July 2008

Okay, this is not the most exciting layoff news ever. It pales in comparison to the massive bloodshed over at Cadwalader this morning, which forced us to break out the Drudge siren. It reminds us of those Kaye Scholer secretarial layoffs from May, just not as big. But when it comes to law-firm layoff coverage, […]

[UPDATE on 04.03.09: Case dismissed.] Paralegal-ing is a rough gig. Paralegals tend to get the legal drudgery similar to that done by first year associates, without the six-figure paycheck. And if you’re a paralegal for Richard Laminack, a titan of the Texas plaintiffs’ bar, you may also be asked to receive unwanted advances, fellate expert […]

Just to close the loop on this prior report, the talks between Alston & Bird and Los Angeles-based Weston Benshoof have borne fruit. Alston’s acquisition of Weston is official. From a firm-wide email just issued by A&B managing partner Richard Hays: This morning, the partners voted overwhelmingly to expand the firm into California with the […]

Later today, and according to plan, we’ll bring you the head-to-head match-ups in ATL Idol. This will give you, and our judges, the opportunity to see how different bloggers tackle the same story. But when we do, you’ll see just five write-ups. There is a long tradition in reality contests of competitors voluntarily departing, rather […]

History repeats itself. We quote from our post of January 10: Just half an hour ago, based on information we gleaned from various sources, we asked: “Is today Layoff Day at Cadwalader?” The answer would appear to be: YES. Earlier this morning, we once again posed the question: “Is today Layoff Day at Cadwalader?” And […]

If the title of this post sounds familiar to you, it should. We used it back in January, a few hours before major layoffs — amounting to about 35 attorneys — at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. In the months since then, we’ve heard all sorts of other rumors about Cadwalader. There have been whispers that […]

* Martindale-Hubbell goes 21st century with LinkedIn partnership. [Am Law Daily] * 82-year old Jerry Lewis cited for concealed firearm in an airport. [CNN] * Karadzic extradited to the Hague. [Washington Post] * At U. Chicago, law professor Obama tested ideas in the classroom. [New York Times] * Stevens indictment a set-back for GOP. [Washington […]

[Ed. note: This post is by EXLEY, one of the finalists in ATL Idol, the “reality blogging” competition that will determine ATL’s next editor. It is marked with Exley’s avatar (at right).] We apologize for the delay in bringing it to you; we received it later than the other submissions. Alas, the demands of Biglaw […]

Our apologies to those of you who sat for the bar exam today. We forgot to wish you good luck, unlike the QuizLaw kids: It’s a special day for the country’s future lawyers — over the next two to three days, thousands of recent law graduates will take the bar exam. Most will pass, some […]

[Ed. note: This post is by ARNIE BECKER, one of the finalists in ATL Idol, the “reality blogging” competition that will determine ATL’s next editor. It is marked with Arnie Becker’s avatar (at right).] Fremont County judge Timothy O’Grady has been called on to determine the legal difference, in Iowa, between a strip club and […]

[Ed. note: This post is by FROLIC & DETOUR, one of the finalists in ATL Idol, the “reality blogging” competition that will determine ATL’s next editor. It is marked with Frolic & Detour’s avatar (at right).] Why was ATL so fascinated by Shinyung Oh? Partly because it was juicy drama, and partly because she’s practically […]

[Ed. note: This post is by ALEX, one of the finalists in ATL Idol, the “reality blogging” competition that will determine ATL’s next editor. It is marked with Alex’s avatar (at right).] I heard once that people don’t like lawyers. Upon honest reflection, I’m inclined to agree with them. Hell, some people might not like […]

Because the bar exam isn’t scary enough without the occasional act of God. This just in, from tipsters: “Earthquake just hit LA and the epicenter was just next to Ontario, CA, where the CA bar exam is being administered!” “I hope you are going to open a thread about those poor people taking the CA […]

[Ed. note: This post is by MARIN, one of the finalists in ATL Idol, the “reality blogging” competition that will determine ATL’s next editor. It is marked with Marin’s avatar (at right).] If you’ve ever secretly read somebody else’s email 537 times, turns out you’re not alone. Larry Mendte, former CBS3 Philadelphia news anchor and […]

[Ed. note: This post is by SOPHIST, one of the finalists in ATL Idol, the “reality blogging” competition that will determine ATL’s next editor. It is marked with Sophist’s avatar (at right).] Nebraska’s Attorney General Jon Bruning might want to call OnStar before he files his next lawsuit. In January, Bruning filed suit to stop […]

Well, kinda breaking — the news came out in the past hour. See links below. A DOJ press conference will take place later this afternoon. For all of you trivia buffs, Senator Stevens is the longest-serving Republican Senator. He’s also, as noted by the AP, “a figure in Alaska politics since before statehood.” Sen. Stevens […]

Yesterday we announced that the new editor of Above the Law will be picked by the readership, through a “reality blogging” competition called ATL Idol. We also introduced you to the six finalists. The contest has received shout-outs from Dan Solove, over at Concurring Opinions, and Ann Althouse, over at Althouse (who is one of […]

Not too long ago, a curious reader emailed us: What are your thoughts on LLM degrees for U.S. law students? I’m considering an LLM program in Intellectual Property, to gain more experience and make myself more desirable for law firms. Do you have any advice whether this is a good idea or not? We aren’t […]

Several of you brought this sad news to our attention, including one tipster who wrote: “It’s gone! And I had a friggin bingo to put down.” But we were already aware of the demise of Scrabulous. When we tried to access our games this morning, we received this message: “Scrabulous is disabled for US and […]

A court in the Indian state of Bihar is putting a dog on trial. It’s not the first time “Chhotu” has been in trouble with the law. He was sentenced to death in 2003, but he must have a good lawyer, as he managed to get out of the death penalty. Here’s the tale of […]