Proposal: Expand pro bono by corporate counsel

‘General counsel’ services now available part-time

By Peter Vieth
Published: February 29, 2012
Tags: Corporate Counsel

Companies leery of adding a full time lawyer to their management team are finding more options for temporary or part-time “general counsel” legal services in Virginia. Startups and small businesses facing legal questions can call on lawyers willing to serve as house-counsel-for-rent, offering a menu of arrangements – from outside consultant to on-site team member [...]

Capital One’s Justice Server program links pro bono lawyers to clients

By Deborah Elkins
Published: January 20, 2012
Tags: Corporate Counsel, Law Firms, Legal Aid, Virginia Bar Association

Lawyers and information-technology experts at Capital One are teaming up with private and public sector lawyers to streamline the administration of pro bono legal work in Virginia. Lawyers who do pro bono work find that one of the best ways to reach clients is to work through state and local legal aid organizations. Legal aid [...]

Don’t bill for thank-you notes: Working with corporate counsel

By Deborah Elkins
Published: September 9, 2011
Tags: Corporate Counsel, Practice Tips

Relationships matter, goes the familiar marketing maxim. And communications are the key to a successful collaboration between a lawyer and the in-house legal counsel who hires the lawyer. Notice, it’s the lawyer who is hired, not necessarily the law firm. “When I need to reach out to someone, I think of a lawyer, as opposed [...]

Pitfalls for corporate, outside counsel shown

By Alan Cooper
Published: April 29, 2011
Tags: Corporate Counsel, Corporations, Ethics, Federal Courts, Judge Robert E. Payne

Imagine that you’re corporate counsel, and you’re preparing for a huge case. You learn – from opposing counsel – that one of your key witnesses may have altered two emails to enhance your case. Is eliminating those emails from the case enough, or do you have to pull out all stops to check the veracity [...]

Getting the business, from in-house counsel

By Deborah Elkins
Published: April 21, 2011
Tags: Corporate Counsel, Legal Marketing, Social Media

Lawyers sifting through social media tools should start with LinkedIn, a panel of in-house counsel told their law firm counterparts April 21 at a program in Richmond. “It’s your resume and Rolodex online,” all rolled into one, said Springfield lawyer Brett Coffee, a panelist at Virginia Lawyers Media’s first Business and Law Breakfast April 21 [...]