July 17th, 2009

The Dallas office of Fish & Richardson has won the contest for best summer associate event of 2009, capturing almost two-thirds of the 1757 votes in the runoff with the Carlton Fields fishing trip. Fish & Richardson’s winning event was called “Harpdygal IV.” It is part of a series of “Biglaw counter-culture” events started four […]

* Ramadan may be coming to America — and we’re not talking about the holiday. The Second Circuit just reversed a trial court ruling that barred a prominent Muslim scholar, Tariq Ramadan (pictured), from entering the United States. [City Room] * Is work-life balance “still a dumb-ass issue”? Especially given the economic climate, in which […]

There are times when Biglaw seems to speak with one voice. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them This week appears to be one of those times. Current summer associates all across the land are learning that any cherished […]

Rejoice, wedding fans! We have some compelling mid-summer material for you this week: Wachtell, SCOTUS, lesbians, French nobility — read on for the details on all of that and more, as reported in the New York Times and filtered by us. Our finalist couples: 1. Rebecca Gutner and Rodman Forter Jr. 2. Laura Hammond and […]

If you are a current Duke Law student who applied to one of the school’s journals, you have probably emailed Above the Law in the past two hours. You can stop now, we’ve heard you, please step back from the ledge. The system for notifying students of whether they had been accepted to journals was […]

We previously covered the Securities and Exchange Commission’s lawsuit against Mark Cuban. Today brings some good news on that front for the billionaire businessman. From Mark Cuban’s brother, lawyer / blogger Brian Cuban: Chief Judge Sidney Fitzwater said in a 35-page ruling released Friday that the SEC had failed to prove that Cuban, who owns […]

Since the recession began hitting the legal industry, we at Above the Law have received various reports alleging gender or racial discrimination when it comes time for firms to fire associates. Some of our sources have claimed that the rounds of layoffs have disproportionately affect women or racial minorities. Usually, these sources have sparse statistical […]

Big news from Weil Gotshal today. The firm previously deferred its incoming associates to January 2010, with the option of deferring until January 2011 (with a $75,000 stipend). In recognition of the fact that it will have some of the class of 2009 starting in January 2011, the firm is offering current summers — i.e., […]

We have chronicled Biglaw firms that are taking drastic measures to reduce the money they spend on summer associates and recruiting. This spring, McDermott Will & Emery cut salaries of its summer associates. This week, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius canceled its entire 2010 summer program. And, in between, current summer associates and future summer associates […]

We like to highlight examples of Biglaw associates who get to do especially interesting or high-profile work. E.g., Lindsay Harrison, the Jenner & Block associate who argued a case — and won — before the U.S. Supreme Court. Most lawyers tuned in to Congress yesterday were listening to Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings (even if […]

We sometimes like to think of the figures we write about in these pages as characters in a novel. Viewed in this way, Dr. Li-ann Thio, the visiting NYU law professor who apparently isn’t a fan of gay rights, is one of the most compelling we’ve come across recently. We have a weakness for strong, […]

Maybe the student loan bailout movement just received its first martyr. While people in the industry have long known that student loans cannot easily be discharged through bankruptcy, maybe a high profile case will clue the general public in on this needlessly unfair burden for those who seek post-graduate degrees. Mark Jesperson had $350,000 in […]

* New York teenager Cheyenne Cherry pleaded guilty to baking a kitten in an oven, but she obviously feels no remorse. [Gothamist] * Musical Chairs: Kirkland & Ellis invests in its finance practice by withdrawing debt specialist Jay Ptashek from Simpson Thacher Bartlett, where he had been for 17 years. [Kirkland & Ellis press release] […]