Talent war drives up top lawyers' bonuses; judge's hold on patent cases faces opposition; law firms sued by ex-partner over arbitration bid
Reuters Legal
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U.S. companies' bid to retain in-house talent drives up top lawyers' cash compensations, even as a gender pay gap persists, a West Texas judge's hold on patent cases is challenged, law firms sued by a former employee over arbitration, and a self-styled "lottery lawyer" was convicted of defrauding his lottery-winning clients out of $107 million.
Total cash compensation for top lawyers at U.S. companies has jumped by an average of 15% since 2020, driven in part by higher bonuses as companies fight to retain in-house legal talent in a competitive market, according to a survey released Wednesday.
The survey, conducted by legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa of in-house pay in partnership with Western Management Group, is based on 3,300 respondents in 46 countries.
However, while compensation is increasing overall, a gender pay gap persists for top company lawyers, including noticeable differences in bonuses, the survey added.
Melba Hughes, a partner and executive director of in-house counsel recruiting at Major, Lindsey & Africa, said pay, including bonuses, is often an important tool to recruit prospective in-house hires.
"The market has been extremely competitive for talent in the in-house world."
The chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas has ordered new patent cases filed in Judge Alan Albright's Waco court to be split between Albright and the district's other 11 judges, effectively ending a policy that has allowed Albright's court to host nearly a quarter of all pending U.S. patent cases.
Albright has been criticized by some for policies said to be overly friendly to so-called "patent trolls" that generate revenue by suing over patents, and for allegedly soliciting patent plaintiffs to sue in his court.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont jointly criticized the "extreme concentration" of cases in Albright's court in a letter to U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts last year.
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"In no district, and in no area of law, should a plaintiff be allowed to shop not just for a particular forum but for a particular judge."
San Francisco attorney Karen Hourigan sued her former employer, law firm Redgrave, and its counsel, national employment law firm Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, accusing them of trying to force her into arbitration based on an agreement she never signed.
Hourigan said in her San Francisco federal court lawsuit?that making her arbitrate employment claims against Redgrave would violate California law and a?federal law?prohibiting mandatory arbitration of employee sexual harassment claims.
Hourigan also stated in her lawsuit that she "faces an imminent threat that defendants will force" her into arbitration and prevent her from litigating her employment claims in court.
A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted New York attorney Jason Kurland accused of defrauding his lottery-winning clients out of $107 million.
The self-styled "lottery lawyer," Jason Kurland was convicted on five counts of wire fraud, honest services wire fraud and money laundering, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan said.
Kurland used his position as a lawyer "to steer his clients to invest millions of dollars in companies that he secretly owned and took illegal kickbacks based on his clients’ investments without their knowledge," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, whose office has prosecuted the case since last July, said in a statement.
Kurland pleaded not guilty to all counts.
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