Ah, the easy life. For some people it is the windmill they keep tilting at, trying to find the exact right amount of effort that things work out for them, but not so much that they have to worry or stress out — about anything really, but certainly about a job. My father was like that. … Read more
You think it doesn’t happen? It does, unfortunately, and usually to more inexperienced attorneys. This is a seldom discussed subject because lawyers don’t really like to talk about this very important part of their business, referrals. And they certainly don’t like to talk about referral fees because somehow it seems “dirty.” But it isn’t. Referral rules … Read more
Well. This is not great for the legal profession. The DOJ announced an indictment yesterday against 30 corporate attorneys and financial professionals in connection with a sweeping insider trading scheme that prosecutors say targeted some of the country’s most prominent Biglaw firms. Federal prosecutors in Boston described it as a vast, decade-long scheme that netted … Read more
Senior Counsel Carolyn Samiere has been with Paragon for seven years, serving technology, life sciences, and pharma/biotech clients in the areas of compliance, contracting, licensing, and corporate governance. Her impressive legal career has spanned corporate, litigation, and regulatory work, and now she brings that wide skillset to her Paragon clients. We recently sat down with … Read more
One of the small rituals of law firm life is that attorneys frequently send exit emails to the colleagues they leave behind on their last day of work. These emails are usually warm, funny, and help attorneys leave positive impressions that might serve them well as they move throughout their careers. During my time at four different … Read more
Life can be strange sometimes. When I started writing this column I had a few expectations of what I might encounter. A few gossipy scandals, some crazy tales from document review projects, and one or two commenters encouraging me to commit suicide. Nothing out of the ordinary, at least not for the pages of ATL. But I never … Read more
AI has been taking the “y” out of “your” work product for years now. As courts succumb to the apparent inevitability of AI being used to collaborate on briefs, they’ve shared some pretty reasonable expectations with the lawyers who use ChatGPT or whatever LLM is en vogue to do their jobs. First and foremost, you … Read more
As soon as Donald Trump took office, he made it loud and clear that he was going to go bigly on immigration enforcement. Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, demanded a daily quota of 3,000 immigration-related arrests. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have increased their social media … Read more
As of today, John Sarcone III is out of a job. The former regional administrator for the US General Services Administration and town attorney in Westchester County was appointed to a 120-day term as interim U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York by Pam Bondi, and in order to keep the job, he needed … Read more
Most litigators need to travel for court conferences, depositions, site inspections, and other events during the life of a lawsuit. Depending on the type of appearance, a lawyer might spend more time traveling to attend an event than at the appearance itself. While many lawyers bill for travel time in some fashion, I have encountered vastly different … Read more