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Kilpatrick Stockton rated top Atlanta law firm in survey

Kilpatrick Stockton has been recognized as the top Atlanta-based law firm, and is featured as no. 10 among the top 100 Amlaw firms, as rated by The American Lawyer. In the magazine's annual Midlevel Associates survey, the firm is ranked 23^rd in terms of workplace satisfaction. The survey included responses of law firm associates from 197 law firms domestically and internationally, and considered the firm's overall quality on the basis of that ranking. The firms were rated on the basis of benefits and compensation offered to staff, quality and quantity of work, morale, and associate and partner relations.

The firm, whose associates had a 60% participation rate, was also ranked high among other national law firms in 12 different categories. Kilpatrick Stockton employs more than 480 attorneys in nine offices across the globe, offering expertise in corporate, litigation, financial transactions, and intellectual property practice areas.

08-18-2006

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DLA Piper optimistic on pursuing mega-deals after robust growth

Following the restructuring of its corporate strategy, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary has firmed up plans to act on deals of up to $ 3.39 billion, and will allocate smaller deals to its regional office across the globe. According to lawyer.com, the initiative is the fallout of an 82 percent rise in the average size of the deals, which increased drastically from $67.44 million to $125.39 million.

The operations at the law firm's London office will lead in the number of deals, as the firm is pushing towards upper mid-market work. It is noteworthy that the firm's corporate group operations in Europe, Middle East, and Asia registered a sharp revenue increase of 71.4 percent from $92.9 million to $159.2 million. With the increase in the volumes of the deal and anticipating a growth in market, DLA Piper is expecting the size of the deal to further increase from its present level.

08-18-2006

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Baker & Daniels concentrates on biotech, pharmaceutical sector

Law firm Baker & Daniels is solidifying plans to focus on biotechnology and the pharmaceutical sector and has marked out a strategy to widen its practice areas. The firm has inducted Geoffrey Karny and Ronald Kamis at its Washington, DC office. The two attorneys will assist the firm in counseling biotech and pharmaceutical industries in matters related to intellectual property.

Baker & Daniels provides business and legal counsel to clients throughout the United States and around the world, including Fortune 500 corporations, regional businesses, nonprofit organizations, local governments, and individuals. It has more than 350 lawyers and affiliated legal professionals located across Indiana, Washington, DC, and China. They offer expertise in antitrust appellate practice, business planning, commercial, financial and bankruptcy, construction, corporate finance, education law, employee benefits, energy and public utilities, environmental law, government affairs, health care, immigration, individual/family insurance and financial services, intellectual property, labor and employment, life sciences, litigation, medical device and pharmaceuticals, nonprofit private equity, venture capital and investment management.

08-17-2006

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Kansas City firms expanding with business from alternative energy projects

Kansas City based law firms have high hopes for the future of the alternative energy industry. Business in this sector is perceived as a useful proposition to increase a firm's reputation and practice area in the region. Recently, many businessmen and investors have shown keen interest in the development of new ethanol plants, bio-diesel facilities, wind farms, and other alternative businesses. Given the need for attorneys to assist in regulation, contracts, taxes, and construction, the law firms anticipate high demand for their services, and look forward to active participation in the industry's growth.

Proximity to the crops that produce ethanol, one of the most promising energy sources, has the Midwest singled out as the area to watch for alternative fuel. The development in the region has prompted many law firms to consolidate their practice areas. Blackwell Sanders has formulated a team of 12 people with strong expertise in bio-energy and renewable fuels, while Lathrop & Gage LC also has a substantial team of lawyers working on alternative fuels.

08-17-2006

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Ohio Supreme Court revamps State's Ethics Code

The Supreme Court of Ohio has recently adopted the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct, the first major change introduced in 36 years, to take effect from February 1, 2007. The State of Ohio thereby joins 46 other states by adopting new rules of professional conduct for attorneys.

The change is likely to affect transaction lawyers, law students, and litigators the most. The major changes include new requirements to keep written records of their communications with clients, including fees and scope of representation, and maintain records for seven years.

Lawyers will now be permitted to reveal confidential client information, in cases of reasonably certain death, bodily harm, or substantial injury to the financial interests of another person. In addition, lawyers may reveal information pertaining to "illegal or fraudulent" actions as opposed to just "criminal or fraudulent", thus expanding the conditions of disclosure. In case a potential client reveals information to a lawyer he or she has not yet hired, the lawyer will be required to keep the information confidential even if not hired. The current law only encourages the lawyer to keep the information private.

The Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct are developed from the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct. The Rules themselves are open for review at: http://supremecourtofohio.gov/Atty-Svcs/ProfConduct/default.asp.

08-17-2006

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Outsourcing legal work - a help or a threat?

The legal arena in North America and British Columbia is undergoing change, with a large amount of legal work being shifted from local firms towards the firms located outside the country, especially to India. India's laws prohibit firms from containing more than 20 partners, so the country's population includes nearly one million English-speaking lawyers who are looking outside their own borders. These attorneys offer work that ranges from patent searches, contract review and preparation, to legal research. The benefits for their employers are many, principal among them savings in cost and turnaround time, and satisfaction guarantees.

Perhaps inevitably, questions are being raised as to the quality of work done by Indian lawyers and whether they are eligible to offer services in B.C. The Law Society of British Columbia has ruled in favor of the latter, but only if the outsourced lawyers are personally qualified to practice in B.C. The quality aspect is to some extent subjective, though there are many speakers for both sides. Ultimately, the trend seems to be unstoppable, and North American firms should take note and plan for the future.

08-16-2006

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Florida town spends more than $400,000 a year on legal services

North Port, Florida pays more than $400,000 yearly for legal advice. The City of North Port holds a retainer on the services of Sarasota-based law firm Nelson Hesse, and pays additional annual charges of $270,000 for a variety of matters it handles as the city's legal counsel, as well as costs the firm incurs handling retainer-related business.

A division of Sun Coast Media Group Inc. reports that the City continues to pay the retainer fee of $160,000 to the firm for one of its partners, Robert K. Robinson, to attend commission meetings and advise the administration on city matters, drafts, reviews ordinances, and other standard legal matters for commissioners in the ordinary course of running North Port. Additionally, Robinson charges the city $175 per hour for litigation services. His expenses in these matters are paid.

Although the city does not have its own attorney, it has designated large offices on the new City Hall building for a future City attorney and his staff. Earlier, the City had mooted the idea of having an in-house attorney, which was rejected later. However, legal experts are in favor of this idea, which will ultimately reduce the cost and benefit the citizens of North Port.

08-16-2006

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