September 2008
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket 09.16.08
* Judge James Peck, the second-most junior bankruptcy judge in Manhattan, will handle the Lehman case, the biggest bankruptcy in history. [Bloomberg] * No vroom for snowmobiles in the national parks, rules Judge Emmet Sullivan. [New York Times] * First day of the O.J. Simpson robbery trial. But people are already totally over it. No […]
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Email Scandals, Paul Clement, Solicitor General's Office, Weirdness
An Email From the Former Solicitor General?
Could it be? A message for ATL from Paul Clement, the 43rd Solicitor General of the United States? (It’s not completely out of the question. We have written about Clement a fair amount, and we have also met him in person.) The lowercase type for his name seemed a little odd. But some very prominent […] - Sponsored
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Heller Ehrman, Law Firm Mergers
Law Firm Merger Mania: The Heller / Mayer Merger Is Off
Last month we reported on merger talks between Heller Ehrman and Mayer Brown. Those talks have now been called off, as reported earlier today by Am Law Daily. This leaves the San Francisco-based Heller with another failed romance. From an email sent out today on behalf of Mayer Brown chairman James Holzhauer: As you are […]
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 09.15.08
* The many beautiful lawyers of Boston calendar is available. None of them are as beautiful as Anna Torv, the star of Fox’s new hit Fringe, but you have to dig the beautification of Boston. [f/k/a] * Global warming as a defense for eco-terrorism? Not in America, at least not yet. [The Independent] * The […] -
Law Firm Mergers, Musical Chairs
Covington & Burling's Mystery Meeting
A couple of tipsters have let us know that Covington & Burling has scheduled a firmwide meeting tomorrow. We don’t think they’re going to announce a merger (because no suitable partner comes to mind). We have it on good authority that they’re not announcing layoffs (or anything else negative). So what gives? Why does a […] -
Disasters / Emergencies, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell
Houston Lawyers Get Back To Work After Ike
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the Houston legal community is getting back to work. WRAL news channel 5 reported that Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell expects to reopen Wednesday. Andrews Kurth has their attorneys working remotely. According to the WRAL report, an Andrews spokesperson said, “all of our BlackBerrys are working.” Other Houston area […] -
David Otunga
And She's Telling You She Is Going - To Get Married, to David Otunga
Back in July, we mentioned that singer-actress Jennifer Hudson and her Harvard Law hottie — David Otunga, Sidley Austin associate turned reality TV contestant — were thinking about getting engaged. Now they’ve made it official, according to People: “I can confirm that Jennifer got engaged to her boyfriend David on Friday night in L.A.” says […] -
George Bush, Law Schools
Remember This Guy? I Think He's Still The President.
Back in June, we reported on Massachusetts School of Law at Andover’s intention to plan the prosecution of President Bush for war crimes, via teleconference. Ignoring the advice of sane people, the unaccredited law school went ahead with their conference, this weekend. Dean of MSL Lawrence Velvel had this to say about President: He is […] - Sponsored
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Job Survey, Wall Street
Associate Life Survey: Scarier Than A Slumping Bear?
Back in March, we found that 27% of ATL readers — and a third of ATL readers in New York — thought the Bear Stearns collapse would hurt their careers. With Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy this morning, and Merrill Lynch selling itself to Bank of America, after “a marathon series of meetings at Wachtell, […] -
Lawyer of the Day
Lawyers of the Day: Lewis Moon and David Bedford
Oklahoman attorney Lewis Moon and Oklahoma County public defender David Bedford got a little wild at a Whataburger on Friday. After being arrested for drunkenly driving through the drive-through backwards, the two decided to mix it up with the coppers. From KTUL 8: Police say Moon spit on an officer and produced a badge and […] -
Eliot Spitzer, Insurance
Eric Dinallo Is Back In The Spotlight
Make no mistake: the future of AIG is in the hands of Eric Dinallo, superintendent of insurance for New York State. Insurance companies are regulated by many different agencies, but because so many of the companies are incorporated in New York, the state’s superintendent of insurance becomes the de-facto primary regulator. Dinallo led the charge […] -
Law Firm Merger Mania: Orrick Expands Into The Old World
The dollar is dead anyway, so why would a law firm look to expand it’s American operation? Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe is reaching out to Europe by merging with the German firm of Hölters & Elsing. Evidently, Hölters & Elsing was looking at a number of American partners, but Orrick offered the best deal. According […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 09.15.08
* While the vultures descend on Lehman, another big company joins the death watch. Insurance giant American International Group is looking to sell off its major assets. [New York Times] * Does $10 for unlimited monthly text messaging seem high to you? Maybe it will change. An antitrust class action suit has been filed against […]
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Bankruptcy, Mergers and Acquisitions, Wall Street
A Silver Lining to the Wall Street Cloud: More Work for Lawyers (at Shearman, Sullivan, Wachtell, Weil, etc.)
In case you hadn’t heard, Wall Street is in meltdown mode right now. Our colleagues over at Dealbreaker have been working over the weekend and around the clock to cover all the latest developments. Here are the two big stories from the financial world. First, the top-level parent company of Lehman Brothers, Lehman Brothers Holdings […] -
Musical Chairs
Got an Axiom To Grind?
There is a lot of career angst among Biglaw associates. Especially these days. And legal recruiters often to try to tap into that ennui to convince associates to change firms or lifestyles (and use their services of course). But we can’t recall a recruiter trying to start an associate revolution. That is pretty much what […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs 9.12.08
* Now you see this? You see Electronic Arts coming around the corner making their video games, not bothering anybody? Then BOOM, Lucian Bebchuk comes in right here and WHAP knocks EA down with a harassing lawsuit move. [Business Associations Blog] * See. The police really do hassle people in big cities. [Simple Justice] * […] -
2nd Circuit, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, Harvard, Kramer Levin, New York Times, Weddings
Legal Eagle Wedding Watch 9.7: No Ordinary Love
For the commenters who yearn to see more “ordinary” couples in the Legal Eagle Wedding Watch, we commend this pair to your attention. The groom is a radio personality, and the bride has a JD from Loyola. They seem likable and . . . ordinary. Is this the type of couple our readership craves? Should […] -
Joe Biden
What the Heck Is Biden Smiling About? Is There A Sale On Ramen At The Safeway?
Joe Biden released his tax returns, putting an end to the rumor that he simply talks the IRS through his financial dealings during a 22 hour phone call. Paul Caron at TaxProf Blog points out a curious oversight during the senator’s 35-year career of changing to become more like a Washington insider (isn’t that the […] -
Job Searches, Reader Polls, Rudeness, Screw-Ups
OCI Bloopers By Students: And We Have A Winner
Earlier this week, we created an open thread for the sharing of on-campus interview screw-ups. We then picked out a few favorite tales from the thread, and asked you to vote for the best (or worst?) of the bunch. Here are the results: You can read the winning story by clicking here. Many of you […] -
Musical Chairs, Thelen Reid & Priest
Musical Chairs: Picking on Thelen is the New Bloodsport
Loeb & Loeb announced the addition of two new partners to their New York office, Kenneth A. Adler and Steve A. Semerdjian. Both partners are Thelen refugees. As you may have heard, Thelen is limping. Not Lehman Brothers limping (Dealbreaker has the latest on Lehman’s desperation). But Thelen clearly needs something positive to happen for […]