February 2009
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Admin, Announcements
Hidey Ho, Winslows
Greetings! Marin here. Some of you may know me as Elie’s foil from the Pls Hndle Thx advice column. Others may know me from the ATL Idol competition. Still others may know me from Miss Michelle’s Dance Studio in New Jersey, where I excelled in jazz and tap dancing as a child. I’m a lawyer […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 02.17.09
* Facebook owns you. Or at least all of your content, even after you close your account due to a recent change in its Terms of Use. But what’s the legality of Facebook’s stealth changes to its consumer contracts? [Litigation & Trial via Wall Street Journal] * The Pennsylvania judges who sent lots of little […]
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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Marijuana, Sports
Bong Hits 4 Jesus Michael Phelps(And no criminal charges, either.)
This just in, from the AP: A South Carolina sheriff said Monday he was not going to charge swimmer Michael Phelps after a photo of the 14-time gold medalist showed him smoking from a marijuana pipe. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said he couldn’t ignore the photo but defended his investigation. “Michael Phelps is truly […]
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Biglaw, Gender, In-House Counsel
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands... Or take our poll
The American Bar Foundation has been tracking the careers of almost 5,000 law grads for a project called After The JD. The $1.8 million study keeps the lab rats law grads from the class of 2000 under a microscope for 12 years after graduation to track the development of their careers, relationships, and basic ability […] -
Holidays and Seasons, Morning Docket
Morning Docket 02.16.09
Happy Presidents’ Day! Or Washington and Lincoln Day. Or George Washington Day for Virginians. Or Washington and Jefferson Day if you’re in Alabama. Whatever you call it, we hope you have it off; we do. In honor of the executive branch, ATL will be on a reduced publication schedule today. * Adam Cohen asks, “Is […]
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K&L Gates Battens Down the Hatches: Salary Freezes, Delayed Start Dates (But good news: no layoffs. For now.)
Earlier today, associates at K&L Gates attended a town hall meeting with Peter Kalis, chairman and global managing partner. Kalis provided an overview of where the firm stands and announced steps that will be taken to deal with the recession (in addition to skimping on toilet paper). Several sources sent us reports of the proceedings. […] -
Admin, Announcements, Gambling / Gaming, Travel / Vacation
Vacation Memo
TO: ATL Readers, Commenters, Tipsters CC: The General Public, The Grammar Police, NYPD, LVPD FROM: Elie Mystal SUBJECT: Whereabouts and Other Sundries I will be out of the office from right about now until Monday, February 23rd. I have not been fired (so far as I am aware). My performance is not under review. I’m […] -
AutoAdmit / Xoxohth, Free Speech, Media and Journalism, Rudeness
What ever happened to that Yale gals / AK47 / AutoAdmit thing?
Back in 2007, two female Yale Law School students filed a lawsuit over allegedly defamatory and threatening comments written about them on AutoAdmit.com. The stuff written went way beyond lobsters and buttcheeks, and the women said the resulting Google hits on their names did serious damage to their job prospects. The case was near and […] - Sponsored
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Pro Bono, Public Interest
Dealing with the Downturn: Simpson Thacher's Public Service Program
How should law firms respond to the recession? As reflected in the dramatic events of yesterday, which will go down in Biglaw history as the Valentine’s Day Massacre of 2009, lawyer layoffs are a common route. But there are other options. We recently wrote about how unemployed (or underemployed) lawyers can do pro bono work […] -
Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Stealth Layoffs at Kelley Drye?
There was one more firm we’ve heard a lot about recently, but the firm would not respond to ATL’s multiple requests for comment. In the past week or so, we’ve received a number of credible tips about layoffs at Kelley Drye. Because the firm will not comment, we don’t know the overall numbers. But multiple […] -
Partner Profits
Profits Per Partner Down At O'Melveny
O’Melveney & Myers paid out Skadden level bonuses for everybody — that was not in New York and billed at least 1950. Unlike Orrick, O’Melveny actually paid these bonuses, instead of just talking about them. Maybe that is why their profits per partner took such a significant hit? Yesterday, AmLaw Daily reported a sharp decline […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2008
What is Going On With Orrick's Bonuses?
Let’s pretend for a moment that yesterday didn’t happen and associates were A) employed, and B) expected to be compensated. Everybody with me? Okay. You might remember that Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe announced its 2008 bonus structure way back in March of 2008. Once the market collapsed, people started wondering if Orrick would keep its […] -
Bernie Madoff, Federal Circuit, Layoffs, Morning Docket
Morning Docket 2.13.09
* Mississippi Circuit Judge Bobby Delaughter, known for prosecuting a white supremacist, pleaded not guilty. He was accused of ruling in favor of Tobacco attorney Dickie Scruggs (Trent Lott’s brother in law) in exchange for a seat on the federal bench. [The Associated Press] * Damn, I miss the 90’s (and not just because I […]
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
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Non-Sequiturs
And There's Gonna Be Hell to Pay, At The End Of The Day...
[Ed. note: Non-Sequiturs will return tomorrow at its regularly scheduled time] * Jesus Tapdancing Christ. * What the hell just happened? * I’ll be starting my drinking at Black & White (East 10th St. bet. 3rd & 4th) and I’ll probably end up at Professor Thom’s (14th & 2nd) in case anybody wants some company. […] -
Holland & Knight, Layoffs
Holland & Knight Confirms 243 Layoffs
As we mentioned in an update to our earlier post about Holland & Knight, the firm is now confirming layoffs. From the list of restructuring measures that the firm is undertaking: • Reducing the total number of lawyers and staff, with approximately 70 lawyers and 173 support staff positions eliminated in the firm’s 21 offices. […] -
Layoffs, Reader Polls
So, What Are We Calling Today Exactly?
Based on my informal count, some 585 attorneys and staffers were laid off yesterday or today. And that is not counting however many people are hitting the street from Holland & Knight today (we are still waiting on a firm statement of official numbers), or however many 3Ls were essentially fired from Luce Forward today […] -
Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Epstein Becker Adds 53 to the Body Count
Apparently, mid-sized firms are not immune from the layoffs today either. We just received word that Epstein Becker and Green laid off 23 attorneys and 30 staff today. Here is the official firm statement: Given current economic conditions, the Firm is making adjustments to both legal and non-legal staffing levels, resulting in the reduction of […] -
Layoffs, Staff Layoffs, United Kingdom / Great Britain
International Layoff Watch: Good News! Cadwalader Only Lays Off 16 in London
You didn’t seriously think we’d get through an entire day of layoff stories without Cadwalader getting into the mix? Legal Week is now reporting that Cadwalader has decided to send 16 of its London employees into “redundancy consultation. The firm said three lawyers, three paralegals and 10 support staff are subject to the redundancy consultation. […] -
Cozen O'Connor, Staff Layoffs
Staff Layoff Watch: Cozen O'Connor Lays Off 61 Staffers
Multiple tipsters are telling us that the respected Philadelphia based firm of Cozen O’Connor laid off 61 employees today. As we understand it, the breakdown is 55 secretaries and 6 paralegals. The firm did not respond to ATL’s requests for comment. Tipsters report that layoffs have been rolling over the course of yesterday and today. […] -
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Bryan Cave's Official Statement
Earlier today, we reported that Bryan Cave laid off 58 attorneys. The firm just released a statement with the official numbers. In addition to the 58 attorneys, 76 staffers were also let go today. The numbers account for 5% of the firm’s attorneys and 6% of the firm’s support staff: We have regretfully now concluded […]