June 2009
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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 […]
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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 […]
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ASIA GC OPENING AT GLOBALLY ACCLAIMED AND WELL FUNDED SMART PHONE TECH STARTUP, BASED IN SHENZHEN
Kinney is currently running an exclusive search for an Asia GC role at a well known tech start-up company, based in Shenzhen. This company has received significant recent praise for their new smart phone device in leading medial outlets, such as the New York Times, TIME, Mashable, Wired, Yahoo, and Forbes, among others.
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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 […]
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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 […]
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[Ed. note: The following piece was authored by The Legal Tease, of Sweet Hot Justice fame. Check out her other musings from Sweet Hot Justice here.] It’s happened–after a few years and a few thousand billable hours, I’ve finally found him. Sure, there have been loads of false starts along the way, but I think […]
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Frank Easterbrook, Harvard, Morning Docket, Richard Posner
* New Jersey Internet radio talk show host arrested for blogging that federal judges Frank Easterbrook, Richard Posner, and William Bauer “deserved to be killed” after a recent decision on Chicago handgun ban case. [CNN] * More Morgan Lewis Musical Chairs: Yesterday, the firm announced that it had tapped gas from Baker Botts. Good thing, […]
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American Constitution Society (ACS), Conferences / Symposia, Free Speech, Media and Journalism, Merrick Garland, Technology
At the ACS National Convention: The Internet and the First Amendment
The second panel we attended at the recent convention of the American Constitution Society (ACS) focused on a topic near and dear to our heart: free speech on the internet. The panel, The Internet Revolution and Its Effect on the First Amendment, featured the following participants: Judge Merrick B. Garland, U.S. Court of Appeals for […]
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Update: ‘Trashed’ Lawyer Larry Wilder Resigns
Indiana attorney Larry Wilder was honored with an ATL Lawyer of the Day mention last week thanks to the photo at right. It’s not a stock photo. That’s Wilder on a Wednesday morning, after a raucous night on the town. That photo going viral has led Wilder to resign his lucrative job with the Jeffersonville […]
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* If you missed South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s press conference, you missed American political theater of the highest order. In case you are interested, here’s what the South Carolina Constitution has to say about impeachment. [The Gaggle] * This DePaul College of Law situation does not seem to be getting any better. What is […]
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3 Big Student Loan Myths Demystified
When was the last time you took a second look at your student loans? If you’re like most borrowers, you probably try hard not to think about them. After all, dwelling on your debt isn’t going to make it go away any faster. Or is it?
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The Return of Hope During the Recession: Adventures at The Ashram (Part III)
[Ed. note: This post is authored by ATL guest columnist Hope Winters. Hope is an early retired lawyer, turned Senate staffer, turned corporate lobbyist. She lives in Washington, DC. Read her previous work here. Read part I and II.] There are no structured activities left (other than Karmic Yoga which I will not even respond […]
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Email Scandals, Sex Scandals, White & Case
Should White & Case Have ‘Gotten In Front’ of the Miami White Situation?
As we mentioned last night, there is an interesting debate over what White & Case should have done in response to the adulterous sex scandal involving its associate, “Miami White.” The Daily Business Review takes a look at some of the competing theories for crisis management: For White & Case, the unwanted publicity raises a […]
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Lawyer of the Day: Adam J. Rodgers
Sometimes a judge will rule in a way that upsets you. Most lawyers know to keep their cool. But not Pennsylvania criminal defense lawyer Adam Rodgers. Rodgers was annoyed that Judge Chris Wogan refused to lower his client’s bail or reduce his client’s sentence of prison time (which stemmed, ironically, from contempt charges). So Rodgers […]
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American Constitution Society (ACS), Conferences / Symposia, Constitutional Law, Federal Judges, Thomas Goldstein
At the ACS National Convention: Keeping Faith With the Constitution
We’re quite talented at bringing you last week’s news. See, e.g., our ridiculously extensive coverage of the Battle of the Law Firm Bands. The main reason for our D.C. visit was not the Battle of the Bands, but the national convention of the American Constitution Society (ACS) — the left’s answer to the Federalist Society. […]
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Nationwide Layoff Watch: How Can Things Keep Getting Worse in Detroit?
Usually, Detroit doesn’t make the news unless something terrible is happening there. Today is no different. Word out of Crain’s Detroit Business is that the two biggest law firms in the city are laying off lawyers and staff: Detroit’s two largest local law firms by reported revenue and number of attorneys — Dykema Gossett P.L.L.C. […]
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Breaking: Congratulations Harold Koh
It looks like former Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh will in fact be the next Legal Adviser of the State Department. The cloture voted just passed, 65 – 31 according to Congressional sources. The cloture vote ends months of debate over Koh’s nomination. An up-down vote on his nomination should follow soon. We’ll see […]
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Associate Advice, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: And Now You Do What They Told Ya
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. ATL – For the NY bar, exam takers were given the option of either hand writing the test or typing it on a laptop using ExamSoft. I chose to type it because I can obviously type faster than I can write, but […]
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Boutique Law Firms, BuckleySandler, In-House Counsel, Musical Chairs
Musical Chairs: BuckleySandler Snags High Profile Hire
Back in March, we reported that two big time Skadden D.C. partners were splitting off from the mothership and forming their own firm. Yesterday, we received word that their new firm, BuckleySandler, made a significant new hire: After 20 years with General Electric, Stephen Ambrose, Jr., former General Counsel of GE Capital’s consumer finance unit, […]
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Morning Docket, Richard Posner
* California lawyer Ryan Kent has accused Dahn Yoga of being a cult and filed a class action suit against the Brain Wave Vibrators. [San Francisco Chronicle] * Ross Mitchell spent just $38,000 on his online law degree and became his own first client. He won his lawsuit to be admitted to the Massachusetts Bar. […]
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