Shearman & Sterling has eliminated the job of its full-time general counsel, John Shutkin, who was one of the few law firm GCs brought in from outside the law firm world, part of a wave of hirings of in-house lawyers at The Am Law 100. Elizabeth Chambliss, a law professor at New York Law School who has written about law firm general counsel, says that Shutkin’s ouster “raised eyebrows,” especially since so many firms are creating general counsel positions.

Read on at Susan Beck’s article at the American Lawyer.

Speaking at the State Bar of Georgia’s conference on the global rule of law, Home Depot GC Jack A. VanWoerkom offered a candid assessment of the risks of doing business in the world’s fastest-growing markets. VanWoerkom issued warnings about the Chinese economy, corruption in Russia, overburdened courts in India and personal safety in Brazil. His assessment: Despite domestic corruption scandals and rapid growth in overseas markets, the United States retains distinct advantages for doing business.

Read the full article over at Law.com.

Looking for an in-house counsel job? Check out InhouseBlog.com’s Job Board and these featured jobs:

• General Counsel - Firm Advice, Inc., McLean, VA
• Senior Counsel - Newegg, City of Industry, CA
• Counsel/ Sr Counsel- CommTransactions/IP - CIGNA Corporation, Philadelphia, PA
• Associate General Counsel - OfficeMax, Chicago (Western Suburbs), IL
• Attorney (Erisa/Employee Benefits) - Int’l Consulting Co, New York, NY
• FDA Regulatory Counsel - Confidential, Los Angeles, CA (West LA)
• General Counsel - Vantage Travel Service, Inc., Boston, MA

Law department management guru Rees Morrison points out a caffeine tip that should keep you super-charged throughout the day.

Law Department Management: Drink to me only with thine caffeine …

The past decade has seen a significant rise in lawsuits brought by bankruptcy trustees or receivers against an insolvent company’s former accountants and attorneys. Attorneys Rene D. Harrod and John D. Eaton review a sample of such actions and consider how courts and litigants are responding to them — including the in pari delicto doctrine against plaintiffs recovering for their own wrongdoing, and the mixed reviews being given to “deepening insolvency” as a cause of action.

Business Busts Pose Risk for Lawyers, Accountants

Eight-five percent of chief legal officers and general counsel find their careers rewarding despite increased corporate governance demands and sometimes tense relationships with independent auditors, according to a new Association of Corporate Counsel survey.

Chief legal officers (CLOs) responding to the association’s eighth annual survey also anticipate that nearly a third expected to add staff over the next year and that records management would be an emerging issue for in-house attorneys this year.

Read the full article from the National Law Journal at Law.com.

Rees Morrison noted an interesting news item from the latest Corporate Counsel magazine - HSBC is now handling routine legal questions about UK law from its Malaysian offices.    Is it time for you to provide advice to your company from its Maui or Punta Cana locations?

Law Department Management: Routine UK legal queries to be answered by HSBC bank’s offshore center

General counsel are tagged as custodians of their companies’ most crucial, yet most sensitive and volatile assets: their employees. GCs must learn to manage, motivate and inspire them. But work with a rude jerk and what happens? You become one as well. So, what’s to be done? Create a culture and an infrastructure that will inhibit the growth of a gaggle of *ssholes, says attorney Michael P. Maslanka. He offers a guide on the do’s and don’ts needed to reach that goal.

No Jerks Allowed: How and Why GCs Can Stop Angry, Rude and Demeaning Workplace Behavior

Next thing you know they’ll ban PlayStation Portables…

N.Y. Law Firm Bans BlackBerrys at Major Meetings | ABA Journal - Law News Now

Will Bangalore and Hyderabad become the new hot spots for in-house counsel job searches?

Now in Demand, New Lawyers in India Get Higher Salary Offers | ABA Journal - Law News Now