2013 Survey: General Counsel Compensation Bounced Back
Corporate legal chiefs were handsomely rewarded last year, according to the recently released survey results from Corporate Counsel. How handsomely? On average (for the top 100 compensation packages) total cash received rose 6.7 percent to $1,853,671. Overall winner was General Electric Company’s General Counsel, Brackett Denniston III, who received total cash compensation of $10.9 million. GE’s most recent proxy statement got it right: “Mr. Denniston had a strong year in 2012.”
Source: Corporate Counsel | The 2013 GC Compensation Survey
Series Questions “Stand Your Ground” Laws
Following the controversial verdict in the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, the nation is taking a hard look at the “Stand Your Ground” laws — currently on the books in 30 states.
Florida Assistant State’s Attorney Chuck Morton cites the following problems with “Stand Your Ground”:
- “There is a presumption of fear, regardless of actual evidence.
- A defendant who invokes the Stand Your Ground law has immunity from civil liability and criminal prosecution.
- There is no duty to retreat, even if it means saving a life.”
This four-part series from Lawyers.com questions whether such laws do, indeed, make citizens safer.
Source: Lawyers.com| ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law Isn’t Making Anyone Safer
Avoiding Money Problems Between Law Firms and Clients
Whether you are General Counsel or member of a law firm, billing-related issues likely are among your least-favorite topics of conversation. Unfortunately, there is no “magic bullet” to instantly transform these discussions into something you actually enjoy. But that doesn’t mean you’re powerless to relieve some of the economic-related tensions that can strain client-counselor relationships. By managing expectations and paying careful attention to communications, there’s much to be done in addressing potentially problematic billing issues before they get out of hand. This article (on communicating effectively about billing matters) is written from a law firm’s perspective — but the principles discussed here are helpful to parties on both sides of the billing controversy.
Source: AttorneyAtWork | Good Lawyers Talk Money with Their Clients
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