New York courts have come down on opposite sides recently in immigration cases where defendants argued that their convictions are not valid in light of a recent Supreme Court decision on ineffective assistance of counsel. Steven Banks, attorney-in-chief of the Legal Aid Society, said that while no federal or state appellate court has decided whether to apply Padilla v.

Former Big Law partner Matthew Hudson has formed his own law firm with seed backing from private equity funds, some of which will take a stake in his firm when the Legal Services Act goes into effect in the U.K., allowing such activity by outside investors and allowing law firms to offer publicly traded shares.

New York City has sharply criticized a suit brought by five bar associations as “an assault” against its indigent defense system undertaken “in a hope to protect the pecuniary interests of their members.” The city’s challenge came in response to litigation by bar groups seeking to block a city plan to take away most “conflict” cases currently handled by private practitioners and shift them to institutional providers, such as the Legal Aid Society.

Lawyers for the estate of a woman shot to death by her ex-husband in a Connecticut courthouse parking lot in 2005 are fighting to get a full picture of what two top judges knew — or didn’t know — about courthouse security practices and policies. But the judicial branch is digging in its heels on discovery, invoking the doctrine of sovereign immunity.

Making partner is the pinnacle of a legal career at a law firm. But climbing the ladder to the top isn’t the main goal for most associates in the U.K., according to a Legal Week report. Only 38 percent of 3,800 associates surveyed consider making partner their ultimate career objective, compared to 45 percent in 2009 and 50 percent just two years ago