Welcome to… ATL Idol!
New site editor to be picked by readers in a ‘reality blogging’ competition.
Six lawyers, currently or formerly at large law firms, hoping to make the jump to the writing life (read: working in pajamas). One leading legal tabloid, in need of its next lead editor. A mass of angry anonymous commenters, looking for someone new with whom to have a love-hate relationship.
“THIS…. is ATL Idol.”
It’s a reality-show-style competition, in which site readers will pick the new editor in chief of AboveTheLaw.com — the recipient of some 3 million page views a month, described by the Washington Post as “a must-read legal blog.” We believe it to be the first time that a full-time blogging gig — one with a salary you can live on, health insurance, and even a 401(k) — has been awarded through a “reality blogging” contest.
Back in May, we posted a help wanted ad for a new full-time writer here at Above the Law. Over the weeks that followed, we received a slew of excellent applications. We also located additional prospects through personal networking. All in all, we probably considered almost 100 talented candidates.
We narrowed the list down to six highly impressive finalists. But we found the prospect of choosing just one of them to be agonizing.
So we’ve decided to outsource this task to you, the readership of Above the Law. Over the next three weeks, the finalists will blog on ATL, for your consideration. Just as they would on a true reality TV show, the “assignments” will vary from week to week (details about them to follow).
Each Friday, we will open the polls, allowing you to vote for your favorite — the blogger you’d like to see take the helm at this venerable legal tabloid. At the end of week one, the bottom two out of six finalists — the pair of contestants with the fewest votes — will be eliminated. Next week, the reader vote will take four finalists down to two. In the third and final week, the two finalists will go head to head, in a legal blogging deathmatch. Your votes will determine the winner, Above the Law’s new leader.
ATL readers are an opinionated bunch, so we expect you to have strong views about the contestants (which you should feel free to share in the comments). But to those of you who need more guidance when voting, fear not. Just like American Idol, ATL Idol will provide you with three “celebrity judges,” to offer their expert opinions of the contestants’ blogging, and to inform and guide the electorate.
Our judges, who are all leading legal bloggers in their own right, need no introduction. But we’ll introduce them anyway, briefly. They are (in alphabetical order):
Our impressive panel is well-balanced, featuring representatives from three major groups of legal bloggers: one law professor, one practicing lawyer, and one professional journalist. We’ll leave it to you to decide — perhaps based on how caustic their commentary is — who’s Simon, who’s Randy, and who’s Paula.
Update: Professor Althouse emphatically rejects any suggestion that she’ll be the Paula Abdul of this contest. This is just as well; when we invited Dahlia Lithwick to serve as a judge, she called “dibs” on Paula.
Check back later today, when we’ll post brief bios of the six finalists. And check back throughout this week - and, of course, over the next three weeks - to figure out which writers you love, and which you’d leave. The identity of ATL’s next editor rests in your hands.
We’re expecting this contest to be fun and exciting. Please spread the word to your friends and colleagues. And once the polls are open, we pass along to you the exhortation of Ryan Seacrest: “America, don’t forget to vote!”
Update: The bios of the finalists are now posted over here.
Earlier: Help Wanted: ATL Seeks A New Writer
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Comments
os
Big Lithwick fan
12:38--what a waste of a "First" opportunity
Hope Winters in the top 6???
ATL commenters are salivating at the chance to slaughter the six nominees even before they post a single word on ATL. Lat, please post their identities ASAP so that the comment attack can begin.
Althouse is a joke.
This is brilliant! What a great distraction....
This is brilliant! What a great distraction....
Three million page views from ten thousand readers is not impressive Lat.
Last week was nice, come back.
12:47--where does it say 10,000 readers?
4 beat me to it. Boo.
Hope Winters = Sanjaya Malakar
I can't wait to rip these new guys to shreds
12:50 is right -- it doesn't say 10,000.
Unique visitors per month on ATL are around 300,000 (or so I hear).
Jesus Christ Lat, what is your obsession with Ann Althouse? Couldn't get Orin Snyder to return your calls?
This is brilliant. Please be sure to post their law schools so I can vote based on US News ranking.
yo dawg, guys in my high school used to compare me to Randy all the time, it was no big deal, dawg.
what about sen
hope winters = barack obama
This is easily the worst thing to happen to legal blogging since the advent of the TTT acronym.
Pure genius.
20 = biTTTer autoadmit old-timer. Welcome to the new world, geezer. Believe it or not, there are first and second year associates at your firm who were snivelling, snot-nosed, high schoolers when American Idol premiered.
I'll start the write-in votes for Kashmir now.
Lat's departure from ATL is equivalent to Barry Sanders retirement from the NFL. Too soon.
ugh, 22, that makes me feel old and depressed, and also explains a lot. NO MORE HIRING STRAIGHT-FROM-UG-TO-LS-TO-BIGLAW PLEASE!!!
1:01--incorrect. American Idol debuted in June 2002.
Wait...why and where is Lat going? ATL is as much about Lat as it is about salary and layoff rumors...
"We narrowed the list down to six highly impressive finalists. But we found the prospect of choosing just one of them to be agonizing.
So we've decided to outsource this task to you, the readership of Above the Law."
=
"I didn't want to burn any bridges, so to extricate myself from the process, I'll let others decide for me, and I come out smelling like a rose, muhaha."
I'm voting for Sanjaya
Dahlia Lithwick = bizarro Linda Greenhouse
Losers will be fed to Hon. Elizabeth Halverson
lol 31
Lat, can we at least see the clips of the clowns that didn't get passed through to Hollywood?
I propose a topic for ATL Idol:
The six contestants submit competing blog entries describing how Lat left his adoring fan base on the curb for a corner office and a taste of middle management.
Get over yourselves.
Althouse = Paula Abdul.
No contest.
Drunk and batshit crazy.
So Lat is leaving?
Just another excuse for a Lateral Link survey
I second 23. Kash to EIC! She's the only guest blogger Lat has ever found who can write worth a damn.
26--incorrect. Recount.
I think Kash should have this in the bag. Great writer, extremely attractive, dedicated following ... it makes me wonder why Lat is having this 'contest' in the first place. Either Kash doesn't want the job, her page views are a lot lower than Lat's, or this is just shameless whoring by Lat for content knowing the inevitable will happen. It wouldn't be like Lat to throw Kash under the bus.
The only thing I wish is that Kash had more of the snark that Bess Levin has ... or is Lat of the opinion that because there are more female BigLaw lawyers than female Bulge Bracket analysts, ATL needs a kinder, gentler tone?
VOTEFORTHEWORST.com
*Sanjaya screenwipe*
Kash is great, but she's going back to school (journalism school):
http://kashmirhill.blogspot.com/2008/06/introduction.html
1:37--Kash just moved to HK, so she'd be up at odd hours if she was doing ATL. Plus, as much as I like Kash, someone with more connections in the legal community would be better.
Lat, by having Dahlia, a journalist who works for the left-wing political version of the National Enquirer, as a judge, you discredit this entire process.
How is this going to affect ATL's ability to get information? The powers that be must think it won't if they're letting the readers decide who gets the position.
As someone who thinks Lat does a terrible job generally, this is the most awesome idea this blog has ever come up with. Given that at least two of the judges are intelligent and have a sense of humor, I suspect we will have a much better ATL when we are done than we have had in the past. I can't wait to meet the contestants. Hooray!
What about Laurie Linn, will she be leaving ATL blogging responsibilities too? I've never seen Peter Parker in same room as Spiderman. And I've never seen Laurie Linn in same place as David Lat. . . .
Automatic disqualification for any writer who uses the term "snarky" or variation thereof or who refers to law firms as "shops".
IN THE INTEREST OF SALARY TRANSPARANCY----WAHT IS MARKET PAY FOR THIS POSITION!?!?!?!?!?!
I think Kash is just in HK temporarily. "Biglaw connections" just means being more afraid to out someone or attack when necessary. I'm still getting over Lat's coddling of the Kozinski thing. She doesn't need connections, she has anonymous tipsters for that.
If the readers decide who makes the cut each week, what is the role of the judges?
Second, it would be much cruller--and in keeping with ATL--to allow the readers to vote for the candidate each week they hate the most, rather than their favorite.
2:00(2) - The same as it is in American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, etc.
The judges give expert commentary. But the votes of the people decide.
52 is making me hungry. I love crullers.
What type of person would want this job? It seems like it would be a career-breaking move. What firm or employer would want a former ATL editor?
It the rumor that Pete Lattman is taking over for Dave Lat true?
i refuse to vote for any female in the off chance she is really Hope Winters
A shark be jumpeth this site seems to have.
This is a genius move by Lat. It will be a lot of fun, in the dog days of August
This is a genius move by Lat. It will be a lot of fun, in the dog days of August
55 here.
Forget it. It's probably a good way to break into publishing and editing, as well as other types of legal journalism.
31 to new editor!
Why Outhouse Lat? Couldn't get Nancy Grace?
49, I too hate the overuse of "snarky" on this site.
Lat, I must say, I am extremely excited about this!
You have combined two things that I LOVE: ATL and American Idol. I can't wait!
65 - Charney, is that you?
With shameless product placement and thinly disguised corporate endorsement, ATL and Idol are a match made in heaven.
Will the contestants ghost-write the lateral link job postings?
I was going to write "65 is definitely Charney," but then I wondered - would that be defamation? I think there's a reasonable argument that Charney is a public figure and his commenting practices on ATL would be a matter of public concern. In that case, I guess I can't be held liable for defamation unless my statement is made intentionally or recklessly. Given that I have no proof whatsoever whether Charney made the comment #65, I suppose it might be reckless to attribute comment ownership to him.
Then again, my statement probably wouldn't even be considered defamation, because it's not the type of statement that tends to adversely affect Charney's reputation. In fact, it would be in line with Charney's reputation. Therefore, even if such a comment would be considered published, I think I'd be off the hook.
Therefore....
65 is definitely Charney.
Well, thanks for the response. I have cable. The product is interesting and I've heard about it from many people, but it would cost me more, perhaps much more, than I can afford - and I don't want to hear any more about it. Do I have this correct?
I give the graphic zero stars.
I hereby announce my interest in competing in this surreality competition! I need a fall back if my re-election campaign fails, and I could literally crush the competition.
I think ATL should have a ranking feature on posts. Viewers can rank posts 0-5 stars and then you can see how much we really hate the cat pictures
They should all be given the same assignments so we can compare them side-by-side and no one has a particular advantage.
This is awesome. I was initially worried about the future of ATL--after all, it was largely Lat's vision, and has succeeded in large part because of the readers' trust in Lat (and willingness to send him comments, post, etc.). This game is a really good way of getting the readership to "buy into" the change of EIC. And the panel of judges is nothing sort of extraordinary--looks like ATL has gone from the smut of legal blogging (and I say that with great fondness, having read Lat's work since UTR) to the bigtime! (Ps. I still want Lat to stay.)
Dear 71/Judge Halverson:
It is with regret that we inform you that the application deadline for ATL's editor position has expired--much like your 15 minutes of fame.
However, we would like to express our sincere best wishes in your future endeavors, be they legal, judicial, culinary, or otherwise.
May we respectfully suggest a career in competitive eating? We feel that you could immerge as the Tiger Woods of that field.
For more information, please visit: http://www.ifoce.com/
Very truly yours,
ATL
Whatever, 72. I love the cat pictures. And LEWW.
Love,
A Loyal ATL Reader
For those of you who have not gotten the word, Lat is not leaving ATL--he is moving up to Editor-in-Chief of all 3 sister publications: ALT, Fasionista, and Dealbreaker. And Lat will still be writing for ATL. (Just not in his PJ's.)
Is the no-pajamas information confirmed?
Dear 78:
Yes.
"BLT: When and why are you moving back to New York?
"Lat: I'm moving back to New York next week. The main reason for my move is a job change. The company I work for, Breaking Media, is promoting me to oversee all of their sites — AboveTheLaw.com, Dealbreaker.com, and Fashionista.com — and to help them develop and launch new ones.
This gig will require me to brush my teeth, PUT ON CLOTHES, and schlep into an office each morning — just like I did before I left the practice of law for blogging, some two and a half years ago. Hence the move back to New York, where the company has its offices (in SoHo)."
ATL link:
http://abovethelaw.com/2008/07/morning_docket_072108.php
Linked BLT post (July 17):
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2008/07/david-lat-heads.html
this site has now officially jumped the shark
You've got to ask yourself one question about ATL IDOL: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?
LAT: I AM (IM)PATIENTLY WAITING FOR IDENTITY OF THE SIX NOMINEES
Congrats Lat!
given the sophistication of the commenting/voting community, we all know the winner of this ATL deathmatch will be whichever of the 6 is the most attractive woman.
"Jumping the shark" is a colloquialism used by U.S. TV critics and fans to denote the point in a TV or movie series at which the characters or plot veer into a ridiculous, out-of-the-ordinary storyline.
Shows that have "jumped the shark" are typically deemed to have passed their peak, since they have undergone too many changes to retain their original appeal, and after this point critical fans often sense a noticeable decline in the show's quality.
6th judge = hope winters.
althouse=pure silliness, the worst of blogging
thank god she's parodied here:
http://altmouse.blogspot.com/
althouse getting fired up...
http://althouse.blogspot.com/2008/07/above-law-idol-and-ill-be-judge.html
I'm getting the picture that only lawyers need apply. What about the legal hobbyists among us who's shelves groan with case books and horn books and journals. By "among us" I mean among you- the only law book I own is one of those NOLO books with the cute doggie on the cover.
Lat is leaving? When did that happen? Lat is terrible, we all agree. The unfounded rumors on this blog make blogging look bad. But at least it was entertaining and funny (sometimes). Are we going to get a real writer?