New Managing Partner At Morris Manning

New Managing Partner At Morris Manning

The well known Atlanta based firm, Morris Manning, will be under new management in 2010. Louise Wells will be taking over the firm, making her the first woman to lead Morris Manning. The firm's press release is understandably positive about the future of the firm:

The firm's succession plan is being implemented to ensure that the firm is positioned to capitalize on ever-evolving market conditions for the continued success of its clients and the firm. As a critical component of the plan, the firm created an Executive Committee that will work closely with Wells. The Executive Committee members include litigation partner John P. MacNaughton, corporate partner David M. Calhoun and real estate partner Thomas S. Gryboski.

"I am honored to accept this responsibility," Wells offered. "As a result of the firm's unique culture and entrepreneurial spirit, we have been responsive to the challenging market conditions. We have made smart strategic decisions that build upon the firm's solid platform, better positioning us to succeed and drive forward in the coming months and years," she added.

Mmm ... peaceful transition of power ...

The current managing partner, Robert E. Saudek, will step down at the end of the year, but he will still be active with the firm.

Good luck with the transition.

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Lawsuit of the Day: Don't Like Your Grade? Sue Your School.

Lawsuit of the Day: Don't Like Your Grade? Sue Your School.

A former Cardiff (U.K.) law student sued her school for giving her low grades on two oral exams, and she won. The Times Online reports:

Alice Clarke was given low marks in two assessments for her Bar Vocational Course that all lawyers have to pass to practise as a barrister.

She claimed that the low marks for her oral examinations in advanced criminal law and legal negotiation were because of disagreements with her tutors and asked Cardiff University to reassess them. When it refused, she pursued her claim through the High Court.

Wow, it's not too late for me to get my Sears Prize. It was unfairly denied me because my graders were too focused on form and substance instead of poorly thought out witty remarks!

Of course, to win a lawsuit and force your law school into court ordered grade inflation you need a couple of things: time and a complete inability to make sound economic decisions with your litigation dollar.

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Florida is Looking At Your Facebook Character and Fitness

Florida is Looking At Your Facebook Character and Fitness

Is your Facebook page ready for your character and fitness exam? If you are applying to the Florida state bar, you might want to update your profile. Over on True/Slant, Kash examines employers who want to use Facebook against you:

[N]ot all legal types respect Facebook privacy. The Florida Bar Examiners, the group that decides who gets to become a lawyer in Florida, is considering forcing some wannabe lawyers to be subjected to a thorough social networking investigation prior to their being knighted esquires.

Florida bar examiners will look for evidence of substance abuse in applicants with a history of those problems, and will of course check to see if you would like to overthrow the government.

Click on the link below for Kash's picture thoughts.

Should it be illegal for employers to check job applicants' Facebook profiles?

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Small Law Firms: Is the Grass Really Greener?

Small Law Firms: Is the Grass Really Greener

As super-big law firms suffer through the recession, many midsize and small firms are thriving. Back in June, we discussed these firms as a viable alternative to Biglaw. (A number of smaller firms -- e.g., Stone & Magnanini, Silver Golub & Teitell, and McKool Smith -- are even hiring, with the help of job postings on Above the Law.)

But are smaller firms all they're cracked up to be? We try to present both sides of the story. Check out this letter, from the ATL mailbag:

I'm an Ivy League law grad with a couple of years in big law. I got laid off and eventually found a job at a smaller firm. Like, way smaller. Unsurprisingly, I know a couple of people to whom this has happened (and a couple who haven't found jobs as well, of course).

The commonly held wisdom is that the trade off in big law is money for your time and soul, while smaller firms pay less, but ask less. I'm not finding this to be really true, and neither are my friends.

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