Pennsylvania Pulse

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    Gen AI Shows Promise — And Peril — For Pro Se Litigants

    Research on the capabilities of generative AI tools to help self-represented people has shown potential, but there is broad disagreement about how and when pro se litigants should be using them alone.

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    Meet The Pa. Bar Association's Incoming Leadership Team

    The Pennsylvania Bar Association's leadership team is set to roll over at its annual meeting next weekend as White and Williams partner Nancy Conrad prepares to step into the president's office.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Clement & Murphy PLLC and Yetter Coleman LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Fifth Circuit reversed a Texas federal court's $1.6 billion ruling against IBM in an operating agreement dispute with Houston-based software company BMC.

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    SAE International Dismisses CEO David Schutt

    Engineering organization SAE International announced that its board of directors voted to dismiss longtime chief executive officer David Schutt following a formal investigation into his conduct at the nonprofit.

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    Legal Industry Gains Jobs In April Following Downward Trend

    The U.S. legal sector eased back into a positive trajectory in April, with a gain of 3,200 jobs compared with the previous month, according to preliminary data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    This was another action-packed week for the legal industry as a mega-merger went live, three firms opened up offices in Boston and another acquired a Denver boutique. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • Eckert Seamans Sues For Inclusive Zoning Fight Fees

    Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott says a group representing Pittsburgh-area developers still owes nearly $76,000 in legal fees for the firm's work on a federal suit challenging an "inclusive zoning" ordinance, according to a complaint filed in Pennsylvania state court Thursday.

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    If High Court Upends Jan. 6 Conviction, What Happens Next?

    If the U.S. Supreme Court decides prosecutors overstepped by charging a rioter who stormed the Capitol with obstruction, the results will likely be mixed for hundreds of other defendants charged with the same crime, particularly those who have been convicted. That post-appeal uncertainty is nothing new, defense attorneys say.

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    Bowman And Brooke Opens In Philly, Adds 12 To US Offices

    National liability defense firm Bowman and Brooke LLP has completed a significant expansion of its footprint this week with the launch of a new Philadelphia office and the addition of 12 attorneys in nine offices.

  • Buchanan Grows Pa. Lobby Team With Ex-Treasury Deputy

    A former Pennsylvania deputy treasurer is leaving the public sector to help Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC expand its lobbying services by joining the Philadelphia office next week.

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    Commercial Boutique With Del., Pa. Offices Gets New Name

    Boutique commercial law firm Gellert Scali Busenkell & Brown LLC, which has offices in Delaware and Pennsylvania, is now Gellert Seitz Busenkell & Brown LLC due to the departure of one of its founders.

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    Goodwin Procter Uses Tech To Promote In-Office Attendance

    Goodwin Procter LLP's chair and managing partner told lawyers and business professionals in an email that the firm would be using new technology to monitor time spent in the office as it looks to promote compliance with its hybrid work policy, the firm confirmed to Law360.

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    How College GCs Are Dealing With Drama Of Protests

    New York City police descended on the Columbia University campus late Tuesday to arrest encamped protesters of the Israel-Gaza war, as general counsel for at least 20 universities across the nation grapple with how best to keep students safe while protecting everyone's free-speech rights.

  • Mette Evans, SkarlatosZonarich Merge Pa. Legal Teams

    A search for a deeper bench of attorneys and staff that could stabilize two mid-sized Pennsylvania firms and fill in gaps in their client services fueled this week's completed merger between Mette Evans & Woodside and SkarlatosZonarich LLC.

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    Law Firms See Revenue Soar Amid Rate Hikes

    Law firm revenue soared by 9.5% during the first quarter of 2024, buoyed by a nearly comparable hike in billing rates compared to the similar period in 2023, according to a new report from Wells Fargo's legal specialty group.

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    Yoga Lawyer: A Way of Being In The (Legal) World

    More than a decade ago, a stressful job and a pile of physical ailments prompted attorney Cindy Pensoneau to take a deep dive into yoga. Today, she continues to work as both a lawyer and as a yoga teacher, illustrating the growing role that the ancient mind-body practice can play in improving attorney mental health.

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    GCs Help Companies Close The Gap On Mental Health Efforts

    While they wait for their companies to implement more wellness policies that reach the root causes of employees’ stress and burnout, some general counsel and chief legal officers are filling the gap to help their law teams feel more supported.

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    Here's Why This GC Went Public With Her Bipolar Diagnosis

    Kelly Rentzel, who has held several general counsel positions throughout her career, largely credits her law degree for giving her the confidence to talk publicly about her bipolar diagnosis — which is something she had contemplated for two decades before taking the initial steps that ultimately led her to a lectern.

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    Blank Rome Opens Boston Office With New 25-Atty Team

    Blank Rome LLP said Wednesday that it has opened a Boston office with 25 corporate and finance attorneys from Burns & Levinson LLP, including 13 partners.

  • Special Master Rejects Fee Bid In NFL Concussion Case

    Goldberg Persky & White PC should not receive a cut of legal fees for its unsuccessful efforts to receive a settlement that another law firm later secured for a former National Football League player related to concussion-linked disability claims, a special master has said.

  • ABA Knocks Down 'Implausible' Data Breach Class Action

    The American Bar Association members suing the organization over a data breach have not identified any security measures the ABA failed to take, a New York federal judge said Tuesday when nixing what the organization called the members' "implausible" proposed class action.

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    Attys Who Move Between Firms, Cos. Can Be Bridge Builders

    There has been a recent flurry of effective, seasoned attorneys leaving decadeslong careers at law firms and transitioning to positions at the top of corporate legal departments, and vice versa. How do these hires affect the attorney-client relationship in the long run?

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    Genova Burns Adds Labor, Bankruptcy Attys In Philly, NJ

    Genova Burns LLC expanded its offices in the Philadelphia area and New Jersey this week with the additions of attorneys specializing in labor and bankruptcy law.

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    Return To Office Poses Pitfalls For Atty Mental Health

    As a therapist specialized in treating lawyers, Stacey Dougan hears a lot about law firm politics, addiction and the career's overwhelming demands. But lately, her clients have been bringing up a new source of anxiety: returning to the office.

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    Ethics Probes Take Mental Toll On Solo, Small Firm Attorneys

    Facing a disciplinary complaint can take a toll on any attorney’s mental health. But for solo practitioners and small firm lawyers, who typically juggle all aspects of their business from handling client matters to administrative tasks like managing trust accounts, it can threaten to upend their lives.

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Expert Analysis

  • Why Writing CLE Should Be Mandatory For Lawyers Author Photo

    Though effective writing is foundational to law, no state requires attorneys to take continuing legal education in this skill — something that must change if today's attorneys are to have the communication abilities they need to fulfill their professional and ethical duties to their clients, colleagues and courts, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona.

  • How To Find Your Inner Calm When Client Obligations Pile Up Author Photo

    In the most stressful times for attorneys, when several transactions for different partners and clients peak at the same time and the phone won’t stop buzzing, incremental lifestyle changes can truly make a difference, says Lindsey Hughes at Haynes Boone.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Support Gen Z Attorneys? Author Photo

    Meredith Beuchaw at Lowenstein Sandler discusses how senior attorneys can assist the newest generation of attorneys by championing their pursuit of a healthy work-life balance and providing the hands-on mentorship opportunities they missed out on during the pandemic.

  • Law Firm Cybersecurity Should Not Get Lost In The Cloud Author Photo

    A recent data leak at Proskauer via a cloud data storage platform demonstrates key reasons why law firms must pay attention to data safeguarding, including the increasing frequency of cloud-based data breaches and the consequences of breaking client confidentiality, says Robert Kraczek at One Identity.

  • Advice For Summer Associates Uneasy About Offer Prospects Author Photo

    There are a few communication tips that law students in summer associate programs should consider to put themselves in the best possible position to receive an offer, and firms can also take steps to support those to whom they are unable to make an offer, says Amy Mattock at Georgetown University Law Center.

  • How Law Firms Can Cautiously Wield AI To Streamline Tasks Author Photo

    Many attorneys are going to use artificial intelligence tools whether law firms like it or not, so firms should educate them on AI's benefits, limits and practical uses, such as drafting legal documents, to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving legal market, say Thomas Schultz and Eden Bernstein at Kellogg Hansen.

  • Keys To Managing The Stresses Of Law School Author Photo

    Dealing with the pressures associated with law school can prove difficult for many future lawyers, but there are steps students can take to manage stress — and schools can help too, say Ryan Zajic and Dr. Janani Krishnaswami at UWorld.

  • Can Mandatory CLE Mitigate Implicit Bias's Negative Impacts? Author Photo

    Amid ongoing disagreements on whether states should mandate implicit bias training as part of attorneys' continuing legal education requirements, Stephanie Wilson at Reed Smith looks at how unconscious attitudes or stereotypes adversely affect legal practice, and whether mandatory training programs can help.

  • Ditch The Frills And Start Writing Legal Letters In Plain English Author Photo

    To become more effective advocates, lawyers need to rethink the ridiculous, convoluted language they use in correspondence and write letters in a clear, concise and direct manner, says legal writing instructor Stuart Teicher.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Negotiate My Separation Agreement? Author Photo

    Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey discusses how a law firm associate can navigate being laid off, what to look for in a separation agreement and why to be upfront about it with prospective employers.

  • DoNotPay Cases Underscore Hurdles For AI-Fueled Legal Help Author Photo

    Recent legal challenges against DoNotPay’s "robot lawyer” application highlight pressing questions about the degree to which artificial intelligence can be used for legal tasks while remaining on the right side of both consumer protection laws and prohibitions against the unauthorized practice of law, says Kristen Niven at Frankfurt Kurnit.

  • For The Future Of Legal Practice, Let's Learn From The Past Author Photo

    At some level, every practicing lawyer is experiencing the ever-increasing speed of change — and while some practice management processes have gotten more efficient, other things about the legal profession were better before supposed improvements were made, says Jay Silberblatt, president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

  • Why All Law Firms Should Foster Psychological Capital Author Photo

    Law firms will be able to reap great long-term benefits if they adopt strategies to nurture four critical components of their employees' psychological wellness and performance — hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, says Dennis Stolle at the American Psychological Association.

  • A GC's Guide To Litigation, Inspired By Sun Tzu's 'Art Of War' Author Photo

    With caseloads and spending increasing, in-house counsel might find themselves called to opine on the risks and benefits of litigation more often, and they should look at five Sun Tzu maxims from the ancient Chinese classic "The Art of War" to inform their approach to any suit, says Jeff Golimowski at Womble Bond.

  • Mentorship Is Key To Diversity In The Legal Industry Author Photo

    Not only can effective mentorship have a profound impact on women and people of color entering the legal field, but it also benefits mentors and the legal profession as a whole, creating a true win-win situation for all involved, says Natasha Cortes at Grossman Roth.

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