September 2008
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 09.23.08
* Can you enforce a relationship exclusivity contract? And what kind of loser couple would sign such a contract? [Overlawyered] * Florida Law Review just discovered audio recordings. Next up for the tastefully named “FlaLaw Online,” the editors tackle the mysterious telephone that doubles as a phonograph. [How Appealing] * I wish somebody would have […] -
Law Firm Mergers
Law Firm Merger Mania: Seyfarth Shaw + Squire Sanders?
Here is yet another rumor — somewhat better sourced than the Thacher Proffitt / King & Spalding rumor, but a rumor nonetheless — about a possible law firm merger. Word on the street is that Seyfarth Shaw is seeking a merger partner. This should not come as a shock, since Seyfarth has been stumbling a […] - 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… -
Bad Ideas, State Judges
And you thought you were having a crappy day...
We like the occasional poo-poo joke here at ATL, but we’re torn between amusement and disgust in the case of Cornell Tyler, 37, who is being tried for murder in Markham Courthouse in Illinois. His actions give new meaning to Freud’s anal-sadistic phase. Tyler used sandwich bags from lunch to create excrement bombs on Thursday. […]
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Shopping, Shopping For Others
A Partner's Wet Dream
Remember that scene in Ferris Bueller where Ferris’s mom is home a little early and gently opens the door to his room? With the pulleys and the mannequin and the sound system Ferris is able to convince his mom that he is in his bed comfortably sleeping. With a little ingenuity Perfect Plush could give […] -
Clerkships
Harvard Has Early Lead Among Federal Clerk Placements
Coming into this week, Harvard Law School had placed 58 federal clerks, leading all law schools. That is not altogether surprising, given the Cretaceous size of HLS classes. Yale is only clocking in with 14 (9th place) clerks. But it’s early yet. It’s just important that Eli-the-bulldog doesn’t drop his bone in the river trying […] -
Wall Street
Debevoise & Plimpton: Doing Well in the Downturn
Remember the Davis Polk “internal memo” from last week, touting the firm’s success at navigating the perilous waters of Wall Street? Other firms are following DPW’s lead, taking the opportunity to toot their own horns about how well they’re doing despite — or perhaps because of — the financial system meltdown. From a firm-wide email […] -
GULC Me Mick. GULC Me.
Grade inflation happens at lot of schools. Maybe even most of them. But when a prominent professor and alumna calls your grading system “such a fraud,” well that is a school we should all be lucky enough to attend. Some highlights for people that cannot watch YouTube at work: Van Susteren: Have you ever graded? […] -
Politics, Securities and Exchange Commission, Securities Law
Is Wachtell Now A Branch Of Government?Should They Be?
Not that anybody asked them, but Wachtell has decided to weigh in on the financial crisis. According to Am Law Daily, Wachtell wants short-selling to stop: So say several memorandums penned during the past week by executive committee cochair and banking transactions rainmaker Edward Herlihy, 14-year SEC veteran and firm of counsel Theodore Levine, and […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Breasts, Romance and Dating, Sexual Harassment, Weirdness
The Curious Case Of Randy (Part 1)
First of all, never ever shoot your cerebellum up with botulism two days before a deadline. God. My head hurts. Yet, I rise … Here we go. “Listen, go work somewhere where people like you… I mean, really like you. Then, you can screw up, and it doesn’t even matter. Hope, just go somewhere where […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 09.23.08
* Charges against porn producer stand despite the Alex Kozinski controversy. [San Jose Mercury News] * You get ripped off by some guy. You sue the guy. You’re awarded damages. The guy starts paying you back. The guy declares bankruptcy. You have to pay the guy back. Huh? [Associated Press] * Wisconsin inmate is awarded […]
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Federalist Society, Gay, Gay Marriage
Skadden Partner Walks Into the Lion's Den Society
Prominent litigator Raoul Kennedy, a partner in the San Francisco office of Skadden, stuck his head in the lion’s mouth — and lived to talk about it. Legal Pad reports that Kennedy went to a Federalist Society meeting in San Francisco to defend gay marriage, where he didn’t pull any punches: “How are any of […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 09.22.08
* McKinsey & Co. doesn’t care about your law firm’s operations, but these 100 people do. [Lawdragon] * Bruce MacEwen explains exactly why the era of Wall Street is over. New York City is going to have to find a new tax base. [Adam Smith, Esq.] * Taking a picture of Jamie Lynn Spears breast […] -
Money, Skaddenfreude
Do You Want Fries With That Insanity Defense?
One of the “perks” of working in Biglaw is the ridiculous amount of money that gets direct deposited into your account every two weeks. Even if you work for a firm that pays below market rate, your earnings still beat the bag out of what they pay at the local 7-11. Can you imagine having […]
Sponsored
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…
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so…
Sponsored
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
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King & Spalding, Law Firm Mergers, Thacher Proffitt & Wood
Law Firm Merger Mania: Thacher Proffitt + King & Spalding?
This is just a rumor, so take it with a grain — nay, a shaker — of salt. But we hear that Thacher Proffitt & Wood — which has been badly bloodied by the mortgage meltdown and Wall Street crisis, and has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs — is in “serious” merger discussions with […] -
John McCain, Law Professors
Northwestern Isn't the Only Law School In The Tank For McCain
A few weeks ago we pointed out that 95% of law professors that have made a campaign contributions donated their money to Barack Obama. Those professors teach at some of the top law schools in the country. But what about the 5% of professors that have contributed to John McCain? It has been previously reported […] -
Career Alternatives
What Can You Do With A Law Degree? Be A Crappy CEO!
Associates often complain that managing partners are elevated because they are excellent lawyers, whether or not they know anything about running a business. But what happens when lawyers become CEOs of Fortune 500 businesses? According to Corporate Counsel, it’s more poop on a different stick: Two lawyer-CEOs who were hired amid fanfare a few years […] -
Craigslist
A Little Craigslist Legal Love Moment
Sometimes it’s a lonely, lonely world, and you have to grasp at any little flicker of love. Thus exists Craigslist Missed Connections. A tipster noted this recent post from CLMC of the legal love variety. Location: DC Superior Court. You: Plaintiff – m4m – 33 (DC Superior Court) Reply to: pers-847863619@craigslist.org Date: 2008-09-20, 12:02AM EDT […] -
Job Searches, Job Survey
Associate Life Survey: Looking For A New Job?
We received 964 responses to our ATL / Lateral Link survey on whether you’re looking for work, and one thing is pretty clear: if you’re a 2L right now, there’s a pretty good chance that the associates you meet in your callbacks don’t actually want to be there. A whopping 45% of respondents who had […] -
Email Scandals
Michigan Law School Circles The Wagons (Almost)
Last week we brought you the tale of lunchtime thievery at the University of Michigan Law School. Two months ago we told you about the international cell phone caper. Well it’s time to show that ATL can get as good as we give. Our reporting has provoked an angry response from some Michigan Law School […] -
Celebrities, Crime, O.J. Simpson, Trials
Do I Smell A Fuhrman? Or Is That Just What Bacon Normally Smells Like?
Just to give you fair warning, O.J. Simpson could get off again. The Juice is on trial for storming into the Palace Station hotel in Las Vegas and “liberating” some sports memorabilia at gunpoint. The prosecution would like to make the case about the largely inescapable facts that O.J. and his friends stole the goods […]