May 2007
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 05.25.07
* Former Montana State football player accused of leading drug ring. [SI] * Ken Lay’s widow seeks to keep money after husband’s death resulted in vacated conviction. [MSNBC] * Father of Cardinals pitcher in fatal car accident files suit. [SI] * Paternity suit against Paul McCartney dropped. [CNN] * Goodling’s Regent University School of Law, […]
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Biglaw, Money, Skaddenfreude
Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: Mintz Levin
We’re a little tardy with this memo. It was issued on Wednesday, but we didn’t receive it until late yesterday. Anyway, better late than never. The Mintz Levin pay raise announcement appears below the fold. - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Celebrities, Defamation, Education / Schools, Gender, Kids, Litigatrix, Movies, Non-Sequiturs, Pregnancy / Paternity, Sexual Harassment
Non-Sequiturs: 05.24.07
* It is my calling to keep people’s self-esteem in check when out of wack with reality. And to yet again point out the dangers of using MySpace if you’re over 21 or not a musician. I am also in a pissy mood today. [Gawker] * The recent approval of a pill that stops menstruation […]
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Biglaw, Money, Skaddenfreude
Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: Mayer Brown Raises
The associate pay raise memo for the D.C. office of Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw, authenticated for us by a source at the firm, appears after the jump. We have no reason to doubt the authenticity of the memos, posted in the comments, that appear to be from Mayer Brown’s offices in Los Angeles and […] -
Elizabeth Halverson, Fat People, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Vicious Infighting
Judge of the Day: Elizabeth Halverson (again)
It’s time for a quick update on Judge Elizabeth Halverson. As you may recall, Judge Halverson — a Nevada state court judge, with her chambers in Las Vegas — was recently named our Judge of the Day. She achieved this honor after being banned from the courthouse by the chief judge. Anyway, we’re pleased to […] -
Biglaw, Bonuses, Clerkships, Money, Skaddenfreude
Clerkship Bonus Watch: Ropes & Gray to $50K
Yes, that’s right. In its New York office, Ropes & Gray has upped its clerkship bonus to $50,000 (and $35,000 in its other offices). If you have two years of clerkship experience, you’ll get $70,000 — no matter what office you’re in. From the firm website: Our annual salary for first-year associates, in all of […] -
Biglaw, Harriet Miers, Law Firm Mergers, Locke Liddell & Sapp, Lord, Bissell & Brook, Mergers and Acquisitions, Partner Profits
Law Firm Merger Mania: Locke Liddell + Lord Bissell
The latest Biglaw combination brings together more “L”s than you can shake a stick at. From the Texas Lawyer: Locke Liddell & Sapp, based in Houston and Dallas, and Chicago-based Lord, Bissell & Brook have agreed to merge, and will form a 700-lawyer firm named Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell. Hmm, that’s a mouthful — […] -
Jan Crawford Greenburg, Linda Greenhouse, Media and Journalism, New York Times, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Greenhouse v. Greenburg: The Catfight Continues
Do we exaggerate the rivalry between Linda Greenhouse, the New York Times’s veteran Supreme Court correspondent, and comely up-and-comer Jan Crawford Greenburg, who covers the Court for ABC News? Maybe. We have a weakness for the dramatic, in case you haven’t noticed. But even if exaggerated, there’s no denying the tension between these two formidable […] - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Biglaw, Money, Skaddenfreude, Solo Practitioners
Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: Frank Feibelman Raises to $175K
We recently were sent this pay raise announcement, which we reprint with the permission of the sender: I will pay my first year associate $175,000. I just need to generate the income to hire someone at that pay level. Frank M. Feibelman Attorney at Law 5206 Markel Road Richmond, VA 23230 Okay, here’s Mr. Feibelman’s […] -
Bad Ideas, Bankruptcy, Benchslaps, Biglaw, Practice Pointers, Rudeness
ATL Practice Pointers: Don't Insult the Judge in Open Court
Or even in chambers, for that matter. But open court is worse. From a tipster: In a bankruptcy case here in the Southern District of Florida, William P. Smith — a partner at McDermott Will & Emery (Chicago), and the head of its bankruptcy department — actually told a judge she was “a few French […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 05.24.07
* Slate wrap-up of Goodling testimony. [Slate] * You’ve heard of custody disputes becoming a dog fight… [ABA e-Journal] * Vegas City Council pushes dealer on huge flag issue. [CNN] * Developments in Barbri class action. [WSJ Law Blog] * DC Madam and her attorney host Q&A in Georgetown. [BLT]
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Cars, Isn't It Ironic, Judicial Nominations, State Judges
Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged
He’s not a judge yet, so we can’t bestow our coveted Judge of the Day award upon him. But he has secured the Democratic nomination for a judgeship, in Philadelphia — which means he has a decent shot of being elected. Then again, whether Willie Singletary gets elected to the bench may depend upon how […] -
Aaron Charney, Biglaw, Blogging, Daniel Alterman, Gay
Brokeback Lawfirm: S&C Bends Over for Bloggers?
Well, maybe not quite. But we do find it interesting that, in the recent wave of publicity over Aaron Charney’s amended complaint, Sullivan & Cromwell’s public relations team at Sard Verbinnen reached out to us. They emailed the following statement to us: “This is just a rehash of his original, now dismissed, complaint with the […]
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Biglaw, Money, Skaddenfreude
Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: DLA Piper
It’s been all over the comments, so it’s not exactly breaking news. But we have verified it with a source at the firm. The DLA Piper memo, from your pals Larry, Moe and Curly Frank, Lee and Terry, appears after the jump. P.S. We intend no disrespect to the work that Frank Burch, Lee Miller, […] -
Celebrities, Lunacy, Movies, Music, Non-Sequiturs, Oral Sex / Blow Jobs, Police, Pornography, Violence
Non-Sequiturs: 05.23.07
* When the backdrops for crazy shootings tend to be God-forsaken backwaters (or suburbs), it’s reassuring to know that New York City is still home to plenty of wackjobs. [Gawker; Village Voice; Braunstein recap here] * I love it when a guy makes good on the “You can’t make me!” threat. [QuizLaw; The Smoking Gun] […] -
Department of Justice, Fabulosity, House Judiciary Committee, Monica Goodling, Politics, U.S. Attorneys Offices, You Go Girl
All Hail the Queen: Monica Goodling Open Thread
We have to step away from our computer now, to go meet our running group. We are training for the New York City marathon. If you’d like to support our efforts with a tax-deductible donation to fund cancer research, which is almost as worthy a cause as the Monica Goodling Legal Defense Fund, please click […] -
Biglaw, Money, Sheppard Mullin, Skaddenfreude
Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: Kirkland & Ellis and Sheppard Mullin
Some more good news on the associate pay raise front: 1. Kirkland & Ellis: “The Firm Committee has approved increases to our associate base salaries in our California, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. offices, retroactive to May 1, 2007.” So K&E is now on the $160K scale — not just in California and D.C., which was […] -
Monica Goodling
All Hail the Queen: Monica Goodling on Capitol Hill (Part 5)
BREAKING: Is the cool and collected Monica Goodling starting to crack, under the persistent and probing questioning of Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL)? Details after the jump (around the 3:25 mark). 3:08: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) employs a too-clever-by-half strategy to try and get Monica Goodling to say that Alberto Gonzales should be fired. It falls […] -
Monica Goodling
All Hail the Queen: Monica Goodling on Capitol Hill (Part 4)
If congressional testimony over the U.S. Attorney firings were American Idol: Alberto Gonzales = Sanjaya Malakar D. Kyle Sampson = Blake Lewis Monica Goodling = Jordin Sparks Goodling is, far and away, the best Department of Justice witness to appear before Congress on the U.S. Attorney firings thus far. If one were to compare her […] -
Biglaw, Money, Skaddenfreude, Tax Law
Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: Looking to Sidley as Your Savior?
If you’re an associate at a top Chicago law firm, hoping that Sidley Austin LLP will kick off a round of pay raises in the Windy City, we have some advice for you: Don’t hold your breath. (On the other hand, sometimes law firms boost associate pay to distract from bad publicity. Might Sidley take […]