June 2009
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Contests, Music, Williams & Connolly
ATL Field Trip: The Battle of the Law Firm Bands (Part 2)
The members of Dangerous Communication Device (Williams & Connolly), celebrating their victory. Last night we reported on the Battle of the Law Firm Bands, held last week in Washington, DC. The evening raised over $80,000 for Gifts for the Homeless, a non-profit, all-volunteer organization supported by the city’s legal community to help the homeless. Eleven […] -
Education / Schools, Money, Student Loans
Student Loan Bailout: You Only Have to be Broke for Ten Years
A new federal program promises student loan forgiveness for people who qualify after they’ve dutifully paid their debts for ten years. The program will also cap monthly loan payments depending on income. The act, passed in 2007, is set to become effective on July 1st. The National Law Journal reports the awesome news: Some members […] - Sponsored
Are Small Firms Going Big On Legal Tech?
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Layoffs, Notes from the Breadline
Notes from the Breadline: Our Endless Numbered Days
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. We’ve all heard the statistics about attorney layoffs, unemployment, and […]
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Lexis-Nexis
LexisNexis Privacy Breach
Did a number of you LexisNexis users receive this disturbing notice in the mail from LexisNexis? Seisint (not to be confused with Skynet) is a data-mining company that LexisNexis bought for $775 million, back in 2004. The company created “the Matrix” which gave state and federal governments the ability to analyze records after 9/11. Back […] -
Admin, Announcements, Money, Wall Street
A Free ATL Event: Market Volatility & Your Finances(Or: Dude, Where's my 401(k)?)
You’d be surprised by how often we receive requests for financial advice around here (even though that’s really more the province of Dealbreaker). E.g., should I refinance my law school loans? How much should I be saving for retirement? I’ve just been laid off; what should I do with my 401(k)? These questions lie beyond […] -
Morning Docket, SCOTUS
Morning Docket 06.23.09
* Florida lawyer Frederick Schaffer smells money in his lawsuit against cold medicine Zicam. Or doesn’t smell it rather, claiming that the medicine made him lose that sense. [Boston Herald] * Nevada Supreme Court Justice Kris Pickering keeps order in the court, but causes chaos in a UPS parking lot. [Las Vegas Review-Journal] * It’s […]
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Contests, Music
ATL Field Trip: The Battle of the Law Firm Bands (Part 1)
Lining up outside The Black Cat for the Battle of the Law Firm Bands. The evening was sold out — 1,000 tickets in all. We just got back from Washington, DC, where we spent a few days attending the 2009 convention of the American Constitution Society (ACS). We may have a post or two about […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.22.09
* The Kindle is a business expense now. Excellent. Now even more people can get their hands on the best thing ever. [Legal Blog Watch] * Appellate Court Judge Warren D. Wolfson, has been named interim dean at DePaul College of Law. Either Judge Wolfson hasn’t been following along with the fiasco at DePaul, or […] - Sponsored
Document Automation For Law Firms: The Definitive Guide
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Howrey LLP, Killing Lockstep, Salary Cuts
Howrey First Years to $100K
Welcome to the future. Like Drinker Biddle did in May, Howrey is changing the nature of the first and second year associate experience. The firm is moving to more of an apprenticeship model. New Howrey associates will receive an emphasis on training and take a significant reduction in salary. The memo from Howrey explains some […] -
John Roberts, SCOTUS
The Roberts Court Saves Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act
Don’t you love it when the Supreme Court of the United States makes a concerted effort to avoid constitutional issues? Today, Chief Justice John Roberts got seven other justices together in a truly remarkable display of ignoring an elephant in the room. The WSJ Law Blog reports: It’s in the waning days of June that […] -
Education / Schools, Student Loans
Minnesota: Protects College Students, Sticks it to Law Students
The state of Minnesota is providing more evidence that law schools are completely out of whack with the current market realities. The state is doing what it can to keep undergraduate tuition low, at the expense of law students who will be drowning in so much debt they’ll need to grow gills. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune […] -
Biglaw, Blind Item, Summer Associates
A Summer Associate Program Blind Item
Here’s an interesting rumor we’ve heard. We’re a little short on details, and we’re trying to chase down additional confirmation. We thought we’d toss it out as a blind item and solicit the missing information from you, our readers. This is what we’re hearing. One large law firm is so hard up for work that […] -
Job Searches, Summer Associates
Advice For Summers From Georgetown
Many summers can already see the writing on the wall. It’s going to be a no-offer party this fall. Law school career service professionals are trying to prepare their students for the inevitable. The career services offices at Georgetown University Law Center sent around a very thoughtful letter, on Friday. Summer associates should take heed. […]
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Law School Deans
Robert Post Named New Dean of Yale Law School
We told you so — over a week ago. This past weekend, at the ACS National Convention, we received further confirmation from Yale Law School sources. So today’s announcement of Professor Robert Post as the new dean of YLS comes as no surprise. The official announcement from Yale president Richard Levin, plus one student’s take […] -
Deferral Stipend, Start Dates
Deferred Associates Cause Ethical Dilemma and the Booting of Clerks in Massachusetts
Last week, the Massachusetts Trial Court got approval for a unique solution to address its budget shortfall, reported Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly: The Supreme Judicial Court’s Committee on Judicial Ethics has approved a proposal by Chief Justice for Administration and Management Robert A. Mulligan that would allow deferred law-firm associates to work for the Trial Court […] -
Law Shucks, Layoffs
This Week In Layoffs: 06.22.09
[Ed. note: Above the Law has teamed up with Law Shucks. Law Shucks has done excellent work translating all of the layoff news into user-friendly charts and graphs: the Layoff Tracker.] Let’s all move to Nebraska! In a week in which unemployment was up in 48 out of 50 states (plus DC), Nebraska’s unemployment dropped […] -
Morning Docket, UVA Law
Morning Docket 06.22.09
* One bra size does not fit all. There are so many different reasons why one might get a severe rash from a Victoria’s Secret bra that the 17 suits filed in various states cannot be consolidated into one. [On Point News] * More on Law Student of the Day: Leo Wolpert. The UVA Law […]
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Rankings, U.S. News
Top. Universities. In the World.
We know how much everybody loves rankings. By now, everybody has had time to digest the new law school pecking order — even George Washington Law School students. But true prestige whoring begins much earlier than law school. U.S. News has just released (hat tip: Tax Prof Blog) a list of the top 400 colleges […] -
Lawyer of the Day
Lawyer of the Day: Larry Wilder
Our Lawyer of the Day is appropriately named. From the sound of this story, this Indiana lawyer could probably hold down the name Larry Wildest. The photo to the right is not a stock photo. That’s Wilder on Wednesday morning after a raucous night on the town. From the Courier-Journal: Conrad Embry, 80, the neighbor […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.19.09
* Tyra Banks’s stalker is going to have to take an “anti-stalking” course. I didn’t know they had to teach masturbation nowadays. [Popsquire] * Going from Biglaw to small law can be tough, especially when you don’t actually know how to do anything. [Litination] * Could somebody who works at a law firm please flip […]