Legal Book » chicago

Under New Management: Edwards Wildman Announces Leadership Change

Master — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:15:11 +0000

Edwards Wildman Palmer announced Monday the election of a new leadership team triumvirate, which is spread between offices in Chicago, London and Hartford, Conn. The change comes against the backdrop of a suit that two former partners filed this month against the firm and current managing partner Walter Reed.

Winston & Strawn, Nixon Peabody Fend Off Summary Judgment for Motorola in Trade Secrets War with Lemko

Master — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:39:13 +0000

A federal judge in Chicago has refused to throw out Motorola’s trade secrets claims against 4G technology manufacturer Lemko, clearing the way for trial on Motorola’s allegations that Lemko stole technology relating to wireless networking and wrongly asserted ownership of a family of related patents.

Ex-Seyfarth Shaw Partner Barred From Promoting Tax Shelters

Master — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:58:17 +0000

John Rogers, a former Seyfarth Shaw tax partner who now has his own practice in Chicago, has been prohibited by a federal judge from offering clients tax shelters that the government claims improperly reduce the income of U.S. taxpayers.

Will Kirkland’s Asia Gamble Pay Off?

Master — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 06:06:46 +0000

Kirkland & Ellis’ recruitment of eight partners from three different firms has been the talk of Hong Kong’s legal scene. The aggressive expansion by a formerly minor player in the region is a reminder of how fast things can change in Asia’s legal markets.

Despite Ick Factor, Abbott Beats Back More Claims over Baby Formula Tainted with Bug Bits

Master — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 05:24:39 +0000

When Abbott Labs recalled Similac baby formula due to possible contamination by beetle carcasses, the lawsuits began piling up. But some of them have hit roadblocks, as seen Friday, when a Chicago federal district court judge partially dismissed a putative class action.

In Gun Case Fee Dispute, Court Rules Against Chicago

Master — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 05:21:29 +0000

What does it mean to “win” in the Supreme Court? The 7th Circuit answered that question Thursday, ruling in favor of attorney Alan Gura’s request for legal fees for last year’s landmark ruling on Chicago’s handgun ban.

Jenner & Block Grows Corporate Practice With Chicago, New York Hires

Master — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:56:31 +0000

Jenner & Block is continuing a push to expand its corporate practice, announcing on Monday that it has hired partners from Winston & Strawn and Goodwin Procter for its New York and Chicago offices.

Chicago Firm Opens in S.F. With Laterals From Sedgwick, Long & Levit

admin — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 03:27:21 +0000

Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson, a 90-lawyer Chicago firm specializing in insurance and labor and employment litigation, opened in San Francisco on Monday with seven partners and four associates, raided from several firms.

Garden not eligible for copyright protection, 7th Circuit rules

admin — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:10:38 +0000

A living garden is not eligible for copyright protection, the 7th Circuit has ruled, partially affirming and reversing a lower court ruling about a wildflower garden an artist installed in a Chicago park.

DLA Piper adds five Chicago partners from Paul Hastings

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 04:30:57 +0000

DLA Piper has added five restructuring partners to its Chicago office from Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, including Richard Chesley, the founder and former chairman of Paul Hasting’s Chicago location.

7th Circuit panel admonishes dogged plaintiffs’ lawyer — again

Master — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 09:09:01 +0000

The U.S.

Judge Refuses to Nullify Blagojevich Conviction

admin — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 07:46:34 +0000

A Chicago judge refused Wednesday to nullify Rod Blagojevich’s lone conviction at his first corruption trial, flatly rejecting the ousted governor’s claims of trial errors and prosecutorial misconduct. Federal Judge James Zagel said defense arguments for quashing the guilty verdict for lying to the FBI relied on a “well-known principle that if a lawyer cannot attack the law or facts … the only recourse is to attack the prosecutor.” Jurors convicted the impeached governor on just one of 24 counts in August.

Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago Sues Financial Institutions Over $3.3 Billion in Mortgage-Backed Securities

admin — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 05:21:20 +0000

Add the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago to the list of parties seeking billions from the banks that sold mortgage-backed securities. On Friday, the Home Loan Bank’s lawyers at Keller Rohrback filed a complaint in Illinois state court against dozens of financial institutions, including the largest banks in the world, over the sale of $3.3 billion in private label mortgage-backed securities, a type of residential mortgage-backed security issued by private entities.

7th Circuit Cites New Health Care Law in Univ. of Chicago Medicare Ruling

Master — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:42:51 +0000

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals created a circuit split by ruling that Medicare should reimburse the University of Chicago Medical Center for medical residents’ research work not related to Medicare patients. By upholding a Northern District of Illinois ruling that the medical center is eligible for Medicare reimbursements for “indirect medical education” expenses, such as research, this ruling stands in opposition to a 1st Circuit 2008 holding

Judge Won’t Enjoin Fee Fight Between Firms in Cell-Phone Contract Litigation

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 21:58:33 +0000

U.S. District Judge Jose Linares in New Jersey has allowed an arbitration to proceed between Lakin Chapman of Wood River, Ill., and Freed & Weiss of Chicago over a portion of $5.775 million in legal fees approved as part of a class action settlement. The suit challenged the imposition of flat-rate, early-termination fees on cell-phone contracts.

Case of Blogger Accused of Threatening Judges Is Expected to Go to Jury Soon

Master — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 08:22:04 +0000

The third trial of Harold Turner, the Internet-radio host charged with threatening to kill three Chicago appeals court judges, is expected to go to the jury as early as this afternoon. With only one witness to go, the two-day trial has been markedly more civil than Turner’s earlier trials, in which his defense attorneys attempted to debate fine points of constitutional law with the three allegedly threatened judges, who each took the stand as witnesses for the prosecution

Lateral Hiring Heats Up in Chicago Legal Market

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:28:18 +0000

The cloud of doom and gloom has dissipated over Chicago’s legal market. With the economy picking up and law firms needing fresh bodies to replace the thousands laid off last year, 2010 has witnessed an increase in associate hiring

Paul Hastings Expands Chicago Office With Greenberg, Katten Hires

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:25:13 +0000

Nine attorneys have joined the corporate practice in Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker’s Chicago office, bringing the office’s attorney headcount to 57. The attorneys, whose first day at the firm was Friday, hail from both Katten Muchin Rosenman and Greenberg Traurig. They said they were attracted to their new firm because it provided them an opportunity not only to work together, but also to help firmly establish private equity as a full-fledged practice in Chicago.

Reed Smith Partner’s Death Deemed a Suicide

Master — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:53:52 +0000

The Cook County, Ill., medical examiner’s office has determined that Reed Smith partner Stewart Dolin, who died last week after being struck by a Chicago Transit Authority train, committed suicide. Dolin, who was 57, co-chaired Reed Smith’s corporate and securities practice. Dolin’s suicide is the latest involving an Am Law 200 partner in recent months

Chicago Approves Tough New Handgun Restrictions in Wake of Supreme Court Ruling

admin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 05:11:51 +0000

The Chicago City Council on Friday approved what city officials call the strictest handgun ordinance in the nation, but not before lashing out at the U.S.

Former NBA Star Wins $2 Million Legal Malpractice Judgment

Master — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:57:35 +0000

It’s not a legal slam dunk, but a Chicago jury has awarded $2 million to former NBA star Scottie Pippen in a malpractice suit against a law firm that represented him in a business deal that went bad.

Justices Expand Second Amendment Gun Rights to States

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 07:55:21 +0000

The Supreme Court on Monday expanded the Second Amendment’s reach to the states, opening the door to challenges of local handgun laws across the country. In McDonald v

Fla. Court Tosses Out $522 Million Verdict Against Accounting Firm

Master — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:50:53 +0000

Accounting giant BDO Seidman won its bid for a new trial Wednesday when an appeals court overturned a record $522 million verdict for Espirito Santo Bank, finding the Chicago firm was put in the unfair position of defending itself in a three-phase trial. BDO was charged with failing to catch fraud related to the collapse of E.S.

Boutiques Split Off From Neal Gerber and LeClairRyan

Master — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 04:19:45 +0000

Recently, five attorneys formerly with Chicago’s Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg announced their new firm, Chicago Law Partners, and 15 lawyers from LeClairRyan broke away to form Murphy & McGonigle. Both firms cite the ability to charge clients less as one factor in the moves

Lawyers Convicted in Tax Shelter Scheme

Master — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 04:29:06 +0000

Two attorneys were convicted last week in a scheme to fraudulently collect referral fees on tax shelters designed and marketed in conjunction with the defunct law firm Jenkens & Gilchrist. John B. Ohle III, who worked as a supervisor in the Chicago office of Bank One’s “innovative strategies group” and helped design the shelters, was found guilty of wire and tax fraud conspiracy and two counts of tax evasion.