Sidebar: Benefits

I've gotten so many emails wondering where I've been. Oh wait, I've gotten none. Dear readers, our time together isn't over. In fact, it's just beginning.

It's the end of the year. According to most, the end of the decade. Although, I'm pretty sure that I learned on Jeopardy! once that the new decade won't start until 2011. We've been in a nasty recession and the legal industry has been hit hard. Layoff watch. Unemployment. Salary cuts. Canceled Holiday Parties.

Have your other benefits been changed at all for the upcoming year? Has your health insurance changed? Firm-sponsored life insurance? 401(k) matches? Fewer lunches on the company dime? What other cuts are you facing? Are there any other little things that your firm has done to cut costs?

Charges Against Krolicki Dismissed

It looks like Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto needs to brush up on her legal writing skills (or fire a deputy).

Judge Valerie Adair issued an Order granting Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki's Motion to Dismiss the Indictment against him on Monday. Adair essentially ruled that the State failed to sufficiently plead the basis for the charges against Krolicki, or, as our tipster called it: "Legal Writing 101."

Krolicki was charged with two felony counts of misappropriation and falsification of accounts by a public officer, and two felony counts of misappropriation by a treasurer. Kathryn Besser, as his chief of staff, was charged with aiding and abetting Krolicki’s alleged crimes. Adair's decision comes more than a year after Krolicki was initially indicted.

Krolicki recently (wisely) rejected an opportunity to disqualify the AG from his criminal prosecution after it was disclosed that Cortez Masto's husband was holding a fund-raiser for one of Krolicki’s political opponents.

While Adair denied the State's request to file an Amended Indictment, the charges were dismissed without prejudice - so the State could still seek a new Indictment from the grand jury. Perhaps the State should let Dominic handle the case if they do decide to re-file.

(LV Sun; LVRJ; Thanks, Tipster)

2009 Holiday Party (Preliminary) Report

From ballrooms full of booze to ... bowling? Needless to say, it looks like this year's holiday parties are going to be a bit more low key. Not that there's anything wrong with bowling (we actually prefer it to the black and white schmooze-fests of yore), it's just in stark contrast to last year's poll.

According to the tips we received so far, Bowler, Dixon & Twitchell; Bremer, Whyte, Brown & O'Meara; and some Unnamed Business Litigation Firm have all opted to shed the open bar and grand ambiance of the strip to play a little 10-pin.

Perhaps the greatest contrast, however, comes from last year's winner: Richard Harris. Last year Rick paid for all of his staff and significant others to go on a 5-day cruise. Pretty sweet, and very generous.

Well, it seems that Rick thinks his employees are a bunch of ingrates. According to our tipster, this year the firm has opted to donate half the money spent on last year's vacation to a charity voted on by the employees. Wonder if it will be The Human Fund?

The reason cited for the lump of coal in employee's stockings: Lack of appreciation for last year's event. Ouch!

Keep the tips coming in, we still haven't heard from the majority of our larger firms. Brownstein, Marquis, Santoro, ATMS, LSC, Lewis Brisbois and the firm formerly known as Kummer Kaempfer ... where are your parties this year? Also, does anyone know how our Billboard Firms are celebrating the holidays?

(Thanks, tipsters!)

Friday Open(ish) Thread: Holiday Party Edition

In lieu of an open thread this week, we wanted to get a feel for how the holiday parties were shaping up this year. You reported last year that things were still looking okay, even with the economic downturn on the horizon.

We're wondering where (if anywhere) the Richard Harris cruise is heading this year, and if the other larger firms are still catering booze-fests at swanky hotels. Is ATMS still holding a basement-shindig on Christmas eve?

Let us know what your firm's party plans are ... results will be posted next week.

WWL Mailbag: Brownstein Hyatt On Lockdown?

Given our current economic climate, it's not surprising that some firms may be a bit touchy when it comes to letting people go. After all, it's not as if a laid-off associate has many options available to them, and they may get a bit touchy about being thrown out on the street.

If the following rumor is true, however, we're going to need some details. We received the following tip yesterday:

Our [redacted] just visited Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck to [redacted]. He tried to take the elevator to the 16th floor, but the elevator would not allow him to do so until he checked in with security. He spoke to one of the secretaries there who informed him that a few employees have been laid off and they supposedly "got violent" while leaving. So now everybody has to check in with security before accessing Brownstein because of the lockdown. But that's just the word on the street...

Indeed. Did BHFS recently do a round of layoffs, or was this rumored policy instituted when that supposed "lone associate" got cut back in April? Anyone from BHFS care to confirm, deny, or define "got violent?"

Oh, damn ... please tell us this won't affect our access to Jason's Deli! Where will we get our Po'boys?!

(Thanks, Tipster!)

UPDATE: Well, BHFS is in "lockdown" mode, but it isn't because of disgruntled employees. Apparently, the increased security is due to threats one of their attorneys received in relation to a case. Thanks for the clarification, Karen.

Valley Layoff Watch: Have We Bottomed Out?

An interesting conversation in the comments caught our eye yesterday, and we wanted to see what you guys & gals thought. It started as follows:

This is a bit off topic, but . . . A recruiter from Ballard Spahr has contacted most of the associates in my firm's litigation department regarding openings. We have also been contacted by local recruiters for positions at unnamed firms. I also understand that Gordon & Silver is actively recruiting.

We are a bit surprised - our litigation department has been busy but we are still hearing that the economy is making things tight.

Any thoughts on the expansion by these firms? Is the economy turning around? Are any other firms actively looking for laterals?

Then, our local Shark Pimp (and past WWL contributor), Jordan Ross, weighed in with his analysis:

I think the best and most cautious way to describe the state of the legal economy in Las Vegas is that it has bottomed out. There are some definite signs of improvement; I'm currently looking for a Commercial Litigator, a Insurance Defense Litigator and a couple of IP attorneys, among others. By the way, the people in your firm were probably contacted by an outside recruiter; it's almost unheard of for an in house recruiter to solicit non-equity attorneys. Budgets are still very tight right now and any potential new hire has to pencil out well into the black, but yes, I think we are starting to see some improvement. For myself, this is shaping up to be an oddly lucrative year.

Let's do a little impromptu poll regarding our current legal job market. From where you currently-employed commenters sit at your various firms, do things seem to be looking up? Or, possibly, are we seeing the calm before a post-holiday storm?

Amador Gets All Thuggy

Turns out the rumors were true. Attorney Michael Amador pulled a gun on two men in the parking lot of a PT's pub on Thanksgiving morning and got himself beat up and arrested.

According to the police report, Amador followed three men out of the bar, apparently believing that one of them had taken $200 off a pool table. Amador pulled a gun from his waistband (he has had a CCW) and hit the rear window of a vehicle one of the men got into, shattering it.

The weapon Amador pulled was an FN 57, coincidentally the same weapon used in the Fort Hood massacre (see yesterday's comments for a discussion regarding whether or not this particular type of gun constitutes a "cannon").

At one point, Amador pointed the gun at the two remaining men. The two men then tackled Amador and wrestled the gun away from him, doing enough damage in the process that Amador had to be treated at Sunrise Hospital before being taken to Clark County Detention Center.

On an interesting side note, the bartender who was on duty at PT's that morning is one of Amador's clients in a pending case.

Amador is facing two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and injury to the property of another. According to LV Now, he is facing up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

(Amador's Website; LV Now Story, Video; LV Sun)