October 2006
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Adoption, Family Law
Take This Kid and Shove Him
We kinda love this lady: A woman is taking the unusual step of trying to unadopt her 15-year-old son, saying she learned of his troubled past only after he molested two younger children. “You don’t want to throw somebody away,” said Helen Briggs, a longtime foster mother. “But sometimes you have to.” Look, we don’t […] -
Boutique Law Firms, Money, Skaddenfreude, Solo Practitioners
Skaddenfreude: Solo Practitioners and Small Firm Lawyers
Some of you have requested more coverage of life beyond Biglaw, namely, boutique law firms and solo practitioners. And we are happy to oblige. First things first: How much money do you guys make? Yep, that’s right. Solo practitioners and small law firms are the theme for our next installment of Skaddenfreude: Totally Gauche Ogling […] - Sponsored
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HP, Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.11.06
* The Justice Department has launched a preliminary inquiry into possible collusion in the private equity industry. We say: Anyone making that much money has GOT to be doing something naughty. [New York Times] * What, another U.S. Attorney’s Office can be uttered in the same breath as the vaunted Southern District of New York? […]
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Money, Ridiculousness, Running
The Runaway Bride Chases After Money -- And Ugly Furniture
Our long national nightmare is not yet over. Jennifer Wilbanks, aka “The Runaway Bride,” is making headlines once again. The “runaway bride,” who took off days before her lavish wedding in 2005, is suing her former fiance for $500,000, claiming he defrauded her out of her share of their assets. Jennifer Wilbanks is seeking $250,000 […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Nude Dancing, Scott Blauvelt
Scott Blauvelt Needs a New Office Chair
When you’re spending long hours at work, you want to be as comfortable as possible. Late at night or on weekends, we used to pad about our law firm office in socks. Eventually we brought in a pair of white fuzzy slippers, courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago, for this purpose.* But this may be […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 10.10.06
* When confronted with the bag of Cheetos found in his office, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia (S.D.N.Y.) adopts the mantra of crack cocaine defendants: “Not my bag.” Tell it to the jury, Mr. Garcia. [New York Times] * We are huge fans of Tony Mauro and the Legal Times. But we have to ask: Why […] -
YouTube
The Google-YouTube Deal
We like YouTube. A lot. It’s where we uploaded the infamous FU deposition clip — and where we’d like to upload more law-related video clips, if we can get our hands on them. We also go to YouTube to watch music videos, like ones starring Phil Alito look-alikes. So were delighted to learn about YouTube […] -
Biglaw, Dewey Ballantine, Musical Chairs
Musical Chairs: 10.10.06
Lateral Moves: * Antitrust lawyer A. Paul Victor, to Dewey Ballantine (litigation department), from Weil Gotshal. Per the Antitrust Review: “Part of the reason for leaving Weil after 38 years is that he is about to reach Weil’s mandatory retirement age of 68.” * Structured products and derivatives lawyer Joseph Suh, to Schulte Roth & […] - Sponsored
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Blogging, Eyes of the Law, Food
The Eyes of the Law: Leading Blawgers at Lunch
Earlier today, we noted that prominent legal bloggers Howard Bashman, of How Appealing, and Professor Michael Dimino, of PrawfsBlawg, would be having lunch today. We expressed interest in the details of their meal. And now we have them, courtesy of a Harrisburg reader: Bashman and Dimino went to — brace yourselves — the Macaroni Grill. […] -
Weddings
Your September 2006 Couple of the Month
People, you have redeemed yourselves. After the pathetic turnout in our August 2006 Couple of the Month contest, hundreds of you voted for the September 2006 Couple of the Month here at Above the Law. It was a close race. The lead was traded back and forth between Beth Hansher and David Javdan, on the […] -
Admin, Announcements, Blogging
ATL Readers: "Handsome, Clever, and Rich"
We just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who took our Above the Law reader survey (which is now closed). We obtained some interesting demographic data about the ATL audience, which you can access if you’re curious in our media kit (PDF). You also provided us with helpful feedback and suggestions. In terms […] -
Jeffrey Toobin, New Yorker, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court, Survivor
ATL to Justice Breyer: "What Kind of Tree Would You Be?"
Actually, no, we didn’t ask him that. But the question we did pose was just about as goofy. It felt sort of like Punk’d: Supreme Court Edition. First, some background. As previously discussed, this past weekend we attended Jeffrey Toobin’s interview of Justice Stephen G. Breyer, part of the New Yorker Festival. It was an […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.10.06
It’s a beautiful day here in DC, and we just got back from a pleasant morning jog. We’re trying to be more like Judges J. Harvie Wilkinson (4th Cir.), Denny Chin (S.D.N.Y.), and Stanley Chesler (D.N.J.), who go running regularly (with their clerks). Please add more examples of jogging jurists in the comments. * Over […]
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
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Admin, Announcements, Contests, Hotties, Jed Rubenfeld, Law School Deans, Reader Polls
Law School Dean Hotties: On Their Way
We’ve received some inquiries about the fate of our previously announced Law School Dean Hotties Contest. In case you’re wondering: No, you didn’t miss the nominees. We’ve been meaning to announce them for the longest time. It’s just that we’ve just been insanely busy, on the road a lot, and sleep-deprived. And putting together hottie […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 10.09.06
* Here’s a proposal that Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), and Joseph Caramagno can all support. (Seriously, some good points here.) [Ludwig von Mises Institute] * Not every day is a bad hair day for ex-HP chair Patricia Dunn. This look suits her quite well. [DealBreaker] * Our answer: Waking up in […] -
Jon Stewart, New Yorker
Jon Stewart to ATL: "Yes I Read Blogs"
Yesterday afternoon, we attended a delightful event at the New Yorker Festival: an interview of The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, conducted by David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker. Stewart was in fine form, and he “stopped the show” several times, reducing the audience to laughter so loud they had to pause before continuing. Several […] -
Food, Lawsuit of the Day, Ridiculousness
Lawsuit of the Day: Skimping on the Scampi?
Photo and caption from the St. Petersburg Times. We adore the earnestness with which they’re reporting this story. We’re sorry to be arriving late to the party on this one. So if you’re already familiar with this story, then just skip this post. But if not, read on — it’s well worth your time. From […] -
Gerald Shargel, New Yorker
TV, Movies, and the Mob: Some Quality Time with Gerald Shargel
We attended several other New Yorker Festival events in addition to Justice Breyer’s talk with Jeffrey Toobin (which we discussed here and here). One of these was a fascinating panel about representations of the Mafia in popular culture, entitled TV, Movies, and the Mob. The panel, moderated by Jeffrey Goldberg, was star-studded. It included the […] -
Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Eyes of the Law, John Roberts, Religion, Samuel Alito, Supreme Court
The Eyes of the Law: The Red Mass
On October 1, before the start of the new Supreme Court Term, the annual Red Mass was held at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, in Washington, DC. Held before the opening of the judicial year, the Mass is celebrated “to invoke God’s blessing upon… all protectors and administrators of the Law” (description here). Tony Mauro of the […] -
Fashion, Federal Judges, Judicial Divas, Pictures, State Judges
A Judicial Cinderella: Judge Carolyn Kuhl
Once upon a time, there lived a magnificient judicial diva named Carolyn B. Kuhl. She lived in sunny California, Land of the Dancing Raisins. Judge Kuhl was beautiful, and she was brainy. Her résumé was one brand name after another: Princeton; Duke Law School; a clerkship with Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, back when he was […]