April 2009

Last week, we wrote about the Fordham law professor who assigned his information privacy law class to compile a dossier on Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The professor had chosen Scalia as the target for privacy invasion because of the Justice’s remarks at a January conference organized by the Institute of American and Talmudic Law. […]

* From pirate-fighting hero to litigant in under a month. One of the crew members of the Maersk Alabama has filed a $75,000 lawsuit for his disabling injuries because the ship company knowingly sent him into “pirate-infested waters.” [Courthouse News Service] * Nationwide Layoff Watch: Atlanta-based firm Kilpatrick Stockton lays off 24 lawyers and pushes […]

Everyone is writing about how summer associate programs will be lean and mean this year due to law firm cutbacks in the recession. The summer associate classes will be smaller. The summers will be shorter. The perks will be less lavish. The long summer associate lunches will be few and far between. And on and […]

* Anybody want to give John Grisham a hand? [West] * Impeachment, Texas-style. [Grits for Breakfast] * It is it legal to fire dirty lawyers? Probably. [Professor Bainbridge] * Having momentarily dealt with fleeting expletives, SCOTUS could move quickly to address fleeting nudity. I propose this deal: the baby boomers can continue their astonishing string […]

A month and a half ago, Husch Blackwell laid off a number of employees. At the time, Husch Blackwell’s chairman Dave Fenley refused to use the term “layoffs.” Instead, he said: He said that Husch Blackwell was “going gangbusters” in certain areas and was meeting its numbers this year, “which is pleasantly surprising.” Later, Fenley […]

Ed. note: Welcome to the latest installment of “Notes from the Breadline,” a column by a laid-off lawyer in New York. Prior columns are collected here. You can reach Roxana St. Thomas by email (at roxanastthomas@gmail.com), follow her on Twitter, or find her on Facebook. One day after work — or, in my case, after […]

Georgetown is the latest top school to try to come up with innovative ways to help its graduates deal with the global economic crisis. The headline news is that GULC will be offering an extended health care plan to graduates who need it. At least for a little while: Health insurance. If you currently carry […]

Arlen Specter (R-PA), is switching parties. Politico reports: Republican Sen. Arlen Specter is switching parties so he can run in the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary, abandoning his party because he does not want to be “judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate.” Specter is the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee (chaired by Patrick […]

One would think that the current global economic crisis would be taking a toll on women’s issues. Work-life balance? Please, any associate not on track with their hours is a candidate for a layoff. Retention of women? Whatever, welcome to the world of forced attrition. But is the prevailing view accurate? Patricia Gillette, an Orrick […]

In yesterday’s open thread on #17 though #28 schools in the U.S. News rankings, we neglected to include a riff on the crime statistics in various schools’ cities. We did start thinking about it today, though, as it seems that bullets occasionally fly in the City of Lakes, home to the #20-ranked law school. And […]

We know you can’t use the f-word as a verb or noun on television. Just to be clear, you can’t use it as an adjective either. The Wall Street Journal reports: The Supreme Court is giving tentative approval to government regulation of the use of even a single curse word on live television. Somehow, this […]

While the cutting edge firms have moved onto cutting salaries, there are still firms that are getting through their layoffs. Yesterday, Above the Law learned that Wildman Harrold decided to go through another round of cuts. Here is the firm statement: We have reduced our associate ranks by 10 and our secretarial staff by 7. […]

* Marc Dreier will plead guilty on May 11. Defense attorney Gerald Shargel said he “wants to enter the plea to demonstrate his acceptance of responsibility and his profound remorse.” Or maybe it’s just because he ran out of money to pay Shargel. [Forbes] * Forget the office attire debate over suit vs. blazer and […]

We are continuing our march through the latest U.S. News law school rankings. So far we’ve learned that students who go to law school in warm weather climates believe their quality of life is much better than what is experienced by students who attend law schools in the Northeast and Chicago. We’ve also learned that […]

It’s an exciting day here at ATL when we can find three excuses to cover the salacious beat (see #1 and #2). Judge Richard Posner brings us our third opportunity. Judge Posner issued a ruling [PDF] Friday in a patent infringement case involving “sex aids” companies. Posner brings his dry humor and excellent wit to […]

Way back in December, long before the cool kids started doing it, Squire Sanders & Dempsey froze associate salaries. Having already frozen salaries, Squire Sanders is now cutting them outright. Tipsters report that the firm has announced a 10% reduction in associate salaries across the board. The cuts will start in May. You’ll remember that […]

We’ve been bringing you a number of stories about law students melting down as the recession, finals, swine flu, and a spate of year-end elections takes its toll on America’s next generation of lawyers. The latest missive comes from a female Cardozo student who accuses the Cardozo law review board of gender bias. It turns […]

Deidre Dare was our Lawyer of the Day Weekend back in January. Judging from the traffic on that post, we assume most of you know her story. If not, here are the quick and dirty details: Dare, a Columbia Law grad, was a senior associate in Allen & Overy’s Moscow office. She was having fun […]

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Above the Law is a valuable resource for lawyers planning their careers. Faithful ATL readers know that the site contains important and useful information about the nation’s leading law firms, in terms of culture, compensation, and a whole host of other metrics. If you’d like to know about law firm layoffs, bonuses, or start dates, […]