The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times

D.C. Bar Leaders Express Concern Over Dues Increase

The D.C. Bar Board of Governors voted earlier this month to raise member dues by $10, a decision that has drawn criticism from some board members who say it was an unnecessary increase and not in bar members' best interests.

Active bar members will pay $265 in annual dues beginning July 1, up from $255 last year. Judicial member dues will also go up, from $127 to $130, while dues for inactive members will hold at $130.

Board member and local solo practitioner Gregory Smith said his opposition to the increase wasn't so much about the amount, which he acknowledged wouldn't make a difference to most lawyers, as the principle and what it would fund. Under the approved budget, the bar would continue to set aside a little over $500,000 annually for future building needs, which could include buying space, as opposed to leasing as it does now.

Twenty-One Lawyers Apply for Superior Court Vacancy

Magistrate and administrative law judges dominated the pool of Washington lawyers who applied to fill an upcoming vacancy on the District of Columbia Superior Court.

Of the 21 applicants hoping to fill Judge A. Franklin Burgess Jr.'s seat after he retires, seven are Superior Court magistrate judges and five are local administrative law judges. The other nine attorneys come from private practice, civil legal services groups, and government agencies.

Burgess is set to step down August 3 after serving 30 years on the bench; he has said he plans to ask for appointment as a senior judge. The District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Commission, the local body that recommends applicants to the White House for consideration, is accepting comments on the applicants by April 29.

Law Firm Diversity Panel Highlights Role of Corporate Legal Departments

On a panel about law firm diversity, Joseph West, president and CEO of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, said diversity has become a numbers game, which he called "a blessing and a curse."

On the one hand, West said, the legal profession clearly had ramped up efforts in recent years to recruit minorities and women. But those numbers didn't reflect the poor job many firms and corporate legal departments were doing at keeping and promoting those lawyers, said West, a panelist at the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts annual conference in Washington.

The panelists highlighted how diversity affected their bottom line. Grace Speights, managing partner of the Morgan, Lewis & Bockius office in Washington, said she found that lawyers from different backgrounds approached cases and client matters in different ways, all for the better.

At Arent Fox, New Highs in Revenues and Profits in 2012

Arent Fox, bolstered by a strong year in the firm's intellectual property, civil litigation and government contracts practices, saw revenue per lawyer increase 2.7 percent to $750,000 in 2012 and profit per partner rise to $850,000, a 2.4 percent increase over last year, our reporting shows.

"The year that wrapped up was another very good year, a record year, for Arent Fox," said the firm's managing partner, Matthew Clark, whose practice focuses on international trade proceedings. "We had strong performances all across the firm."

Gross revenue at Arent Fox increased to $242.5 million, up 5.2 percent from the previous year. Net income stayed relatively flat, inching up less than 1 percent to $85 million. The firm increased to 323 total lawyers, eight more than our reporting showed in the previous year.

Clark said regulatory work in the import-export control and health care arenas was "up pretty significantly" for the firm. Food and drug litigation was strong, he said. Arent Fox had a "spectacular" year on the intellectual property front, he added.

Former Wilmer Attorney Accuses Firm of Gender and Age Discrimination

A former attorney with Wilmer Culter Pickering Hale and Dorr has filed a $5 million discrimination suit against the firm, in which she alleges that the firm retaliated against her taking leave to adopt a child.

The complaint was filed Thursday in D.C. Superior Court. The firm, which says the charges are without merit, has not yet had a chance to file a response to the suit in court.

Pamela Levinson joined Wilmer's D.C. office in September 2004 as a fourth year associate at the age of 45. In early December 2011, Levinson took four-and-a-half months of leave to adopt a 22-month old child. She was let go by the firm in February 2012.

The complaint cites Levinson's performance reviews as evidence of her hard work and excellent performance. In January 2008, Levinson was promoted to counsel. During one evaluation later that year, Randolph Moss, chair of the firm's regulatory and government affairs department, said that Levinson had made "invaluable contributions" and produced "well-organized, clear, and concise" written work. But that fall, Levinson was informed by Moss, named as her mentor in the complaint, that she would not be considered for a partnership position.

Arent Fox Promotes Three to Partner in D.C.

Arent Fox has promoted five attorneys to partner, including three lawyers from the firm's Washington office. The new title took effect January 1.

Aziz Burgy, Kevin Pinkney and Amy Schoenhard, are the new D.C.-based partners. All were previously associates.

Burgy is a partner in the intellectual property practice who focuses on litigation before U.S. District Courts and the International Trade Commission. He had handled cases involving medical devices, pharmaceuticals, internet security systems, computer software and hardware, industrial robotics and GPS technology.

Finnegan Promotes 10 Attorneys to Partner, Including Eight in D.C.

With partner promotion season in full swing, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner has promoted 10 attorneys to partner, including eight in Washington.

The D.C. attorneys promoted to partner include: Stephanie Bald, Christopher Blackford, Kenie Ho, Jennifer Johnson, Jill MacAlpine, Denise Main, William Raich and P. Andrew Riley. All are currently associates with the firm. The new title takes effect January 1.

Bald focuses her practice on trademark, false advertising, unfair competition and copyright infringement. She has argued before federal courts and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the Patent and Trademark Office. Blackford is a patent attorney who focuses on litigation before U.S. district courts and the International Trade Commission. He has handled cases related to electrical and computer technologies, smartphones, software, power management, telecommunications, semiconductors, circuit design and computer architecture, among others.

Gibson Dunn Promotes Two to Partner in D.C.

Updated 2:04 p.m.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has promoted 11 attorneys to partner, including two in Washington.

Adam Di Vincenzo and Scott Martin were previously associates with the firm. Their new titles take effect January 1.

Di Vincenzo focuses his antitrust practice on mergers and acquisitions, government investigations, intellectual property and civil litigation. Before joining the firm, Di Vincenzo was an attorney with the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division.

With Lawyers and Judges On Hand, Local Families Celebrate New Adoptions

Most days, Steptoe & Johnson partner Gary Morgans is a public utilities lawyer, handling complex regulatory matters for corporations. But on November 17, he was in court supporting a very different type of client: a family finalizing an adoption.

Morgans' client was one of 26 families to have adoption papers officially signed during the District of Columbia Superior Court's annual Adoption Day ceremony. The families took center stage, but it was also a day of celebration for the lawyers, social workers, judges and others who worked behind the scenes to connect loving parents with children in the city's public child welfare system.

The difference in a child's life once they've been placed with a new family is "a night and day situation for them," said Morgans, who has been handling adoption cases pro bono for a decade. Steptoe is one of several firms where lawyers take adoption cases referred by the Children's Law Center.

Mayer Brown Promotes Two D.C. Lawyers to Partner

Mayer Brown announced today that it had promoted 21 lawyers in its offices worldwide to partner, including two lawyers in its Washington office.

The new partners in Washington are Ann Marie Duffy, who has an intellectual property practice, and Adam Hudes, who handles litigation and dispute resolution.

"In addition to outstanding legal skills, these lawyers have demonstrated leadership, business acumen, excellence in client service and commitment to teamwork across practice areas and geographic boundaries, and we are delighted to welcome them as Mayer Brown partners," firm Chairman Paul Theiss said in a statement.