Legal Special Reports

SEC restructures itself to be leaner, more efficient

By: John Pacenti

Eric Bustillo, regional director in Miami, said the SEC has undergone a complete restructuring in the wake of the financial crisis to be better, faster and more effective.

Diversity Scorecard 2012

By: Julie Kay

While women lawyers are making great strides at the associate level, nearly at parity with men at firms, they are still far from matching men at the partnership level.

Unperfected liens can leave creditor's claim unsecured. Also, hidden beneath the surface of the slowly recovering economy is one of the underbellies of the market: a looming maturity wall of corporate debt.

Most Effective Lawyers 2011

By: The Editors

For these standout lawyers it was all about the client. The Daily Business Review's seventh annual Most Effective Lawyers special report recognizes the work of attorneys in 14 categories including those who reached a $410 million settlement with Bank of America on overdraft charges, retried a notorious child-murder case 21 years after the crime, dealt with a complex international real estate insolvency and challenged the denial of housing vouchers to elderly and disabled people.

Managing Partners Survey 2011

By: Daily Business Review

As managing partners are watchful of budgets, costs and billing, many law firms report they are doing well again. Yet cost cutting is still the mantra of many.

Special Report: Intellectual Property

Five different writers tackle five different subjects in IP law, including who benefits from new patent law? Also discussed is the topic of cloud computing and how data stored in cloud is not guaranteed to remain private leading to how cloud computing can have drawbacks, especially for lawyers.

Lawyer Compensation 2011

By: Susan Postlewaite

The survey of more than 125 fee applications and invoices reviewed by the DBR found many firms raised their billing rates this year for star partners and associates in key areas while keeping other lawyer's rates unchanged. But it also found plenty of evidence that firms are willing to negotiate rates with favored clients.

Special Report: Arbitration

A veteran litigator offers play-by-play for provisions in arbitration clauses while anti-consumer rulings could lead to congressional backlash. Another story tackles a high court ruling that casts uncertainty on discovery statute

Special Report: Bankruptcy

The three stories in this special report talk about how the Anna Nicole Smith decision has huge impact on bankruptcy court, how defense strategy imputes management's wrongdoing on trustee and how managers don't always perform well in financial crisis

Special Report: Corporate Counsel Compensation

By: Mike Seemuth

Many Florida companies raised bonus pay for general counsel last year as post-recession business conditions gradually improved. But companies generally are holding down the salaries that serve as the basis for GC bonus calculations, part of a broader business clamp-down on costs.

Review 100: It's the dawn of better times

By: Review staff

South Florida law firms know what new firms to the region are finding out - business is returning, the local economy is improving and the legal market is well on its way to digging out of one of its worst runs ever.