March 2008
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Judge of the Day
Judge of the Day: Richard Sasso
Technically, this New Jersey judge is our Ex-Judge of the Day, since he retired in January for “health reasons.” He is accused of PUI (presiding under the influence), bullying people in his courtroom, and tearing up a go-go bar. Oh, is that unusual behavior for a judge? From NJ.com: The Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct […] -
Idealism
Mo' Money, Mo' Problems?
Our readers are certainly aware of the compensation/personal life trade-off involved in taking a high-paying law firm job. Salaries go up, but so do the billable hours. Building a Better Legal Profession, a group we have discussed in these pages before, is working to change that. The group gets a nice shout-out in yesterday’s Los […] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Musical Chairs: Slate Publisher to Skadden Arps(And a shout-out to Slate's new law blog.)
At ATL, we have a special place in our heart for the intersection of law and media. Thus, we are moved to report on the publisher of Slate, Cliff Sloan, leaving the media world to become a partner at Skadden Arps. From The Washington Post: Slate, the daily online magazine owned by The Washington Post […]
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AutoAdmit / Xoxohth, Free Speech, Pro Se Litigants, Technology
AutoAdmit Update: AK47's Pathetic Plea
Based on all the non-sequiturs appended to Non-Sequiturs, some of you clearly want to talk about the latest filings in the AutoAdmit case. So here’s an open thread for you to go wild (but not too wild). Most people who follow the case are already up on the recent developments. But if you need background, […] -
Eliot Spitzer
'Listen, dude, do you really want the discovery?'
If you have Eliot Spitzer fatigue, stop reading here. If not, feel free to continue. The Spitzer scandal raised this question: How are lawyers like prostitutes? It’s an admittedly groan-worthy joke, fit to be told by an inebriated guest at a local bar association dinner. But maybe there are a few insights to be gleaned […] -
Job Survey
Featured Survey Results: Would You Do It Again?(And: Which firms' associates have no regrets?)
Last week’s ATL / Lateral Link survey asked, “If you knew then what you know today, would you still choose to join your current firm?” We received 540 responses, and, overall 68% of you said yes. But the gruntlement (i.e., satisfaction) varied quite a bit from market to market: • Atlanta – 50% […] -
Free Speech, Hillary Clinton, Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
A Free Speech Hypothetical: Campaign Buttons Outside the Supreme Court
While standing outside the U.S. Supreme Court building this morning, Georgetown Law student Sam Arora sent us this message (with photo): I’m #2 in line for the SCOTUS 11 AM argument. A policewoman standing at front told me I wasn’t allowed to wear my Hillary button “on the plaza.” She said it was rules. I […] -
Law Schools
Using 3L Free Time Productively: Making Funny Videos
George Washington students have created a series of YouTube videos riffing on the Bud Light Real Men commercials. Best in the law-student-mocking series is “Guy who asks about summer jobs”: Our favorite line: “Public interest is for gays and hippies.” To see more of the Real Men of Law School videos, check out the TaxProf […] - 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… -
Barack Obama, Guns / Firearms, Kwame Kilpatrick, Morning Docket, Politics, SCOTUS, Sex Scandals, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 03.19.08
* Collected coverage of yesterday’s Supreme Court oral argument in District of Columbia v. Heller, the Second Amendment case concerning D.C. gun control. [SCOTUSblog (linkwrap); How Appealing (linkwrap)] * NJ prosecutors subpoena records from JuicyCampus.com (think AutoAdmit for college students). [AP] * An update on former Lawyer of the Day Kwame Kilpatrick: the Detroit City […]
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Jeffrey Toobin, Junk Email / Spam, New Yorker, Technology, Weirdness
Spam Email of the Day
If you’re a judiciary junkie who used to read Underneath Their Robes, the judicial news and gossip site that was our first foray into blogging, you may be mildly amused by this strange piece of spam. Jeffrey Toobin — legal affairs writer for the New Yorker and author of The Nine: Inside the Secret World […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 03.18.08
* Why is prostitution illegal, but pornography is not? [Andrew Sullivan via The Legal Satyricon] * Dueling applications to register “Client 9” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Maybe Eliot Spitzer should object? [USPTO; USPTO] * Speaking of trademark fights, who should have the rights to use “COCKAHOLIC”? (An aside from Prof. Marc Randazza: […] -
Department of Justice, Fabulosity, Musical Chairs, Office of Legal Policy, Politics, Rachel Brand, Seth Waxman, Weirdness
Musical Chairs: WilmerHale's New Hires
We bring you news of a career move by one of America’s most fabulous young lawyers. From a press release issued by WilmerHale: WilmerHale is pleased to announce that Rachel L. Brand and Mark D. Nelson will join the firm’s Washington, DC public policy and strategy practice focusing on congressional investigations, regulatory affairs and crisis […] -
Breasts
McKee Nelson to... Boob Cups?(Plus a digression on beauty queens in the law.)
As the BLT reported earlier this month, McKee Nelson has hired beauty queen Chelsey Rodgers, a 3L at Howard University Law School, who will be D.C.’s representative in the Miss USA competition. Although the firm has been trying to thin its ranks, we’re sure that they can find room for Ms. Rodgers (just as Thacher […]
Sponsored
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Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
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…
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
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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…
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Affirmative Action, Biglaw, Labor / Employment, Minority Issues, Racism, Staff Attorneys / Discovery Attorneys, Yolanda Young
Covington and Its 'Staff Attorney Ghetto'?
Sorry we’re late to the party on this HuffPo post, bearing the provocative title “Law Firm Segregation Reminiscent of Jim Crow.” It’s by Yolanda Young, a former staff attorney at Covington & Burling. Her claim, in a nutshell, is that Covington fills the ranks of its “staff attorney ghetto” with African-Americans, while the ranks of […] -
Lawsuit of the Day
Lawsuit of the Day: When Strippers Attack!
Several tipsters nominated this story for ATL’s Lawsuit of the Day. A businessman claims in a lawsuit that he was injured when a stripper giving him a lap dance swiveled and smacked him in the face with the heel of her shoe. Stephen Chang, a securities trader, said in court papers filed Friday that he […] -
Supreme Court
SCOTUS to Weigh In on F**king S**t
Last year, the TV networks and their “fleeting expletives” won their case against the Federal Communications Commission. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in favor of Fox, CBS, NBC, and ABC… and the public’s right to hear Jane Fonda use the “c” word as necessary. SCOTUS agreed yesterday to hear the […] -
Job Survey
Featured Job Survey: The Bear Stearns Effect
While last week’s ATL / Lateral Link survey on hindsight is still open, today’s survey ponders the uncertain future. And Bear Stearns’s effect thereon. Nathan Koppel has an interesting post on the WSJ Law Blog about which firms might miss Bear Stearns business. Verdict: it’s murky, but probably not that great for Latham, Skadden, Cadwalader, […] -
Videos
ATL Field Trip: Hohensee, J., Dissenting
Meet Richard Hohensee. He’s a homeless man here in Washington, who has been living on the D.C. streets for some two years — which has been “very convenient,” since he’s running for president (see here). We met him yesterday outside the Supreme Court, during our recent field trip. Rick Hohensee is highly intelligent and articulate, […] -
Sex Scandals
New York and New Jersey in Competition for Dirtiest Governor Sex Scandal
VS.VS.New York and New Jersey’s rivalry has spilled over into sex scandals. New Jersey started the battle way back in 2004. Then-Governor James McGreevey resigned and announced he was a “gay American,” who had carried on an affair with a male aide. This month, New York belatedly responded, when Eliot Spitzer resigned as governor amid […] -
Divorce Train Wrecks
Heather Mills-ionaire Don't Need No Stinkin' Lawyer
Heather Mills was awarded nearly $50 million yesterday in her divorce from Paul McCartney. CNN has video of Mills speaking with reporters after the verdict. Mills says: It was an incredible result in the end to secure mine and my daughter’s future and that of all the charities that I obviously plan on helping and […]