Meredith Hobbs

March 24, 2006 | Law.com

Attorney Cary S. Wiggins succeeded at the 11th Circuit last month in overturning Georgia's obscenity law, which includes a ban on so-called sex toys. He said that when he gave his father the news, the initial response was "You're not proud of that, are you?" Wiggins told him that he was, explaining that he "convinced a panel of three federal judges to see the statute violates one of the public's most cherished rights, namely, free speech" -- even though obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment.

By Meredith Hobbs

7 minute read

September 13, 2007 | Law.com

Earlier this year, Atlanta lawyer Andrew Speaker became the world's most infamous tuberculosis patient. Speaker says he did nothing wrong when he left the U.S., other than to overestimate the competence of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Today he's in excellent health and takes 11 pills daily to make sure the TB will be fully eradicated. But his personal injury law practice is floundering, and his life is far from normal. "Most of the negative attention was from being an attorney," he says.

By Meredith Hobbs

9 minute read

June 23, 2006 | Law.com

ABA president Michael S. Greco is warning of the danger that unchecked executive power poses to democracy. The focus of his crusade: President Bush's use of the presidential signing statement, a caveat that Bush has added to bills he's signed into law. Greco has convened a bipartisan ABA task force to investigate whether Bush's extensive use of the statements exceeds his powers. Says Greco: "We fought the Revolutionary War to get away from King George -- and we have another one who's acting like a king."

By Meredith Hobbs

7 minute read

June 29, 2005 | Law.com

Labor and employment boutique Fisher & Phillips has gained a key outpost right outside New York -- its first in the Northeast -- by merging with 14-lawyer Jacob & Mills. The acquired firm's two principals said they decided to give up their independent status and merge with a national labor and employment boutique in response to changes transforming the labor and employment legal market nationwide. The merger gives Fisher & Phillips 15 offices and nearly 200 lawyers across the country.

By Meredith Hobbs

5 minute read

August 03, 2007 | National Law Journal

Alston & Bird is raising pay for its Atlanta associates, effective next January, with first-years getting a bump from $130,000 to $145,000. But not everyone's happy. Visitors to the Above the Law blog contended that associate pay in Atlanta lags behind that of comparable markets -- and others criticized Alston for pay compression, pointing out that the firm isn't increasing pay for more senior classes by the $15,000 figure that first-years will enjoy. "First years get a 15K raise. I get 5K," groused one.

By Meredith Hobbs

6 minute read

February 02, 2007 | Law.com

Home Depot GC Frank L. Fernandez and executive VP of human resources Dennis Donovan have resigned and will leave effective Feb. 14, the company announced Thursday. James C. Snyder Jr., the company's VP for litigation and risk management, was named the legal department's interim head. There was no reason given for either departure. The resignations follow the recent departure of Chief Executive Bob Nardelli amid a furor over shareholder ire at his hefty pay and the company's declining stock price.

By Meredith Hobbs

2 minute read

August 23, 2007 | The Legal Intelligencer

A volunteer EMT who was injured on the job is entitled to the statewide average weekly wage despite the fact that she had otherwise been unemployed for decades, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled this week.

By Meredith Hobbs

9 minute read

April 15, 2010 | The Legal Intelligencer

Health care lawyers are in hot demand - especially since the passage of national health care reform legislation last month.

By Meredith Hobbs

6 minute read

March 30, 2011 | The Legal Intelligencer

The difficulties facing law firms and large corporate clients in shifting from hourly billing to alternative fee arrangements were illustrated in a conversation between an in-house and firm lawyer at Thursday's meeting of the Association of Corporate Counsel's Georgia chapter, held at the law firm Sutherland.

By Meredith Hobbs

6 minute read

April 02, 2010 | Law.com

Three big firm associates have taken the entrepreneurial plunge and formed Townsend Lockett & Milfort, catering to startups and small businesses. "We want to use our talents to be more meaningful and helpful," said Travis T. Townsend Jr., the new firm's managing partner. The other firm lawyers are D. Tennell Lockett and Job J. Milfort. The firm is securing minority-owned business certification, and has established a majority-minority alliance with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice to refer business to each other.

By Meredith Hobbs

4 minute read