Top Biglaw Stories of 2008: #5 (Business)
We’re doing a series of “2008 in Review” posts here at ATL. We’ve previously declared a Lawyer of the Year, as well as two three Law Students of the Year.
We will now announce what we view as the year’s ten biggest stories in law-firm land. We’ve divided them into two groups: the top five stories on the business side, and the top five stories on the gossip side. Collectively these stories reflect the combination of edification and entertainment that we seek to provide here at ATL. We’ll start with the #5 stories in each group and work our way up.
The year that’s about to end has been full of “business and the law” stories. Most of the news has been terrible. But it really hasn’t been all doom and gloom.
Our fifth-place story on the business end of the legal industry is objectively positive news. Read about it after the jump.
Here’s our #5 story, a major trend among the nation’s leading law firms: more and more firms are granting lawyers 18 weeks of parental leave.
This is a sizable increase from the 12 weeks that used to be standard throughout Biglaw. Not all firms are at 18 weeks; some are still at 12, and some in between 12 and 18. But the industry leaders are at 18, and the momentum is going in that direction. To see how the different firms stack up, check out Justin Bernold’s handy table of maternity leave policies. (A table of paternity leave policies is available in this post, which also discusses some reasons for differences in maternity and paternity leave policies.)
With all of our coverage of work / life balance, helping parents is something that many firms are starting to understand. For both women and men, extending the time you can stay home with a newborn or adopted child is a big perk. And let’s give the firms some credit: an extra six weeks off for parents essentially means six weeks of foregone revenue for the firm.
It’s a cost to firms, but a benefit to families everywhere. Given all the bad news — check back for stories #4 through #1 — let’s not forget that some positive things happened in Biglaw in 2008.
(43) Comments
Comments
blah blah.
I said: "What what, in the butt"
I said: "What what, in the butt"
I said: "What what, in the butt"
I said: "What what, in the butt"
You wanna do it in my butt, in my butt?
You wanna do it in my butt, in my butt?
You wanna do it in my butt, in my butt?
Let's do it in the butt,
OKAY!
TIP: if this is your #5 story, maybe you should cut the article to the top story of 2008. i really can't believe this was worth a post
Seriously, that is number five?
Ha! This explains a lot about the quality of ATL in the recent past. Yikes. Who knows, maybe there just isn't much going on in the legal business world. Right...
Wow, ten "firsts" in the past month. Okay, I think I can retire from ATL firstdom. Wait, maybe that is firstdumb... Yeah, probably.
- blah blah (1)
Has Debevoise announced salary increases for next year yet?
Has Debevoise announced salary increases for next year yet?
BITCH SPREAD THE BUTT CHEEKS SO I CAN SMELL THE JUICY INSIDES!
Also, Texas bar results are available.
5, do you have a job?
This worthless post proves that ATL's value has been reduced to one thing: real-time disclosure of law firm compensation developments. That's it. Period. Lat might want to seriously consider a new direction while he can still demand advertising revenue (due to ATL's legacy).
Scrotum
My woman from Sodom.
She lets me poke her bottom.
To Butt Cheeks,
Perhaps one day I will forgive you for making your stupid, disgusting comments. However, I will never forgive you for making me long for the days of Nervous T10 1L.
#5=sheep
NY to 190!
9 -- of course I don't have a job, silly. I am a law student. :-)
On the other hand, I do have a job offer for next year. At a firm that hasn't announced layoffs yet. Woohoo...
As long as we are encouraging smart biglaw women to breed, this is great and I am happy to pay. I really hope they don't extend the 18 weeks to staff, as this firm and my taxes already support too much breeding by the lesser orders.
Whatever happened to all the readers who would say "First". Their absence may be a sign that ALT is losing its popularity.
Breaking News, Dateline Washington -- It is now confirmed that the butt cheeks poster is a GULC 2L.
This is the #5 story? WTF!
I need something new to read when I'm procrastinating researching discovery rules for the umpteenth time. Something like...what ATL used to be. But safe for work.
Thoughts? (And yes, I've seen JD Underground and the ABA Law Journal is booooorrrrrriiiiiinnnnnnggggg)
Damn those GULCers and their love of butt cheeks. They make Texas look good.
18 -- I am crushed. "First" is so bland. We had to spice it up.
- blah blah (1)
#20- It disturbs me that anyone in the legal community would use Pedobear as their avatar.
21 -- these are some of the funniest comics ever. And I think they are work appropriate, although anyone looking at your screen will obviously know you aren't working...
http://www.smbc-comics.com/archive/
21- www.bitterlawyer.com or the Yahoo news bizzare section
21 -- these are also pretty good:
http://dustinland.com/
I'm a law student. Associates, is taking paternity leave at some/most/all firms actually acceptable or just 'theoretical but looks really stupid and lazy'? If allowed, the full? Or a week or two? What about after 2-3-4 kids? Thanks!
Is being an ass puncturing homosexual a prerequisite for admission to GULC? I mean, is it a deal breaker if you are not one?
You want kids when you're working in Biglaw? Good luck with that. Biglaw is for closers, who live alone in gigantic apartments they only see for ten hours a week because they're at their desks the rest of the time. Family? You've got to be kidding me. It's hard to have a wife / girlfriend when you can only get out to meet for dinner earlier than midnight once a month.
Texas just FINALLY released bar results?
Texas bar results are HUGE this year. I mean, really really BIGGER <8
I want the Glengarry leads.
@29 - Unequivocally yes.
What else you got?
Why are the Texas bar results so big? That does not even make sense. Way to make a stupid comment, 32.
this blog sucks.
37, I think your blog sucks. Now go ask your mom to make you meatloaf, basement dweller.
Elie, how about posting some celebrity nipple slips to spice things up?
38- weak.
37- obvious
elie - bad
lat - good
wsj law blog - good
atl - bad
nip slips - very, very good
I feel you watching me
Over there
Come to me
If you care
Don't sit and stare
It's just not fair
Make your move
If you dare
What what
This hardly counts as a 2008 story since S&C announced it was giving 18 weeks of maternity leave in Spring/Summer of 2007.
It's the trend that is the news. One firm does not a trend make.