July 2007
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Contests, New York Times, Reader Polls, Weddings
Legal Eagle Wedding Watch: June's Couple of the Month
This should delight some of our commenters: With 36.7 percent of the vote, Avery Gardiner and Edwin U are the winners of our Couple of the Month contest for June! It was a close race, but in the end Avery and Edwin held off a strong challenge by Serena Hoy and James Reilly. Congratulations to […] -
7th Circuit, Diane Wood, Frank Easterbrook, Gay, Lawsuit of the Day, Perverts, Richard Posner, Sexual Harassment, Weirdness
Lawsuit of the Day: Bernier v. Morningstar
What do you get when you put the three smartest judges on the Seventh Circuit — Frank Easterbrook, Richard Posner, and Diane Wood — on the same panel? In this case, something weird. Very weird. It’s amusing to imagine this trio of legal geniuses wrapping their minds around such a bizarre fact pattern. Questions Presented: […] - Sponsored
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Bar Exams, Fast Food, Ridiculousness
The Bar Exam: You Know You've Been Studying Too Much When...
Last night, a tipster preparing for the New York bar exam sent us this message: I ordered a pizza and Diet Coke earlier…. Dominos called to say they’re out of Diet Coke. I immediately started running through the UCC Article 2 analysis of imperfect tender w/ notice… I decided then and there I deserve to […]
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Admin, Advertising, American Constitution Society (ACS), Marsha Berzon, Technology
Programming Note: Off to AEI
We’re going to be offline for a few hours. If anything big happens while we’re gone, and we don’t write about it immediately, now you know why. (Posts that we drafted earlier will be published while we’re gone.) We’re going to attend this event, about the economics of internet advertising — which, of course, is […] -
Biglaw, Money, Skaddenfreude
Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: Is Texas Biglaw Raising -- Finally?
Word on the street is that Vinson & Elkins has raised salaries for its Texas and Washington associates. But we haven’t confirmed it directly with someone at V&E. If you can confirm this rumor, please email us. Update (11:08 AM): That was fast; thanks! It’s confirmed: V&E has raised associate salaries for first- and second-year […] -
Aaron Charney, Social Networking Websites, Technology, Weirdness
Brokeback Lawfirm: Is Charney v. S&C Being Used for MySpace Spam?
From a reader who uses MySpace (no, not a 14-year-old girl in Manassas): Totally random, and not necessarily newsworthy, but the attached MySpace profile appeared randomly on my “cool new people” list when I logged in. Strange, huh? (Random spam like this, in the form of fake profiles — usually of attractive women from ex-Soviet […] -
Jan Crawford Greenburg, Media and Journalism, Nina Totenberg, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
In Defense of Nina: Jan Crawford Greenburg
In the wake of the quasi-scandal that the divine Dahlia Lithwick has dubbed Divagate, we’ve received several defenses of that legend of the Supreme Court press corps, NPR’s Nina Totenberg. We previously shared with you an email from Tom Goldstein, who once interned for Totenberg (just as Cate Edwards is doing this summer). Today we […] -
Bar Exams, Weirdness
The Bar Exam: And You Thought Your State Was Tough
What’s the hardest bar exam in the United States? No, it’s not California. Sure, California is hard. The whole three-day thing is a bitch, and the passage rate is low. But Cali ain’t got nothing on Guam. Check it: a ZERO PERCENT pass rate. Don’t believe us? Just ask the three people who took it […] - 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… -
BARBRI, Crime, Death Penalty, Education / Schools, Football, India, Manuel Real, Michael Vick, Morning Docket, Pets, Violence, White-Collar Crime
Morning Docket: 07.18.07
* Who let the dogs fight? Who? Who? Feds say: football star Michael Vick. [CNN; TSG] * Bar-Bri class reps (no, different class reps): No incentive payments for you. [The Recorder] * Seven-figure legal bills: par for the course for white-collar criminal defendants. [WSJ Law Blog] * India market hot for law firms. [Law.com] * […]
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Biglaw, Bonuses, Clerkships, Money, Williams & Connolly
Clerkship Bonus Watch: Williams & Connolly, Orrick
Confirmed news of two more firms raising their clerkship bonus amounts: 1. Williams & Connolly: From $25K to $35K. 2. Orrick: From $15K to $40K. If you get wind of clerkship bonus news, please send it our way (subject line: “Clerkship Bonus”). Thanks. -
Education / Schools, Food, Gender, Non-Sequiturs, Oral Sex / Blow Jobs, Rudeness, Tax Law, Videos
Non-Sequiturs: 07.17.07
* We say: Ignorance is bliss. [Althouse] * The Genarlow Wilson case: let’s go to the videotape! Oh wait… [Concurring Opinions] * If you’re going to drop the d-word, at least spell it correctly. [PrawfsBlawg] * Every time an unlawful, creepy houseboat is sunsetted out of existence, a little piece of America dies. [Never Yet […] -
Biglaw, Money, Skaddenfreude, Williams & Connolly
Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: What's Up With Baker & McKenzie?
Over in the D.C. office of Baker & McKenzie, the natives are getting restless. They’ve prepared this cute little bar graph (thumbnail image; click to enlarge): The graphic above also reflects that Williams & Connolly now pays starting salaries of $165,000. We hadn’t heard (or written) about that news, but it’s official. Does anyone have […] -
Biglaw, Bonuses, Job Searches, Money, Shameless Plugs, Skaddenfreude, Technology
An Update on Quinn Emanuel and EE Degrees
This is a follow-up to yesterday’s post about Quinn Emanuel, which was considering adopting a pay system in which associates with coveted electrical engineering degrees would earn higher base salaries than their less well-endowed colleagues. We contacted name partner John Quinn, but he hasn’t gotten back to us. Through other channels, however, we’ve learned what […]
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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Aaron Charney, Job Searches, Social Networking Websites, Weirdness
Attention Legal Employers: Please Give Aaron Charney A Job for Next Summer
Because he’s not THAT Aaron Charney. No relation. He swears! Here’s a Facebook exchange that we reprint with permission of our correspondent: Poor guy. When you see a résumé from Aaron Charney next spring, before you toss it in the circular file, please double check: Are you sure it’s from the right — or wrong, […] -
Bar Exams, Lolcats, Lunacy, Paulina Bandy
The Bar Exam: Open Thread for Advice and Anecdotes
Speaking for ourselves, we’d think that accepting advice on the bar exam from anonymous strangers over the internet is like getting on the express train to Bandyland. But some of you disagree. Here are two requests we’ve received recently: “I am currently one of the thousands of students frantically studying for the bar exam. One […] -
Dahlia Lithwick, Fabulosity, Howard Bashman, J. Michael Luttig, Linda Greenhouse, Media and Journalism, Nina Totenberg, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Who Is the 'Dean' of the Supreme Court Press Corps?
We’re loving this little dustup over our item about Nina Totenberg getting territorial over seating in the Supreme Court press gallery. It got us a shout-out in the Washington Post. And it’s generating celebrity correspondence for us, too. Over the weekend, we heard from SCOTUS bar superstar Tom Goldstein. And then, this morning, we received […] -
Biglaw, Money, Perks / Fringe Benefits, Real Estate
Biglaw Perk Watch: All Things Housing-Related
Oops, we briefly dropped the ball on our continuing series about perks or fringe benefits provided by legal employers. In prior posts, we covered technology allowances, gym memberships, and marriage bonuses. Recently a tipster asked us if any law firms out there would help him out with buying a house. We believe he was thinking […] -
Bar Exams, Celebrities, Emily Pataki, Hillary Clinton, Kathleen Sullivan, Law School Deans, Paulina Bandy, Politics, White & Case
The Bar Exam: A List of Famous Failures
If you fail the bar exam, it's not the end of the world; just ask these six celebrities, whose lives and careers turned out fabulously! -
Death Penalty, Education / Schools, Morning Docket, Religion, Sports
Morning Docket: 07.17.07
* Reprieve granted day before execution. [CNN] * L.A. archdiocese reaches $660 million settlement. [MSNBC] * Family of Girl Who Married Teacher Sues School District. [WSOCTV] * OU must adjust records as part of NCAA sanctions. [SI] * Charges dismissed against 13 former KPMG employees. [NYT; WSJ Law Blog (background)]
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Media and Journalism, Nina Totenberg, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Thomas Goldstein
In Defense of Nina: Tom Goldstein
To balance out our recent tales of diva-licious behavior by a celebrated legal journalist, Nina Totenberg of NPR, here’s an opposing viewpoint — a “But see,” if you will — from Thomas Goldstein. Goldstein is a partner at Akin Gump, a top Supreme Court advocate, and founder of SCOTUSblog. Tom Goldstein also knows Ms. Nina […]