August 2009
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Akin Gump, Allen & Overy, Munger Tolles & Olson, Vault 100 Open Threads: 2010, Willkie Farr
Fall Recruiting Open Thread: Vault 31 - 40 (2010)
As we roll through the next segment of the 2010 Vault rankings, we get into some firms that have been caught testing the stealth layoff waters. To refresh your memory, here is the next list of firms: 31. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy 32. Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker 33. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 08.31.09
* Don’t look for Chief Illiniwek on University of Illinois sidelines this fall. [My Law Life] * Maybe becoming a law professor is just the tonic for the recession blues. [Tax Prof Blog] * I had to duck out of the office this afternoon to continue the fight for a student loan bailout. I inadvertently […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Biglaw, Morris Manning
New Managing Partner At Morris Manning
The well-known Atlanta based firm, Morris Manning, will be under new management in 2010. Louise Wells will be taking over the firm, making her the first woman to lead Morris Manning. The firm’s press release is understandably positive about the future of the firm: The firm’s succession plan is being implemented to ensure that the […]
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Lawsuit of the Day
Lawsuit of the Day: Don't Like Your Grade? Sue Your School.
A former Cardiff (U.K.) law student sued her school for giving her low grades on two oral exams, and she won. The Times Online reports: Alice Clarke was given low marks in two assessments for her Bar Vocational Course that all lawyers have to pass to practise as a barrister. She claimed that the low […] -
Facebook, Job Searches
Florida is Looking At Your Facebook Character and Fitness
Is your Facebook page ready for your character and fitness exam? If you are applying to the Florida state bar, you might want to update your profile. Over on True/Slant, Kash examines employers who want to use Facebook against you: [N]ot all legal types respect Facebook privacy. The Florida Bar Examiners, the group that decides […] -
Boutique Law Firms, Job Searches, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms
Small Law Firms: Is the Grass Really Greener?
As super-big law firms suffer through the recession, many midsize and small firms are thriving. Back in June, we discussed these firms as a viable alternative to Biglaw. (A number of smaller firms — e.g., Stone & Magnanini, Silver Golub & Teitell, and McKool Smith — are even hiring, with the help of job postings […] -
Billable Hours, Job Survey
The Hours Follow-Up: If you're looking at less than 1600 in 2009, you're not alone.
Many of our Biglaw friends have been biting their nails over hours this year. Lawyers are not worried about making bonuses at the end of the year. They’re worried about keeping their jobs. Last week, we invited you to share your hours’ outlook for 2009 and to see how you compare with fellow anonymous ATL […] -
Layoffs, Texas
A Fish Out of Austin: Fish & Richardson Closes Austin Office
As a New Yorker, people often tell me that Austin is “the oasis of Texas.” I think they mean that Austin is a culturally progressive blue city in middle of a red state. I hope they don’t mean that Austin is a great place to practice law. On Friday, Fish & Richardson announced plans to […] - Sponsored
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… -
No Offers, Summer Associates
Nationwide No Offer Watch: Look to the Left, Look to the Right, One of You Will Not Be Working At Cadwalader
Late last week, offer calls went out to those who summered at Cadwalader. We now have the firm wide offer rates. Compared to some other firms, it’s really not so bad. Here is the information from a firm spokesperson: Cadwalader made offers to approximately two thirds of our 2009 Summer Associate Class. Cadwalader went through […] -
Sweet Hot Justice
Prelude to a Kiss
[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.] I may not be a doctor, but I can spot a good epidemic when I see one. No, I’m not talking swine flu. Or Mad Cow. I’m talking about […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 08.31.09
* Stanford Financial Group investors have filed a class action against Proskauer Rose and partner Thomas V. Sjoblom, alleging that they helped mastermind a massive investment fraud scheme. [National Law Journal] * Judge George Wu overturned the Lori Drew conviction in the MySpace cyberbullying case. [Volokh Conspiracy via ABA Journal] * Two persistent and well-pedigreed […]
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Admin, Announcements, Birthdays, Shameless Plugs, Shopping
Happy Blogiversary to... Us! Above the Law Turns Three
Three years ago yesterday, on August 30, 2006, Above the Law was born. Read the letter from the editor that started it all. (If you find this site occasionally immature, cut us some slack; we’re three years old.) Reaching the three-year mark is a notable milestone for a blog. According to Jim Beck and Mark […] -
Admin, Announcements, Shameless Plugs, Silicon Valley
If you'll be in the Bay Area on Monday...
Please feel free to attend a presentation by yours truly. Details after the jump.
Sponsored
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get…
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
Sponsored
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…
Sponsored
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
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Contests, Douchiest Law School Contest, Law Schools
The Douchiest Law School: Eight in the Douche Bag
Yesterday we brought you ATL Douche Madness, a competition to crown the douchiest law school in the land. This was inspired by GQ.com’s list of the Top 25 Douchiest Colleges in America. What is a douche? We know lawyers thrive on precision, but this term resists an exact definition. To paraphrase Justice Stewart, you know […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 08.28.09
* Hypocrisy on stilts? The Pay Czar banked $5.76 million as a law firm partner last year. [ABA Journal] * Law firm love anthems. [Am Law Daily] * Really, we’re behind Uruguay now when it comes to civil rights? [The Stimulist] * My home only has one bathroom. Does that explain everything? [Tax Prof Blog] […] -
Gay, Intellectual Property, Music, Videos, Weirdness
Some Random Friday Fun
Mainly we’re posting this because it’s a Friday afternoon and rainy (at least here in New York). We figure you need some entertainment to launch you into the weekend. But there is a legal angle to this music video. It might have spawned intellectual property litigation, if Disney — and Miley Cyrus — didn’t have […] -
David Souter, New York Times, Supreme Court Clerks, Weddings
Legal Eagle Wedding Watch 8.17 and 8.24: Astrophysical
LEWW is fascinated by ATL’s Douchiest Law School contest. Official results haven’t been announced yet, but based on our preliminary read, Yale seems to have notched a decisive first-round victory over the University of Texas, and it looks like Harvard has trounced UCLA. Stanford Law School, however, appears to have been decisively out-douched by lowly […] -
Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Follow-Up: More Numbers From Baker Botts
Thanks to all of the tipsters who are helping us put together numbers on the Baker Botts layoffs. Even though the firm doesn’t want you to know how many people it is letting go, our sources have been relentless in helping us expose the information. Yesterday we reported that Baker Botts laid off at least […] -
Start Dates
Sidley D.C. Wants Some Incoming Associates to Start ... Early!
Yesterday, we learned that Morgan, Lewis & Bockius came up with only one offer for the 17 second-year law students who summered in the firm’s D.C. office. At Sidley Austin’s D.C. office, the news is very different. Above the Law has learned that Sidley D.C. is calling some of its incoming associates and asking them […] -
Labor / Employment, Lawsuit of the Day, Secretaries / Administrative Assistants
Lawsuit of the Day: Bathroom Breaks Receptionist
The law firm of Littler Mendelson is embroiled in a pretty nasty lawsuit with a former receptionist. The Washington Business Journal reported on the suit brought by the former Littler Mendelson receptionist, Rebecca Landrith: According to the July 27 lawsuit the receptionist filed — on her own behalf — against her old firm, Littler provided […]