Baker Botts Joins Special Associate Bonus Bandwagon
Houston-based Baker Botts announced Friday morning that it is the latest in a string of corporate law firms to give associates a special bonus ranging from $12,000 to $64,000.
McKool Smith, Norton Rose Fulbright Join the Associate Special Bonus Parade
Dallas-based litigation firm McKool Smith and global legal giant Norton Rose Fulbright have joined an extended list of corporate law firms operating in Texas to pay its associates and counsel five-digit special bonuses. For senior associates, this will push their 2021 compensation above $500,000. The Texas Lawbook has the details.
Former Partner Sues Polsinelli for Sexual Orientation Discrimination
A Houston bankruptcy lawyer has sued his former employer, Polsinelli, alleging that he was fired because he’s gay. The plaintiff is being represented by Bill Brewer III and Bill Brewer IV.
V&E Matches Big ‘Special Bonuses’ for Associates, Counsel
Vinson & Elkins announced Wednesday that it is giving its associates and counsel “special bonuses” ranging from $12,000 for the firm’s newest associates to $64,000 for its most senior associates and counsel. Akin Gump announced similar bonuses Tuesday.
Thompson Coburn’s Crazy First Year in Texas
Three hundred ninety-two days ago, four women partners opened the Dallas office of St. Louis-based Thompson Coburn. The date was March 2. The lawyers had big kickoff plans, including a big office opening party. Two weeks later, a once-a-century pandemic hit. Courthouses were shutdown. Restaurants shuttered. Air travel nearly ceased. No lunches or dinners or parties. Nicole Williams and her team shifted their strategy. What did they do and how did they do it? A Texas Lawbook Q&A has the details.
Returning to the Office in 2021: Key Safety Factors for Employers to Consider
New Polsinelli shareholder Jason Weber and Haven Diagnostics medical director Dr. Michael Gao look at the most recent scientific news and the impact of the approved vaccines and share their thinking about various practical and legal considerations that employers need to weigh when devising and implementing their office reopening plans.
Kirkland & Ellis Bets on the Texas Trifecta
Kirkland & Ellis, the world’s most profitable law firm, is expanding its footprint in Texas again. Since it opened its first office in Houston seven years ago, Kirkland has been the fastest growing corporate legal operation in Texas. Now, the Chicago-founded law firm is tripling down on its bet on the Lone Star State with plans to open in Austin.
Polsinelli Dallas MP Brian Bullard, One Year on the Job
As Polsinelli nears its 10-year anniversary in Dallas, The Texas Lawbook caught up with Dallas office managing partner Brian Bullard to reflect on his first year leading the office in what was a truly historic and turbulent first 12 months.
Duane Morris Opens in Dallas with Four Partners
Four Barnes & Thornburg litigators have left the firm to launch Duane Morris' new Dallas office, which the Philadelphia firm says solidifies its presence in the state's high-technology and energy sectors.
Pandemic Finances – From Fear to Confidence (Part 3)Lawyers Plan to Put New Skills to Work
How would the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted the legal business before laptops and the internet – an era within the living memory of some lawyers still practicing, when secretary-typed documents, wall-wired telephones and telexes or faxes were the main alternatives to face-to-face engagement. Would lawyers have taken foolish risks with their health – just to make a living? Would communications obstacles shut down legal practices and squeeze revenues enough to cause some firms to fail? The Texas Lawbook takes a look.
Pandemic Finances – From Fear to Confidence (Part 2)The Saving Grace: Technology and Firm Culture
Texas corporate law firms salvaged their 2020 revenues because of strong demand from clients trying to navigate a perplexing business environment and a surprising capacity, heretofore hidden or rarely called upon, to supply those services remotely. Even though firms leapt into it literally overnight with no time to plan and prepare, remote working proved effective and efficient last year. “The pandemic impacted how we did business much more than the business we did,” said King & Spalding’s Houston office leader Tracie Renfroe.
Pandemic Finances: The Charts
2020 Revenues v. 2019 More or Less Than Expected? Pandemic or Oil? Revenues per Lawyer Above $1 Million Revenues per Lawyer Below $1 Million Profits Per Partner: Top 13 Profits