June 2009
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Email Scandals, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Rod Blagojevich
University of Illinois College of Law Scandal: Now With Emails
This morning, we mentioned the University of Illinois College of Law admissions scandal. It appears that former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich pressured the University of Illinois Chancellor, Richard Herman, and Heidi Hurd, former dean of the University of Illinois College of Law, to admit underqualified students who were politically connected. In exchange for admitting those […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.26.09
* Don’t forget, on Monday we’ll be trying to help you secure your financial future. And we’ll be doing it for free. [Above the Law] * The Chief Justice was not a huge fan of Michael Jackson back in the day. Or a “newcomer who goes by the name, Prince.” I would love to know […] - Sponsored
Are Small Firms Going Big On Legal Tech?
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Roofiegate Returns: Suffolk Superior Court, Here We Come
The Moor is back — and we’re not talking Othello. From Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly: Three months after the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination dismissed her complaint, a former Bingham McCutchen associate has fired back with a gender-discrimination suit against the Boston firm she left in 2008. In a highly charged complaint filed in Suffolk Superior Court […]
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Samuel Kent
Judge Kent Resigns -- Once More, With Feeling
Will he stay or will he go? For the longest time, Judge Samuel Kent (S.D. Tex.), the federal judge who pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in connection with his molestation of two female court employees, has been playing games about his departure from the bench. But now he has finally raised the white flag, […] -
Harvard, Jed Rakoff, New York Times, UVA Law, Weddings
Legal Eagle Wedding Watch 6.21: The Thorn-Nerds
Gentleman, how emasculated would you feel if your future father-in-law shuttled your bride down the aisle, and then, instead of pecking her on the cheek and handing her over, actually turned around and performed the wedding ceremony? Talk about control issues. That’s exactly what this groom endured last Sunday, as he was married by his […] -
Summer Associates
Advice for Summer Associates: Try Not To Be Socially Awkward (And Other Words of Wisdom)
It’s been quiet here at Above The Law in terms of chatter about the summer associate experience. SAs seem a wee bit scared to reach out to us this year. We’re trying to gather submissions for the SA Event Contest, and we’ve only gotten five submissions! And one is a fishing trip. Is the summer […] -
Crime, Politics
Monica Conyers Brings Good News To Detroit
Wednesday, I openly begged for some good news coming out of Detroit. It appears somebody was listening. Today, Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers pleaded guilty to bribery. I know what you are thinking, how could a public official admitting to selling her vote be a good thing? Well, it’s great news for the city because […] -
Salary Cuts, Venable
Nationwide Salary Cut Watch: Venable Uses a Magic 8-Ball
Question: Will my Vault 100 firm protect my salary despite the recession? Answer: You must be using some other kind of 8-ball. Venable might be Washington, D.C.’s weirdest law firm, but you can’t eat quirky. Yesterday evening, Venable announced pay cuts for everybody. Associates, counsel, staff, non-equity partners, and even equity partners will be affected. […] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Hogan & Hartson, Layoffs
Hogan & Hartson's Performance Evaluation System
[Ed. Note: Those with cat like reflexes will remember that this post appeared briefly last night. We pulled it back to give the King of Pop his due.] Given the times, any change to the parameters of a firm’s performance reviews are met with great trepidation by associates at the firm. The least firms can […] -
Associate Salaries
Skadden NALP Mystery Solved
For the past week, readers, commenters, tipsters, Steven Hawking and the Dalai lama have all been asking me what is going on with Skadden’s NALP form. If you look at the NALP directory of legal employers, you’ll notice that Skadden’s 2009 starting salary is listed as “TBD” — to be determined. Well we finally have […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.26.09
* Many people are still reeling from the news of the death of Michael Jackson. [Rolling Stone] * The scandal at the University of Illinois law school is bad, it’s really, really bad, you know it. Reports are now surfacing that the school admitted politically connected applicants in exchange for jobs for the law school’s […]
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Celebrities, Deaths, Michael Jackson, Music
Michael Jackson, RIP
Legendary entertainer Michael Jackson, aka the King of Pop, wasn’t a lawyer. But he certainly generated lots of work for them, thanks to his child molestation charges and financial woes. Not every pop culture icon has their own ATL category tag. (Sure, MJ didn’t always pay his legal bills on time. But it’s the thought […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.25.09
* Please God, whatever happens, don’t ever let me get fired via Twitter. [Legal Blog Watch] * Be forewarned, if we simplify the law, it will be easier for “lay” people to understand the law, and pretty soon people won’t need as many lawyers. Do not repeat the mistakes of King James! What is good […]
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Are Small Firms Going Big On Legal Tech?
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SCOTUS, Supreme Court
SCOTUS Is Clothes-Minded When It Comes To Student Strip Search
SCOTUS ruled today that strip searching middle school students is not cool. When Arizona school officials suspected an eighth-grade girl of harboring ibuprofen, they made her strip down to her bra and underwear, and then a nurse watched as she shook her bra and shook her underwear to prove there were no pills in her… […] -
Advertising, Lawyer Advertising, Texas
Everything Is Better in Texas
If it wasn’t for places like Texas, we wouldn’t have lawyers like Nelson Skinner. Regulators, mount up! -
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, Salary Cuts
Nationwide Salary Cut Watch: Buchanan Ingersoll
Another day, and another firm is retreating from the salaries of the past. Our sources report that Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney has decided to cut associate salaries between 5% and 10%. The cuts will affect all class years. Buchanan Ingersoll CEO Jack Barbour furnished Above the Law with this statement. Barbour suggests that the cuts […] -
9th Circuit, Federal Judges, Politics, Sex Scandals
The Ninth Circuit Curse Strikes Again
Remember the Ninth Circuit Curse? We wrote about it back in 2007, noting that “anyone who tries to mess with the Mighty Ninth eventually finds himself (or herself) in deep doo-doo.” Several politicians who have advocated splitting the Ninth Circuit — a sprawling court that can be challenging to administer, to be sure — have […] -
Lawsuit of the Day
Lawsuit of the Day: Perez Hilton
Luckily, none of my critics have the guts to punch me in the face. But I suppose if one of my faceless, nameless tormentors did clock me upside the head — and lived to tell about it — my next move would be to file a really bitchy lawsuit. And then blog about it. Fun […] -
Blind Item, Summer Associates
Blind Item Follow-Up: In Defense of Fake Work
On Monday, we offered you a blind item about a major law firm giving “fake work” to its summer associates. Some commenters thought we were criticizing the practice, but if you go back and read our original post, you won’t find any criticism. To the contrary, we enumerated the advantages of this policy (which found […] -
Salary Cuts
DLA Piper to Move Away From Lockstep ... Eventually
Back in May, we reported that DLA Piper decided to cut its associates’ salaries. Initially it was a 20% cut on some associates, but after our report the firm moved down to a 10%, across the board, salary cut. But saving money was apparently only one of the goals for DLA Piper. We can also […]