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The Law360 Pulse Women in Law Report provides a data-driven view of U.S. law firms at the end of 2023. Here, we look at the representation of women at all levels of a typical law firm, from associates to equity partners.
The legal industry still has a long way to go before it can achieve gender parity at its upper levels. But these law firms are performing better than others in breaking the proverbial glass ceiling that prevents women from attaining leadership roles.
Female attorneys have reached a new high in their share of law firm equity partnerships, but firms' progress simply hasn't been significant enough to shatter the longstanding glass ceiling in the industry.
A Michigan county has agreed to pause plans to consolidate seven court locations into one courthouse in Flint and get judges' buy-in on the future of the court facilities, resolving a lawsuit filed by the judges.
Convicted U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and two of his co-defendants want their guilty verdicts thrown out, telling a New York federal judge the government failed to offer any evidence of how the senator used his office's power to benefit any of the alleged bribe givers.
At least four former attorneys with the defunct Girardi Keese law firm are under active investigation related to the federal government's California wire fraud case and have received letters informing them they are targets, an IRS criminal investigator disclosed Monday under cross-examination by Tom Girardi's attorney at his criminal trial.
A federal employee who was denied top-up pay while on active duty as a military reservist urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to rule that all federally employed reservists are owed differential pay if serving during a national emergency, regardless of the circumstances.
Massachusetts federal prosecutors have shaved 11 months off of a nine-year sentencing request for an Illinois attorney who was convicted of collecting proceeds from an email fraud scheme, after the First Circuit vacated three of the lawyer's six counts on venue grounds.
The Second Circuit on Monday once again greenlighted an investor lawsuit accusing Macquarie Infrastructure Corp. of hiding the expected impact of a high-sulfur fuel ban on its oil storage business, saying that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Macquarie's favor had little impact on the circuit court's earlier ruling that the case should move forward.
A former New York state official isn't immune from the National Rifle Association's suit claiming she violated the group's rights by pressuring financial institutions to cut ties with it, a free speech group told the Second Circuit on Monday, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the dispute.
A man who sent letters from prison expressing a desire to kill "as many U.S. marshals as possible" and threatening to kill a federal judge got 20 years tacked on to his sentence Monday by a Florida federal judge who said he was troubled by the level of detail in the threats and the recurring nature of the man's actions.
It was no surprise when Uber Chief Legal Officer Tony West decided on the eve of the Democratic National Convention to take a leave of absence from his $10 million-a-year job to volunteer on the presidential campaign of his sister-in-law, Kamala Harris.
A Michigan federal judge who disqualified himself from homeowners' challenge to a $217 million dam repair tax assessment put his "thumb on the scale of justice" by improperly commenting on legal questions as he bowed out, according to homeowners seeking to have the comments rescinded.
A New Jersey state court has sided with McElroy Deutsch and stayed all litigation between the law firm and two former executives, including both the firm's fraud claims and discrimination counterclaims made against it, while a related bankruptcy case plays out.
Victims of a car crash urged the North Carolina state appeals court to reject a bid by Ford to get a trial court judge booted from a vehicle safety lawsuit, arguing the carmaker hasn't shown the judge is biased by bringing up statements he made years ago as a private attorney who took on the company.
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos pled guilty in New York federal court Monday to juicing his election fundraising reports with fake donations to qualify for Republican Party support, charges that carry a minimum of two years in prison.
Florida voters and a partisan advocacy group have pushed back against Gov. Ron DeSantis' argument that voters have no right to see an elected official serve an entire term in a suit over the suspension of Florida prosecutor Monique Worrell, saying it doesn't matter when interference in an election occurs because the effect on the voters is the same.
Prosecutors will not oppose Donald Trump's request to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case, currently set for next month, while he seeks to dismiss his conviction in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling, agreeing that an immediate appeal may upend the proceedings anyway.
A Florida judge presiding over the juvenile division in a county where the judge's own child was arrested or charged with a crime need not be recused from juvenile delinquency cases, a state ethics watchdog has found, though the judge must disclose the information to parties in juvenile delinquency matters.
Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Brian Rickman, who recently took the helm of the body that makes judicial disciplinary recommendations to the state Supreme Court, said he's approaching the role with humility and without any agenda.
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos has agreed to plead guilty to multiple criminal charges just weeks before his scheduled campaign finance fraud trial in New York federal court, Law360 learned Saturday.
A Texas federal judge Friday tossed an investor's racketeering lawsuit alleging a conspiracy involving Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Jackson Walker LLP, a disgraced Texas bankruptcy judge and his secret romance with a former Jackson Walker partner, dismissing the suit without prejudice while voicing her distaste for its allegations of judicial misconduct.
A New York woman has filed a state court lawsuit alleging that a Columbia County Sheriff's Department deputy gave her phone to the wrong person after she visited a county courthouse, which led to sexually explicit photos and videos of her being accessed on the phone and published to social media.
The federal government's Fifth Circuit challenge to a court order blocking it from enforcing a law to protect pregnant workers in Texas got support on Friday from four Democratic lawmakers who argued the lower court ruling, if upheld, would undercut Congress' authority to set its own rules of operation.
An Illinois federal judge on Friday sentenced an immigration attorney and real estate developer convicted of bribing former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke to two years and eight months in prison, maintaining prison time is warranted because the lawyer initiated the bribe and tried to hide it from federal agents and the grand jury.
Opinion
CLE Accreditation Should Be Tied To Learning OutcomesGiven the substantial time and money lawyers put toward mandatory continuing legal education, CLE regulators and providers should be held to accreditation standards that assess learning outcomes, similar to those imposed on law schools and continuing medical education providers, says Rima Sirota at Georgetown Law.
While many lawyers still believe that a manual, document-by-document review is the best approach to privilege logging, certain artificial intelligence tools can bolster the traditional review process and make this aspect of electronic document review more efficient, more accurate and less costly, say Laura Riff and Michelle Six at Kirkland.
Robert Dubose at Alexander Dubose describes several categories of visuals attorneys can use to make written arguments easier to understand or more persuasive, and provides tips for lawyers unused to working with anything but text.
There are major differences between BigLaw and Mid-Law summer associate programs, and each approach can learn something from the other in terms of structure and scheduling, the on-the-job learning opportunities provided, and the social experiences offered, says Anna Tison at Brooks Pierce.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Do I Take Time Off?David Kouba at Arnold & Porter discusses how attorneys can prioritize mental health leave and vacation despite work-related barriers to taking time off.
The traditional structure of law firms, with their compartmentalization into silos, is an inherent challenge to mental wellness, so partners and senior lawyers should take steps to construct and disseminate internal action plans and encourage open dialogue, says Elizabeth Ortega at ECO Strategic Communications.
The key to trial advocacy is persuasion, but current training programs focus almost entirely on technique, making it imperative that lawyers are taught to be effective storytellers and to connect with their audiences, says Chris Arledge at Ellis George.
Female attorneys in leadership roles inspire other women to pursue similar opportunities in a male-dominated field, and for those who aspire to lead, prioritizing collaboration, inclusivity and integrity is key, says Kim Yelkin at Foley & Lardner.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Moira Penza, now at Wilkinson Stekloff, recalls the challenges of her first case as a civil defense attorney — a multibillion-dollar multidistrict class action against Allergan — and the lessons she learned about building rapport in the courtroom and with co-counsel.
Most legal professionals lack understanding of the macroeconomic trends unique to the legal industry, like the rising cost of law school and legal services, which contributes to an unfair and inaccessible justice system, so law school courses and continuing legal education requirements in this area are essential, says Bob Glaves at the Chicago Bar Foundation.
Opinion
It's Time To Hold DC Judges Accountable For MisconductOn the heels of Thursday's congressional hearing on workplace protections for judiciary employees, former law clerk Aliza Shatzman recounts her experience of harassment by a D.C. Superior Court judge — and argues that the proposed Judiciary Accountability Act, which would extend vital anti-discrimination protections to federal court employees, should also include D.C. courts.
While the American Bar Association's recent amendments to its law school accreditation standards around student well-being could have gone further, legal industry employers have much to learn from the ABA's move and the well-being movement that continues to gain traction in law schools, says David Jaffe at the American University Washington College of Law.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Do I Build Rapport In New In-House Role?Tim Parilla at LinkSquares explains how new in-house lawyers can start developing relationships with colleagues both within and outside their legal departments in order to expand their networks, build their brands and carve their paths to leadership positions.
Piper Hoffman and Will Lowrey at Animal Outlook lay out suggestions for attorneys to maximize the value of their pro bono efforts, from crafting engagement letters to balancing workloads — and they explain how these principles can foster a more rewarding engagement for both lawyers and nonprofits.
Opinion
NY Bar Admission Criminal History Query Is Unjust, IllegalNew York should revise Question 26 on its bar admission application, because requiring students to disclose any prior interaction with the criminal justice system disproportionately affects people of color, who have a history of being overpoliced — and it violates several state laws, says Andrew Brown, president of the New York State Bar Association.