Interesting. Veeeeeery interesting.
The BI thin surprises me because of the rumors flying around here. The Reed Smith part doesn't. At all. Man I hate that firm.

Didn't Reed have practically its entire estate group up and leave a while back?

Reed Smith Estates Group
 

True. All (or almost all) of Reed Smith's Pittsburgh E & T lawyers decamped to start their own firm about a year ago (I think they may have one or two guys left). If there's a connection between that and the associate dissatisfaction, it's probably that Reed Smith has been desperately trying to increase its profit per partner (after years of lagging profits), and that's likely why the estates guys decided to leave (before being pushed, since E & T is not usually a big profit center), and also why the junior associates are unhappy (layoffs and reduced hiring leads to thin staffing and long hours; fewer partners being made, and existing partners being de-equitized, means there's no brass ring to keep you going during those long hours; etc.)

Prepaid legal
 

Wave of the future or unspeakable evil: you decide.

Countrywide prepaid legal services article

Okay, so how much of a threat is a company with less than a $million in revenue, really?

Election stuff
 

By all accounts, yesterday's election in Philadelphia was full of intimidation, voting impropriety and violence. No, there's nothing wrong with the system in this city...

Election stuff
 

In other words, the Democrats won. I understand the graveyard vote broke sharply Democratic again this year...

Big East runs up the bills
 

I don't know whether to post this here or on the sports thread, but whatever:

Big East legal fees add up for Pitt, others: First four months total about $2.1 million
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/623917
(free registration may be required)

Schnader
 

Any more news on this place? My sources have dried up and I haven't heard anything new...

AdL

Actual salary news
 

Reed Smith is bumping Pittsburgh starting salaries to $110,000.

http://www.bizjournals.com/industrie...8.html?f=et153

(free registration may be required)

Schnader
 

In an interesting move, Schnader DC is apparently moving to new digs.

http://www.bizjournals.com/industrie...2.html?f=et153

(free reg may be required)

Schnader
 

Couldn't access the article. Did it provide motives? Does anyone know of the relative costs of the teo pwoperties in question? I wonder if the new plac eis significantly cheaper...?

Schnader
 

From the article:

I don't know the buildings in particular, but based on location I wouldn't expect a siginicant difference in cost. It does have the advantage of not being uncomforatbly close to the people who just abandoned ship.

The Morgan Lewis acquisition binge continues
 

MLB is adding a significant portion of Pennie & Edmonds' IP group to offices in Palo Alto and Washington, D.C..

Venable loses the head of its Rockville office to the Federal District Court for Maryland (free reg may be required).

I wish JFTS were around to give us some insight. Anybody know if he's around?

Ballard Spahr to pay $5.8 legal malpractice settlement
 

Ballard has agreed to pay $5.8 million to settle malpractice claims alleging the firm failed to prevent losses in public pension funds in Pennsylvania and three other states.

spree: story from Phialdelphia Inquirer; where's th elegal on this one?!?

BONUS NEWS?!?
 

Any word on bonus news in the PHL? My own firm has not released numbers, but I haven't heard much of anything from amywhere in the city. If you would like to submit information anonymously, PM me or e-mail a_de_large@hotmail.com

BONUS NEWS?!?
 

ANYBODY?!?!?!?

Move to 30th Street...
 

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/n...al/7774773.htm

Any chance that associates will see better bonuses post '05 due to all that tax savings? After all, they have to eat in the lousy restaurants too, and pay city income tax to boot. (LvHB)

McCarter and English
 

I am posting this on behalf of a regular (that term is relative on this board...) poster who wants to know about the Philadelphia office of McCarter and English. Any comments re work environment, pay, etc. would be appreciated.

Firm control structure
 

Interesting article from the Baltimore Business Journal on evolving administrative structures in big firms.

Interesting insight from Bill Reynolds. Anybody know if he's still of counsel at Piper (which one would think the artilce would mention, since Piper is a featured firm).

http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/724149

McCarter and English
 

Thanks for outing me, man.

McCarter and English
 

OK, maybe I should have specified "regular lurker" rather than "poster".

Anyone have any info?

MLB sued
 

Morgan Lewis has been sued by its former clients who contend they were criminally prosecuted because they followed their lawyers' advice in carrying on trade with Cuba.

spree: link to news article

MLB sued
 

Today's Legal (subscription required) has more on this story.

Dechert loses 30
 

Dechert loses it's immigration department:

http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/732663
(free registation may be required)

Any comments? Is this a portent of things to come, or is immigaration law just a practice that makes more sense in a smaller boutique firm?

pepper
 

Anyone know Pepper Hamilton's reputation? QOL? Any info that you cannot get on website or NALP is much appreciated

pepper
 

I've dealt with attorneys from Pepper Hamilton's Philadelhpia and Wilmington offices. They have always been professional, courteous and competent. I never heard complaints about the firm from them. Of course, such things can be driven as much by the particular partner / group to which one is assigned as to firm culture.

Sorry I don't have more information; it's all I've got.

Hangley under "attack"
 

There's a report on the "other" board that Hangley Aronchick is the victim of a phantom defecator. Apparently someone crapped in their hallway, but none yet knows who it is. This is one of the funniest things I've heard about in the Mid Atlantic legal community in years.

Anyone have any information?

Hangley under "attack"
 

Concur. That fucking rocks!

Hangley under "attack"
 

My firm also had a "phantom defacator". Anyone else?

I always wondered about the logistics. Would the PD actually squat there to leave em's mark? Or would they squat elsewhere, collect and distribute? Or do they have a dog and prefer to get rid of the waste at the office?

Phantom Defacators
 

I was with one firm in Tampa that had one.
It turned out to be one of the oldest name partners in the firm that had drop one - the guy was becoming incontinent and dropped his load before making it to the bathroom.
The housekeeping staff walked out the second time and they tried to have the mailroom staff clean it up and they also refused. The building maintenance crew had to pick it up.
The best part was that the rugs had been laid down over the weekend and the 1st incident happened first thing Monday morning before everyone else came in and the Firm Administrator went ballistic and even offered a reward after the 1st incident.
He was caught the second time that same week (the day of the office party) 'cause he used his key card and was the only one in that early..
It just kinda died down Real Quick - and "swept under the rug" LOL - but I heard that the MIS guys tried to claim the reward cause they tracked it down using the sytem..

Sting Tickets
 

I've got Sting/Annie Lennox tickets for sale in Camden, NJ, and Pittsburgh, PA if anyone's interested. Face Value. Otherwise, I'll put them on eBay. Just send me a pm and let me know.

Wolf Block focuses on Israeli clients
 

Wolf Block recently participated in a multi-day conference in Tel Aviv led by partner David Gitlin, who is chairman of the corporate/securities practice group and a member of the Israel bar.

New Jersey Office of LeBoeuf
 

...is closing down. The announcement was made to the associates and staff in person by the New York office management on April 1. Unfortunately, it was not an April Fool's day joke. Apparently, all associates were offered the opportunity to go to the NY office and same with staff except they were also offered a "package" if they preferred that.

Merged into main thread by baltassoc.

Question for the Pennsylvania folks
 

Anybody know anything about your newly former Secretary of Education, Vicki Phillips? She's just been hired to head my local school district.

Buchanan Ingersoll
 

What's happening here? I've heard about significant departures in multiple cities during the last week.

Question for the Pennsylvania folks
 

I know nothing about her, but if you go here and do a search for "Vicki Phillips" using the search function at the top, you'll get a boatload of articles.

SuperLawyers?
 

OK, so I will admit that I am not in the recently-published Pennsylvania SuperLawyers magazine, but I can't help but note that it is the biggest piece of self-congratulatory bullshit I have ever seen. That is all...

Litvin
 

So, the venerable plaintiffs' firm is officially no more. Sure, it was a badly-kept secret, but the way in which it was announced officially in yesterday's Legal (along with the chart listing where everyone is going) was just weird.

SuperLawyers?
 

You just had to pay some money and they put you on the list. Its even less credible than when Philadelphia Magazine used to compile its 100 Best list. There are a lot of great lawyers in the list, of course, but its also populated (30% or so) with idiots who got their friends to give them a vote. All you needed was something like 5 votes and you were a "super lawyer".