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American Bar Association
Panelists See Progress for Women of Color at Corporate Legal Departments, But Barriers Still Exist
Many large corporations are making significant progress in bringing diversity to their legal departments and creating opportunities for women of color to advance, but a panel of women lawyers in corporate leadership positions told a packed audience today that women also need to take control of their careers if they want to advance up the corporate ladder. "Be bold, and let people know what you want," said Denise F. Keane, executive vice president and general counsel of Altria Group Inc., in Richmond, Va. Systems implemented at companies to help people advance "need to work really well to find you. You've got to take the initiative." Keane is a member of…
Nonlawyer Ownership Interests in Law Firms Remains an Unsettled Issue for Ethics 20/20 Commission
The ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20 still is undecided on whether it will make a recommendation on whether nonlawyers should be allowed to have some form of limited ownership interest in U.S. law firms. In recent months, the commission's work on the issue has focused on what the substance of such a recommendation might be. On Dec. 2, the commission released a discussion paper (PDF) on alternative law practice structures that outlines one possible approach to nonlawyer ownership—but it does not amount to an actual recommendation. The commission also posted initial draft proposals (PDF) on choice-of-law issues affecting fee-sharing when law firms operating…
Paralegal Who Falsely Claimed to Be a Doctor, Then Became a Lawyer, Has Law License Suspended
In the latest example of a law firm burned after apparently failing to confirm a worker's credentials, the Legal Profession Blog is reporting that a Massachusetts attorney's law license has been suspended for two years because she falsely held herself out as a physician. Susan Friery, who had taken courses toward a doctorate degree in pathology and worked as a morgue technician, initially began working as a paralegal for Kreindler & Kreindler around 1987. She claimed to have graduated in the top 1 percent of her class at Columbia University's medical school, according to the blog and a law firm press release announcing…
Anonymous Hackers Say They Stole Email from Haditha Sgt.‘s Defense Team for ‘People’s Trial’
The hacktivist collective known as Anonymous claims to have obtained material from a law firm's computer system concerning its defense of a controversial U.S. Marine accused of responsibility for the 2005 slayings of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq. Anonymous says it retrieved about three gigabytes of "court mails, faxes, transcriptions etc" from Puckett & Faraj related to its defense not only of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich but other marines, Computerworld reports. The group, which also says it defaced the Puckett & Faraj website, plans to make the marine defense material public soon. "We believe it is time to release all of their private information and court evidence to…
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Criminal
