September 2008
-
Lawsuit of the Day, Politics
Lawsuit of the Day: Grand Old Party Affiliation Games
I think we can all agree that this is not the best year to be running as a Republican. When your party’s leader is a lame duck — clocking in with a sub-thirty percent approval rating — it’s only prudent to keep your distance. But did Washington gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi go too far in […] -
Exercise, Fat People, Food
Diet Strategy: Think Less Hard?
We know you legal folk struggle with your weight. Nearly 70 percent of respondents to Justin’s weighty April survey admitted to putting on the pounds since embarking on the legal track. Maybe it’s because you’re such deep thinkers! Thinking makes you hungry, says Science Daily. A Canadian research team has found that intellectual work, that […] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Law Schools, U.S. News
University Of Michigan Law School: Please Stop The Insanity
Honestly, we are not trying to pile on Michigan. We know how obsessed some of their students are with their U.S. News law school ranking. But perhaps the law school administration has taken things too far in their attempt to make Michigan the “champions of the west.” From TaxProf Blog: Michigan’s new Wolverine Scholars Program […]
-
Bad Ideas, Biglaw, Holidays and Seasons, Travel / Vacation
How Does A Turkey Write A Vacation Memo?
We here at ATL are big believers in push-back. Tell the partners and your colleagues about your personal needs and desires, and try your best to take some control over your work schedule. The firm can survive without you. But the theory behind successful push back is that you are not the most important person […] -
Bad Ideas, Breasts, Romance and Dating, Sexual Harassment, Weirdness
The Curious Case Of Randy: Part 3
[Ed Note: This is the third and final installment in the Curious Case of Randy, a rather eccentric law firm partner. You can read Part 1 over here and Part 2 over here.] Weeks pass, and Randy continues to be randy. Stopping by my office no less than three times a day. Gawking at the […] -
Arnold & Porter, Morning Docket, Politics, Wall Street, Women's Issues
Morning Docket 09.25.08
* President Bush wants lawmakers to hurry up and pass the $700 billion bailout plan. Sounds like taxpayers are going to be paying back those $600 economy stimulation rebates and then some. The Dems agree to drop the provision giving greater authority to bankruptcy judges. [New York Times] * Democrats sue in Washington to force […]
-
Dissolution, Heller Ehrman, Layoffs
Update: Heller Still Has Credit, Will Talk To Associates Soon
At yesterday’s shareholder video conference, the leadership of Heller Ehrman assured the partnership that their line of credit was still open. That doesn’t mean that they can survive, just that they still have some time to make their next move. Meanwhile, after the meeting, Heller Chairman Matthew Larrabee finally communicated with associates and staff: To: […] -
Biglaw, Holidays and Seasons, Reader Polls, Romance and Dating, Weddings
Happy National Singles Week!(And: Do single people or married people make better law firm employees?)
Are you still stuck at the office, settling in for a long evening of work, and thinking about what to order from SeamlessWeb? Maybe you goofed off all day because you have nobody to go home to at night. (We know what that’s like. It’s why we’ve been covering the ATL night shift lately.) Fellow […] - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Dissolution, Heller Ehrman, Layoffs
Breaking: Firm-Wide Shareholder Meeting Scheduled At Heller
It looks like the shareholders of Heller Ehrman will finally get the latest information about what’s going on at the firm. We just received this message: To: All Shareholders We are holding a FW SH VC today to provide you with as much information as we can. Although we will not have answers to all […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 09.24.09
* McCain is suspending his campaign — and trying to back out of Friday’s debate — so he can focus on the economy. We’ll go with that until Sarah Palin figures out how she can drop McCain from the ticket entirely. [Dealbreaker] * The ABA is launching a new magazine directed at IP attorneys, blatantly […] -
Heller Ehrman
The Dark Side Of The Moon: Speculation, Blame, And Silence Swirl Around Heller
Memo to prospective 2009 Heller summer associates: you might want to disregard that summer offer you received. While the firm has not officially canceled it’s 2009 summer program, this email is exemplary of the chatter we are hearing at ATL today: Three weeks ago, I interviewed for a summer associate position with … Heller Ehrman. […] -
Sex Scandals
Diddy Samples Hedge Fund Manager's Breasts
Maria Dominguez knows that Diddy samples songs, but maybe she thought her boobs were off limits? Dominguez, a hedge fund manager at an undisclosed firm, sued Diddy and Vibe magazine for publishing topless photos of her in a pool taken at Diddy’s 2003 “White Party” in the Hamptons. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Doris Ling-Cohan tossed […] -
Asians, Crime, Law Schools, UVA Law
Taiwanese 1L Has Serious Daddy Issues
Chen Chih-chung was kicked out of UVA Law before he could start his 1L year for missing the school’s orientation meeting. At least that is UVA’s official response. No ordinary 1L would be kicked out of school for missing one meeting — but Chen is no ordinary 1L. As Virginia Law Weekly reports: [Chen] is […]
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
-
Breasts, Romance and Dating, Sex, Sexual Harassment, Weirdness
The Curious Case Of Randy (Part 2)
[Ed Note: Yesterday we learned that Hope’s partner pal, Randy, was taking testosterone pills to treat his “lactating man-boobs.” Today we learn about the downside of hormonal supplements.] “Testosterone pills? Like, how many do you have to take?” “Well, right now three. One with every meal.” I wanted to end this conversation and finish the […] -
Drugs, Lawsuit of the Day, Sexual Harassment
Lawsuit of the Day: Is Sexual Assault Supposed to be Part of the Tour?
Five women embarked on Starline’s Haunted Hollywood Tour, expecting to hear celebrity tales of sex, drugs, and depravity. But it sounds like they inadvertently signed up for an immersion tour, with a guide who was drunk, high, and verbally and sexually abusive. Now they’re suing. From Courthouse News Service: Five women say their host on […] -
Job Survey
Associate Life Survey: Too Many New Faces?
In today’s ATL / Lateral Link survey, we turn our attention to first-year associates. Last month, we reported that a lot of practicing attorneys don’t really like summer associates: The number of practicing attorneys who said “Summer associates, hate ’em” narrowly beat the number of practicing attorneys who said “Summer associates, love ’em,” by a […] -
Wall Street
Meltdown Roundup For Litigators
We have extensively covered the law firms shaking and baking thanks to the market collapse over the past few weeks. But the M&A and bankruptcy lawyers are only half of the clusterf&^%. Which litigators will get work as old Wall Street business models die spectacular deaths? LegalTimes reports that O’Melveny & Myers is set up […] -
Associate Advice, pls hndle thx, Secretaries / Administrative Assistants
Pls Hndle Thx:Help! My Secretary's an Idiot
[Ed Note: Pls Hndle Thx is a new weekly advice column in which ATL tackles your toughest law firm problems and provides you with debatable advice. Got a question? Send it here, and we’ll pick the best ones for future posts]. ATL – My secretary is an idiot. She means well but can’t do basic […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 09.24.08
* Can Warren Buffett save Wall Street? [New York Times] * Everyone’s scrambling to get involved in cleaning up the financial industry meltdown. Even the F.B.I. [Los Angeles Times] * Warning to travelers in Muslim countries: Please refrain from having sex on the beach. [Reuters] * “Dude, FGM is not cool.” Okay, maybe that’s not […]
-
Attorney Misconduct, Biglaw, Legal Ethics, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues, Weirdness
Former Sullivan & Cromwell Partner Resigns for Defrauding Clients and the Firm (to the tune of $500K)
Back in July, we were the first to wonder about the mysterious departure from Sullivan & Cromwell of Carlos Spinelli-Noseda, a rising star at the über-prestigious (and profitable) law firm. Some commenters viewed our interest in his departure as unseemly, prying, or reflecting bias against S&C. We don’t mean to gloat — okay, maybe just […]