September 2008

* Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley will be converted into traditional bank holding companies. With all the turmoil in the financial services industry, some attorneys think in-house is the new outhouse and are running back to law firm employment. [National Law Journal] * “Merchant of Death”/ “Lord of War”/ Russian-guy-who-loves-selling-guns faces extradition hearing in Thailand […]

* Maybe I’m a prude, but I really don’t understand how lap dances are socially acceptable. Somebody walks by and puts their butt in my face. If I give them money, they keep doing it; if I slap it away, I get in trouble? At the very least, shouldn’t it work the other way around? […]

Buzzing around the internet today is a ridiculous study from the Chicago Sun Times: A new survey found that about 35 percent of professionals would pick their PDAs over their spouses if they had to choose. A surprising 87 percent take their personal digital assistants into their bedrooms, and 84 percent check them just before […]

Am Law Daily reports that H. Rodgin Cohen of S&C is making serious money as the markets collapse. Cohen has been the man in demand by companies struggling to ride out the latest subprime-related rollercoaster roiling the capital markets. His work this past week alone includes advising Lehman Brothers on its limited options prior to […]

Today is the day that the U.S. Department of Justice emails applicants to set up interviews for the Attorney General’s Honors Program. Each division is sending out its own letter. If you didn’t receive one of these emails, well, then you probably didn’t attend the Nobody F**** With the Jesus School Of Law: Congratulations! You […]

Michigan people, I feel your pain. The seven fumble loss to “The School That God Built, Then Abandoned” was terrible. You guys are trying to enjoy these last days of summer before the arctic wind sends you into underground bunkers. And clearly, you can’t lend out a cell phone/ask for your cell phone back without […]

A few female readers have asked us to direct your attention to this poll at fashion and lifestyle blog Corporette: How short of a skirt can a professional woman get away with? According to the votes in so far, “professional women” can get away with skirts that stop just above the knee. Does the same […]

Nixon Peabody and Thelen continue to make googly eyes at each other. But if Nixon keeps dancing and talking instead of making a move, there might not be any Thelen left to merge with. As The Recorder reports: Bingham McCutchen plans to announce on Monday that four D.C. attorneys from Thelen are moving over: Partner […]

* The financial crisis has everyone reeling. Here’s a good American solution: sue! [Bloomberg] * Paul Clement may have to suspend his rubber hose business for now. He and fellow former DOJ-er David Ayres are getting sucked into the Abramoff legal abyss. [Washington Times] * It’s “the fiercest battle in products liability law today.” SCOTUS […]

What did you miss if you didn’t peruse last Sunday’s NYT weddings section? The marriage of Theodore Roosevelt V, for starters. Also, a whole lot of gayness! We counted seven same-sex weddings on this week’s list, which we suspect is a an all-time high. (And how sociologically interesting that all seven were men marrying men!) […]

* Monkeys are funny. But chimps on a porsche are just weird. [Tulkinghorn / The Lawyer] * I do not think that word means what John McCain thinks it means. [Firedoglake; Stephen Bainbridge] * Are firms suffering from a generational divide? [The Complete Lawyer] * For those interested, USC has started a Charlie Whitebread Scholarship […]

Joseph Petcka, who had bit part in Sex And The City and an even less useful role as a New York Mets minor league prospect, has been charged with brutally murdering his girlfriend’s cat. His trial started yesterday. In her opening statement Assistant District Attorney Leila Kermani said: The defendant, in a fit of anger […]

Talis Colberg, Alaska’s Attorney General, has stepped into Sarah Palin’s troopergate issues. He is trying to quash subpoenas sent to state employees as part of the ongoing investigation. But we’re not sure why. He had been running his own investigation, at Palin’s request, since July. Then Palin authorized Stephen Branchflower to run an independent investigation […]

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that women in legal occupations earn 51% of what men earn. That is not a typo. Some people will no doubt say something like “women are secretaries and men are attorneys,” before clubbing their mates into submission. But according to the report: [T]he salary gap was the largest among judges, […]

A few days ago, we asked whether going in-house was still a viable option for Biglaw associates. Today we look at whether those who leave can ever come back. The National Law Journal did a follow-up piece on Bear Stearns attorneys who weren’t able to move over to JP Morgan after the merger. They report […]

There is so much blame to go around over the AIG debacle that even “Governor John” Eliot Spitzer is getting knocked around. Remember Attorney General Spitzer orchestrated AIG founder Maurice “Hank” Greenberg’s resignation, back in 2005. But since then some of the charges against Greenberg have been dropped, while Greenberg continues to fight other allegations. […]

You’ve got to, get yourself together You’ve got stuck in a moment, And now you can’t get out of it Don’t say that later will be better, now you’re stuck in a moment And you can’t get out of it — U2 Heller Ehrman is in trouble. They’ve been spurned again and again by merger […]

We’ve been providing extensive coverage of the unfolding financial crisis (as have our colleagues at our sister site, Dealbreaker). In several recent posts — see, e.g., here and here — we’ve discussed the Biglaw winners and losers with respect to the Wall Street meltdown. One evident winner: Davis Polk & Wardwell. Several DPW sources forwarded […]

* The fiscal crisis continues to escalate. The Fed and Treasury Department are making historic, rapid-fire decisions every hour. But in Congress, lawmakers are just sitting around, twiddling their thumbs. [Washington Post] * John Grisham is deemed “the innocent man.” Judge dismisses libel suit against him. [Associated Press] * It’s not just Biglaw sharing office […]