This article originally appeared in the April 2017 issue of the ABA Journal with this headline: "Ad It Up: 40 years after Bates, legal advertising blows past $1 billion and goes viral."
Attorney Jim Sokolove founded the firm out of the ashes of his previous firm, which split up after accumulating massive debts. It was 1982, and Sokolove needed a way to make some money and raise his profile in Boston. He was intrigued by television.
When it comes to lawyer advertising, Group Matrix CEO Sackett figures he’s seen it all. After all, he was there from the beginning, helping usher in the “age of advertising” to a profession that, until Bates, regarded marketing as dishonorable.
Perhaps the most difficult way to advertise is the route Bill Marler has taken. Marler, managing partner at Marler Clark in Seattle, spends almost no money on TV or web ads. He’s put out some ads on local public radio, but he considers that to be his donation to the arts. The Marler Blog is one of his primary marketing tools, but it’s not his main form for advertising.
During its original broadcast run from 1990 until 2010, Law & Order became a cultural phenomenon.
Artist and attorney Harbani Ahuja creates poetry from U.S. Supreme Court opinions.
Here are 10 rules lawyers and clients should know about the taxation of settlements. 1. Settlements and Judgments Are Taxed the Same. The same tax rules apply whether you are paid to settle a case (even if your dispute only reached the letter-writing phase) or win a judgment.
2. Taxes Depend on the “Origin of the Claim”. Settlements and judgments are taxed according to the matter for which the plaintiff was seeking recovery (the origin of the claim). If you are suing a competing business for lost profits, a settlement or judgment will be considered lost profits taxed as ordinary income.
If you sue for personal physical injuries resulting from, for example, a slip and fall or car accident, your compensatory damages should be tax-free. That may seem odd if, because if you could not work after your injuries, you are seeking lost wages. However, a specific section of the tax code—section 104—shields damages for personal physical injuries and physical sickness.
Long-term capital gain is taxed at a lower rate (15 percent or 20 percent , plus the 3.8% Obamacare tax, not 39.6 percent) and is therefore much better than ordinary income. Apart from the tax-rate preference, your tax basis may be relevant as well.
Before 1996, “ personal” injury damages included emotional distress, defamation, and many other legal injuries and were tax-free. Since 1996, however, your injury also must be “physical” to give rise to tax-free money. Unfortunately, neither the IRS nor Congress has made clear what that means.
At that point, you will not have a choice about reporting the payments on your tax return. 5. Medical Expenses Are Tax-Free. Even if your injuries are purely emotional, payments for medical expenses are tax-free, and what constitutes “medical expenses” is surprisingly liberal.
Outside the realm of suits for physical injuries or physical sickness, just about everything is income; however, that does not answer the question of how it will be taxed. If your suit is about damage to your house or your factory, the resulting settlement may be treated as capital gain. Long-term capital gain is taxed at a lower rate (15 percent or 20 percent, plus the 3.8% Obamacare tax, not 39.6 percent) and is therefore much better than ordinary income.
Reed Smith expects to cut 44 legal secretary jobs in the United States and another 22 of those jobs in the United Kingdom in a voluntary separation program, the law firm said Wednesday.
Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Raymond Millien, the new CEO of Harness, Dickey & Pierce, an intellectual property boutique firm with four offices and headquarters in suburban Detroit.
A partner in Allen & Overy’s London office has resigned after his romantic encounter at the office was captured in a video that has been circulating online for several months.
While individual schedules will vary, on any given day, firms will have a segment of their team in the office, and another segment dispersed. After more than a full year of working remotely, this will be yet another disruption for law firms to endure.
An index that measures the profitability of large law firms reached record highs in the second quarter, bolstered by big jumps from an unusual 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s also a learning opportunity for firms, helping decision-makers understand the link between work-life issues and power and leadership.
Cooper says one reason she chose the firm was because it had a “great reputation with women.” Sidley has been on the Best Law Firms for Women list nine times since its inception.
There is a higher percentage of female partners and longer maternity leaves—some up to six months. Working Mother Media says the best firms are setting the standard for the modern-day law practice by supporting flexible work arrangements and providing generous paid leave.