More Layoffs Hit - Latham & Watkins Sack 190 Associates; 250 Staffers

From A Paralegal's Blog:

Latham & Watkins Lays Off 190 Associates, 250 Staffers

| ABA Journal - Law News Now

Posted: 27 Feb 2009 07:47 AM PST

Setting new records for layoffs, rumor has it that Latham & Watkins has let go of 190 associates and 250 staff members. However, they are offering an unheard-of severance package that includes six months' salary and medical coverage, capped at $100,000. The cuts are 12 percent of the firm's associates and 10 percent of paralegal and other staff. New York and Los Angeles offices were hit the hardest.

(Source: ABA Journal - Law News Now)

Handy Helper Product Review

(photo from Law Technology Review)

Law Technology Review just posted a product review written by Donna Payne (of the Payne Consulting Group here in our hometown of Seattle, WA) for the "Handy Helper" projector - made by Dell.

The projector weighs less than a pound and is tiny at 3.64 x 4.12 x 1.46 inche - Donna points out that many wallets are bigger than the size of this piece of technology. It is plug-and-play compatible with USB ports, erasing fears and concerns of having it work when you need it for a big presentation.

Check out Donna's full review here.

Washington's Own Governor Gregoire's lawyer recommended for U.S attorney

SEATTLE -- Washington's U.S. senators have recommended that Gov. Chris Gregoire's longtime counsel, Jenny Durkan, be named the top federal prosecutor in Western Washington.

Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell suggested Durkan for Seattle U.S. attorney in a Feb. 12 letter to the White House, according to a copy provided Wednesday by Murray's office. The senators also recommended Michael Ormsby, a Spokane lawyer, to be U.S. attorney in Eastern Washington.

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Professional organization of the week: Women in eDiscovery

Women in eDiscovery was founded on May 2, 2007. Since that launch, Women in eDiscovery has grown internationally to more than 1,800 members with new members from all over the world joining daily. At present time, there are more than 20 Chapters with regular meetings with new Chapters forming monthly.

The Founders of The Women in eDiscovery, (Shawnna Childress, Lana Schell and Margaret Havinga) envisioned an organization with no barriers for any woman to enter so membership is free and monthly meetings include your meal and education at no charge. If you are interested in joining, please register.

Please click here for the organization's Charity Events page.

Practical eDiscovery Blog

We found a new eDiscovery Blog to track: Practical EDiscovery (published by Hinshaw and Culbertson). This looks to be a great addition and resource for those in the industry.

Professional Association: Alliance of Legal Document Assistant Professionals

The Alliance of Legal Document Assistant Professionals (ALDAP) is comprised of experienced legal professionals who have joined forces to boost consumer protection and increase the professional integrity of the Legal Document Assistant (LDA) and paralegal professions. To achieve these goals, ALDAP offers continuing education opportunities, requires strict compliance with the laws governing the LDA and paralegal professions, and promotes awareness of the LDA’s role, both within the legal community and among the general public.

TERIS Launches DiscoverLegalJobs.com - A Free Job Board For The Legal Industry

For Immediate Release

TERIS Launches DiscoverLegalJobs.com -
A Free Job Board For The Legal Industry

New Web-based resource is ideal for cost-conscious law firms and corporations by eliminating job posting fees, which can be hundreds of dollars on most job sites

Seattle, WA - Jan. 28, 2009 – As a way to say thank you to the legal community that has helped TERIS grow to become one of the leading litigation support firms in the Western US over the past 13 years, the Seattle-based firm launched a free legal industry job board today: DiscoverLegalJobs.com (www.discoverlegaljobs.com).

TERIS, which provides sophisticated litigation support to law firms and corporate legal teams, also wanted a way to help companies and many professionals in the legal profession struggling during the national economic crisis. This week alone, companies across the US have announced plans to sack more than 10,000 employees. Employers and job seekers throughout major markets in the United States can post and look for jobs for free on DiscoverLegalJobs.com – no strings attached. The site features a wide range of full-time, temporary and freelance positions, from attorneys to legal secretaries to paralegals to clerkships. DiscoverLegalJobs.com currently has over 1000 jobs to choose from, with more being added every day.

“In these tough economic times, we wanted to make it easier for law firms and related companies to connect with job seekers,” said Stefan Wikstrom, TERIS founder and CEO. “Many job board sites charge more than $300 to post a single job – we want to help our friends in the industry by launching a site and making it free for everyone.”

“We were also looking for a way to say thank you to the hundreds of companies that have helped make us the leading legal services and eDiscovery firm in the Western U.S., and offering a free service like this seemed natural,” he added.

TERIS, (previously known as ALC Legal Technologies, Duplex Legal Discovery Solutions, and Digital Discovery Solutions), has six offices in four states, and employs more than 275. Wikstrom started the firm with a single copier in 1996, and was among the first to recognize that sophisticated technology would dramatically alter the legal support industry.

Media Contact: David Kaufer, Director of Marketing, 425-275-8814; 206-521-8717 or dkaufer@discoverteris.com

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ABOUT TERIS


Founded in 1996, TERIS (previously known as ALC Legal Technologies, Duplex Legal Discovery Solutions, and Digital Discovery Solutions), provides legal support and sophisticated eDiscovery solutions to law firms and corporate legal teams across the U.S. and internationally. TERIS’ staff of 275 was named one of the top 20 eDiscovery service providers by industry researcher Socha-Gelbmann in 2008. The company operates a free job board for the legal profession at www.discoverlegaljobs.com and has offices in Seattle, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Phoenix and Austin. To learn more about TERIS, visit http://www.discoverteris.com