January 2009
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Alan Dershowitz, Wall Street Journal
White Powder Scare at WSJ & HLS
Today there were white powder scares at some venerable institutions. The Wall Street Journal editors were targeted this morning, as were professors at Harvard Law School. Many tipsters believe that Professor Alan Dershowitz was targeted. HLS just sent around this message reassuring students: Dear members of the HLS Community, Earlier today, a letter delivered to […] -
Staff Layoffs, Willkie Farr
Staff Layoff Watch: Roundup Number 2
Yesterday’s staff layoff post generated a lot of tips and rumors. Please keep them coming. It appears that staffs are taking it on the chin even worse than associates and partner profit margins. While we are still playing “fact or fiction” with some of the rumors, we can now report these additional staff reductions around […] - Sponsored
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John Edwards, Lawyerly Lairs, Real Estate
Lawyerly Lairs: Cate Edwards's Georgetown Pad
No Gropius dorms for her, thank you very much. Harvard Law School student Cate Edwards, oldest daughter of prominent politician John Edwards, just purchased a million-dollar property in Washington’s tony Georgetown neighborhood. From an item in Washingtonian: Buyer: Harvard law student Cate Edwards. Famous dad: Former presidential hopeful John Edwards. Price: $1.3 million. Amenities: Two […]
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Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Cooley Godward Lays Off a Lot of People
When the ATL inbox is on fire, there is a lot of smoke somewhere out there in legal community. Tipsters report that Cooley Godward has decided to make significant layoffs today. Tipsters that work at the firm place the numbers as high as 10 percent of associates and staff. That could put the overall number […] -
Partner Profits, White & Case
Profits Per Partner Up At WilmerHale and K&L Gates. Revenue Up At White & Case
A couple of internal emails came across our desk today, heralding good news — at least for the partners. Profits per Partner are up at WilmerHale: PPP are $1,080,000, which is up from last year by a little bit. Also, 6.7% of total hours billed by the firm were to pro bono matters. And the […] -
Associate Advice, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: World Wide Web of Addiction
[Ed Note: Do you have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com] Dear ATL, I have a soft addiction to Facebook, Gmail and online dating sites. My firm doesn’t block the sites and I can’t help spending hours a day procrastinating on them. I wanted to ask the IT department to block […] -
More Pain Coming to Cadwalader?
We have detailed that spate of partner defections from Cadwalader in recent weeks. But how are things going for associates on the ground? In the Cadwalader litigation department, at least it’s not particularly busy. A tipster reports: Learned at a CWT Litigation Department associates-only meeting held at 2:00 [last week]: Everyone was anxious about the […] -
Billable Hours, Job Survey, Pro Bono
Associate Life Survey: Back to Billing
President Obama made a pretty interesting statement in yesterday’s inaugural address: Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But based on last week’s […] - Sponsored
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Associate Advice
The Depression Is So Freaking Depressing (Part II)
[Ed Note: Yesterday, Hope showed us what happens when people stop being polite, and start getting real. Today, she offers some solutions. Check out yesterday’s column here] Here is what I am going to do to pass the time while we weather this storm: 1) Meditate – My anxiety-ridden friend Pablo is going to start […] -
Barack Obama, Department of Justice, Federal Government, Musical Chairs, Supreme Court Clerks, White House Counsel, Williams & Connolly
Musical Chairs: The Obama White House Counsel's Office(And ODAG picks, too.)
Last night we wrote about some of the top-notch talent that will be filling senior legal positions in the Obama Administration. These are big names, and you probably also read about them in big publications, like the Legal Times or the Wall Street Journal. ATL is willing to drill down deeper. We now bring you […] -
5th Circuit, Bernie Madoff, Enron, Morning Docket, Securities and Exchange Commission
Morning Docket 1.21.09
* Lawyers are winning in the long rivalry between lawyers and bankers. Endless financial fraud cases make lawyers look ethical. There is another fraud charge in Philadelphia against money manager Joseph Forte. [The Philadelphia Inquirer] * The SEC is investigating Apple’s disclosures about CEO Steve Jobs’ health, to make sure the company did not mislead […]
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Barack Obama, Department of Justice, Elena Kagan, Federal Government, Law Professors, Neal Katyal, Office of Legal Counsel, Solicitor General's Office
Musical Chairs: Obama Turns Justice Department Into Mini-Law School
President Barack Obama has hit the ground running. Even before President Obama was done flubbing taking the oath of office, the revamped White House website was launched. You can check the WH website, including the new “Briefing Room” blog, for news of notable nominations and appointments. We’ll also follow personnel news here on Above the […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 01.20.09
* Good luck Senator Kennedy. [CNN] * A unified theory of the universe might still be some way off. But a unified bar exam? It could happen. [TaxProf Blog] * Could somebody please explain to me how Don King got a ticket to the inauguration? [Underdog] * Now the people at Drug and Device law […]
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Barack Obama, Constitutional Law, John Roberts, Reader Polls, Screw-Ups
Whoops. How does that Constitution go?
As we type this, our fingers are still thawing from standing in the cold on the National Mall during today’s inauguration. The number of people willing to brave the cold was impressive. Every time President Barack Obama appeared on a jumbotron screen, the crowd went crazy with shouts of “O-bam-a” and “Yes, we did.” The […] -
Akin Gump, Staff Attorneys / Discovery Attorneys, Staff Layoffs
Staff Layoff Watch: A Roundup
A lot of pain has been dealt out to support staff at various law firms recently. On Friday, Akin Gump slashed their support staff, laying off 65 employees. The WSJ Law Blog reported: “There are no planned attorney layoffs,” said [Sheila Turner, a firm spokeswoman]. “But in these difficult times we of course expect to […] -
Barack Obama, Politics
Barack Hussein Obama: 44th President of the United States of America
No country does the “peaceful transfer of power” quite like the U.S.A. -
Associate Bonus Watch 2008
Associate Bonus Watch: 'Mother (Hughes) Hubbard' Does Better Than Last Year
When Hughes Hubbard released bonus information last year, a lot of associates were angry. Last year, Hughes Hubbard tied the “special bonus” to billable hours. At the time, the firm promised that 2008 bonuses would be better. Of course, that was before the great 2008 whatever the hell we’re living through. Few expected HHR to […] -
Associate Advice, Biglaw, Layoffs, Wall Street
The Depression Is So Freaking Depressing (Part I)
So…. Here’s The Thing…. It’s kind of like what Collective Soul said a decade ago, when things were just fantastic: Are these times contagious? I’m never been this bored before. Is this the prize I’ve waited for? These days, it seems like all my friends are depressed on account of the Depression. (Or the “recession,” […] -
Antitrust, George Bush, Guantanamo Bay, Morning Docket, SCOTUS
Morning Docket 1.19.09
* Civil rights leaders reflect on Martin Luther King. [ABC] * The E.U. slammed Microsoft in an antitrust case. [The Washington Post] * At least ten percent of the Guantanamo population has been deemed innocent, further calling the prison’s legitimacy in to question. [The New York Times] * SCOTUS added 6 new cases to the […]
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Admin, Civil Rights, Holidays and Seasons, Public Interest
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Today we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the pioneering civil rights leader. If you’re not at work, we hope that you are enjoying the day off. (We are around, but will be posting less than usual.) If you are at work, be proud. We’re pretty sure that equal opportunities to be […]