October 2008

We’ve discussed that under Barack Obama’s plan, taxes on Biglaw associates are likely to go up. But a cursory glance over on Open Secrets shows that many law firm partners are contributing towards the Obama campaign. One associate we’ve talked with has a pretty interesting idea on how to deal with Biglaw partners that support […]

Earlier, we told you that Harvard and Stanford were replacing letter-grades in favor of a “we’re all winners” system. We then reported that the NYU Law School student newspaper published essentially an open letter, begging Columbia not to follow suit. As you might imagine, Columbia is totally unconcerned with NYU law students and their opinions. […]

About a year ago, Clifford Chance was one of the first firms to conduct layoffs (at least openly, to their credit). In November 2007, the firm laid off six associates in structured finance, one of the first practice areas to get hit by the credit crisis. Today Clifford Chance is announcing additional cuts. Individual and […]

On Friday we told you the story of 2 Cleary associates whose late night mistake caused problems for Cleary Gottlieb and their client, Barclays. Many were sympathetic to the associates and pointed out that blame should be shared with Cleary partners. Cleary has declined to respond to the story, but that doesn’t mean they are […]

Stanford law professor Larry Lessig had an editorial in the Wall Street Journal’s weekend edition, “In defense of piracy.” Lessig starts off hating on the lawyers who went after the mother in the dancing baby/YouTube/Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” case. (Background here.) How is it that sensible people, people no doubt educated at some of the […]

Do you remember the tale of Jeff Murphrey? He was the Houston-based attorney who tried to reschedule a deposition after Hurricane Ike caused significant property damage to his home. When Dallas-based attorney Dale Markland objected (and requested Murphrey to pay rescheduling fees) Murphrey fired off this letter, which then went viral. Well apparently Dale Markland […]

A week ago, we mocked Princeton Review’s “Best Career Prospects” law school rankings. We felt that any methodology that ranked Boston College Law School as a better career move than Yale Law School had to be flawed. Brian Leiter chose to tackle this career prospects question from a simple but reasonable angle: Where do the […]

* Simpson Thacher chosen as the legal advisers on the $700 billion bail-out. [The Lawyer] * Google and Yahoo are in talks with the Justice Department to avoid an antitrust suit. [CNet] * Pet owners whose furry little friends were sickened by contaminated pet food traced to China expected to get a settlement as high […]

[Ed. note: Happy Columbus Day. And to the Canadians, happy Thanksgiving. Our publisher Breaking Media has encouraged us to embrace the holiday spirit on this second Monday of October, so we will not be publishing today. We’ll see you tomorrow.] * “Experts call 5 ongoing probes of federal jurists unprecedented.” [Houston Chronicle] * Arizona bar […]

Today, every associate’s worst nightmare came to a merciful end in a New York Bankruptcy Court. The nightmare started for a first-year Cleary Gottlieb associate on the night of September 18th. The associate was called in for some extra muscle on the Barclays acquisition of Lehman assets. At the request of a second-year associate, the […]

* Another book about law school, this time from an NYU grad. Fat Black Pussycat > Off the Wagon. [Law School Story] * So, who is going to be the next USAG? [Law and More] * Absentee ballots allowing people to vote for “Barack Osama” were mailed to about 300 residents of Rensselaer County, NY. […]

This county judge in Ohio is being honored with ATL Judge of the Day for her creative sentencing. Judge Susan Fornof-Lippencott sentenced a local man to… gasp, the horror, the horror… Beethoven! From the Associated Press: Andrew Vactor was facing a $150 fine for playing rap music too loudly on his car stereo in July. […]

“Non-essential” Heller Ehrman people, it’s time to pack it up: It is with a great deal of regret that we write to inform you that we will not be able to pay you for work performed after today, Friday October 10 and, as a result, that your employment with the firm will be terminated today. […]

Gilbert Randolph has added Jerry Oshinsky to their partnership ranks. The firm will change its name to “Gilbert Oshinsky” to highlight this new acquisition. Firm chairman Scott Gilbert announced the new hire via a firm-wide email: I have a number of exciting announcements. First, I am extraordinarily pleased to tell you that Jerry Oshinsky will […]

Connecticut homosexuals now have the same right to get married — and eventually lose half of their stuff — as heterosexuals: The Supreme Court released its historic ruling at 11:30 a.m. Citing the equal protection clause of the state constitution, the justices ruled that civil unions were discriminatory and that the state’s “understanding of marriage […]

In a sign of immense progress towards the peaceful resolution of differences in the Middle East, the Industrialists Association of Lebanon is contemplating filing an international lawsuit against Israel for violating a food copyright: The Lebanese claim is that Israel markets original Lebanese food like tabouleh, kubbeh, hummus, falafel and fattoush which the Lebanese considered […]

Last month, we told you about the Wolverine scholars program. The program allows students with a 3.8 GPA at Michigan to bypass the LSAT when applying to Michigan Law School. Apparently those exacting standards were too draconian for Illinois College of Law. They are now offering an Early Admission Program for Illinois college students that […]

The latest analysis of Obama’s and McCain’s tax plans show that both candidates will likely raise the marginal tax rate paid by most Americans: Senator Obama’s tax plan includes a number of proposals for new or expanded tax benefits that are generally targeted to low- and moderate-income taxpayers. Many of these additions to the “skyline” […]

* A federal judge orders Syria to pay $400 million to the families of American military contractors killed in Iraq. [Associated Press] * If you like podcasts, these are ten of the “can’t miss” legal ones. [Law Technology News] * National Security Agency officers may have used relaxed eavesdropping rules to listen in on soldiers’ […]

Congratulations to the 82% of the 1500+ applicants who learned that they passed the Pennsylvania bar exam yesterday. Way to get in just before the American economy careens off a cliff. For our readers out west, we also congratulate Colorado exam takers. Good luck, from ATL. The Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners Colorado Board of […]