Pennsylvania

Expert Analysis

• Cloud Computing Clearly The Future For Small Firms

  

  While in-house technology investments on the scale and complexity needed to compete with large firms remain cost prohibitive for small and midsize law firms, cloud-based services offer significant cost savings and productivity gains with little to no capital investment, says Holly Urban of Effortless Legal LLC.

• Leveraging Today's Lateral Associate Market

  

  With the Milbank/Cravath pay scale once again equalizing compensation at many Am Law 100 firms, there is even more pressure for firms to differentiate themselves to top lateral associate candidates. This presents strategic considerations for both law firms and lateral candidates throughout the recruitment process, says Darin Morgan of Major Lindsey & Africa.

• Q&A

  Back To School: Stanford's Jeff Fisher Talks Supreme Court

  

  In this series featuring law school luminaries, Stanford Law School professor Jeffrey Fisher discusses his motivation for teaching, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court and what the court might look like if Judge Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed.

• Clearing Up Some Pipeline Permit Questions At 3rd Circ.

  

  Two recent decisions from the Third Circuit — Delaware Riverkeeper and Township of Bordentown — indicate that resolving questions related to state appeals of pipeline project permits will ultimately turn on the particulars of the state administrative process, say Deidre Duncan and Clare Ellis of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP.

• 5 Big Changes To Pa. Contractor Payment Law

  

  Pennsylvania's amended Contractor and Subcontractor Payment Act, which will apply to construction contracts entered into on or after Oct. 10, will provide downstream entities with robust protections to better ensure prompt payment for completed work, says Kenneth Cushing of Cozen O'Connor.

• Calif.'s New Rules For Lawyers Move Closer To ABA Model

  

  The first comprehensive overhaul of California's Rules of Professional Conduct in nearly 30 years becomes operational on Nov. 1. Some of the new rules mirror the model language used by the American Bar Association, but many continue to reflect California’s unique approach to certain ethical questions, says Mark Loeterman of Signature Resolution LLC.

• Know The Limits To Atty Public Statements During A Trial

  

  The balancing act between protecting attorneys’ speech rights and ensuring unbiased adjudications was highlighted recently in two cases — when Michael Cohen applied for a restraining order against Stephanie Clifford's attorney, and when Johnson & Johnson questioned whether a Missouri talc verdict was tainted by public statements from the plaintiffs' counsel, says Matthew Giardina of Manning Gross & Massenburg LLP.

• Clarifying The Scope Of Bankruptcy Code 3rd-Party Injunction

  

  The Third Circuit’s decision last month in W.R. Grace contains valuable lessons for insurers on the benefits that can be obtained by a third-party injunction issued under Section 524(g)(4) of the Bankruptcy Code, say Craig Goldblatt and Nancy Manzer of WilmerHale.

• Q&A

  A Chat With Faegre Client Development Chief Melanie Green

  

  In this monthly series, Amanda Brady of Major Lindsey & Africa interviews management from top law firms about the increasingly competitive business environment. Here we feature Melanie Green, chief client development officer at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP.

• Guest Feature

  Tom Mesereau Talks MJ, Cosby, Unconventional Choices

  

  Tom Mesereau may be recently recognizable as one of the attorneys who defended Bill Cosby, but his biggest claim to fame is successfully defending Michael Jackson in 2005. On the eve of what would have been the King of Pop’s 60th birthday, Randy Maniloff, of White and Williams LLP, spoke to Mesereau about his unconventional path to a remarkable career.