November 2008

* The professional dress code for well endowed women. [Corporette] * Law students are more prone to cheating? Maybe so, but they are also more prone to getting out of it with clever arguments. [Legal Blog Watch] * I love the ponies too. [WSJ Law Blog] * Commenter #33, come on down and claim your […]

The spin that Powell Goldstein chairman James McAlpin always wanted was finally released in today’s Fulton County Daily Report (subscription). The official announcement blurs the lines between a “merger” between Bryan Cave and PoGo and an acquisition of PoGo by Bryan Cave, but the report is largely positive: “This is a transformational event for us,” […]

The Environmental Law Society at West Virginia University College of Law is collecting items to donate to the poor. It has gotten a pretty good response, despite fostering socialist ideals of wealth redistribution in the heart of Appalachia. A school-wide email let students know that the food drive was being extended: The Environmental Law Society […]

New Jersey released results for the July 2008 bar exam. A tipster tells us that Massachusetts has done the same. Congratulations to all who have earned the right to practice in this growing and lucrative depressingly anxious profession. For those who missed the cut, just remember that it took JFK Jr. 3 tries before he […]

Today’s firm-wide meeting at McKee Nelson did not yield good news. A statement from the firm reveals the extent of the bloodletting: This morning, McKee Nelson LLP laid off 17 of its corporate/finance associates, reducing this practice from 94 to 77 attorneys. The layoffs are concentrated in the MBS, ABS and CDO parts of our […]

Back in August, we reported that a magazine for female litigators was in the works. They were in the naming phase at the time, and we tried to help them out by surveying you about the worst of their proposed names, including such gems as “Chill,” “Woman Litigator,” and “Spirit, The Magazine for Women in […]

Is something going down at McKee Nelson today? A tipster reports that there is a surprise, all-attorney video conference scheduled for 1:30 today. Managing partner William Nelson announced the meeting succinctly via firm-wide email this morning: There will be an all attorney meeting at 1:30PM. Recently, these mystery meetings have been held to release good […]

This is the second and final post about the panel discussion featuring out lawyers that we attended last week. The first installment was published over the weekend. The panel was moderated by litigatrix Lisa Linsky, a partner a McDermott Will & Emery. She was joined by Michael Colosi, general counsel for Kenneth Cole; Phylliss Delgreco, […]

Over the weekend, millions of Americans reset their clocks to mark the end of Daylight Saving Time. And millions of other Americans forgot to change their clocks, and showed up to brunch an hour early. But sometimes, early is a good thing. In today’s ATL / Lateral Link survey, we investigate another time of change: […]

Last week, we reported that DLA Piper was canceling their Chicago holiday party and laying off a number of staffers. As we’ve seen from many other firms, when times are tough and morale is low — it’s time for a “Yay Us” firm-wide email: We wanted to share with you some thoughts we recently provided […]

* Readers who plan to become ambulance chasers might want to read this. The Supreme Court hears arguments today in a case involving the FDA. “At issue is whether the federal government can limit lawsuits by consumers…who have been harmed by prescription medications.” [NPR] * UBS clients issued claims over “100 percent principal protected notes” […]

Law students and lawyers get starstruck when they meet U.S. Supreme Court justices. And Supreme Court justices get starstruck when they meet… opera singers! From the New York Times: Justice Antonin Scalia has a reputation as an intimidating jurist who poses withering questions during arguments before the Supreme Court. But on Friday afternoon, when the […]

Last week, we attended OutLaws: A Discussion With Out Lawyers, held at the LGBT Community Center here in New York. The event featured “out lawyers sharing different perspectives and stories — how they got to where they are professionally, as well as what went right, what didn’t, how they’d approach things differently today, and the […]

The New York Times reports on a growing trend in American business: the cancellation of holiday parties. With the stock market having finished its worst month since 1987, and with layoffs running rampant, there’s not much to celebrate. People, this is no time for egg nog. Law firms that have canceled holiday festivities include DLA […]

When we write about high-profile lawyers changing jobs, we’re usually talking about moves between law firms, or maybe between government and Biglaw. This latest transition is a bit different. From MTO (which claims to be “the most visited black website in the world”): Jennifer Hudson’s fiancé and VH1 reality star David “Punk” Otunga of the […]

Elie Mystal is editor of Above the Law. His first name is pronounced like Eliot without the “it,” and his last name is pronounced like Cristal (the champagne). Prior to winning the ATL Idol Contest, Elie wrote about politics and popular culture at City Hall News and the New York Press. Elie received a degree […]