March 2009
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March Madness 2009
ATL March Madness for Law Firms: The Sweet Sixteen(Polls close Sunday and a guest commentator weighs in)
We just wanted to remind you that the polls are open until Sunday for the Sweet (Safe) Sixteen round of ATL March Madness for Law Firms. It’s our NCAA-style tournament to crown Biglaw’s safest firm — the place where you are least likely to be laid off. Sixteen firms remain. Some of the match-ups are […] -
Career Alternatives, Hotties, UNC Law
UNC Law School Disavows the Disavowal of Wannabe Bunny
For those just tuning in, earlier today, we wrote about Stephanie Haney, a 2L at UNC who hopes to be one of Playboy’s Girls of the ACC. (See Career Alternatives for Law Students: Playboy Bunny.) After our initial post went up, Maxine Eichner — a professor at UNC School of Law — emailed Above the […] - 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. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 03.27.09
* I thought I was the only one who believed Katie Couric had a personal vendetta against my brain. (Seriously though, can’t we just put Katie back on the Today Show, move Matt Lauer to The View, put Campbell Brown in Couric’s CBS spot, and put Elisabeth Hasselbeck on CNN up against O’Reilly and Olbermann […]
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Staff Attorneys / Discovery Attorneys, Staff Layoffs
Staff Layoff Watch: The Bell Tolls for Skadden Staff
Like many of you, we’ve heard the rumors about significant staffing cuts at Skadden all week. We now understand that all of the affected individuals have been informed, and we can now appreciate the scope of Skadden’s actions. Here is the bad news for Skadden staff: * We understand that over 50 legal support staffers […] -
Staff Layoffs
Staff Layoff Watch: Gibson Dunn Lays Off 36 Staff
The economy is continuing to shed legal jobs. Today’s news comes from Gibson Dunn & Crutcher. A GDC spokesperson just furnished Above the Law with this statement: Due to the challenging market environment that has affected our clients and the demand for legal services, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has reduced its staff positions by 36 […] -
Career Alternatives, Hotties, Law Schools, Pornography, UNC Law
Career Alternatives for Law Students: Playboy Bunny
Despite the rise in applications to law schools, many current law school students might be lamenting their decision to pursue a J.D. There’s more news about Biglaw firms firing than hiring these days. Summer associate programs are shrinking in size, being shortened, or being cut altogether. Start dates for 3Ls are being pushed back to […] -
Alston & Bird, Blank Rome, California
Is Opening in L.A. Really a Good Idea Right Now?
The National Law Journal reports that eight firms have opened up offices in Los Angeles during the recession. Is this really going to work? We’ve already established that the San Francisco legal market is about as relevant as an aging hippie. Are we sure that L.A. is the promised land? According to the NLJ, firms […] -
Kirsten Gillibrand
Senator Gillibrand Worked on the Big Tobacco Cases While At DPW
Yesterday, the New York Times published a story about New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s ties to “big tobacco.” As an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell, Gillibrand — who replaced Hillary Clinton as New York’s junior Senator — represented Phillip Morris. For most people who understand how law is practiced at the top firms in […] - Sponsored
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… -
Summer Associates
Squire Sanders Uninvites Last Year's 1Ls
Squire Sanders was one of the first firms to figure out freezing associate salaries would be tolerable given the current economic situation. I don’t know if the firm will be a trend setter here as well, but the latest news from the firm seems to be in keeping with the general theme of terrible market […] -
Andrew Cuomo, Morning Docket, Sarah Palin
Morning Docket 3.27.09
* The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that hundreds of juvenile court cases in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania will soon be overturned. After former judge Mark Ciavarella pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from juvenile prisons in exchange for more convictions, the state hired a “Special Master” to investigate. He is not a Malasian Martial Arts expert or […]
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Deferral Stipend, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, Start Dates, Summer Associates
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Follow Up
Let’s close the day where we started, with EAPD. We reported this morning that the firm laid off 60 people. Over the course of the day, the firm made additional plans to cut back on its 2009 costs. The firm will be delaying the start dates for its incoming first year associates. The new date […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 03.26.09
* John Quinn of Quinn Emanuel sat down to give some advice to young lawyers. Apparently, he remains. [WSJ Law Blog] * A podcast is up of David Lat’s talk at Duke. Remember, Lat will be in Morgantown tomorrow night … in case you want to see what Morgantown looks like. [Duke Law] * Can […] -
Deferral Stipend, Start Dates, Summer Associates
Weil Gotshal Almost Sets the Market With Incoming First Year Associate Deferral Dollars
Almost a month ago, Latham & Watkins set the market in terms of incoming first year deferral programs Latham offered $75K to associates who saw their start dates with the firm pushed back for a year. Many firms have followed, but none have topped. Today, Weil, Gotshal & Manges is taking a run at Latham’s […]
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Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
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.
Sponsored
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
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
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…
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Deferral Stipend, Job Searches, Start Dates
Should Associates Get Paid While On the Deferral Stipend
As we mentioned earlier today, there is significant variation among firms offering some sort of deferral stipend or public interest externship. Should the money from the firm be contingent upon finding employment in a public interest organization? Should it be paid out monthly or up front? And of course, how much money is on the […] -
Biglaw, Contests, March Madness 2009, Reader Polls
ATL March Madness for Law Firms, Round 2 (Part 2): The Sweet Sixteen
Tonight, the “real” Sweet Sixteen games will play out on NCAA courts. Here at ATL, the NCAA-styled ATL March Madness for Law Firms continues. Sixteen firms remain in the tournament hoping to be crowned Biglaw’s safest — the place where you’re least likely to get laid off. Thirty-two firms entered the tournament, based on Vault […] -
Dubious Defenses, Gender
Department of Dubious Defenses: Calling women "hormonal messes" is just a cultural thing
A fun part of traveling is observing “cultural differences.” It’s okay to pick your nose in public in some parts of Kenya, to comment on someone’s significant weight gain in the Philippines, and to burp mid-meal in India. The practices may not be your cup of tea, but that’s the fun of exploring other cultures. […] -
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Watch: EAPD Lays Off 60
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge had a round of staff cuts back in November. That seems like ancient history. But it looks like the firm could not hold its fire forever. Today, both attorneys and staff were informed that EAPD would have to cut back. Above the Law obtained this statement, from an Edwards Angell […] -
Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Quinn Cuts 'A Handful of People'
We’ve collected a number of layoff reports coming out of Quinn Emanuel the past couple of days. Overall, the numbers are a lot lower than what we’ve been seeing coming out of California. But it appears that some layoffs have occurred. Our sources report that 6 people from the firm’s Silicon Valley office have been […] -
Jury Duty
Tweeting about Twittering Jurors
Earlier this month, lawyers for a building products company asked an Arkansas judge to overturn a $12.6 million judgment because “Juror Johnathon” had been sending out tweets on Twitter about his thoughts on the trial. Here are our thoughts in Twitter fashion: atlblog: Everyone’s talking about Twitter these days and the ability to broadcast your […] -
Admin, Announcements, Conferences / Symposia, Law Schools, Shameless Plugs, Technology
West Virginia, Take Me Home
We regularly receive tips about free events that might interest our readers. Because we don’t have the ability to give shout-outs to all, and to ensure equal treatment, we direct everyone with events to promote to mention them in our Community section. If your event is more commercial in nature, you can advertise it on […]