Legal Research

Selections from the National Law Journal Daily Headlines February 13, 2009

By David Badertscher, PLL

Source: NLJ.COM, February 13, 2009.

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FROM THE UPCOMING ISSUE  |  Six law firms cut more than 700 lawyers and staffers on 'Black Thursday'
"If you were among law firm associates or legal staffers who still had a job by the end of Thursday, consider yourself lucky. Six prominent firms sent packing more than 700 attorneys and legal staffers, in what may well become known as Black Thursday in the legal industry. DLA Piper; Holland & Knight; Goodwin Procter; Bryan Cave; Epstein Becker & Green; and Dechert all confirmed layoffs on Thursday, adding to what has become a brutal contraction of legal jobs."

FROM THE UPCOMING ISSUE  |  Lessons learned in life after layoffs
"For hundreds of law firm associates who have been dismissed during the past six months, jobs are scarce and competition for openings is fierce. The out-of-work lawyers say they're trying to refocus their résumés on experience that still counts in today's marketplace and away from fields that are out of favor. They're also now considering job options that pay less than they had hoped, require a geographic move or take them away from career paths they envisioned."

WEB-ONLY  |  Some lawyers are still hot in this cold economy
"Attorneys and legal staffers with experience in litigation, bankruptcy, foreclosures, corporate securities and patent proceedings are hot commodities in the down economy, according to a new survey of legal staffing and salaries."

WEB-ONLY  |  How a few radical changes in employment law will lead to lots of work for attorneys
"It just got tougher to be an employer, says management-side attorney Charles S. Caulkins. A perfect storm of factors forms the basis for his dire outlook: the economy; a new, pro-union/employee-friendly president; and several legislative proposals, including the Employee Free Choice Act, which will change the way unions are organized. "

WEB-ONLY  |  AT&T plaintiffs claim Ledbetter Fair Pay Act resolves case in their favor
"A group of retired AT&T female employees, who claim their pension payments violate the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, recently told the U.S. Supreme Court that the new Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act resolves their high court case in their favor."

WEB-ONLY  |  Government cracking down on unpaid student loans
"The U.S. Department of Justice is filing a slew of civil lawsuits this month in federal court in Chicago against people who received government student loans, as long ago as the 1980s, and have failed to repay the funds."

Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on February 13, 2009 (boomark / email).