October 2008

Judge of the Day

Judge of the Day: Mark Badgett

A piece of general advice for judges, lawyers, presidential candidates, and almost everyone else: avoid using the terms “you people” and “that one.” They tend to raise hackles. And get you removed from the bench. From Courthouse News Service: The North Carolina Supreme Court removed Judge Mark H. Badgett from the bench after he ordered […]

Open Thread: Associate Bonus Speculation

A year ago tomorrow (Wednesday), Cravath kicked off the 2007 bonus season by announcing bonuses which ranged from $35K to $60K and “special” bonuses that ranged between $10K and $50K. Don’t expect Cravath to come out of the gate early this year. We asked Cravath whether they would be bonus leaders this year, but they […]

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 10.27.08

* Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli of Patterson, NJ apparently told his flock not to vote for Obama. If a priest speaks to Northeastern Catholics, and it is neither Christmas nor Easter, does he make a sound? [TaxProf Blog] * New York City raised the fine on people who refuse to pick up after their dog […]

Layoffs

Thacher Proffitt & Wood Abandons White Plains

Something is going on over at Thacher Proffitt & Wood. This summer, the firm had to deny a rumor of possible dissolution. The word is that the firm took an especially tough beating when the bottom fell out of the housing and credit markets. In September, just a week after Lehman Brothers collapsed, we reported […]

Law Schools

Legal Academia: Will the Real Conservatives Please Stand Up?

Does the legal academy suffer from a dearth of ideological diversity? It’s a question raised by the defection of prominent conservative law professors — including Doug Kmiec and now Charles Fried (pictured), who both held top positions in the Justice Department under Ronald Reagan — to the candidacy of Barack Obama. From a post on […]

Politics

McCain Speaks About the Law

In a National Law Journal piece published today, Senator John McCain wrote at length about the law. McCain said he was committed to three priorities: I want to concentrate on what would be three important priorities in a McCain administration: keeping the Department of Justice politically neutral, focusing law enforcement programs on addressing important issues […]

Judge of the Day

MacArthur Award for Justice Richard Goldstone

The MacArthur Foundation is known for its genius grants– a.k.a. “Out of the blue–$500,000– no strings attached”– that are given to 20 to 40 individuals each year in recognition of incredible creativity and originality. Last year, the Foundation started giving out a new award: the international justice award for individuals and organizations that have “been […]

Morning Docket

Morning Docket 10.27.08

* Juror dismissed in the trial of Senator Ted Stevens. We hope she was the violent one. [New York Times] * Yet another strip club lawsuit, but this time there are strips clubs on both sides. Déjà Vu and Little Darlings claim that competitors urged cabbies to divert potential clients by telling them the two […]

Job Searches

Accept Your Offers: Weekend Update

So far we have received letters from the following law schools urging students to accept their offers prior to the NALP deadline: Northwestern, NYU, Columbia, UPenn, UT, Michigan, and even Hofstra. The message from career services departments all across the nation is that firms are oversubscribed, and that some firms are rescinding offers. Sit on […]

Lonely Lawyers This Weekend

It’s not too late to get a date for the weekend instead of sitting at home and playing Rock Band 2. Not too late at all, if you don’t mind putting up with a lawyer. From Craigslist: Older Attorney Seeks Younger Girlfriend – 39 Call it a mid-life crisis, but I want a younger girlfriend. […]

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 10.24.08

* David Duchovny believes the Daily Mail got it wrong when they accused him of having sex with his tennis instructor. That’s really the only excuse I need to post this picture of Adriana La Cerva sharing a moment with her tennis instructor. [Popsquire] * It turns out a crazy man cannot evict George W. […]

Celebrities

The James Bond of Columbia Law School: Philip Bobbitt

We have a soft spot for Columbia Law School, especially after our excellent visit there on Wednesday (“our” = Lat + Kash). Thanks to the CLS Federalist Society, the sponsor of our talk, for the warm welcome. We also have a soft spot for celebrity professors. Meet Columbia law prof Philip Bobbitt — no relation […]