October 2007
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Affirmative Action, Bar Exams, Law Schools, Racism
Because We Haven't Had a Comments Clusterf**k in a While
It’s a term of art. We define a “comment clusterf**k as a post that generates over 100 reader comments (typically of a vicious and nasty nature — but that could be said of many, if not most, comments on ATL). We enjoy a good “CC,” and we haven’t had one here since Friday. Hence this […] -
Crime, Law Professors, Melvyn Weiss, Michael Vick, Milberg Weiss, Morning Docket, O.J. Simpson, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Technology
Morning Docket: 10.16.07
* O.J. freshly squeezed by a second co-defendant. [AP via Athens Banner-Herald] * Law professors get appointed to do everything. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution] * Nevada holds off on an execution, waiting on SCOTUS. [Reno Gazette-Journal] * Weiss pleads not guilty. [Jurist] * iPoison. [PC World]
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
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Bad Ideas, David Otunga, Law Schools, Reality TV, Romance and Dating, Television
I Love New York 2: What a Train Wreck
We just caught the second half of I Love New York 2 (previously discussed here and here). Wow. Even by the debased standards of reality television, the show couldn’t be any more trashy. We felt our IQ plummeting as the minutes passed. We won’t tune in next week, since we don’t have the points to […]
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Adam Liptak, Advertising, Blogging, Non-Sequiturs, Plaintiffs Firms, Politics, Sex Scandals, Ted Frank
Non-Sequiturs: 10.15.07
* How much will various law-related search terms cost you on Google? Adam Liptak has collected some interesting examples: “Asbestos attorney” = $51.68, “Pro bono lawyer” = $2.89. [NYT via WSJ Law Blog] * Another day, another Republican politician in a gay sex scandal. [Green Bay Press-Gazette] * Not law-related, but interesting to those who […] -
Boutique Law Firms, Divorce Train Wrecks, Money, Sex Scandals
Beveridge & Diamond: Affairs, Forgery, Car Chases, and Other Fun Stuff
In the latest issue of the Legal Times, Nathan Carlile has a somewhat salacious story about Beveridge & Diamond. Perhaps you haven’t heard of this D.C.-based environmental law boutique — which might be mistaken for a livestock brokerage, thanks to the sheep photos on their website. But a livestock brokerage probably has fewer hijinks: [A] […] -
Adam Key, Free Speech, Law Schools, Regent University School of Law, Religion
Regent Revisited: Tattooed Dude Suspended Pending Psychiatric Evaluation
Last week, we brought you the tale of Adam Key, a heavily tattooed 2L fighting the powers that be at Regent University School of Law. Now, here’s an update, from the Virginian-Pilot: A Regent University law student who posted an unflattering photo of Regent President Pat Robertson on his Facebook page has been indefinitely suspended […] -
Biglaw, Heller Ehrman, Job Searches, Layoffs, Paralegals
The Heller Ehrman Layoffs: Don't Believe the Spin?
We recently made passing reference to the staff layoffs at Heller Ehrman, which firm management claimed were made to enhance efficiency, and not due to slow business. But one of the affected employees begs to differ: Don’t believe Heller Ehrman’s claims that the layoffs were not because of slowdowns. I was a paralegal who worked […] -
Biglaw, Bonuses, Clerkships, Money, Skaddenfreude
Clerkship Bonus Watch: Shearman & Sterling Joins the $50K/$70K Club
Sometimes it takes a while. But we usually get results, eventually. Back in July, we published a post entitled Clerkship Bonus Watch: What’s Up With Shearman? Today, at 12:32 p.m., this email went around at Shearman & Sterling: At the last meeting of the Associates Committee in New York, the committee representatives noted that we […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
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Cheapness, Email Scandals, Gay, Summer Associates
The Skadden Gays: Out and Proud, or Tacky and Loud?
That’s the debate currently raging in the Los Angeles office of Skadden. It was triggered by some exuberant, multicolored emails from a Gay Colleague, promoting the Skadden LA AIDS Walk team. From the delicious (but sporadically updated) Skadden Insider: [T]he e-mails weren’t well received by everyone because “they are pretty aggressive and unprofessional. Just the […] -
Asians, New York Times, Reader Polls, Senate Judiciary Committee, Weddings, Williams & Connolly
Legal Eagle Wedding Watch 10.7.07: Sweet Virginia
We had a tough time picking our finalist couples this week, and LEWW will be the first to admit that we’re not totally certain we chose the right three. (We’re sure our commenters and e-mailers will let us know if we’ve dropped the ball.) Specifically, in addition to our three finalists, we considered these three […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.15.07
* Three-ring circus set up for Gitmo trials. [Los Angeles Times via How Appealing] * Meanwhile, others at Gitmo may get new hearings. [New York Times] * More ruminations on Genarlow Wilson; the Georgia Supreme Court is expected to rule soon. [Atlanta Journal-Constituion] * House threatening to offend Turkishness. [New York Times] * GlaxoSmithKline v. […]
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Fabulosity, Job Searches, Shopping, Weirdness
A Monday Morning Pick Me Up: S&C Bonsai Porn
Monday mornings kinda suck. So here’s something to cheer you up and get your week started right. It’s a photograph, of higher quality than our last one, of a Sullivan & Cromwell bonsai tree: Another S&C bonsai pic, in which the plant is artistically posed alongside additional booty sent by the firm to its offerees, […] -
Antonin Scalia, Arlen Specter, Books, Clarence Thomas, David Souter, Dick Cheney, Fabulosity, John Roberts, Michael Chertoff, Parties, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Samuel Alito, SCOTUS, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court, Television
Liveblogging the Clarence Thomas Book Party
Welcome. If you’re at home, tune in to C-SPAN, which is rebroadcasting the recent book party for Justice Clarence Thomas. Justice Thomas’s eagerly anticipated memoir, My Grandfather’s Son, is now in bookstores — and topping the bestseller charts (to the relief of his publisher, HarperCollins, which reportedly paid him a $1.5 million advance). 7:05: The […]
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Blogging, Contests, Shameless Plugs
What's Your Favorite Law Blog?
Hey look! Nominations are now being accepted for Best Law Blog. We have shame enough not to nominate ATL. But not enough to express the hope that someone else might — before Monday, when the nomination process closes. Hope you’re having a great weekend! Update: Thanks for the nomination! You can second the nomination by […] -
Boalt Hall, Britney Spears, Clarence Thomas, Judge of the Day, Non-Sequiturs, Peter Lattman, Television
Non-Sequiturs: 10.12.07
* U.C. Berkeley has settled on a new name for its law school. Check it out, it’s quite brilliant. [Blogonaut] (But we’ll probably still conduct the reader poll mentioned here, just for the heck of it.) * Strained attorney-client relations between Britney Spears and Anne Kiley? Apparently Brit has “trust issues” (in addition to that […] -
Affirmative Action, Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Feminism, Gay, Gender, Job Searches, Patton Boggs, Racism, Sexism
ATL Field Trip: The Building a Better Legal Profession Press Conference
Andrew Bruck takes a question at Wednesday’s press conference. Every now and then, we leave our apartment. We did so on Wednesday, to attend the press conference of Law Students Building a Better Legal Profession, where the organization unveiled its law firm diversity rankings (accessible here; Los Angles Times article here). It was quite informative. […] -
Biglaw, Email Scandals, Technology
Today Is Friday. Should It Be Email Free?
Last week, USA Today ran an article about “Email-Free Fridays” or “Zero Email Fridays.” Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal ran pretty much the same article. But it’s an interesting piece, and it relates to an issue that many of us confront: email overload. The problem is especially acute for lawyers at large law […] -
Crime, Deaths, Gay, Sex, Violence
Law School Exam Hypothetical: Wrongful Death in the S&M Context
Since we started off today on a somewhat sordid note, we might as well keep going down the same path. From the AP: Adrian Exley was wrapped tightly in heavy plastic, then bound with duct tape. A leather hood was put over his head with a thin plastic straw inserted so that he could breathe, […] -
Advertising, Job of the Week, Job Searches, Shameless Plugs
Job of the Week
Here is the latest Job of the Week, courtesy of ATL’s career partner, Lateral Link. To refresh your recollection: “Because Lateral Link does no cold-calling and is more efficient than traditional recruiting firms, successful candidates receive $10,000 upon placement.” Position: Hedge Fund Specialist Description: A $3+ billion hedge fund based in Greenwich, CT, is seeking […] -
Affirmative Action, Federalist Society, Law Schools, Politics
Affirmative Action for Federalist Society Members?
We know how you all love to argue about affirmative action. It’s a hot-button topic here at ATL. So here’s a proposal worth considering, from Harvard economics professor Greg Mankiw (via Paul Caron): If right-wingers are underrepresented in universities relative to the population and discriminated against by the left-wing majority, as [former Harvard president] Larry […]