Mystal, you should move to Iowa. They would really like you there.

I don't think anybody is breaking bread with Elie. Good luck getting some crumbs after he wolfs down the loaf.

so why doesn't Nicholas share a photo of himself showing his "young appearance"?

My favorite line: "He is one of a few proud graduates of the Trial Lawyers College."

Because everyone else has the sense to downplay that. Then again, they probably also don't have his mad airplane flying and computer skills.

MysTTTal's liberal logic: it's ok to hire someone on the basis of the color of their skin, but it's not ok to hire someone on the basis of their personal beliefs and the content of their character.

Change we can believe in.

Is that picture supposed to be an ad against miscegenation? Presentable black male, attractive white female, and uncanny looking child. Looks like a young female version of Obama.

Just for the record, Decorah might as well be in Minnesota.

Sending in a personal or family photo for a job reminds me of how life frequently works.

It's a shame I wasted so much time reading through depositions and medical records before Nick opened my eyes to their misleading inaccuracy.

Is Mystal the gay one or the black one?

Forgetful in Fargo

Forgetful in Fargo - why can't he be both?

Huh, I never knew you could require any of these non-job related elements from a job applicant. I guess the EEOC has really taken an "open" approach to the interpretation of job related qualifications.

Nothing to see here. Being hot is clearly a bonafide qualification for an employee who's position is specifically defined as never interacting with the outside world under any circumstances. What?

Instead of the employer asking the applicant to send a personal story, picture, and info re: political beliefs -- wouldn'tit be easier for them to just ask for a link to the applicant's facebook page? The info is usually there.

In many parts of the world, including Europe, a photo is a standard part an employment application. And the other requirements seem far less instrusive than a law school application, especially Michigan's ludicrous battery of soft-focus essays. This fellow thinks connection with the jury is essential to his style and success, so he wants to screen for a real mensch. Finally, WTF does that picture have to do with the story? Looks like an ad in a real estate brochure the government required in a settlement agreement. It's probably computer-generated.

La Verne College of Law is accredited?

11=racist

# 15 is right - my friends with European resumes have their photo on it. I hate that (and I happen to be extremely good looking, may I add); it seems very unfair.

15-Only one of the Michigan application essays is required, and the topic is completely general. Nice try, though.

-Not Dean Zearfoss

17 = Elie

In many states your political beliefs are not protected for purposes of employment, so it is perfectly fine to fire someone or hire someone because they are a republican. Thus, there is nothing wrong with the question.

The EEOC only cares about race, sex, and religion.

"Nick started law school at age twenty 20" Funny, he doesn't look a day over 2000.

HI-LARIOUS!

@1: Please stop baiting the law student/contract attorney/junior associate who posts as PE. He is going to think that someone still finds it entertaining.

Partner Emeritus: Did you draft any Jim Crow laws? I would imagine you did, you old racist hatemonger.

Actually, it sounds like this firm is already open to alternative lifestyles.

"7. I have received a call from your legal assistants. When will a lawyer speak to me?

We have legal assistants to assist the lawyers in working on your case. Being that we are "trial lawyers" we are often in court and not in the office. Therefore, we rely on our legal assistants who are an integral part of our team to relay information from us to you and the reverse. With that said, you should know that any time you want to speak with either Mr. Rowley or Mr. Wolf that every attempt will be made to have them call you directly at his/her earliest convenience."

Not a big deal at all.

1. Since when is it illegal to base a private hiring decision on political beliefs? Most plaintiffs firms I know consider political beliefs very important in the hiring process and fit for the job.
2. They are going to see what you look like at the interview anyway so whats the big deal with a picture now? (JAG applications require pictures as well)
3. Title VII does not cover small employers so it is probably not even relevant here, any experts on Iowa specific discrimination laws care to weigh in?

@25, that goes for you, too. (Please?)

- 24

What is the seafood dish that Iowa is famous for?

Typical Lawyer-in-the-dell

"Nick believes that to be a great trial lawyer you need to throw out almost everything you learned in law school . . . ."

Sounds about right for a plaintiff's lawyer..

What's wrong with being racy?

29: Corn.

Hi-larious.

15 - Good to know you consider Europe one of the many parts of the world. And not for nothin' but neither Iowa nor MN are in Europe, or one of the other many parts of the world.

I have a case here in Manhattan and cannot find a good lawyer here to handle the case. I think I need to look for lawyers elsewhere, like Decorah, Iowa, to assist me. I think the defendants will be shaking in their boots to know I have brought in a high-powered, Decorah, Iowa firm, with both trial lawyers and legal assistants.

Elie, spend some time in the SF Bay Area and maybe try to find a job at a smaller firm in the area. You'll see that many of the firms do what you seem to be calling discrimination in this story, but they are doing it to ensure that the firm's employees favor "progressive" politics. If you're saying that culling prospective employees to match a firm's culture is discrimination, the big story is in the Bay Area, not Iowa.

6- why not stfu and drag that unemployed ass of yours to a town hall meeting.

Time to stop the Death Panels, boy.

Forget the photo, what's with all the bar licenses needed for this job? Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and California? I don't know about any of you, but if I was going to go through the trouble of taking the California bar, I'd actually live in California and not some cow town in a flyover state.

38, not a fan of Martin Luther King, are you?

Nick Rowley here. I have read what has been written by somebody that knows nothing about my firm or me. I would be happy to provide the names and phone numbers of clients and the members of my firm and their family and pictures so that people who are considering applying could have a human sense beyond a typed resume as to who they would be joining. I say to the person who has written what he or she has that there are many ways to look at things, and how one views the world is often a matter of choice. Pessimism or optimism. The power is within each of us. Maybe I am a jerk, a discriminatory prick, and a person that only wants beautiful white people working for my firm and that is why I have asked for the things I have. OR, maybe it is the opposite. Maybe I am a person who considers each of the people on our team part of my family, people I love and care about and would do anything for. Maybe my law firm is much more than a money business. Maybe much of what I do is charity work and volunteer work and pro bono work for criminal defendants. Maybe the decision to bring a person and/or his or her family to a little town in Northeast Iowa is a very big one in my mind and heart and that I feel that to best make that decision that I need to be able to picture that person and his or her family in my mind and who they are and what they believe as I consider how far to take the interview process and whether the person is somebody who would be a match. Maybe I am a greedy trial lawyer who doesn't care about people and only cares about money. OR, maybe I am the guy, that if you were hit by a bus, would be at your home with your family in jeans and a tee shirt helping pull things together, up at 2 am worrying about you and yours, would love and take care of your family and never sell you out cheap, maybe helping people and nailing insurance companies is something I do because I am righteously indignant about what the defense industry is doing and maybe I don't like prick conservatives who vote for the likes of George Bush and Dick Cheney and they cohorts and I don't want to waste my time with people like that because the core of who they are to allow them to have the political beliefs that they do is not something that would match my law firm. Maybe I am good, maybe I am bad, maybe I am in between. There are a lot of maybes and the only way to know is to get to know me. The person who wrote what was written apparantly has chose to look at things a certain way and that is his or her choice. For those who are looking for a long term position as a pillar in a law firm that is dedicated to fighting injustice in this country leave room for the possibility that I have some very deep rooted calculated reasons for asking for the information I have asked for to evaluate who this member of our team is going to be and whether asking that person and his or her family to come to Decorah Iowa and investing time, money, emotion into that person is the right decision. Resume's are usually a bunch of left brain bullshit and that is not how I look at people.

31 - Actually, I think many plaintiff's lawyers never learn much in law school to begin with.

I hate to say it since I am a plaintiff's lawyer myself, but quite a few of my colleagues are incompetent at best. Then again, many of the defense lawyers are too.

PE sings a mean version of "Rockin Robin."

Hopping and a bopping just singing his song.

Um, does ANY state have laws that say you can't hire someone whose political views you disagree with?

Err that should be "can't *refuse* to hire."

41 = Elie on speed.

"maybe helping people and nailing insurance companies is something I do because I am righteously indignant about what the defense industry is doing and maybe I don't like prick conservatives who vote for the likes of George Bush and Dick Cheney and they cohorts " WTF is the connection?

I've complained about MLB steroids testing for years because I don't want hormones in my milk. One time I was walking down the road and I saw a cat, but it was really Chinese and wanted to make me soup.

Love,

Gary Busey

PS Nick, big fan of your writing and reasoning skills

41: Iowa...picture...we know what you're after, but nice try. If you cared that much about people, you would have listed a salary range so people don't have to waste their time with you.

41 = troll

appealing to emotion and not reason. Nick, you are either a plaintiff's lawyer or a woman.

47, he's obviously saying that some prick conservative who voted Bush/Cheney would rather be doing ID (and probably bitching about the lack of preftige) than helping a family who got screwed by the insurance company.

HTH

50- or both

51: Where are you getting that from? Swing and a miss!

Best post on ATL in awhile.

I read through Nick's advertisement. As an attorney I can say that no laws have been broken. There are no discrimination laws regarding hiring someone based on political beliefs or requiring a picture. Take a look at FEHA. The only protected classes are race, gender, age, and disabled persons. Certain states like California have expanded on this and added sexual preference. Reading through Nick's comments I can see why he would want to be aligned with someone's ideological thinking before hiring them. As for the picture, I see no harm unless you can show discriminaiton in some way. Digging deeper I found out that one of his partners is a 47 year old immigrant from Argentina, so that takes away anyone's racial/age discrimiation arguments. Oh, and did I mention the same man has a hearing disability? I guess that's out the window too. He is a man though...maybe we should attack Nick for that? Too bad his assitant is a female. Nick, way to stick up for yourself and to the rest of you...find out the facts before you jump to conclusions.

-Your Texas attorney-

"Too bad his assitant [sic] is a female."

Everyone's assistant is a female. Maybe you and Nick should start a firm together, and hire only autistic midgets from Guatemala.

"Everyone's assitant is a female?" You sound like yourea bigger part of the problem than Nick. Way to go on stereotyping a whole profession.

As for autistic midgets (little people) from Guatemala? If I knew Nick and we found this to be thebest applicant I would have no problem hiring her or him.

Maybe you could be our assistant? Oh, wait, your a guy, I guess that would be "below you".

Any women care to chime in on this guy?

41 -- Actually, maybe you're a douche bag. I've heard about your "trial antics" and specifically, one recently where you basically got bitch slapped by a judge for your ridiculous courtroom antics. Something about straight up being thrown out of court? Does that ring a bell Mr. Cowboy Boots/Warrior of the Common Man?

"Digging deeper I found out that one of his partners is a 47 year old immigrant from Argentina, so that takes away anyone's racial/age discrimiation arguments."

The old "I've had black people in my house" defense, eh?

I love how everyone is focusing on whether laws have been broken. Whether he legally discriminated is sort of irrelevant. The better question is, whether this posting increases the likelihood that he'll be sued for discrimination. Given the economy, there's going to be no shortage of disgruntled applicants and underworked lawyers looking for clients, so it's not a stretch to think he'd be sued. Maybe he will prevail, but wouldn't the better strategy be to avoid the risk all together?

Given that this guy is a plaintiffs lawyer, I would think he would know better. He really can't be a very good one if he didn't see the tremendous opportunity this job posting creates for other plaintiffs lawyers.

57/55 - I bet you are really fun at parties.

Also, I think I know who you are, my Texas attorney...

This guy has my bs-detector ringing so loud I can barely type.

59, it's more like the old "I don't have a problem hiring black people since I'm already working with a black partner" defense.

60: Spot on.

47 - Don't pay much attention to politics, do you? George W. Bush pushed hard for caps on medical malpractice claims and railed against plaintiffs’ attorneys. This was a huge story at the time, so you either have a very selective memory of the Bush years, don’t pay attention to national news, or are a young law student that was in high school at the time and oblivious to the outside world. Whatever the case, the rest of us were able to make the connection.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/26/politics/26BUSH.html

I don't see the point of this post. There is nothing creepy about that job posting. This isn't a government job. I have a friend who owns a small business and one of his hiring rules is that he won't hire Notre Dame grads or Yankee's fans. Its arbitrary, but its his business, so whatever.

63: Great, so any law firm that has a black partner is immune from a TItle VII suit? I'll run and tell HR! This is fantastic!

--59

I agree that he did not break the law but, in addition to inviting discrimination lawsuits, he simply made himself look like an unprofessional asshole.

Sure, as an employer, you have wide discretion in what criteria to use, but the guy is a moron to post such a sanctimonious, self-indulgent job ad.

67, your pathetic leap of logic, and your epic fail at race-baiting in post 59, suggests that you need to find better places to dig holes for yourself.

Wow, 55 is a sign of times. Hopefully there will be billable work coming soon buddy, but impressive you're trying to stay interested and keep your skills sharp.

I like how that ad takes an entire convoluted paragraph to say "we do pro hac vice." It is in keeping with the rambling post Rowley (or someone posing as him) wrote in this thread.

The real news here is that a Laverne grad passed a bar exam.

Ditto 68.

41, paragraphs are your friends.

The political views question seems like a good reason to avoid the place. But the picture I understand, how else could someone achieve diversity in Iowa of all places without a little help.

lol 72

I agree with 60.

And 55, the problem with the picture, is, as a defendant or defense attorney, you don't want to be put in the position of having to prove that you didn't discriminate because of what you learned from requiring the picture (e.g. race, sex, etc)

63 -- actually, it's kind of like "some of my best friends are black people!" It doesn't count if you have to draw attention to it. It's like telling people how humble you are. Show, don't tell.

"you learn more about your client by sitting at his kitchen table and breaking bread with his family"

I gotta hand it to him -- this is a great way to get free food.

Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato. Baby, you've got a stew going.

77, he didn't draw attention to his partner from Argentina. A commenter on ATL did. The lawyer just showed his colleagues on the website. Epic analogy fail.

78 - Good reference. I'm still waiting for them to bring back that show.

I love this guy. When he says that he throws out everything he learned in law school, I'm picturing some fast-talking, grandstanding jerk mouthing off in oral arguments and in front of juries about whatever comes to mind, regardless of the "law" or "facts."

Meanwhile, he needs to hire an associate who knows what s/he is doing to write motions, read the medical records that he doesn't care about, acutally prepare him for trial, and generaly put the "law" in law firm. Wouldn't hurt if that associate was admitted in every state where he has a case, so he doesn't have to hire local counsel.

80 - rumor is they are making a movie.

79 -- that commenter was obviously him.

Well, I can see why the guy wants to hire someone else to research and write his briefs.

Well, I can see why the guy wants to hire someone else to research and write his briefs.

Well, I can see why the guy wants to hire someone else to research and write his briefs.

Hilarious post. Another tidbit from the bio, and certainly information that I am concerned about when looking to hire a lawyer:

"Nick's mother Joan is a medical transcriptionist in Decorah Iowa. His stepfather Robert manages the repair department at a company that manufacturers garbage trucks. His father Charles is an art teacher at Sierra Vista High School in Baldwin Park, California. His stepmother Lupita is a science teacher at a high school in Ontario, California. His sister Lisa is a starving art student at the University of Iowa. His Brother Tony is a respiratory therapist at UCLA, and medic in the Army Reserves. His sister Marie is a nurse in Waterloo, Iowa. His brother Sean is a sophmore in High School in Iowa. His sisters Christina and Karla are teenagers at a private christian school in Ontario, California."

41, you can answer all your rhetorical questions as well as ours by answering just one question. Do you work on a contingent fee basis and if so what % do you take?

78 & 80 nailed it, best comedy in years.

Kudos for acknowledging an underage drinking arrest in his professional bio. Nice touch.

Nick, I love your snake/alligator skin boots.

65: "I am righteously indignant about what the defense industry is doing and maybe I don't like prick conservatives who vote for the likes of George Bush and Dick Cheney and they cohorts"

Translation: I hate that we are building weapons for war so that's why I take medical malpractice claims.

Some of us have logic and reading comprehension skills. Others, like you, do not.

Feel free to go on tirades about Bush. I'm not fan. But, his statements about conservatives and the defense industry have nothing to do with this.

Does he mean defense, like malpractice defense? When did that become an industry. I think he was high when he wrote this.

good to know you can make partner 2 yrs out of law school

Elie, your last line made me laugh--nice.

Call it what you want, but race-mixing will only lead to more diversity.

Coming from a Decorah resident, I can say that political beliefs are very important here.. Decorah is a wonderfully liberal and forward thinking place to live...We have some of the most beautiful scenery in Iowa to live in, just google the driftless region and you shall see for yourself.... being a special town, it takes a special type of person to live here as it is not for everyone... our residents strive to eat locally and organically and are involved in every aspect of community life... before you assume we are some hick, fly-over state, you should get your facts straight...i can see very clearly why Nick would want to know about the beliefs of his applicants....Decorah is a very special place to all of those that consider it home and it is most assuredly not for everyone...

I am done with all this, it makes me sick to see that people have nothing better to do than sit around and discuss whether or not he is discriminating against future job applicants... get over yourselves.... everyone discriminates on a daily basis to some extent...

58 - case name and location please?

Everyone in Decorah is wierd that way. And you don't end up being a lawyer in Decorah because you are a brilliant lawyer. It seems there is something in the air in Decorah that makes everyone lose their minds and think that everyone has to sit around a campfire and sing cum-bi-ya. As a result they see laws to be "the man" as opposed to bringing fairness to everyone. I have not had person eperience with this lawyer in town, but there are other ones that are gems too. It is a wierd town with wierd people.

To #96, yes Decorah is a politically liberal, but even liberals can be exclusionary and ritious. Every bit as a dyed-in-the-wool in-your-face conservative. Having lived there, it seems if you wear make-up, heels (or even shoes for that matter) that you are percieved as a corporate rat--regardless of your beliefs becuase they won't even bother speaking to you let alone get to know you. This is personal experience. I dont wear heels or make-up, and am very liberal, but once you try to step into that world, it is a nightmare of xenophobia. #96, you need to get over YOURSELF.

BTW, to the person who commented on his statement that "some of his friends are black"--there are NO black people in Decorah. There are a few from Africa that may go to Luther, but again, NO black people. There are a lot of hispanics there because of the meat-packing in Postville, and even they are subject to a wierd form of racism too. "Let's be super nice to the mexicans because we want to show them that not all Americans are bad." Which in my mind translates to lets show them how great we are! There are a few people who are genuinly kind and helpful, but often it is self-serving. Take it how you want, but Decorans are all about themselves.