New York Law Journal

Has the indictment of Mayer Brown partner Joseph P. Collins sent "a chill down the spine" of transactional lawyers everywhere, as Collins' defense lawyer said it should? Reactions are mixed. While one corporate partner speculated that Collins "may just be a bad apple," another said the case would be watched closely in the darkening economic climate, adding, "When the economy takes a hit, there is a tendency to look for scapegoats to be taken out and shot."

New York Law Journal

An L.A. judge has denied a motion by Milberg Weiss and partner Melvyn I. Weiss to have their trial on conspiracy charges transferred to New York. In his motion to transfer, Weiss had offered a glimpse of his defense, saying New York-based character witnesses would testify he was preoccupied with humanitarian endeavors during the charged period. He said the testimony would help explain how David Bershad and Steven Schulman "could be involved in wrongdoing without Mr. Weiss' knowledge or participation."

The Recorder

For many years, U.S. law firms have been rushing into China, investing people and resources to help clients on the ground there. Now, a Chinese firm is mimicking their strategy — opening a representative office in the United States. This year, Guangzhou-based Alpha & Leader, with more than 60 lawyers, planted its flag in Los Angeles. The firm is among a handful from China that have set up shop here, likely harbingers as Chinese law firms mature and expand internationally.

Texas Lawyer

Partners in Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis and Dallas-based Hughes & Luce voted Monday to combine the two firms as of Jan. 1, creating a 1,539-lawyer firm in 23 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Peter Kalis, chairman and managing partner of the 1,390-lawyer K&L Gates, says all of the firm's 313 equity partners voted in favor of the deal. Edward O. Coultas, managing partner of the 149-lawyer Hughes & Luce, says his firm's partners voted nearly unanimously in favor.

The American Lawyer

Law professor Charles Reich, who went on to write "The Greening of America," began his legal career at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in 1952. In this letter to a new associate, he describes the firm of yesteryear, when only men worked at Cravath because women were deemed a "distraction," no one was too high up to proofread documents, and billable hours and making partner weren't a big deal. The message was: Excellent work is expected, but the pressure is off. Associates were on the inside for life.

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