Lawyer of the Day: Lauren E. Handel
Senator John McCain learned this week that his campaign spending may be investigated by the FEC due to a DNC lawsuit, but he now has a bigger crisis on his hands. The Washington Post reported on the newest presidential candidate scandal yesterday. Cindy McCain yoinked the “McCain family recipes” on the campaign website from the Food Network. OMG! GASP! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
Our scandal radar barely went off, as we’ve become desensitized by adultery, prostitution, and tax fraud. But one of our tipsters pointed out a legal tie-in. The woman who discovered the recipe plagiarism was a New York attorney, Lauren E. Handel of McDermott, Will & Emery:
A blogger for the Huffington Post, freelance writer David Weiner, first reported the plagiarism, mocking the incident as “Farfallegate? The Rosemary Chicken Dome Scandal?” He attributed the discovery to Lauren Handel, a New York lawyer who had been searching the Internet for recipes and found identical ones on the Food Network and McCain campaign sites.
We’re a little suspicious of this story of Lauren Handel doing recipe research. We can’t believe a Biglaw attorney in NYC actually has time to cook.
Bloggers Find Something Fishy In McCain Site’s ‘Family Recipes’
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How is she a partner as a 2002 grad? What's that about?
3:35 beat me to it. NY to 'Partner in 5 years'.
2002 wouldn't count because that's when she graduated and 2008 doesn't count because it's only April. WTF?
Overachiever!!
Hehehe....David WEINER.
3:35 - it appears McDermott has a 6.5 partnership track, although that still doesn't add up to a 2002 grad being a partner.
I've noticed a couple 2002 grads who are "partners" at MWE. What's the deal?
Cheater!!
She "kashed" in all right!!
Kashmir, stop being a liberal hack!!!
She looks 40-ish, so maybe the partnership got confused and voted her in.
So, Obama sips coffee with unrepentant 1960s radical bombers and McCain steals from Rachael Ray. I'm voting for Nader!
OMFG. WTF.
WHO CARES.
ATTTL
MWE previously had a 5.5 year income partnership track; it is now a 6.5 year income partnership track.
Okay, so here's a whole set of questions about income partnership.
1. Does income partnership mean no equity stake?
2. Do income partners make more money than equivalent senior associates at other firms?
3. Is it easier for income partners to become equity partners later on as compared to senior associates at other firms?
4. What happens if you don't make it to income partnership status in 6.5 years? (I.e. At 9-year partnership track firms, it seems you can generally stay 9 years even if you don't make partner)
Let me clarify my questions:
1. Does income partnership mean no equity stake?
2. Do income partners make more money than equivalent-year senior associates at 9-year track firms?
3. Is it easier for income partners to become equity partners later on as compared to equivalent-year senior associates at 9-year track firms?
4. What happens if you don't make it to income partnership status in 6.5 years? (I.e. At 9-year partnership track firms, it seems you can generally stay 9 years even if you don't make partner)
Re 4:43:
1. Does income partnership mean no equity stake?
[Typically yes].
2. Do income partners make more money than equivalent senior associates at other firms?
[Depends. Since partners are "owners", the Firm eats less of some costs, like health insurance or retirement plans, for example. It is not uncommon for an 8th year associate to have a greater net income than a 1st year non-equity partner].
3. Is it easier for income partners to become equity partners later on as compared to senior associates at other firms?
[This question is unclear]
4. What happens if you don't make it to income partnership status in 6.5 years? (I.e. At 9-year partnership track firms, it seems you can generally stay 9 years even if you don't make partner)
[The partnership track is what it is. While no longer up or out, since there are many counsel positions opening up, typically you either make it or you don't.]
Well, Murray, if you saw Lauren in person, you wouldn't think "40-ish". I guess MWE needs a hipper staff photographer. As her dad, I can state with authority that she's 33 and a helluva good cook! - Rick Handel
Hey Lat - In case you haven't been reading your own blog, things are a little slow and most BigLaw lawyers have plenty of time these days to do ALOT of extra stuff.
Question: Did she use the recipe anyway?
You go, Rick....
"Rick Handel"
That's awesome! Hey, I wonder if Kash's mom reads this blog. Some of you must make her blush.
The Daddy Defense?
Of course I am Lauren's proud mom !! What is all the fuss about her profession and what business is it of any of you?
I have to agree that it is a poor quality picture of my 33 yr. old daughter. That 40-ish comment was totally insulting. She happens to enjoy cooking, gourmet style, on Sunday evenings.
The internet itself found the duplicate recipes..truth be told this had nothing to do with Lauren searching out stolen recipes. GET A LIFE PEOPLE !
Did she consider that maybe Food Network stole the recipes from Cin-Cin? How about some f-ing due diligence?
Oh my, now its "mommy to the rescue". Pleeease. It's a blog and your defensiveness to what was an innocuous comment ("40-ish") is silly and only encourages further ridicule from bloggers like me. Besides, today's 40-ish is last season's 30-ish. BTW --- Are you truly concerned about the comment or are you actually more upset that you cannot now refer all of your friends to the ATL story, for fear that they will read that daughter looks 40-ish?
Signed,
Blog Police
Lauren's mom (if that's really her) is a horrible writer. Lauren's dad is clearly much smarter. He probably married for looks?
For someone who said it's none of our business, Lauren's mom just told us a lot more about her daughter's habits than we knew before. And her parents writing on this blog, and what they said, says a lot about her family too. While I'm working on footnoting Lauren's latest filing on a sunday night, I'll rest assured she's home cooking up some "gourmet" meal she discovered on the McCain website.
Ya'll wish you could cook!!
This commentary confirms why most people hate lawyers.
MWE has a non-equity partnership track for what are basically senior associates. From there they have a base to establish clients because they have "partner" in their title. It makes sense; clients prefer "partners" over senior associates to handle their cases.
10:47 -- wouldn't clients, like corporate GC's, see right through that ploy?
The program allows the firm to charge ungodly hourly rates due to the partner label for inexeperienced attorneys, including the one featured here. In-house counsels see through it, which is why McDermott Will raised it to 6.5, Still to low in my opinion. But the firm makes so much extra money from it that it won't change.
She looks 40 in person.
Wow, people who post here sure have a lot of time to complain. It's tough knowing people like Lauren are out there making a lot of you look bad, isn't it? And the 'Blog Police'....do you get paid to be that witty, or is this just a 2nd job for you? Go Lauren!
3:40, not all peeps from her wdc past think she's all that.