in available funds, reports the Sun-Sentinel. And $200,000 of that amount is from a contribution to the state Democratic Party returned to the law firm this week after a possible Ponzi scheme by…
Legal Sector Lost 5,800 Jobs Last Month, Labor Bureau Says
As the nation's unemployment rate topped 10 percent last month, lawyers were not spared. The legal sector lost 5,800 jobs, according to seasonally adjusted statistics in a just-released report (PDF) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. When not seasonally adjusted, the figures show a gain of 1,500 jobs, but that is probably attributable to the elimination of summer associates from law firm payrolls, reports the Am Law Daily. After slowing down for a few months over the summer, it appears that the pace of law firm layoffs is now picking up a bit, the legal blog notes. Among the…
ABA Journal - Law News Now
As the nation's unemployment rate topped 10 percent last month, lawyers were not spared. The legal sector lost 5,800 jobs, according to seasonally adjusted statistics in a just-released report (PDF) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. When not seasonally adjusted, the figures show a gain of 1,500 jobs, but that is probably attributable to the elimination of summer associates from law firm payrolls, reports the Am Law Daily. After slowing down for a few months over the summer, it appears that the pace of law firm layoffs is now picking up a bit, the legal blog notes. Among the…
Two Law Firms Housed in Orlando Building Where Shooter Left One Dead
At least two law firms are housed in an Orlando, Fla., office building that was the site of a shooting today that left at least one person dead and five others injured. Police say the suspect, Jason Rodriguez, is a former engineer who worked for a transportation consulting firm in the high-rise building known as Legions Place, according to the Orlando Sentinel and USA Today. He surrendered at his mother's home. Earlier reports said two people were killed and six were wounded in the shootings. A spokesman for Rodriguez’s former employer, Reynolds, Smith & Hill, confirmed that the shootings took…
‘Star Associate’ Alleges Breakdown Over Work Conditions, Sues Sedgwick & Partner
A former associate in the New York office of Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold has filed a disability discrimination suit against the firm and an a partner he alleges was abusive, contending that he was driven to a breakdown with overwork and mistreatment and then abruptly fired when he had recovered and was ready to return to work. Above the Law provides a link to the complaint (PDF) filed by Alan Levy filed in New York Supreme Court late last month. It contends that Levy had for years been the "star associate" of the New York office and was the…
Did Top Texas Judge’s Testimony Open Door to Wrongful Death Suit?
Contending that a top Texas appellate judge misled a federal appeals court that dismissed a wrongful death claim by the wife and daughter of a executed inmate, a civil rights group has asked a federal judge to reopen the case . It concerns a controversial refusal by Texas Court of Appeals Judge Sharon Keller to keep the court open long enough on Sept. 25, 2007 for lawyers to make a last-minute appeal on behalf of Michael Richard, based on a then-recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. He was executed later that same evening. The federal wrongful death suit was dismissed after…
ABA Journal - Law News Now
Contending that a top Texas appellate judge misled a federal appeals court that dismissed a wrongful death claim by the wife and daughter of a executed inmate, a civil rights group has asked a federal judge to reopen the case . It concerns a controversial refusal by Texas Court of Appeals Judge Sharon Keller to keep the court open long enough on Sept. 25, 2007 for lawyers to make a last-minute appeal on behalf of Michael Richard, based on a then-recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. He was executed later that same evening. The federal wrongful death suit was dismissed after…
Why Abandoning Lockstep Can Lead to Disgruntled Associates
Abandoning lockstep promotions and salary hikes for associates can hurt morale if the system is perceived as unfair, according to a consultant who is an organizational psychologist. Writing for the New York Law Journal, Larry Richard of the legal consulting firm Hildebrandt warns about the dangers of moving to a competency-based rewards system that bases promotions and pay hikes on mastering defined competencies. Richard cites research that shows a perceived lack of equity is the No. 1 reason why workers lose motivation. “For a ‘levels’ system to work,” he writes, “a firm needs both well-functioning infrastructure systems and a widely…
Mass. Appeals Court Lawyer Reportedly Offered to Write Term Paper for $300
An undercover journalist researching the “shadowy underworld” of ghost-written term papers says a senior staff attorney with the Massachusetts Appeals Court offered to write a term paper on physician-assisted suicide for $300. The lawyer, Damian Bonazzolli, was one of 62 people who offered a price quote to the undercover journalist, who sent queries about a 20-page term paper to businesses and individuals advertising on Craiglist. The journalist, Colman Herman, got quotes ranging from $90 to $1,200, he wrote in an article in CommonWealth. Legal Blog Watch noted the story. As part of his pitch for business, Bonazzolli sent along his…
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