ATL Idol: Meet the Finalists
Earlier today, we announced that the new editor of Above the Law was going to be picked by you, the readers of the site, through a "reality blogging" competition. We provided some initial information about the contest over here.
We urged you to check back later in the day for the contestants' bios. "Later" is now; the short intro posts of the competitors are finally available. We apologize for the delay.
Check out the six contestants' capsule biographies, after the jump.
Here are the bios of your ATL Idols. Each finalist was asked to pick a nom de plume or pen name to write under. Those who still work at law firms have day jobs that they'd like to keep, in the event that they don't win the contest. The finalists were also asked to pick avatars to serve as their visual representations, which will be used to identify their posts.
We have not edited these intro posts; part of being a good blogger is being able to edit oneself. There was no length limit / word count, although we did urge the contestants to keep things brief (because blog readers have short attention spans).
Remember, these are just short intros. The proof is in the pudding -- or the posts, as the case may be. We urge you to wait and see how these folks are as bloggers, as measured by their actual work product, before making up your minds.
And now, without further ado, your six finalists:
1. ALEX
I grew up in the dirt of a bucolic Midwestern state. I went to law school because smart kids in fly-over states are presented with just two career choices: doctor or lawyer. I flipped a coin. Then, in a moment of rare worldliness, I applied to an East Coast law school. I was undoubtedly accepted in accordance with some sort of geographic diversity initiative.
Attending a top-fifteen law school was a baptism of sorts. My stint as a frat president and a part-time job sorting government mail in college were not among the more illustrious résumé activities. And these kids studied. Jesus. It took me the better part of 1L to realize that mine was not the tightest ship in the navy, not even close. No bother; I had always planned on returning to practice in the dirt from whence I had come. Strip mall office, courthouse gossip, Rotary Club, three page motions.
Early interview week screwed that up. As soon as I donned my Jos. A. Banks tie and gripped my shiny black attaché, I was afflicted with a strange and foreign malady: I wanted to work at a big fancy law firm and never see the light of day again. Man, did I hustle my ass around those hotel rooms, smiling and gushing over firm technology and pro bono programs. I lucked out, scoring a gig in the DC office of an AmLaw 100 firm. So I'm in biglaw now, more or less.
My point is this: I know small-building lawyers and I know tall-building lawyers. I have a healthy in-the-club contempt for both. I don't take myself seriously. I don't have a nylon bag with my firm's name emblazoned on it. It wouldn't hurt my feelings to start a sole practice in a backwater state, and it wouldn't kill me to continue to successfully navigate the bureaucracy and ennui of a 500 lawyer firm. I think it's all kind of funny. I like to talk about it; I'm ready to write about it.
Vote for me! Soda pop in the drinking fountains, etc.
2. ARNIE BECKER
Arnie Becker has been practicing law in the Los Angeles area for several years. Arnie's practice areas include general business litigation, class actions, investment fraud, trademark litigation, and unfair competition cases. Arnie has spent his litigation career working in large international law firms.
When he is not practicing law, Arnie moonlights as the editor/owner of a small on-line publication. Arnie's work as a writer/editor has allowed him to meet many talented writers (outside the area of law). Arnie believes being the Editor of ATL would be a great opportunity to combine his interest in writing/editing with his legal education and experience.
3. EXLEY
I'd thought that I might have a lot to say about myself for my "ATL Idol" bio -- even cut my nails just before I sat down to write this -- but I don't. I'm just a mid-level associate going through the typical mid-level crisis, which is like a mid-life crisis except instead of thinking about all the hot women with whom you could've (totally) shacked up, you think about all of the awesome career paths you could've (totally) followed. I live in New York. I'd like to see female litigators embrace the term "clitigator." I don't drink diet soda.
4. FROLIC AND DETOUR
I'm an Ivy League girl with a Midwestern attitude. It took me years in a clerkship, a big firm, and a small firm to realize that what the legal world needs is more snickering and fewer motions to compel. Here on ATL, I'll make it my business to bring you the arbitrary and delicious. When you're stuck in your office with fourteen crates of documents and a sense of impending doom, I hope you'll drop by and take me for a spin... everyone deserves a little Frolic & Detour.
5. MARIN
Marin is very excited to be in the running toward becoming America's Next Top ATL blogger. Marin quit her job in Biglaw to pursue writing, stand-up comedy and a wildly lowered standard of living. Marin developed and wrote the "Stalk of the Town" feature for Gawker and continues to post celebrity sightings for the site. She maintains a blog, Living in Narnia, which she anticipates will make her repulsively rich just as soon as she figures out how to put ads on it. She holds a B.A. (magna cum laude) and a J.D. (magna carta).
6. SOPHIST
Sophist enters the fray excited to put his analysis mixed with ranting on display for the entertainment of Above the Law's readers. Most recently he could be found blogging for the New York Press and reporting for City Hall News.
Prior to following his dream of sparking controversy with little accountability, Sophist dutifully completed his indentured servitude at Biglaw in the big city. There he won consecutive "Idiot" awards as the top billing associate in his class, at a firm with no minimum billable hours requirement.
Sophist received both his B.A. and J.D. from Harvard University because he is stubborn and dislikes being asked to leave. When not deconstructing the choices of public figures, Sophist enjoys criticizing his friends, family, and when everybody else stops listening, his dog. Counter-intuitively, he believes his glass house provides the perfect vantage point for stone throwing.
Earlier: Welcome to... ATL Idol!
(231) Comments
Becker: Did not make the first cut, so he is going in one leg down. Plus the nom de plume is dated. He is too dated for this crowd.
Marin and Sophist are ringers—bloggers on other sites, but not in the law.
Exley is doomed based in the "clitigator” reference alone.
Frolic I eliminate with the first line “I'm an Ivy League girl with a Midwestern attitude.” (Reminds me of a line I once overheard at a Club Med “do you want to have sex with a Corn-fed man”?) Anyhow, no.
Alex has the crisp writing style that I predict will sweep the polls and win the competition.
Unless he also withdraws from threats from other contestants. (Or did the former #6’s spouse put the kybosh on the drop in household income?)
former #6 was hope winters, Lat is being nice by hiding.
Sophist missed a comma. Disqualify.
Who the f*** says they go to a "top-fifteen law school"? Clearly TTT.
Hope Winters was not BigLaw, and therefore not one of the finalists.
Dear 4:
The graduate of a top 15 LS?
All too wordy.
I vote for Hope Winters.
6,
My point is that the individual should go one of two ways. They should either: go full-bore prestige whoring and name the school they attended (like Sophist and Marin) or say nothing about their the location of their legal education. In trying to have it both ways, you come off like an individual trying to sit at the prestige table, but secretly ashamed of the fact you went to Vandy.
all the females need to post pics
Marin's pic is in her blog - very cute.
THIS IS THE DUMBEST THING I HAVE SEEN ON THIS SITE. PLEASE DON'T RUIN IT. KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE SITES CAN FADE QUICKLY IF THE CONTENT IS NOT AT A DECENT LEVEL. JUST LOOK AT THE GREEDY ASSOCIATE SITE WHICH IS A SHADOW OF ITS FORMER SELF AND NO LONGER VERY USEFUL. MOREOVER, NONE OF THESE PEOPLE LOOK AT ALL INTERESTING!!!!!
F-U-C-K-I-N-G L-A-M-E
i would probably stop reading ATL if any one of these wannabes took the helm. Let's go in order:
1. Alex - seems like a TTT (his predecessor was Harvard/YLS/O'Scannlain/Wachtell for crying out loud)
2. Arnie B - also a TTT; wants it too bad, seems old and out of the scene
3. Exley - edgy but not funny. c'mon, clitigator? this is your fucking first impression man, shape up.
4. F&D - annoying and cliche ("more snickering and fewer motions to compel" - huh?); might work in a secondary kashmir-type capacity
5. Marin - terrible blog; sounds stupid
6. Sophist - decent pedigree but very corny (STFU about your dog, glass house line completely missed) sounds like a huge gunner .
Overall, Exley seems like the least of the evils, but maybe that's because he had the smallest chance to fuck up. Breaking media will definitely regret this mix-up. It's like the Lakers being like "Man, Kobe Bryant is a really good basketball player. Let's make him coach!"
Lat,
Are you accepting write-in candidates?
If so, I nominate Roger Lou. One of Roger's recent writing samples (which I must add is hilarious, in an insensitive ATL sort of way) can be found in the community board. See http://abovethelaw.com/community/2008/07/transfering-to-best-law-school.php.
Otherwise, I vote for the "clitigator" guy.
Exley had me at clitigator.
+1 on Roger Lau. That would be a brilliant new direction for ATL.
- 13
Exley seems the coolest to me. Maybe his clitigator reference will lose female votes, but it should also gain him some male votes.
Alex attended a "top-fifteen law school"???!!!???
You gotta do your homework...there's the T14 and everything else. Unless you're Brian Leiter. But you probably have no idea who he is.
How do you expect to run the most prominent legal blog if you don't know the basics? Learn the players, learn the jargon and reapply. Ding!
t15, is that like Georgetown part time?
1. I like Alex. He's going to win.
2. That's the bio you submit? Knowing that it's going to be ripped apart in the comments? You didn't even try to be creative. Unless this is your attempt at humor -- "They expect me to be witty, so I'll be bland instead." Either way, fail.
3. Mid-level crisis bit was good, "clitigator" too sophomoric, though. I'm reserving judgment.
4. "I'm an Ivy League girl with a Midwestern attitude." God, that's bad. Like, horrendously so. And the cutesy name? No freakin' thank you.
5. Michael Jackson? Really? C'mon. Although "magna carta" is pretty good. I was worried when I read "magna cum laude" but you redeemed yourself. But still, Michael Jackson?
6. Has potential. Good name/pic combo. I hate it when everyone else stops listening my dog, though.
#9 has a point on the school reference--especially give the school snobbery of the readership here.
But I attribute that to refreshing naiveté, to be ground off soon enough by reader comments.
My pick is still Alex.
These candidates all seem like douchebags. My write in suggestions, in order of priority are:
1st: Roger Lou (good writer and attends a bottom of top-tier law school).
2nd: Judge Halverson (she is fat).
3rd: HofstraMagna (funny, in a TTT sort of way).
ATL STUD.
KUDOS to #14.
Frolic and Detour sounds fun. Reminds me of Article III Groupie / Underneath Their Robes.
Dear 12:
All caps posters are morons or wingnuts or both.
MARIN IS HILARIOUS AND HAS BIG BOOBIES
Based on "even cut my nails just before I sat down to write this" Exley is probably a woman.
Makes "clitigator" reference seem like she is trying a little too hard to be a "good sport".
HOPE WINTERS would wipe the floor with these clowns....
First of all this blog has to remain NYC Biglaw centric. No LA wannabees. So i vote for Exley, Marin, or Sophist. I need my bonus memos and NYC salary rumours.
We need Evildoer to be a judge. She won't pull any punches.
Alex gets an immediate ding for improperly adding "from" before "whence." It's just "whence." The site doesn't need an editor who is going to f*** up the english language. If you are going to kick it old school, kick it correct.
Dear #30:
Lat blogged from DC for over 2 years on this site.
PS: Multiple posters are morons.
Check out the personal blog of Marin (#5). Good stuff.
marin's the best so far
8:04(3) - True, Lat blogged from DC, but he always gave New York Biglaw heavy coverage.
His New York Observer column was also NYC-focused:
http://www.observer.com/node/39323
Guest picks Exley.
Guest says that anyone who uses 3rd person to describe themselves on a blog/job interview comes off sounding pretty stupid.
This isn't your law firm bio that you are writing, it is a job application. Guest thinks that this should have been written like a cover letter.
Guest picks Exley.
Guest says that anyone who uses 3rd person to describe themselves on a blog/job interview comes off sounding pretty stupid.
This isn't your law firm bio that you are writing, it is a job application. Guest thinks that this should have been written like a cover letter.
Guest picks Exley.
Guest says that anyone who uses 3rd person to describe themselves on a blog/job interview comes off sounding pretty stupid.
This isn't your law firm bio that you are writing, it is a job application. Guest thinks that this should have been written like a cover letter.
#20 - re: the Michael Jackson avatar - I'm pretty sure that's his mug shot, so at least there's a legal tie-in
marin - can we go on a date please? call me
Um, Marin uses some variation of the word "shamazing" multiple times on her personal blog. If that's not an auto-ding, I'm not sure what is
The "shamazing" thing is really annoying -- but, read the "Subway Heat" post. That shit was shamazing.
Accord #13.
Exley is the best choice based off bios alone.
Alex is done in by his overwrought writing style. I don't want to be reading "from whences" in my blog posts. I come to this site to get my news about when this recession will be over and we can get back to the inevitable push to 190k, not for some underacheiver from a "Top 15" law school to show me he knows the word bucolic.
Marin is attractive, but not nearly as attractive as Kash. I predict this will hurt her in the voting.
Double check that, 31:
Language critics have attacked the construction from whence as redundant since the 18th century, and it is true that whence itself incorporates the sense of from, as in a remote village, whence little news reached the wider world. But from whence has been used steadily by reputable writers since the 14th century, most notably in the King James Bible: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help” (Psalm 121). It is hard to label as incorrect a construction with such a respectable record of usage.
Marin does have 2 pics posted (the one in the Armani is OK, the tank top pic is beastie) + she is lobbying for votes on her personal site. Not technically against the rules, but nevertheless disqualifying.
In the self-lobbying post she says:
“…rest assured if I get this job a) I will obviously continue to post on this blog and b) there will be a new sheriff in town at ATL - more scandal, more pictures, more humor, more shamazingness.”
I already hate “shamazingness” more than “snarky”.
http://www.livinginnarnia.blogspot.com/
PS:
One of her (two) fans says on the site:
“Let's hire a huckster engineer to figure out how to rig up an American Idol-style voting scandal.
”Just a contingency plan, though... in case ATL readers can't figure out what's what, and accidentally cast their votes for An Unworthy.”
Marin's "Subway Hell" post:
http://livinginnarnia.blogspot.com/2008/07/subway-heat.html
Althouse does not want to be the Paula Abdul of this contest:
http://althouse.blogspot.com/2008/07/above-law-idol-and-ill-be-judge.html
Marin's blog is for the most part, hilarious - almost all the entries are great - here are some good ones:
http://livinginnarnia.blogspot.com/2008/07/dna-2050-concept-store.html
http://livinginnarnia.blogspot.com/2008/06/baby-names.html
http://livinginnarnia.blogspot.com/2008/05/school-in-boston.html
http://livinginnarnia.blogspot.com/2008/07/dear-robespierre_25.html
lol at 49/Marin's shameless self-promotion
Can someone who lists the Golden Girls as their favorite sitcom of all time really be entrusted with the ATL mantle?
http://livinginnarnia.blogspot.com/2008/07/rip-estelle-getty-1923-2008.html
P.S. - "luxxxurious breastaculars"? Seriously, please stop. Nice topic, but let's limit ourselves to the world of existing English words.
47, I could not read that post beyond the word "eggzaggeration". It's a personal blog, I know, but humorous misspellings are never humorous, no matter who the audience.
46, something tells me her two fans are a dude who's trying to bang her and her fat friend (and former roommate) from undergrad.
Arnie's bio sounds suspiciously like it was cut & pasted from a firm web site.
Marin is "shamazing" in real life folks. You don't even know how tight that girl's s**t is. Seriously, we are talking double Ivy, top tier law firm, brilliant, hot and let's not forget funny - this site needs funny. Marin is the winner hands down.
I'm bored. Let's just crown Marin Queen of ATL, and call it a day already.
1) Alex + F&D? Flyover Country is in its own tier. FIVE.
2) Arnie? Sounds like my grandma's 3rd husband - slick, like he'd take an old lady to dance lessons at Arthur Murray... and then to the cleaners in probate court.
3) Exley? References to "clitigator" and nail clippings make him the CLIPIGATOR. Incredibly gross.
4) Sophist? Confucius say: He Who Go to Harvard Two Time Like Boston Too Much.
Marin's got it all...
* Street cred (Gawker)
* Looks and $$$ (c'mon, it's all we have left to compete for after law school ends)
* Magna Carta (only 4 copies in the world)
She satisfies NY's Best Evidence Rule. Done.
Should it be "clitigatrix"?
BigLaw associate who gives it all up to blog on ATL, cool.
Former lawyer who applies to ATL because she cannot pay her Verizon wireless bill? Desperate.
http://livinginnarnia.blogspot.com/2008/07/bills-bills-bills.html
54,
If you are going to use Marin's "double Ivy" pedigree as a selling point, then don't you also have to admit that Sophist trumps? Harvard^2 > Columbia + Penn. It's simple prestige math.
Either that, or just convince Lat not to leave
58 - Double Harvard is unoriginal - he probably stayed there because he couldn't get into Yale. Marin has social skills. UPenn:Social Skills as Harvard+Harvard:enjoys amine porn on Saturday nights.
As Billy Merck found out the hard way, it is rarely a good idea to provide a link to your photo when posting on ATL. Unless you are a 9 or 10. Which Marin is not by a long-shot.
Bottom-line: Annoying neo-logisms (like "shamazing" and "eggzaggeration”) = first to go.
Marin's facebook photo is hot
UPenn = TTT. T5 only for ATL EIC
MARIN, ARE YOU SINGLE? LOOKING FOR A NJB? :)
My God, I think the quality of entrants in this competition has made me realize I was too hard on Billy Merck.
Dear No. 63:
Try J-Date.
#60 - what's to say her posts for THIS SITE will be written in the same style? are you really going to judge based on an until-now personal blog, instead of on the sample posts the contestants have to write for ATL?
I'd like to read anything you dorks write that's any longer than 50-snarky-words-or-less.
Before taking cheap, easy shots at the personal blog of someone with the cojones to put themselves out there, where are all your blogs?
I'm sure your mommy thinks your posts are precious.
Alex - lame, I can write my own self-depricating humor
Arnie Becker - know you're audience. ATL readers are almost all under 30. Most have only heard of L.A. law because the professor in their law school writing class made them read Schlag.
Exley - This was the only bio that didn't make me throw up in my mouth even a little bit.
Frolic - "I'm an Ivy League girl with a Midwestern attitude." Sorry, girl, that's called an "Ivy League attitude."
Marin - ATL does not need to be any more NY than it already is. Sorry, Marin, your position is already filled. I'm always impressed with the lack of humor from people who write celebrity blogs, and Marin demonstrates that to a "T."
Sophist - Still a bit too NY, but the sarcastic obnoxiousness is somewhat pleasing. And really annoying.
Based on the bios, my vote gose to Exley, with Sophist as a close second. I hate the other bios so much, I'm not even going to read their guest posts.
Lat - have you agreed to replace Lattman and left this self-destruct mechanism in place to circumvent a non-compete agreement, did you lose a bet to Cioli, or did you finally get tired of your parents asking when you were going to get on with your career? These people are all shitty, but you know that, so clue us in on what's really going on.
67,
I think most people here have enough sense and lack the need for external validation that is customarily found in those with personal blogs.
Alex is f***ing fired right off the bat...
#1 ~ It's Jos. A Bank (not Banks). I know that and I wear jeans and a Bon Jovi t-shirt to work most days.
#2 ~ He pretty much lost my vote when he admitted to being President of a Fraternity.
/yawn
I think ALEX. We need a DC VOICE. Obviously NYC is gonna get tons of coverage no matter what, but DC is the traditional Big Law market and we need SCOTUS coverage as well as government lawyer coverage. DC BLOOGER FOR ABOVE THE LAW!!!!!
I vote against NYC-based bloggers, b/c they will be too-NYC focused, and getting NYC rumors, etc., is too easy already.
I think F & D writes reality show recaps for TWoP under the name Miss Alli. Her stuff there is great but ATL might not be the right fit.
1 = Tolerable... reserve judgment
2 = The license plate avatar and horrific straight-from-the-firm-website bio is grounds for instant elimination. Goodbye, dbag.
3 = Clitigator? That's a new one for me. The bio has a potential to move into Hope Wintersville. Cautious.
4 = Horrible writing. Avatar shows promise.
5 = Holy shit if I have to look at that avatar every time you post I will leave ATL forever. The remainder of the credentials are solid. Fix the avatar.
6 = Double Harvard equals double douchebag. Flush.
I vote for ... eh nevermind. I'm just going to go read Pharyngula instead.
MARIN,
Let's runaway together and leave all this. I love you.
Guest
Frolic and Detour was the name of the blog that used to be run by Linda Holmes, aka Miss Alli, formerly of Television Without Pity (TWoP). She is also a lawyer. If this is her - NO NO NO NO NO NO!!! She will suck all the fun out of the site post-haste. Yuck.
It's good to know that Alex doesn't take himself seriously.
Marin is the only contestant who I would not pt it past trying to salt the comments. Not to mention superlative comments about the looks of average women are facially suspect, not to mention the “I love you marry me” posts.
http://www.frolicanddetour.com/
Last post, August 5, 2007.
Plus for Marin: She recognizes in her blog that she will get skewered by the ATL commenters and solicits help from her own readership.
Minus for Marin: Female comediennes are, simply as a rule of nature, completely horrible. Immediate channel change from Comedy Central if a woman grabs the mic. This is based on lots of experience watching Comedy Central throughout undergrad and law school (what can I say... I was THE MAN while in school)
The only acceptible tiebreaker is a series of topless photos, posted immediately.
Plus, the rest of those clowns suck ass.
Marin rules.
Clearly Alex takes this round.
Clitigator? GONG
"I'm an Ivy League girl with a midwestern attitude?" What? Do you wear sweater sets and pearls while drinking Bud Light? GONG
I'm sorry Sophist; anyone who went to Harvard and owns a Lhasa Apso is immediately disqualified. How about a nice set of steak knives?
I think I once met exotic dancers named Frolic and Detour.
Its pronounced Marin.
I'm voting Alex - We need a DC lawyer.
Since Wall Street has blown up all the NYC douchetards aren't going to have much to do besides pro-bono. My money is on the DC legal scene ruling...good timing all around for ATL.
1. Decent, though the T15 thing was weird. Everybody likes Vanderbilt just fine, we don't need to make up names for it.
2. ATL is always going to be an NYC blog at the end of the day. NYC is the center of the american legal universe, and ATL needs to be there. I predict this guy will lose, and then start a rival LA version. That version will be written by real associates in west coast firms after they leave work at 5:00 PM.
3. The clitigator thing was fine, but this guy could barely bring himself to write a short paragraph for this. Could you guys handle this place only being updated once a day? That's what this guy offers.
4. I hate cats. Look at that cat in the picture. Every story would have one of those fucking lolcats pictures with it.
5. Disqualified for self-promotion. Come on, we're five minutes into this thing. And we already have a Kash.
6. Seriously? I have to explain why double harvard = this site goes right into the hole?
CWT Layo...
Magna Carta + Michael Jackson = Yes.
Lat's been phoning it in (and is a wingnut). One of these may be an improvement.
PLEASE DO NOT select the 2x Harvard assclown. I don't care if he is the coolest guy on Earth. His Harvard pedigree will doom ATL to TTT fo sho.
My rankings:
(1) Frolic and Detour (good potential - seems to understand what this site is all about, captured by the pic - but not enough there to get a feel for her writing yet)
(2) Alex (the clear winner if it weren't for the fact that he misses even a hint of the fascination with scandal and the absurd that we all love at ATL)
(3) Exley (a little too sleazy, even for ATL, but I'm not ready to flush him yet)
The rest: So far down the sh*t-hole, there's really no point in even commenting - all not funny, not self-depricating, too much like real bio for a real job. I think we're already down to 3 finalists.
The early going is not encouraging.
At least one round of this competition should be law review style. Make all six blog from the same source material so we can directly compare.
I vote for ALEX
94 with the best idea. Each idiot submits a blog post on a single event, with about 30 minutes notice, to Lat for reposting. Do this once daily for a week and we can see who has the chops.
face it, the life and soul of this blog -- the wit, the knowledge, the background, the history -- is David Lat. Without him, I doubt it will last long.
Sophist is the leader coming out of the gate.
I don't see how people think double Harvard will doom ATL, considering that our founder and overlord is Harvard UG/YLS
Alex sounds lame and cheesy...like this blog....
All you bloggers sound REALLY smart the way you write. I like to use capital letters sometimes, especially when I write briefs to the Supreme Court since I think it helps to get my point across immensely. I would NEVER us allcaps if I were just writing a brief to the court of appeals, though. Anyway, I think that Arnie Becker and Frolic and Detour are my favorites--Arnie because I used to live in California and Frolic and Detour because of her midwestern attitude, which is where I live now. It is very sensible here, you know.
I just found that my hotel room (deposition tomorrow) comes complete with a bag of chamomile tea. That, my friends, is a touch of sophistication.
Marin's personal blog is horrific. It scares me that this woman was a biglaw attorney. But then, she was ERISA/employee benefits. Not exactly a group of folks known for their personalities.
First eliminations (in the following order):
1. Becker (for obvious reasons).
2. Frolic and Detour (based on the “Ivy League girl with a Midwestern attitude” line + the recycling of the blog of the same name).
3. Marin, based on what can be gleaned from her personal blog—photos included (the two Jewish readers who proposed to her notwithstanding).
Beyond that, who knows, but Alex might have shot himself in the foot by revealing his “top 15” status, unless he graduated Harvard, Yale or Stanford and is being coy—in which case he needs to supplement the record, since I have my doubts that the readership of this blog will accept an editor who lacks a top 3 law degree.
58, if we're going by that logic, I think we may end up with Frolic & Detour (gut instinct says that this is a female Yale law grad ~c/o 2005).
Hope Winters thinks Arnie Becker's ATL resume is the most contrived piece of crap since her last post.
Booooooooooooooooooooooo!
Poop on a cat pissing in a hat.
ALEX ALEX ALEX
Awesome stuff.
Will be interesting ... I like EXLEY on first blush. His bio is short, makes him/her sound pretty normal and doesn't reek of self-promotion. That's not true of at least most of the rest.
Also, I agree with earlier commenter. I HATE the third person bit from a few of them!!!!!!! Come on, write like a normal person.
I suspect that Lat wrote the posted version of the bio for Becker since he was a last minute add-on (after the first #6 dropped out)--thus the 3d person.
I have say that I'm voting for Marin again and again until it hurts. If you look closely at the link below, she appears to be wearing fishnets in her profile
I'd like to think that with every post that she is working on, she is lounging around her residence in fishnets.
Winner!
http://bp3.blogger.com/_gBkP3gvWNIY/SEmJSYq3cxI/AAAAAAAAASQ/dy33B9dl1Rc/S220-h/IMG_0164.JPG
Hey Marni,
Crop out the tool in the profile picture for chrissakes. He is killing me......
Consider this my application:
1) Graduate of a top 98 LS (Magna)
2) Exposed massive scandal at Hofstra:
http://abovethelaw.com/community/2008/07/this-one-time-at-hofstra.php
3) Developed proprietary law school ranking system:
http://abovethelaw.com/community/2008/05/top-nyc-area-law-schools.php
4) Discussed cracks developing in student loans due to weak credit market:
http://abovethelaw.com/community/2008/07/dreams-deferred---how-the-cred.php
It's clear that my resume is superior to everyone else's. I like the Mets, the Jets and long walks on the beach. I'm tan with an athletic build and very successful. Please vote Hofstra Magna.
These bios make me miss Hope. I really think Hope shat the bed with her two-part story. Absent that, she may have had a chance.
The cat pisses on you.
Hofstra Magna to TTT representative to ATL!
Speaking of the world of TTT, you should also have a representative AU poster. Of course, that could be a little difficult considering that the AU grad is likely to be illiterate.
Oh well.....nevermind.
I hear that Monica Goodling is available. Every post should somehow cite a quality of W that we should most admire.
If you had to choose between UPenn, UpennSt, and PennSt - what would you choose? I'd choose UpennSt!
Is it just me or has Alex mobilized some sort of voter/comment turnout machine? So many posts say Alex is great or some such nonsense while I can't figure out a single thing to like about him or his writing.
By the way, if you are a partner from 2 Ivy Leagues, then you are a douche. If you went to 2 Ivy Leagues and then just did something else, that's all okay in my book.
(And, I didn't go to a single Ivy League.)
Guys in my high school used to clitigate all the time, it was no big deal.
FRAT STUD
Alex is great!
117 - It is just you. Alex is better than Cats. I'm going to read him again and again.
I'm off to get me some clitigation right now.
Alex
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Top 15 law school? Hey buddy, sorry you couldn't get into a Top 10 law school, but you went to a Top 20 law school. We make no cutoffs at the 15 level.
No way to be self-deprecating about being in a frat. No one likes that. And, the fact that you said you were the president, doesn't make it sound all that self-deprecating.
Arnie
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Jeebus, there was no meat in that whatsoever. Hell, 80% of it could have been his law firm bio. Shit, 60% probably was. A creative failure on all levels.
Exley
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The (totally) is in the wrong fucking place.
Holy shit is the clitagator line totally inappropriate. And, you know, dumb--and probably not his line. Next he'll be saying two women should be refering to each other as "breast friends."
Frolic
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It was fine, but unenlightening or compelling. It basically says, "like me, I promise I'll try to be fun."
Marin
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Had me until she said she graduate magna cum laude. I'm not sure that even works at a real law interview. Sure, it wsa the set up of a joke, but it was a bad joke. Oh, and I don't think we need Gawker here.
Sophist
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I