July 2009

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 07.31.09

* Okay, I’ve accepted the fact that state officials in Alabama don’t have ready access to the Constitution. But thanks to advancements in technology, surely we can now print the thing on the back of a beer can so it magically appears when their beer achieves maximum freshness. Maybe we can print the Bill of […]

Going Concern

Law Day Over at Going Concern?

The newest member of the Breaking Media family, the accounting-focused Going Concern, seems to be venturing onto ATL turf today. Multiple stories on the Going Concern front page are law-related. These are just excerpts or summaries; click on the links to read more (and comment). 1. UK Court Decides it Will Leave the Major Lawsuits […]

Michigan Admissions Dean Responds to the Haters

Earlier this week, a Michigan Law alumnus complained to the ABA about the school’s Wolverine Scholars Program. Well, last night the Michigan Dean of Admissions emailed the students about the complaint and a popular legal blog that she “doesn’t read.” Here’s the email from Sarah Zearfoss, Director of Admissions at Michigan Law: Hello all! Hope […]

New York Times

Legal Eagle Wedding Watch 7.26: Dolores!

This couple definitely merits an honorable mention this week. They met a year ago in Vegas and turned a 24-hour hookup into a NYT wedding announcement featuring seersucker, a 6-year age difference, and a JD from Widener. It’s certainly one of the more colorful lawyer wedding announcements we’ve seen in a while (although we concede […]

Start Dates

Proskauer Rose Defers Current Summers to 2011

Proskauer Rose has joined the growing list of firms to defer current summer associates to 2011. But unlike other firms on that list, the Proskauer deferral pushes the 2010 class to “fall” 2011. Other firms have at least told their summer associates that they could start in January 2011. Proskauer has already deferred its incoming […]

Cadwalader Is Hiring — Kind Of

Many regular Above the Law readers will remember that Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft laid off nearly 100 attorneys, back before laying off attorneys became cool. More recently, the firm put 34 associates on an involuntary sabbatical. Cadwalader is still willing to give jobs to the 34 people let go earlier this month. Contract jobs. Multiple […]

Real Estate

Lawyerly Lairs: The Runaway Groom Plants His Feet

Remember James Ferraro, aka the Runaway Groom? He’s the multimillionaire trial lawyer who, back in January 2008, left his wife — Patricia Delinois, a well-known real estate broker — standing at the altar. Their story ended happily: Ferraro and Delinois reconciled and eventually did get married, a few weeks later. And Mrs. Ferraro is probably […]

Biglaw

2009 Associate Survey

Yesterday, American Lawyer released the results of its annual survey of midlevel associates. Morale is about what you would expect from postal workers applying for a gun permit, not upwardly mobile white collar workers. But the results should surprise no one: Associate morale plummeted to the lowest level in five years (since we started asking […]

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.31.09

* Arturo Gatti’s death has been ruled a suicide, and Brazilian authorities have freed his widow. [BBC] * David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez tested positive for steroids in 2003. D’uh. But the media learned about the positive results from blabber mouth lawyers. Do court orders mean nothing these days? [New York Times] * Investigators are […]

Bar Exams

Bar Exam Open Thread: Breaking Free of the Bar

If you just finished your state bar exam today, Above the Law is here for you. If you finished the bar yesterday, immediately went to a purveyor of alcohol, and are just waking up now with a midget stripper in your bed, welcome back. No matter how badly you think you did on your bar […]

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 07.30.09

* The Ticketmaster / Live Nation merger reminds me that Robin Williams is a poor replacement for Teddy Roosevelt. [Miss Trials] * Who voluntarily dismisses a complaint against Pfizer for $50,000? It’s a plaintiff’s goldmine if you can force a settlement. Silly non-lawyers. [Drug and Device Law] * European clients don’t like American civil litigation. […]

Pet Lovers Take A Bite Out Of Family Court

You’ve heard horror stories about messy divorces where people litigate over the family pet. Traditionally, pets are regarded as just another piece of property to be divided up among the former spouses. But that could be about to change. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: [A] second trial on the custody of the nearly six-year-old brown pooch […]