September 2008
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Biglaw, Job Searches
Should Associates Pay Their Law Firms for the Privilege of Working There?
We recently heard a rumor about an associates’ meeting at a top firm, presided over by a partner. Some of the associates complained that they were being overworked. The partner was unsympathetic. His response was more diplomatically worded, but the gist of it was: “In this economy, be grateful you have a job.” This partner […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 09.02.08
* The vetting of Sarah Palin continues. As mayor of Wasilla, she hired Steven Silver. Silver was a client of Jack Abramoff at Greenberg Traurig, then was chief-of-staff for Ted Stevens. [Talking Points Memo] * The vetting of anybody that has ever laid eyes on Sarah Palin continues. In today’s crosshairs is Thomas Van Flein, […] - Sponsored
Law Firms Now Have A Choice In Their Document Comparison Software
Six months on since its launch, over 200 firms worldwide are now using Draftable Legal for accurate and reliable document comparison, including UK Top 50… -
Disasters / Emergencies, Police, Prisons
Hurricanes Make Strange Bedfellows
As was widely reported in yesterday’s coverage of Hurricane Gustav, quick thinking and brute manpower relieved the pressure on a private levee in Plaquemines Parish. The levee protected a subdivision of a couple of hundred homes. Nearly 400 people participated in saving the levee. Their ranks included residents, first responders, the Army Corps of Engineers… […]
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Bad Ideas, Cars, Crime, Drinking, Summer Associates
Summer Associates of the Day: Grand Theft Auto
Labor Day is behind us. You know what that means: no wearing white, no gin and tonics, and no qualms about sending summer associate stories to ATL. If you have an SA story to share that we haven’t previously covered, please email us. This latest tale, posted below, puts the “MoFo” in Morrison & Foerster. […] -
Environment / Environmental Law, Musical Chairs
Musical Chairs: Cadwalader Loses Former Environmental Chair to Steptoe
In his defense in the Wall Street Journal (subscription) of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, America’s Firingest Law Firm™, Ashby Jones wrote: [W]hile it might take several months to determine the full damage, so far the firm hasn’t seen large groups of partners bolt for the door, a phenomenon that can create a mini-panic at a […] -
Lawyer of the Day
Lawyers of the Day: Brendan Relyea and Michael Pate
Our Lawyers of the Day are do-gooders by day, but public-urinators and face-spitters by night. Brendan Relyea and Michael Pate hail from the Legal Aid Society of New York; their bad behavior at a Brooklyn bar made its way into the pages of the New York Post: A Legal Aid defense lawyer dropped his briefs […] -
Sarah Palin, Sports
Boy Never Named Sue Disrespects Johnsons Everywhere
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson legally changed his name to “Ocho Cinco,” his preferred nickname since 2006. Johnson Ocho Cinco wears the number 85 for football related activities, making the new name multicultural yet entirely redundant. As we’ve previously reported, sometimes changing your name to or away from something stupid can be difficult. But […] -
Will Harvard Overtake Yale in the Rankings? Don't Hold Your Breath
Your outgoing editor is a Yale Law School grad, and your incoming editor is a Harvard Law School grad. So the two schools’ rivalry in the rankings is a subject of interest — and good-natured trash-talking — here in the office. In a provocative post entitled Is the End Near for Yale’s Dominance?, Professor Brian […] - Sponsored
Diving Into Generative AI: A Practical Guide For Law Firms Starting From Scratch
NetDocuments’ Michelle Spencer on where to start, what to ask, and considerations for implementing generative AI tools in your organization. -
Lawsuit of the Day
Lawsuit of the Day: The Brotherhood of the Litigation-Inducing Pants
Do you miss Roy Pearson, the administrative law judge who sued his dry cleaners for $54 million over a lost pair of pants? If so, you might get a kick out of this tale, from the West Virginia Record: In a case that mirrors a recent headline-grabbing lawsuit, a Charleston attorney claims a dry cleaner […] -
Kwame Kilpatrick, Lawyer of the Day, Politics
Detroit Rock City
Sadly, I don’t own a Kevlar vest. If I did, I would be coming to you live from Detroit today, because it appears that today is the day that they finally remove Kwame Kilpatrick’s feeding tube. Mayor Kilpatrick has become an embarrassment to his city, a nearly impossible task given that he represents Detroit. Kilpatrick […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 09.02.08
* The Republican Convention kicks off this week in St. Paul. They were worried about Hurricane Gustav, but Hurricane Sarah Palin has been the talk of the weekend. The Republican Veep candidate revealed that her 17-year-old daughter is a baby mama. [New York Times] *… And O’Melveny and Myers partner Arthur B. Culvahouse, Jr. is […]
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Admin, Announcements, Birthdays, Holidays and Seasons, Shameless Plugs
Happy Labor Day!(And Happy Blogiversary to ATL)
It seems that a few of you are reading today — but not many. No surprise there; it’s a holiday. Happy Labor Day! Here’s a bit about the holiday, from the Department of Labor: Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and […] -
Sonnenschein, Start Dates
Nationwide Start Date Watch: Sonnenschein
We’re a little late in passing along this news, which is from last month. But when it comes to coverage of certain topics, like start dates and layoffs, we aim for completeness. An article in Crain’s Chicago Business focuses on delayed start dates at major law firms in the Windy City. Most of the news […]
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Diving Into Generative AI: A Practical Guide For Law Firms Starting From Scratch
NetDocuments’ Michelle Spencer on where to start, what to ask, and considerations for implementing generative AI tools in your organization.