August 2007

Biglaw Perk Watch: Nap Rooms?

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nap room siesta afternoon nap napping Above the Law blog.JPGLawyers work long hours. They end up sleep-deprived. Do their employers care to do anything about it?
From a recent New York Times article:

Q. If it’s natural to rest in the afternoon, why don’t more companies tolerate napping?

A. A few companies do offer nap rooms as a perk. And in some businesses where safety is paramount, some companies have seen the wisdom of permitting naps, Dr. Turek said.

Does anyone know of a law firm with a “nap room”? When we worked at a firm and got tired, after pulling an all-nighter or something close to one, sometimes we’d close our office door and take a brief nap in our chair. When we were stuck in the office all night, and waiting for something from Word Processing or Duplicating, we’d nap on our office floor (which was carpeted, thankfully).
But there has to be a better way. If medical residents who are on-call get nap rooms, why can’t Biglaw lawyers?
That Yawn After Lunch Is Perfectly Normal [New York Times via Althouse]

42 Comments

Morning Docket: 08.22.07

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Pacman smoking drinking drugs Above the Law blog.jpg* Nurse sues Pacman. [Reno-Gazette Journal]
* Defense rests in Spector trial. [CNN]
* Patent infringers in less treble. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Yeah, I’m sure Texas is going to stop killing people because Europe wants them to. [Jurist]
* State charges for Vick too? [AP via Yahoo!]

6 Comments

Fall Recruiting Open Thread: Vault 31-35

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Paul Hastings Tower 2 Abovethelaw Above the Law blog.JPGWe’ve now covered over a third of the Vault 100 law firms in open threads. But that means we still have two-thirds to go (assuming we follow through to the end).
The next five firms are colorful. They include one firm that was featured in the Transformers movie, and another that used to employ a high-priced escort.
For your consideration (in Vault 100 order, prestige scores in parentheses):

31. Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker (6.545)
32. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP (6.352)
33. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP (6.343)
34. Winston & Strawn LLP (6.316)
35. Dewey Ballantine LLP (6.313)

Please gossip away in the comments. Thanks.
The Vault Top 100 Law Firms [Vault]
Earlier: Vault 1-5; Vault 6-10; Vault 11-15; Vault 16-20; Vault 21-25; Vault 26-30

131 Comments

Non-Sequiturs: 08.21.07

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* This is quite ingenious. [David Gulbransen via Blawg Review]
* Any guesses as to the Rolls-Royce-loving, Texas plaintiffs’ lawyer? [The Wealth Report]
* Speaking of the obscenely rich, Marquette University Law School continues to rake in the dough. [Empirical Legal Studies via PrawfsBlawg]
* “Arbitration is like a jail sentence…. a demeaning and abhorrent substitute for justice.” [Consumerist]
* Praying for somebody’s death doesn’t seem very Christian — even if they did rat you out to the IRS. [TaxProf Blog]
* When the Supreme Court reconvenes in the fall, where will Justice Scalia and his clerks go for lunch? [Washington Post]

10 Comments

A Brokeback Lawfirm for the Other Side of the Pond

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Clifford Chance LLP Abovethelaw Above the Law blog.jpgSadly, we’ll probably never learn whether former Clifford Chance partner Michael Bryceland was asked to “bend over” (a la Aaron Charney). Unlike Sullivan & Cromwell, CC settled the case quietly, for an undisclosed amount.
Of course, if you have any details, please feel free to send them to us by email (subject line: “Clifford Chance”). Thanks.
Revealed: CC pays out in sexual orientation claim [TheLawyer.com]

7 Comments

Judge Marian Shelton: A Judge Judy in Waiting?

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Marian Shelton Bronx Family Court Judge Marian Shelton Abovethelaw Above the Law blog.jpgLast week we described the Honorable Marian Shelton, of Bronx Family Court, as “a true judicial diva.” Here’s more about her, from the New York Post:

A Bronx judge had a court clerk’s wife handcuffed and tossed in a cell for contempt – because she whispered “a**hole” after her husband was kept late at work, a state panel has charged.

Family Court Judge Marian Shelton screamed at the woman, “He’ll leave when he’s finished his work, not when you tell him!” before ordering court officers to take her to a holding cell for the weekend….

Pretty awesome. Should we be surprised to learn that Judge Shelton’s wedding was presided over by another colorful and cantankerous New Yorker, then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani?
Interesting enough, Judge Shelton is being eyed for elevation — but not to an appellate court. Details after the jump.

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Judge Marian Shelton: A Judge Judy in Waiting?”

19 Comments

X-Summers: Loose Lips Sink Ships Offers

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X Men small X Summers X Summer Associates Abovethelaw Above the Law blog.jpgCan you wear white after Labor Day? Or drink a gin and tonic? Or tell a summer associate story?
August is almost over, and our series of SA stories is winding to a close. If you have an anecdote to share, please review our submission guidelines, and then email us.
1. Superhero name: Loose Lips
2. Special power(s): Ability to broadcast his sexual misadventures from coast to coast — in the pre-internet age.
3. Summered: A Los Angeles Biglaw firm, summer 1988. (As we’ve said before, we’re happy to post old stories; this is a “greatest hits” compilation.)
4. Claim to fame: From our tipster:

“Two summers from top-10 east coast schools, one female, one male, were working at the main office of an LA Biglaw firm. The firm had just installed an elaborate door-locking system. When the office door was locked, a red ‘Do Not Disturb’ light appeared outside the office. An unlocked office, door closed or open, had a green light.”

“Late in the day, after the support staff had left, these two associates slipped into the office of one of them. (They had private or semi-private offices.) After they closed (but didn’t lock) the door, the female associate began pleasuring the male associate.”

“A senior associate, seeing the green light, walked into the office — and got an eyeful.”

Learn the fate of our star-crossed lovers hook-up participants, after the jump.

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “X-Summers: Loose Lips Sink Ships Offers”

27 Comments

Judge of the Day: John Plough

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John Plough Ohio Portage County Judge John Plough Above the Law blog.jpgWe alluded to this briefly last week (item #3). But since a number of you have emailed us about it, let’s take a second look.
Judge John Plough, of Portage County, Ohio, is our hands-down Judge of the Day. From the Law & Justice Unit of ABC News:

Portage County Judge John Plough had assistant public defender Brian Jones arrested for contempt of court last week after Jones refused to begin a misdemeanor assault trial because he said he was unprepared. Jones was assigned to the case one day earlier….

Plough’s ruling prompted an outcry from defense lawyers, both in Ohio and across the country. Carmen Hernandez, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said in a statement that defense lawyers have an ethical obligation not to start trial if they are not prepared.

“Asking a lawyer to go to trial without preparation is like asking a doctor to perform surgery before diagnosing the patient,” she said.

Well, look on the bright side. At least the defendant’s speedy trial right is being vindicated!
Judge Has Unprepared Lawyer Arrested [ABC News]

18 Comments

Fall Recruiting Open Thread: Vault 26-30

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Ropes Gray LLP One International Place Above the Law legal blog.jpgWe think this latest Vault 100 law firm thread will be a good one. Here are the five firms now on the table for discussion (in Vault 100 order, with prestige scores in parentheses):

26. Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft (6.648)
27. Hogan & Hartson LLP (6.622)
28. Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP (6.615)
29. Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP (6.588)
30. Ropes & Gray LLP (6.566)

We expect (formerly bedbug-infested) Cadwalader to generate a fair amount of discussion, since we hear associate morale over there ain’t so hot. Consider this comment, from the morning’s open thread on happy hours:

At my anonymous law firm they pour water in a trough and hang a feed bag in a conference room daily, they then ring a bell and let us know we have 2 minutes to eat and drink before we must get back to work … Man, I love working at Cadwalader… Oops.

And we also expect interesting stuff about Mayer Brown. From a tipster:

Would you consider running a piece on the troubles at Mayer Brown? You’ve already reported on their partners being fired/leaving, the Refco mess, and their unhappy associates. I think some open speculation on where their firm is going would be very enjoyable at this point.

So have at ‘em, in the comments. Thanks.
The Vault Top 100 Law Firms [Vault]
Earlier: Vault 1-5; Vault 6-10; Vault 11-15; Vault 16-20; Vault 21-25

144 Comments

Breaking: Seventh Circuit Affirms Conviction of Gov. George Ryan

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George Ryan Illinois Governor George H Ryan Above the Law blog.jpgSince the tireless Howard Bashman is in transit, we’ll temporarily assume his role as super-timely provider of appellate litigation news.
This just in: A divided Seventh Circuit panel has affirmed the criminal convictions of former Illinois Governor George H. Ryan and his associate, Lawrence Warner. The majority opinion is by Judge Diane Wood (who is a judicial hottie); the dissent is by Judge Michael Kanne (who is reportedly not fat).
This is especially bad news for Winston & Strawn. As some of you may recall, the firm reportedly blew $20 million on defending Governor Ryan, on a pro bono basis.
United States v. Ryan [U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit]

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