$390,149.63 In Fees/$32,231.23 In Costs Is SLAPP Recovery To Wynn Opponent.
After defendant James Chanos won a SLAPP motion against well-known resort developer Steve Wynn/Wynn Resorts, he moved to recoup $538,043 in attorney’s fees and $52,656.23 in costs. U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick of the Northern District of California allowed $390,149.63 in fees and $32,231.23 in costs to Mr. Chanos. He did allow high hourly rates of $645 – $1,085 for associates – partners in the Bay area, but did reduce high paralegal requested rates, reduced overall fees by 25% for block billing, and reduced an expert’s fees 50% for lack of detail. (Wynn v. Chanos, Case No. 14-cv-04329-WHO (N.D. Cal. Dkt. No. 66, June 19, 2015 Order Granting In Part and Denying In Part Motion For Attorneys’ Fees.)
Lateral Partner Statistics For 2014 And Success Rate Opinion.
According to The American Lawyer, over 2,700 AmLaw 200 law firm partners switched firms in 2014, representing between 4-5% of all partners on the AmLaw list. Adam S. Weiss of The Lateral Lawyer Group has opined that many, if not most, of lateral partner candidacies fail notwithstanding the lack of hard statistics on this topic.
Revenue Gaps Between U.S. Large and Smaller Law Firms Widen In 2014.
According to data collected by Citi Private Bank’s Law Firm Group for 2014, a field of 15-20 U.S. firms law dominates the law market, with revenues rising close to 6.6% (due in large part to M&A and bankruptcy work). However, 2014 revenue only rose 4% for 170 other surveyed law firms.
2014 Law School Admissions At Lowest Level Since 1974, But Incentives Are Helping Some Law Schools.
A 1/5/14 Wall Street Journal article reports that the roughly 38,000 students who entered the nation’s law schools in 2014 represented the smallest first-year class since 1974, when there were 53 fewer ABA-accredited schools. However, certain law schools have seen a surge in admissions after reducing tuition or are offering in-state grants to defray some of the tuition burdens.
Wanna Know Average 2013 U.S. Law School Tuition/Fees And 2012 Law School Debt? Here You Go.
According to the ABA for 2014, the average tuition and fees for private law schools were $41,985, compared with $25,574 in 2003. For 2012 law school graduates, the average debt among borrowers was $84,600 attending public schools and $122,158 for those in private schools.