Law Careers New York Law Journal

Advice for the Lawlorn

Ann Israel is the legal profession's Dear Abby. A New York legal recruiter since 1979, Ann is president of Ann Israel & Associates, Inc. and a past president of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants. She answers your questions about finding a better law firm job, dealing with headhunters, resumes, and much more.

This Week's Question

When advertisements for legal jobs state they want somebody from a "top ten law school," just how serious are they? What if you had good grades at a top twenty law school? What if you had excellent grades from a top forty school? They're not trying to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court, are they?

This Week's Topic

New York's new mandate that would-be attorneys need notch 50 hours of pro bono-related service as a prerequisite for bar admission would make even harder the toughest gig in the business - making it in New York, as a practicing attorney. And that is a good thing . . . or could be.

The Careerist

Vivia Chen, The Careerist's chief blogger, has been covering the business and culture of law firms for a decade. A former corporate lawyer, Chen is fascinated by those who thrive (as well as those who don't) in the legal profession. Her take: Success in the law (and life) doesn't always travel a linear path.

May 17

GW and Hastings Cut Enrollment while Bottom-Ranked Cooley Adds Another Campus

George Washington Law School joins Hastings in cutting enrollment. But Cooley isn't following that path.

Posted at 04:19 PM | Post A Comment

May 16

Want to Work Remotely? No Prob. Want to Take Time Off? Good Luck.

You can work where you want and when you want?so long as you keep the work pumping. But don't get off track.

Posted at 04:46 PM | Post A Comment

May 15

Ex-Wilmer Associate Pens Novel Packed with Intrigue and Fab Real Estate

Cristina Alger wrote her first novel while she was an associate at Wilmer. How did she do it?

Posted at 11:39 AM | Post A Comment

Diversity

Katherine Frink-Hamlett, a graduate of New York University School of Law and President of Frink-Hamlett Legal Solutions Inc., moves the diversity and inclusion dialogue into the 21st Century. She addresses questions from both law firm management seeking to recruit and retain diverse candidates and from legal practitioners confronted with professional and personal challenges surrounding inclusion and diversity.

This Month's Question

During our brainstorming and planning sessions, several of my colleagues discussed the idea of implementing a firm-wide celebration or event that would annually recognize New York's passage of the Marriage Equality Act. While I generally think that it's an attractive idea, I wonder if it might be offensive to those whose religious views don't embrace same-sex marriage.

Justice's Disclosure Highlights Medical Marijuana Debate

by John Caher

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Gustin Reichbach has written scores of decisions in his long career on the bench, but the opinion that may have especially broad impact is the op-ed column in which he admitted smoking marijuana to cope with the debilitating effects of cancer.

U.S. Judge Dismisses Pay Disparity Lawsuit Against Port Authority

by Mark Hamblett

Southern District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald dismissed a suit brought by the EEOC on behalf of 14 non-supervisory women lawyers, faulting the complaint's "conclusory allegation" that women in the law department are paid less than men.

Lawyer's Claim She Was Defamed by Another Attorney Goes Forward

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by Mark Hamblett

Kerry Connolly has cleared a hurdle on her claims that her reputation as an attorney was damaged when Lelia Martin Wood-Smith, a gallery trustee and fellow lawyer, complained that Connolly's advice on copyright was incorrect and cost the trust "hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Federal Circuit Will Hear Judges' Back-Pay Challenge

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by Marcia Coyle

A group of federal judges who charge that Congress violated the Constitution by withholding pay increases will get a hearing before the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Overwhelming Proof Justifies Suspension, Panel Finds

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by Andrew Keshner

Thomas F. Cusack III was found to have "abdicated control" of his escrow account, let a paralegal handle a real estate closing on his behalf and allowed clients to improperly influence his professional judgment.

Dewey Partners Requested to Preserve Data for Probe

by Christine Simmons and Sara Randazzo

Partners were asked to save documents relating to guaranteed payments; partner compensation; capital or other contributions; borrowing or other forms of indebtedness; meetings of the executive committee or office of the chairman; and financial statements, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified.

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