January 2009
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SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks
Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: Chief Justice Roberts
Okay, so Chief Justice John Roberts can’t administer an oath of office to save his life. But he can hire brilliant and fabulous law clerks: 1. James McDonald (UVA 2007 / Sutton) 2. Stephen Sachs (Yale 2007 / S. Williams) 2. Erik Zimmerman (Stanford 2007/Wilkinson) They join the previously hired Roman Martinez (Yale 2008 / […] -
Alston & Bird, Arent Fox, Arnold & Porter, Blank Rome, Chadbourne & Parke, Dorsey & Whitney, Hogan & Hartson, Salary Freeze, Sheppard Mullin, Sonnenschein, Venable
Updated Salary Freeze Round-up: Even More Firms on Ice
As we noted in yesterday’s Morning Docket, even the New York Times has taken note of the salary freeze trend at law firms. The Times reached out to Above The Law’s own David Lat for the story: Although many associates are angry about the freezes, others are relieved, said David Lat, founding editor of AboveTheLaw.com, […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Reality TV
Biglaw Siblings to Compete on the Amazing Race
The Amazing Race is a reality TV show where teams of two race around the world in the hopes of winning $1 million. The 14th season of the show debuts on February 15th, and will star hot legal siblings, Victor and Tammy Jih. Victor Jih, 35, is a partner at O’Melveny and Myers, while Tammy […]
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Admin, Announcements, Blogging, Free Speech, Rudeness
New Above the Law Comment Policy
As the Above the Law community continues to grow, more people are posting absurd, inane, and arguably offensive comments. And more people are complaining about those comments — in the comments, as well by email and other means. Here at ATL, we reserve the right to moderate comments as we see fit. We delete comments […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 01.26.09
* Can law firms evolve? Because right now they look a lot like a T-Rex right after the Chicxulub blast. [Ideoblog] * Here’s a chart showing how California law schools stacked up against each other in terms of bar passage rates. Berkeley < USC & UCLA. This would never have happened at "Boalt." [TaxProf Blog] […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2008, Layoffs, Salary Freeze, Staff Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Major Downsizing at Wilson Sonsini (45 Lawyers, 68 Staffers)
Major news coming out of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. The firm just announced that 45 attorneys and 68 staff were laid off: [I]t is with regret that we announce that the firm will be downsizing our associate, legal support, and administrative ranks, with 45 attorneys and 68 staff directly affected. Members and staff managers […] -
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, Partner Profits
Buchanan Ingersoll: Timing is Everything
Everybody has to sacrifice to survive in the new “economy” (if that’s what we’re still calling it). Today, we’ve received word that Buchanan Ingersoll could be asking partners to shoulder part of the burden. A tipster explains: Buchanan Ingersoll was not able to pay nonequity partners any of their holdback at year end and equity […] -
Death Penalty, Lawyer of the Day
Death Row Inmate Wants to be on Florida Supreme Court
One thing that has become clear to me since I started at ATL is that people in prison have a lot of time on their hands. A lot of time. We regularly receive handwritten letters from pro se litigants complaining that the judge who sent them to prison is “above the law.” Michael Lambrix has […] - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Musical Chairs
Musical Chairs: Goodwin Procter's Gains or MoFo's Losses?
Two big name rainmakers are leaving Morrison & Foerster for Goodwin Procter. According to a Goodwin Procter email: Goodwin Procter announced today a major expansion of its Financial Services Group with the addition of two nationally-recognized attorneys, Robert M. Kurucza and Marco E. Adelfio. Kurucza joins as co-chair of the firm’s Financial Services Group. Both […] -
No Offers, Summer Associates
Open Thread: It's Going to be an Interesting Summer
The summer of 2009 should be very different from past summers of fun and excess. Many are expecting this summer to be a twelve week (or ten week, or eight week) “job interview” that current Biglaw associates didn’t really have to go through. This shouldn’t come as a galloping shock to A) regular ATL readers, […] -
Alex Kozinski, Blogging, Media and Journalism, New York Times, Salary Freeze, Shameless Plugs
A Few Shout-Outs to ATL
We always appreciate mentions of Above the Law in other publications (and we get annoyed when ATL isn’t given proper credit for breaking stories.). Here are a few recent shout-outs: 1. Chill of Salary Freezes Reaches Top Law Firms [New York Times] We previously linked to Eilene Zimmerman’s article in Morning Docket, but in case […] -
Lawyer of the Day, Regent University School of Law
Lawyer of the Day: Former Regent Dean Guilty of Sexual Abuse
Maybe Stephen McPherson, former Assistant Dean for student affairs at Regent University School of Law, just likes working with young people. Really young people. The former Regent administrator pleaded guilty to sexually abusing children: McPherson, 39, of Chesapeake entered guilty pleas to two counts of forcible sodomy and two counts of object sexual penetration. He […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 01.26.09
* The country’s top newspapers are full of law firm recession news. The New York Times looks at the salary freeze phenomenon at top firms, with some help from David Lat. [New York Times] * And the Wall Street Journal reflects on the recession’s effect on law firms, focusing in on the demise of Heller […]
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Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get…
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
Sponsored
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so…
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
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Dissolution, Law Firm Mergers, Layoffs, Locke Liddell & Sapp, Locke Lord, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell, Morgan & Finnegan
Nationwide Dissolution Watch: Morgan & Finnegan?
The law firm of Morgan & Finnegan, a leading intellectual property boutique, will be dissolving imminently, according to several sources at the firm. Some (but not all) of its lawyers, including prominent partners John Sweeney and James Gould, will join Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell. Last month, we mentioned the possibility of a merger between […] -
Allen & Overy, Blogging, Lawyer of the Day, Pornography, Sex, Technology
Lawyer of the Day Weekend: Deidre Dare
Deidre Dare is a senior lawyer in Allen & Overy’s Russia office. Like many an expat, she’s been maintaining a website, presumably to keep folks back home up to date on her life and to share the splendor of living abroad with random strangers on the Internet. On the website, Philosophy Can Be Sexy, she […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2008, Chadbourne & Parke, Salary Freeze
Associate Bonus Watch And Nationwide Pay Freeze Watch: Chadbourne & Parke
We haven’t yet gotten our hands on the Chadbourne & Parke bonus memo, but a firm spokesperson confirmed what the general numbers look like. According to the spokesperson: “Our bonuses are on Cravath, Half-Skadden, scale. Individual bonus determinations are based upon individual performance and pro rated for part time attorneys and attorneys who have been […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 01.23.09
* Today, there were layoffs at Choate. No, not that Choate (well maybe that Choate, it’s not like that Choate is Andover or Exeter) but the other Choate. [Boston Common Law] * Traffic stats of law blogs. Yay readers! [Avvo] * I wonder if I would understand this better if I had ever seen the […] -
Fabulosity, Immigration, Litigatrix, SCOTUS, Solicitor General's Office, Supreme Court
Jenner & Block Associate Argues Her First Case - In The Supreme Court
Lindsay Harrison at One First Street. Photo by Patrice Gilbert. To paraphrase the controversial Campari ads at issue in Hustler Magazine v. Falwell (aka The People vs. Larry Flynt), everyone remembers “their first time” — arguing in open court, that is. It’s a rite of passage that all young litigators must go through. At large […] -
Announcements, Parties, Practical Law Company (PLC)
A Special Offer for ATL Readers
Free food. Free drink. Ample networking opportunities. What’s not to like? Practical Law Company (PLC) — a U.K.-based company that just started offering its services here in the U.S., which we’ll be writing more about later — is holding a launch party next week here in New York. The festivities will be attended law firm […] -
New York Times, Weddings
Legal Eagle Wedding Watch 1.18: We LoVermont!
Last weekend, while most of you were lining up for the Inauguration, a few oddballs were elsewhere, engaging in nuptial activities. Obviously, pretty much every superstar lawyer in the country was preparing to report for duty in the incoming administration, so we must warn you that this week’s wedding announcements are a little short on […]