Law Commons^™

One Person's Junk, Another Person's Treasures: Dissolving A Small Law Book Collection, Gail F. Zwirner

Law Faculty Publications

Decisions to eliminate a book collection occur for various reasons, including retirement, downsizing a home library, or a sweet deal from an online vendor. Law librarians regularly receive inquiries about the purchase or donation of used law books. Many times these calls originate in a law school’s development office after an attorney school seeks his or her law school’s advice on eliminating a significant career investment. An attorney may turn to a law firm librarian for advice as well.

The Disabled Lawyers Have Arrived; Have They Been Welcomed With Open Arms Into The Profession? An Empirical Study Of The Disabled Lawyer, Donald H. Stone

All Faculty Scholarship

This Article proceeds in seven parts. Part I briefly outlines the ADA's position on reasonable accommodations. Part II addresses how law firms are reacting and responding to the fact that they employ lawyers with mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder, attorneys with learning disabilities, and individuals with alcohol or drug addiction. What disabilities are most often represented? Are lawyers with disabilities apt to receive work modifications to accommodate their disability? Are attorneys with mental illness provided with less stressful case assignments? Are lawyers with substance use disorders and alcohol or drug addiction assigned co-counsel to monitor or offer …

Foundational Competencies: Innovation In Legal Education, David E. Van Zandt

Faculty Working Papers

Spurred by a rapidly changing legal environment and a desire to differentiate and maximize the success of our graduates, Northwestern Law recently completed a major strategic planning initiative resulting in a revolutionary report entitled Plan 2008: Preparing Great Leaders for the Changing World. Plan 2008 is the most recent installment of a long-term process to enhance our student quality and programs. The new initiatives build upon a strategic plan that we have been refining since its implementation in 1998. Under the prior plan, we introduced the evaluative admissions interview and work-experience policy for applicants.1 We also added a number of …

Men And Women Of The Bar: The Impact Of Gender On Legal Careers, Kenneth G. Dau-Schmidt, Marc S. Galanter, Kaushik Mukhopadhaya, Kathleen E. Hull

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

In the last three and a half decades, the legal profession has undergone a dramatic transformation in the gender composition of its members. During that time, the number of women applying to law school and entering the profession has gone from a few gallant pioneers to roughly equal representation with that of men. Between 1970 and 2000, the proportion of first-year law students who were female climbed from 8% to 49%. Because the existing bar consisted primarily of male lawyers, the percent of women in the legal profession changed more slowly, but still rose dramatically. Women, as a percent of …

New Sources Of Managerial Authority In Large Law Firms, Elizabeth Chambliss

Faculty Publications

The academic literature on large law firms emphasizes the limited authority of professional managers and the ability of rainmaking partners to sidestep formal management controls. Research suggests that bureaucratic management structures, such as dedicated, professional managers, tend to be weak or unstable in law firms, where compensation and status are tied to control over clients. Thus, while many commentators point to the potential competitive benefits of professional management - or, what typically is referred to as the "corporate" model - most analysts are skeptical that U.S. law firms will embrace such a model any time soon.

This Article stakes out …

Starting Out: Changing Patterns Of First Jobs For Michigan Law School Graduates, Terry K. Adams, David L. Chambers

Articles

In the early 1950s, the typical graduate of Michigan Law began his career working as an associate in a law firm with four other lawyers and earned about $5,000 in his first year. Surprising to us today, in his new job he would have earned slightly less than other classmates whose first jobs were in government. Fifty years later, in the early 2000s, the typical graduate still started out as an associate in a law firm, but the firm she worked for had more than 400 lawyers. She earned about $114,000 in her first year, about three times as much …

Pro Bono Publico In A Parallel Universe: The Meaning Of Pro Bono In Solo And Small Law Firms, Leslie C. Levin

Hofstra Law Review

This article looks at pro bono and "low bono" (reduced fee) work in the solo and small firm law firm context, compares it to the large firm experience, and considers the implications for access to justice in the U.S. It starts by describing the significant differences between pro bono as performed in large firms and in solo and small firms. It then describes the history and bar politics that led to ABA Model Rule 6.1, which reflects the elite (i.e., large law firm) views of pro bono, and seemingly devalues the pro bono work that solo and small firm lawyers …

Between Diffusion And Distinctiveness In Globalization: U.S. Law Firms Go Glocal, Carole Silver, Nicole De Bruin Phelan, Mikaela Rabinowitz

Articles by Maurer Faculty

There is widespread agreement that law firms have embraced globalization, but what this means and why it matters are subjects still cloaked with uncertainty. Do law firms follow the models and processes of globalization characteristic of other businesses? Or are law firms forced to take a different approach because of the nature of law and its basis in a particular national system? In this article, we consider these questions as they apply to U.S. law firms, and offer a new lens to interpret the role of globalization in the activities of law firms and their lawyers. We use data relating …

Expelling Law Firm Partners, Douglas R. Richmond

Cleveland State Law Review

Law firm partners may be de-equitized or expelled by their firms in good times as well as lean. Such actions appear to be on the upswing. There are, however, relatively few cases on these subjects. The leading case, Holman v. Coie, is dated; the practice of law, at least in large law firms, has changed considerably in the thirty plus years since Holman was decided. Looking ahead, courts must carefully reanalyze the intra-firm duty of good faith and fair dealing. Rather than confining liability to cases of economic predation, courts should review partner de-equitizations and expulsions under either excluder or …