Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Insurance, Job Searches, Money

Where Do Non-Top-Tier Grads Go? Hello, Insurance Law!

By David Lat

As we previously mentioned, this week is Non-Top-Tier Law School Week at ATL. Even our open threads on job hunting will reflect this theme. One graduate of a non-elite law school sent us this suggested topic: Lots of non-top tier law students end up working for insurance companies. The dumb ones end up doing insurance […]

Hotties, Law Schools, Reality TV, Romance and Dating, Summer Associates, Television, Weddings

Law Students Get No Love from the Bachelor

By David Lat

No wonder the producers of The Bachelor are so eager to have a lawyer as the Bachelor. With their impressive educational pedigrees and generally high incomes — even non-top-tier law grads earn more than the average American — lawyers are a desirable demographic. And relying upon the contestants to keep lawyers watching might not be […]

Biglaw, Bonuses, Money, Skaddenfreude

Year-End Bonus Watch: Boston

By David Lat

Our recent open threads, dedicated to discussion of year-end bonuses in different legal markets, haven’t been generating THAT many comments (at least compared to prior open threads). Maybe it’s too early for bonus discussion. Or maybe people just aren’t expecting much this year, given the recent base salary increases. So this may end up being […]

Biglaw, David Boies, Job Searches, Law School Deans, Law Schools

More Tier Two Three Misery: The Boies Schiller Controversy at New York Law School

By David Lat

Never heard of Duval & Stachenfeld? Well, that’s about to change, thanks to the firm’s innovative approach to associate compensation, which is getting some media mentions. From an article by Kellie Schmitt in The Recorder: The 50-lawyer firm, based in New York but with a small L.A. office, starts first-year associates at $60,000 — or […]

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.25.07

By B Clerker

* New York Times Magazine profiles Justice Stevens. [New York Times Magazine] * Breaking down the New York Knicks sexual harassment trial. [ESPN] * Prosecutor contradicts Sen. Craig’s story. [CNN] * NY AG subpoenas Facebook. [MSNBC] * Vick may face state charges related to dogfighting. [Sports Illustrated]

David Schizer, Education / Schools, Free Speech, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Politics, Reader Polls

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: To Speak or Not To Speak?

By David Lat

Earlier today, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a controversial appearance at Columbia University. The decision to invite Ahmadinejad was defended by President Lee Bollinger, who criticized Ahmadinejad and his views while introducing him, but condemned by Columbia Law School Dean David Schizer. Dean Schizer’s statement provides us with enough of a “law” hook to write […]

Clerkships, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Law Schools

The Clerkship Application Process: What’s Going On?

By David Lat

Many judges are done hiring their law clerks for next year. We’re happy to report that several of our friends, whom we were informally advising on the process, landed clerkships with their top picks. For those of you who are still going through the process, this gossip might be of interest: Rumor check: word on […]

Biglaw, Job Searches, Kathleen Sullivan, Technology, Videos

Quinn Emanuel: No Video for You

By David Lat

We aren’t the only ones having fun with the story of the Quinn Emanuel recruiting junket to Deer Valley. Check out this cartoon, over at The Recorder. As noted by some commenters, Quinn Emanuel just launched a new, upgraded website. Sadly, the “Day in a Life of an Associate” video — which featured a fictional […]

Bar Exams, Law Schools

Does Taking Black-Letter Courses in Law School Help You Pass the Bar Exam?

By David Lat

Maybe not. A summary of the findings of a recent study, from Freakonomics: [R]esults were unequivocal: no relationship existed between law school courseloads and the passage rate of students ranked in the first, second or fourth quarters of their law school class, while only a weak relationship existed for students who ranked in the third […]

Biglaw, Bonuses, Money, Skaddenfreude

Year-End Bonus Watch: Washington, DC

By David Lat

We have to step away for a bit. We’ll leave you with another open thread to discuss year-end bonuses. Today we focus on our base of operations: WASHINGTON, DC. If your firm has a stated bonus policy, what are the basic terms? If not, what are you expecting by way of a bonus this year? […]

Biglaw, Job Searches, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Money, WSJ Law Blog

Loyola 2L Hits the Big Time (Even If Not the Big Law)

By David Lat

On the front page of today’s Wall Street Journal, there’s an excellent article, by Amir Efrati, about the not-so-hot job prospects for non-top-tier law school graduates. Here’s the lede, which nicely summarizes the situation: A law degree isn’t necessarily a license to print money these days. For graduates of elite law schools, prospects have never […]

Books, Dahlia Lithwick, Federal Judges, Jeffrey Toobin, Media and Journalism, SCOTUS, Shameless Plugs, Supreme Court

More Delicious SCOTUS Press Corps Navel-Gazing

By David Lat

More good press for Jeffrey Toobin’s new book, The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. It scored a front-page review in the New York Times Book Review, which is the Holy Grail of the publishing industry. But we’re partial to this great Slate piece, by Emily Bazelon and Dahlia Lithwick (two of […]

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.24.07

By B Clerker

* Wall Street Journal front page article on bleak JD job market. [WSJ via Law Blog] * Ohio State must pay former coach $2.5 million. [ESPN] * Florida dems risk delegates with early primary. [CNN PoliTic] * If he did it, was it because of football injuries? [Slate] Update: We’ll be doing a full post […]

2nd Circuit, Airplanes / Aviation, Fashion, Federal Judges, Michael Mukasey, Non-Sequiturs, Sentencing Law

Non-Sequiturs: 09.21.07

By David Lat

* As a judge, Michael Mukasey cited Shakespeare in snarking on — and striking down — the federal sentencing guidelines. [AP] * Speaking of district judges, the well-regarded Judge Paul Cassell (D. Utah — at right) is resigning from the bench — partly due to low judicial pay. [Sentencing Law & Policy via WSJ Law […]

Breasts, Fabulosity, Federal Judges, Hotties, Pictures, Ursula Ungaro

The Eyes of the Law: Judge Ursula Ungaro Parties With Judge Alex

By David Lat

Federal judge Ursula Mancusi Ungaro was sighted at a recent “Constitution Day Party” down in Miami. She posed for photos with other guests — including TV judge Alex E. Ferrer, better known to television audiences as Judge Alex. This photo of Judge Ungaro and Judge Alex, by lawyer-blogger David Oscar Marcus, was our favorite. Behold […]

Biglaw, Job Searches, Reader Polls

What’s Up With That Deer Valley Trip? Quinn Emanuel Partners Speak

By David Lat

We’ve devoted an insane amount of coverage to Quinn Emanuel’s plan to take recruits to a resort in Deer Valley, Utah (in lieu of callbacks). Now The Recorder has this interesting article: Instead of bringing students met during on-campus interviews back to the office for a series of sit-downs, the firm will take them on […]

Biglaw, Bonuses, Money, Skaddenfreude

Year-End Bonus Watch: Chicago (and a Reminder About L.A.)

By David Lat

So you can’t get a decent horse meat sandwich in the Windy City. How about a decent year-end bonus? In the comments, please discuss the subject of year-end bonuses for law firm associates in CHICAGO. Topics might include hours cutoffs for hours-based policies, historical patterns in bonus size (e.g. what happened last year), and gossip […]