Bill, Baby, Bill

An Iowa contract attorney for the Public Defender's office was found to have billed more than 24 hours in a day for 80 separate days between 2007 and 2011.

Appropriately, felony charges have been brought.

http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/contract_attorney_faces_felony_overbilling_case_allegedly_claimed_over_24/?sc_cid=131016AA&utm_campaign=weekly_email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=maestro

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Big Data and the Law

The mass media is now discovering that the ubiquity of "Big Data" is now impacting how lawyers assess cases. Lex Machina, founded by Stanford Law Professor, Mark Lemley, has assembled a wide database of litigation outcomes which purports to provide some directional and even predictive attributes to attorneys (and clients) assessing case values.

Given the availability of similar analytics (predictive pricing) in other verticals (for example, IRI in the retail grocery space and Power Information Network for retail automotive, services offered by the likes of Lex Machina are long overdue in the legal industry which have instead long relied on "horse sense" and "gut instinct".

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2013/09/24/should-lawyers-fear-big-data-or-embrace-it/

See, as well, Michigan State University, Professor Daniel Katz's formulation of General Counsel's as "Supply Chain Managers".

http://reinventlaw.com/main.html

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Bill, Baby, Bill: Lawyer Bills 29 Hours In a Day

Above the Law reports on a court-appointed attorney who billed 29 hours in a day. Now, like me, I know that most lawyers entered the profession because they are mathematically challenged. That may be the case here. And I think this is where he is probably going with the "sloppy book-keeping" argument, anyway.

Here is another thought: What about travel across time-zones? That is a great way to rack up hours in excess of 24 per day.

All of this of course tarnishes our collective legal reputations. Absurd outcomes like this act as a sort of tragicomic reference point for all that is wrong with the legal profession.

http://abovethelaw.com/2013/09/lawyer-billed-29-hour-day-to-the-same-client-and-didnt-expect-to-get-caught/

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K&L Gates Posts Detailed Reporting of Financial Performance

In a highly detailed public disclosure, K&L Gates reports 2012 financial performance. Zero debt, but year over year top-line and bottom-line look very flat.

http://www.klgates.com/files/Upload/2012_Firm_Financials.pdf

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2nd Circuit Breathes Life Into Non-Attorney Ownership in Law Firms

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/11/21/not-dead-yet-2nd-circuit-resurrects-jacoby-meyers-suit/

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What A Concept: Law School Classes with A Practical Application

Kudos to the University of Houston which is offering what appears to be some interesting course work in the area of compliance.

http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2012/07/13/the-law-school-class-that-may-just-get-you-a-job/

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Starting Salaries Down, Year over Year for New Law Grads

Salaries for new graduates from the class of 2011 fell 5% from those of 2010 and about 17% since 2009, according to a survey by the Association for Legal Career Professionals, formerly known as the National Association for Law Placement, or NALP.

Median private practice starting salaries fell more than 18% from 2010 and 35% from 2009, the survey found.

The national median salary for 2011 graduates was $60,000 for those working full-time for at least one year. That’s down from $63,000 in 2010 and $72,000 in 2009. At law firms, the national median salary was $85,000, down from $104,000 in 2010 and $130,000 in 2009.

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/07/12/survey-median-starting-salaries-plunge-for-new-law-grads/

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The ACC Value Challenge: Success Stories Around Alternative Fee Arrangements

http://www.acc.com/valuechallenge/valuechamps/

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More on the High Cost of a Law Degree

The average debt of law graduates tops $100,000, and most new lawyers do not earn salaries sufficient to make the monthly payments on this debt. More than one-third of law graduates in recent years have failed to obtain lawyer jobs. Thousands of new law graduates will enter a government-sponsored debt relief program, and many will never fully pay off their law school debt.

– Washington University Law professor Brian Tamanaha, author of Failing Law Schools (affiliate link), painting a rosy picture of what life is like for recent law school graduates.

http://abovethelaw.com/2012/06/quote-of-the-day-the-broken-economics-of-legal-education/

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California Bar is Considering Whether to Impose Practical Training Requirement

The California bar is considering whether to impose a practical skills training requirement on lawyers applying for admission, which would mean applicants would have to attain a level of hands-on training before practicing, the National Law Journal reported.

How California resolves the issue could affect the legal profession and law schools around the country, since California’s is the largest bar in the U.S.

Ideas under review include internship requirements, a mentoring program, completion of a skills-training course, or a year-long class for third-year law students that covers lawyering skills.

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/04/30/california-bar-considering-practical-skills-mandate-for-new-lawyers/

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Non-Lawyer Ownership of Law Firms Is DOA, Says ABA

In a statement Monday, the co-heads of the ABA ethics committee considering the proposal pronounced it dead.

“Based on the commission’s extensive outreach, research, consultation, and the response of the profession, there does not appear to be a sufficient basis for recommending a change to ABA policy on nonlawyer ownership of law firms,” said Jamie Gorelick and Michael Traynor, who lead the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the proposal, noting that some in the profession were aghast at the idea, even as the U.K. and Australia have adopted much broader changes — including allowing outside investment through IPOs.

Prediction: If deregulation of the legal services in the U.K., Australia or elsewhere shows even a modicum of success, expect this issue to be appear again. And soon.

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/04/17/aba-case-has-not-been-made-for-nonlawyer-ownership/

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The Market For Legal Services Gets More Fragmented

The high-end firms offering "bespoke" services are charging more, commoditized services (routine leases,  employment matters, etc.) getting greater push back from clients to lower rates.

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/04/16/the-law-professions-one-percent/

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Law School Debt Continues to Explode, Cal Western leads the pack

The average indebtedness figures for 2011 law graduates are stunning. Last year, 4 law schools had graduates with average debt exceeding $135,000. This year 17 law schools are above $135,000. Last year the highest average debt among graduates was $145,621 (Cal. Western); this year the highest average debt is $165,178 (John Marshall). Below are the 20 schools with the highest average law school debt among graduates (these figures do not include undergraduate debt).

http://balkin.blogspot.com/2012/03/quickly-exploding-law-graduate-debt.html

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New York Bar Ethics Opinion and the Deregulation of Law in the U.K.

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/03/21/uk-firms-if-you-want-to-stay-in-new-york/

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Demand for Legal Services Sagging, Citi Report says

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/01/30/still-convalescing/

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New York State Bar to Consider Nonlawyer Ownership of Law Firms

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/02/02/new-york-state-bar-revisits-nonlawyer-ownership/

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Lawsuits Against Law Schools Regarding Misleading Employment Data Expands

Three complaints — against Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan, New York Law School and Thomas Jefferson School of Law — were already out there. The schools have moved to dismiss the lawsuits, arguing that they strictly followed American Bar Association rules on job-placement data.

David Anziska, who filed the lawsuits in Michigan and New York, teamed with lawyers from seven other law firms to file a dozen more on Wednesday.

The list of schools includes Albany Law, Brooklyn Law, Hofstra Law, Widener Law, Florida Coastal, Chicago-Kent, DePaul Law,  John Marshall Law School, California Western, Southwestern, USF Law and Golden Gate. The lawsuits seek tuition refunds

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/02/01/a-dozen-law-schools-hit-with-lawsuits-over-jobs-data/

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The Good News and the Bad News for Big Law Associates

The Good News is you are employed. The Bad News is the hours are worse then ever, compensation is flat, and the prospects for getting interesting work are limited. Other than that, everything is wonderful.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203363504577186913589594038.html

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The Law Firm Daily Deal?

According to a New York Bar opinion, a lawyer can market his or her services through a Groupon-esque "daily deal" provided certain disclosures and disclaimers are made.

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/01/25/the-daily-writing-sample-groupon-ethics-opinion/

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Lawyer Sues Client for Failure to Pay Finder's Fee in Movie Deal

I would be interested to see some of the defenses raised, including any violations of Professional Responsibility.

http://abovethelaw.com/2012/01/akin-gump-to-movie-producer-client-wheres-our-money-man/#more-128925

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