July 2009
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Ballard Spahr, Lawyer of the Day, Layoffs
Former Ballard Spahr Attorney Becomes Alleged Drug Mule
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a former Ballard Spahr attorney has been charged for allegedly smuggling drugs into a jail: A Philadelphia lawyer was arrested Friday night and charged with trying to take heroin into the Delaware County jail. Randall J. Sommovilla, 61, of the 900 block of South 11th Street, was charged with possession […] -
Anal Sex / Butt Sex, Gay, Gay Marriage, Law Professors, Law School Deans, Li-ann Thio
Dr. Li-ann Thio v. Random NYU Law IT Guy
When last we checked in on the saga of Dr. Li-ann Thio, the incoming NYU Law visiting professor who equated anal sex to drinking by shoving a straw up your nose, Dean Richard Revesz was defending the invitation extended to her. But over the weekend, an information technology professional who works for NYU law (and […] - Sponsored
How Generative AI Will Improve Legal Service Delivery
Learn how emerging tools will likely change and enhance the work of lawyers for years to come in this new report. -
Law School Deans
Change of Policy at University of Illinois College of Law
Last week, professors from the University of Illinois College of Law launched a spirited defense of their law school against the against allegations of improper admissions policies reported in the Chicago Tribune. Part of the professors’ argument was that the kind of influence connected people put on public law schools happens all of the time. […]
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Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day (Thus Far)
Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, to Judge Sonia Sotomayor: Unless you have a complete meltdown, you’re going to be confirmed. His candid quip was followed by laughter. Follow the liveblog, and add your two cents in the comments, over here. -
Crime, Lawyer of the Day
Lawyer of the Day: Kick Ass Korean American Attorney
Over the weekend, YouTube went ablaze with the video of a drunk guy picking a fight with the wrong lawyer. The blog Angry Asian Man has a first hand account of how attorneys roll in the financial district: [I] am a Korean-American attorney who lives on Wall Street in the Financial District of NY. I […] -
Sonia Sotomayor
Liveblogging the Sotomayor Hearings: Opening Statements
9:58: Lat here. Testing, testing — is this thing on? This is where we’ll be liveblogging the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings of Judge Sonia Sotomayor (2d Cir.), nominated to serve as the 111th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Access this post, then refresh your browser and scroll down, to get the latest updates. […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 07.13.09
* U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is considering a torture probe. [Reuters] * The billable hour is still safely in place. [Philadelphia Inquirer] * Nationwide Judge Shortage: Immigration courts are seriously overburdened. [Dallas News] * Former Mayer Brown partner Joseph Collins found guilty in $2.4 billion Refco fraud case. [Reuters] * Divorce lawyers say recession […]
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SCOTUS, Senate Judiciary Committee, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
The Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings: A Preview
In a few hours, at 10 a.m., the confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor (2d Cir.) to be an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court will get underway. We will be liveblogging today’s proceedings (as will others — e.g., Clerquette of Underneath Their Robes). Although polling suggests the nation is closely divided (or perhaps […] - Sponsored
Profit Powerhouse: Elevating Law Firm Financial Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar on April 10th, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm. -
Law Shucks, Layoffs
This Week In Layoffs: 07.11.09
[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.] Where did that come from? The big news for the week is obviously DLA Piper blasting us back to mid-March form, with the biggest […] -
Celebrities, Federal Judges, Paris Hilton, Trials
More Paris Hilton Awesomeness from Florida
Down in Miami, celebrity heiress Paris Hilton is charming the robes off of Chief Judge Federico Moreno (S.D. Fla.), who is hearing a film contract dispute in which she’s the defendant. Reports Davis Markus: Paris Hilton is on the stand. And Judge Moreno is getting in the act. In one exchange, Moreno was puzzled by […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 07.10.09
* Chief Judge Karen Williams (pictured) takes her leave of the Fourth Circuit. [Underneath Their Robes] * BWI: no, not the airport, but breastfeeding while intoxicated. It can be a crime, y’know. [True/Slant] * When it comes to distributing societal benefits or burdens based on familial status, the state should proceed with caution, according to […] -
Shoes
Update: Motion to Compel Appropriate Footwear Causes Mistrial
Whoops. Sorry we missed this article, noted by a commenter, which we should have read before publishing this post yesterday. So here’s what happened to the Motion to Compel Defense Counsel to Wear Appropriate Shoes at Trial, filed in Lenkersdorf v. Sorrentino. Defense counsel Michael Robb got to wear his hole-ridden Cole Haan loafers in […] -
Anal Sex / Butt Sex, Gay, Gay Marriage, Law Professors, Law School Deans, Li-ann Thio
Dr. Li-ann Thio: The good professor speaks -- and so does NYU Law School
NYU Law gays, consider yourselves warned: Dr. Li-ann Thio is not afraid of you. The outspoken professor, who vehemently opposed decriminalizing gay sex as a member of the Singapore parliament, is ready to rumble: We can be united in commitment to this principle [of academic freedom], without slavishly bowing to a demanded uniformity or dogma […]
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How Generative AI Will Improve Legal Service Delivery
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Profit Powerhouse: Elevating Law Firm Financial Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar on April 10th, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so…
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Prisons, Wall Street, White-Collar Crime
Sir Allen Stanford: Picky About Prison?
Sir Allen Stanford, financier / accused fraudster, has some issues with the conditions of his pretrial confinement. Read more and comment over at our sister site, Dealbreaker. Sir Stanford Takes Issue With Conditions Behind Bars [Dealbreaker] -
Harvard, New York Times, Weddings
Legal Eagle Wedding Watch 7.5: The Richest Guys in the Room
LEWW often hears complaints about the elitism and snobbery of the NYT’s wedding coverage (and, by extension, our coverage of the coverage). “What about all the couples who didn’t meet at Harvard?” critics cry. In response, we’d like to point you to this Vows column from mid-June. Roughly twice a year, the NYT covers the […] -
Hogan & Hartson, Layoffs
Hogan & Hartson Lets Go of 30 Senior Associates
Firm management and rank-and-file associates at Hogan & Hartson continue to disagree about whether layoffs are taking place at the firm. Of course, as we’ve said countless times in these pages, what constitutes a “layoff” is a bit in the eye of the beholder. The overall point is that, with normal attrition down, firms sometimes […] -
Lawsuit of the Day, Pregnancy / Paternity, Sex, Travel / Vacation
Lawsuit of the Day: Egyptian sperm are really strong swimmers
Stroking of breasts can (eventually) culminate in pregnancy. But, as far as we know, the breaststroke can’t. Magdalena Kwiatkowska might disagree. She’s filing a lawsuit because her teenage daughter became pregnant during a recent trip to Egypt. From the Daily Mail (via Transracial): A mother is suing a hotel claiming her teenage daughter fell pregnant […] -
Salary Cuts, Salary Freeze
Nationwide Salary Cut and/or Freeze Watch: A Request for Updates
These days, salary cuts at large law firms appear to be more popular than salary freezes. A salary freeze may actually be “good” news to associates, insofar as it’s not as harsh as an outright salary cut. On the other hand, having your salary cut is better than being laid off — at least according […] -
Job Searches, UVA Law
On-Campus Interviewing at UVA: Hunton In, Cravath Out
Earlier this week, we reported that Hunton & Williams wasn’t on the list of firms conducting on-campus interviews — or, to be technical, “on-grounds interviewing” (OGI) — at UVA Law School. That appears to have changed. From an email sent out yesterday afternoon by UVA Law’s office of career services: [A] number of employers have […] -
Bar Exams, BARBRI
BarBri Boredom: Is This Cute, or What?
From a bored Bar/Bri student: This is how effective Barbri is this year: this little origami creature (see image below) was created by a student in the NY review course…. during the course. It took her two Corporations lectures and one Conflict of Laws lecture to complete. And she didn’t skip a beat — she […]