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Full-Text Articles in Law
Tribute To John Pickering, William J. Perlstein
Tribute To John Pickering, William J. Perlstein
Michigan Law Review
One of my colleagues asked me soon after John died, "How could someone live to be eighty-nine years old and yet there is no one who had a bad word to say about him?" This is an intriguing question. It is not because John Pickering did not have strongly held views about things. Anyone who ever tangled with John in crafting a brief knew how tenacious he was. John was direct and candid and you knew where he stood on any matter. It is not because John was easygoing. When he saw something that he wanted changed, he did not …
Tribute To John Pickering, Timothy B. Dyk
Tribute To John Pickering, Timothy B. Dyk
Michigan Law Review
It is very appropriate that we are here today to honor John Pickering, who, for more than five decades, was a leading member of our bar. I first met John when I joined the small firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in 1964, two years after it was founded. The three founding fathers of the firm were formidable figures, particularly to a young lawyer, and John Pickering was no exception. I do not mean that John was unkind. He was the kindest of people. But there was something particularly serious about him, and I always wondered whether that had to …
The Billable Hours Derby: Empirical Data On The Problems And Pressure Points, Susan Saab Fortney
The Billable Hours Derby: Empirical Data On The Problems And Pressure Points, Susan Saab Fortney
Faculty Scholarship
This article considers the consequences of law firm use of the hourly billing method and the recent increase in billable hour requirements. Part I of this article describes the rationale and methodology of an empirical study conducted in 2005 that explored attorney work-life issues and employer efforts to assist attorneys in dealing with work-life conflicts. Part II summarizes select study findings related to billable hours requirements and pressure. Part III concludes by considering what forces and players will change the current course of conduct in which law firm leaders treat increases in billable hours expectations as a necessary evil.
Tribute To John Pickering, Raymond C. Clevenger
Tribute To John Pickering, Raymond C. Clevenger
Michigan Law Review
This is my homage to John. I ask you to summon up in your imagination today a grand circus, a sort of Cirque du Soleil of lawyers: full of shining talents performing legal feats of wonder, but presided over by a grand ringmaster. This ringmaster knows his performers very well. He knows how to train and stroke them to high achievement. He knows how to groom the younger workers. He can keep his stars in check. He knows when to sit back with a smile, letting his charges perform and claim the applause, even when the applause rightfully belongs to …
Organizational Form As Status And Signal, Kimberly D. Krawiec
Organizational Form As Status And Signal, Kimberly D. Krawiec
ExpressO
In this Article, the author analyzes the reactions of 147 New York City law firms to the 1994 enactment of the New York Limited Liability Partnership statute, which provided New York law firm partners with the first convenient mechanism to limit their personal liability for partnership debts. Using both quantitative and qualitative evidence, she evaluates whether the behavior of New York law firms supports the signaling theory of organizational form—that is, the theory that firms use the partnership form to signal to the marketplace that they provide high quality legal services, due to either superior monitoring or to profit sharing. …
Law Firm General Counsel As Sherpa: Challenges Facing The In-Firm Lawyer's Lawyer, Susan Saab Fortney
Law Firm General Counsel As Sherpa: Challenges Facing The In-Firm Lawyer's Lawyer, Susan Saab Fortney
Faculty Scholarship
This article addresses the increasing trend in law firms appointing general counsel. Part I of this article provides an overview of the frequency of law firms employing the services of general counsel and the different roles general counsel may assume in law firms. Part II outlines the duties of general counsel in advising the firm on matters related to firm structure. Part III observes that general counsel may play an important role in helping law firms choose the most appropriate method to compensate its lawyers to achieve the desired results. Part IV stresses the importance of the preventative measures general …
Diversity: Denied, Deferred Or Preferred, Carl G. Cooper
Diversity: Denied, Deferred Or Preferred, Carl G. Cooper
West Virginia Law Review
No abstract provided.