Summary: Law firm Latham & Watkins has gained a new of counsel member with a tremendous amount of knowledge in litigation and pro-bono matters.
The chief judge of the highest court in New York has retired from his position to join Latham & Watkins LLP. Jonathan Lippman will be taking on an “of counsel” position in the New York office of the law firm’s litigation department. His focus will be on advising clients on “New York law and appellate matters” as well as pro-bono cases.
Lippman is excited about the opportunities he’ll have at Latham & Watkins: “The potential is unlimited,” he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog. “It has an incredibly broad cross-section of legal business and a great set of clients.” The American Lawyer magazine estimates that the law firm was the highest-grossing in 2014 in the U.S. with $2.61 billion.
Lippman has been the chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals since 2009. New York law requires judges to step down from their positions when they turn 70, prompting his retirement.
During his service, he promoted increase legal representation for low-income people. This included making law students perform 50 hours of pro-bono legal work before joining the New York bar and allocating $85 million to civil legal services in his latest budget. Lippman also called for an overhaul to the bail system in the state.
Janet DiFiore, a Westchester County district attorney, will succeed Lippman.
Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2016/01/07/former-top-judge-in-new-york-joins-latham-watkins/
Photo: governing.com