November 2006
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Benjamin Brafman, Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, King & Spalding, Musical Chairs, Partner Profits
Musical Chairs: 11.02.06
Today’s big move is from the government to the private sector: * Renowned Enron prosecutor Sean Berkowitz, to the Chicago office of Latham & Watkins. The much-anticipated move took place after the young legal superstar was wooed by many other top firms. Berkowitz will be an equity partner at Latham, where profits per partner clock […] -
Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, David Souter, John Paul Stevens, John Roberts, Reader Polls, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Samuel Alito, SCOTUS, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court
Supreme Court Justice "Net Popularity Scores"
You may recall our recent Above the Law reader polls for Most Favorite Supreme Court Justice and Least Favorite Supreme Court Justice. The results of those polls are available here and here, respectively. One of you had an interesting suggestion: Combine the results of the two polls to generate “net popularity scores” for the justices. […] - Sponsored
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Biglaw, Interview Stories, Rank Stupidity, Shameless Plugs, Silicon Valley
Interview Horror Stories: Don't Make Him Beg (Part 2)
This is the continuation of an interview horror story that we started earlier. You can read the prior installment here. When we last left our hero, an applicant for a lateral position at a top Silicon Valley law firm, he had just said a bunch of completely boneheaded things at an interview lunch with two […]
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Announcements, Aquagirl, Biglaw, Blogging, Exercise, Nude Dancing, Summer Associates
Scuttlebutt Central: Legal Gossip Blogs
If you haven’t already done so, we recommend that you read this article (and not just ’cause we’re featured in it). It’s entitled Scuttlebutt Central, by Stephanie Francis Ward, and it’s from the November 2006 issue of the ABA Journal. The piece is a fun and interesting read; check it out for yourself. We’ll just […] -
Michael Boudin, Weddings
Legal Eagle Wedding Watch: October 29, 2006
On the heels of the robust lawyer wedding market over October 21-22, last weekend delivered another bumper crop of attorney nuptials. We picked three couples to write about, per our standard procedure. But there were many others that would have been equally suitable for review. Three of the wedding announcements that we almost wrote about […] -
Biglaw, Interview Stories, Rank Stupidity, Silicon Valley
Interview Horror Stories: Don't Make Him Beg (Part 1)
Another interview horror story from the West Coast (just like our last two). And this one is a real gem. Here you go: Back when I was a junior associate at a BigLaw in Silicon Valley, a colleague of mine grabbed me to take a candidate to an interview lunch. My colleague had heard through […] -
Angelina Jolie, Celebrities, Money
Cambodian Charity v. Hollywood Movie Star
Angelina Jolie may soon be defending a lawsuit — and not from Jennifer Aniston alleging alienation of affection. Reuters reports: A Cambodian charity threatened on Wednesday to sue Angelina Jolie for breach of contract, saying the Hollywood star had reneged on a promise to give $1.5 million over five years to wildlife conservation. Some of […] -
Bad Ideas, Exercise, Free Speech, Police
To Grunt or Not To Grunt?
This hasn’t turned into a lawsuit — yet. But we can see one coming from a mile away. And local law enforcement did get involved. So it’s appropriate fodder for Above the Law. Here’s the story: You can lift, strain, crunch and sweat all you want at the Planet Fitness in the Dutchess County village. […] - Sponsored
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Ann Coulter, Election Law, Football, Gay Marriage, Morning Docket, Politics
Morning Docket: 11.02.06
* Possible settlement in the Ohio voter ID case. [Dispatch] * “‘Not cool’ is not a legal argument.” [WSJ Law Blog] * Close polling in some marriage ballot measures. [Wash Times via How Appealing] * “U.S. privacy protections rank among the worst in the democratic world, a London-based privacy organization said Wednesday.” [MSNBC] * Ann […]
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Cyberlaw, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Back to the Sandbox: State Judicial Elections
Federal judges are lucky in that they don’t have to run for office. Because campaigns for judicial office can get so undignified. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via TortsProf Blog): A Madison County official and Democratic Party stalwart said Tuesday that he is unapologetic about Internet hijinks that are drawing criticism from supporters of Republican […] -
Adoption, Bad Ideas, Celebrities, Crime, Family Law, Kids, Money, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 11.01.06
* Only those of you who are heartless very, very jaded will think this is some dated National Geographic-esque gimmick. Some of you may be able to help with the remaining countries… And yes, we’ve already made a call to Madonna’s people about crossing Malawi off the list. [New York Children] * Not the ideal […] -
Biglaw, Fashion, Interview Stories
Interview Horror Stories: Clothes Don't Make the Man
This next tale isn’t really an interview “horror” story, and it’s from many years ago. But we found it somewhat interesting. From another western reader: This may shock you, but there are white shoe firms in the West. I had an interview with one in 1983. I showed up for the interview in cowboy boots, […] -
Federal Judges, G. Thomas Porteous, Judge of the Day, Legal Ethics
Judge of the Day: G. Thomas Porteous Jr.
Judge Thomas Porteous Jr., of the Eastern District of Louisiana, is no stranger to bad publicity. We’ve written about this New Orleans judge before (see item 2(b)). Well, Judge Porteous’s exploits continue. From the New Orleans Times-Picayune: In 2003, a seaman named Robert Hanna sued his employer, an offshore drilling company, after stairs on one […]
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Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Interview Stories, Pets, Sex
Interview Horror Stories: The Curious Incident of the Dog That Loved To Hump
Some of you think we don’t give the West Coast enough love here at ATL. We’re happy to report that our next few interview anecdotes come from west of the Rockies. Here’s the first: Some years ago, I was a junior associate at a Big Firm in San Francisco. I was asked to take a […] -
Canada, Fashion, Fashion Victims Unit, Nude Dancing
Fashion Victims Unit: The Canadian Supreme Court
We’ve been on a bit of a Canada kick here at ATL. What can we say, those Canadians are teh funny. Check out this story (robe swish: Paul Horwitz of PrawfsBlawg): Some [Canadian] Supreme Court judges seek relief from work stress in the comfort of their families. Others love nothing more than to curl up […] -
Food, Lawsuit of the Day, McDonald's, Nauseating Things
Lawsuit of the Day: And Don't Even Ask About the McNuggets
As former employees and occasional patrons of McDonald’s, we weren’t exactly “lovin’ it” when we read about this lawsuit: Dallas Cowboys assistant coach Todd Haley, his wife Christine, and the family’s au pair, Kathryn Kelley, have sued a Southlake, Texas, McDonald’s. [They allege that] the wife and nanny took home a salad, began to eat […] -
5th Circuit, Confirmations, Craigslist, Crime, Federal Judges, Holidays and Seasons, Kids, Romance and Dating
A Quick Post-Halloween Linkwrap
We hope that you’ve recovered from any Halloween festivities you attended last night. For those of you who took your children trick-or-treating, we hope the kids have come down from their sugar highs. We didn’t receive much in response to our request for funny, law-related Halloween stories. But we can offer you a few random […] -
In-House Counsel, Merck, Money, Skaddenfreude, Vioxx
Skaddenfreude: In-House Salaries, Please
This item, from yesterday’s WSJ Law Blog, caught our eye: As the 11th Vioxx trial got underway yesterday in federal court in New Orleans, Merck disclosed in an SEC filing that it’s giving its general counsel Kenneth Frazier a raise and a promotion, effective Nov. 1. The GC who will forever be associated with the […] -
Asha Rangappa, Contests, D.C. Circuit, Immigration, Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 11.01.06
* An S.D.N.Y. Bankruptcy Court has given Air America time to pursue the sale of the liberal talk radio network. Interested suitors include Rush, Hannity, and the Monopoly guy. [MSNBC] * “A federal judge Tuesday temporarily barred Hazleton, Pennsylvania, from implementing a law designed to prevent illegal immigrants from living in the town.” [CNN] * […]