General counsel call law firms to action on diversity
Across the country, in-house counsel attorneys are taking steps to put their money where their mouth is — literally — when it comes to diversity in the legal profession.
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Laterals remain prized law firm commodity, but offices also tapping new attorneys
Six intellectual property attorneys walked out of one law firm, boarded the elevator in their downtown Indianapolis office building and pushed the button for a competing law firm on the 19th floor. Thus, Frost Brown Todd last month bolstered its Indianapolis IP practice group by luring the entire intellectual property team from SmithAmundsen’s Indiana office. The move underscored what law firms say is a competitive job market where experienced lawyers are the hottest commodity.
Web Exclusive: Women lawyers find freedom owning law firms
Indianapolis attorney Yasmin Stump is among women lawyers who made a change to regain control over the time she spent in the workplace and become the ultimate decision maker in their careers. Stump and others chose to take a risk and open her their practices.
Diversity, mental health CLEs divide ISBA House of Delegates
The 2018 Indiana State Bar Association annual meeting began last week with an intense debate in the House of Delegates over a proposal designed to make a statement about the bar’s position on hot-button topics: should attorneys be required to attend CLE programs about diversity and mental health issues?
7th Circuit upholds judgment for Pearson on sex discrimination claim
A former employee of Pearson Education, Inc. has lost her sex discrimination appeal against the educational products supplier after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the woman failed to show she was similarly situated to three male employees she claimed were treated better than her.
FedEx drivers get tentative $13.3M ERISA settlement
A proposed workplace-benefits settlement of more than $13.3 million for Federal Express drivers who were wrongly classified as contractors rather than employees has been approved by an Indiana federal judge overseeing a nationwide docket of employment suits against the delivery service.
5 firms with Hoosier ties make ‘60 Best Law Firms for Women’ list
Five law firms with ties to Indiana have been named among Working Mother’s list of the 60 best for women nationwide.
Hoosier law firms promoting women leadership before, after #MeToo
Across Indianapolis, women were being tapped to lead their law firms before the #MeToo movement, either as practice group chairs, committee leaders, managing partners or a combination. But the movement has sparked additional conversations in their law firms, giving credence to gender equality efforts that were already in place.
Report: Employment rate rises with J.D. class of 2017
Overall employment for class of 2017 law school graduates only increased by 1 percentage point, even though the number of jobs found by graduates fell again by more than 1,200 compared with 2016 numbers, according to a report released Thursday.
Working hard or hardly working: Survey says half of partners not busy
It’s frustrating for any high-performing employee: You’re glued to your computer, fingers furiously flying across the keyboard to finish your report, brief or project. Then you look over and see a co-worker chatting with a friend, playing on their phone or scrolling through their Facebook feed, seemingly without a care or a deadline to meet.
Hiring improves for smaller law school Class of 2017
The Class of 2017 graduating from Indiana law schools followed the national trend of being smaller than the previous class and posting better jobs numbers, but the Hoosier graduates moved in the opposite direction by posting a slight increase in unemployment, according new data released from the American Bar Association.
IU McKinney, U.S. attorney’s office sponsor post-incarceration job fair
The Community-Wide Job Fair and Resource Fair on Friday aims to make the transition from prison to employment a bit easier with the help of attorneys and law students, among others.
Ex-partners, Krieg DeVault settle compensation lawsuit
Three former Krieg DeVault LLP partners who sued the firm alleging they were denied compensation when they moved to new firms — and then faced a countersuit from their former employer — have confidentially settled the litigation, court records show.
Benesch Indianapolis closing, attorneys moving to Taft
The Indianapolis office of Cleveland-based law firm Benesch will close by the end of April, with nearly all of its attorneys migrating to Taft Stettinius & Hollister, attorneys from both major firms have confirmed.
Now hiring: Labor statistics project paralegal job market booming
They’re the silent saviors, the unsung heroes of the practice of law. Without them, most attorneys agree the show could not go on. So, it’s no surprise that the paralegal job market is in the midst of a growth spurt predicted to last for at least eight more years.
Taft moves to single-class partnership structure
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP announced Wednesday the firm has adopted a new one-class partnership structure. This move eliminates the two-tier system — equity and non-equity — that had been in place at the firm for more than a quarter-century.
Pass-through tax break passes over attorneys
The sweeping changes that came with the overhaul of the federal tax system included a deduction for pass-through businesses, but attorneys and other professional service providers were brushed aside and likely will not be able to reap that tax break.
Study: Many law firms unprepared for future challenges
Are law firms simply fighting the last war? Are they preparing for the future, or are they stuck in the past? Those questions are at the center of a report released Thursday that focues on stagnating demand growth, declines in productivity and a rise in expenses.
2018 outlook: Litigation spending up, law firm rosters down
In a legal market that continues to ask firms to do more with less, there is a bright spot expected to bring about a possible business increase in 2018: litigation.
Law firm mergers ‘white hot’ in 2017, hit record of 102
After a bit of a slowdown in 2016, the pace of mergers and acquisitions among U.S. law firms accelerated again in 2017 to a record 102, according to Altman Weil MergerLine.