August 2009
-
Career Center: Who Wears the Crown for July?
The Career Center, powered by Lateral Link, saw record numbers of users in July, and a new firm is at the top of the charts in the ATL-LL Top 20. With hiring picking up and on-campus recruiting getting underway, we wanted to remind you about all the useful information that we have compiled over on […]
-
Politics, SCOTUS, Senate Judiciary Committee, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
Liveblogging the Sonia Sotomayor Confirmation Vote
Update: Sotomayor Confirmed, 68-31The U.S. Senate is now voting on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor (2d Cir.) to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Senator Al Franken presiding. It’s interesting and weird to see him in this role. Are we watching an SNL skit? The normally empty Senate chamber is […]
-
“I’ve landed a job as an associate at a top law firm, but why am I paying 7% on my student loans?”
I became a lawyer without really understanding that the job cuts time off of your life. My work hours are long, I can’t see my family or friends, and I am constantly at the mercy of the partner or the client. On top of everything, at one point, I was paying 7% on my law school loans. […]
-
Reversed Perk Watch: Soda Subsidy Slashed at Foley & Lardner
First they came for the Kleenex. Then they came for the coffee. All around the country, law firms large and small are cutting costs by revoking perks. Today we heard from an unhappy camper — perhaps deprived of their customary caffeine? — at Foley & Lardner: I can handle them taking away the Christmas party […]
-
Blind Item: Flouting the NALP Rules?
Late last month, we heard reports that one prominent law firm was not complying with the hiring rules and timetable set forth by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). More specifically, we heard that this firm was refusing to follow NALP’s 45-day rule for accepting offers of summer employment. Rather, the firm was giving […]
-
Biglaw, Old People, Real Estate, Schiff Hardin
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Partners Emeriti at Schiff Hardin?
We’ve noticed in comment threads that many of you would like frequent commenter Partner Emeritus to retire. But he’s a persistent one. Perhaps frustrated readers should take a page from the book of Schiff Hardin. The 400-attorney firm found an interesting way to get rid of its partners emeriti in the firm’s Chicago office. It […]
-
A tipster drew our attention to this Craigslist ad in Chicago, observing: Check out the awful job being made available to new law grads in Chicago. Fifty percent lawyer work / fifty percent secretary work — for the amazing amazing salary of $27K a year. Plus you get to commit for a whole year! It’s […]
-
When It Comes to Law Firm Names, Does Size Matter?
The Legal Intelligencer had a piece yesterday on the continuing debate over law firm names: to shorten or not to shorten? Gina Rubel says the debate has been raging for years, citing an article she wrote about it as early as 2003. She says most legal marketing experts agree that firms should keep their names […]
-
* Former Louisiana Democratic Congressman (and HLS grad), William Jefferson, found guilty of bribery, racketeering, money laundering, and misuse of his freezer. [New York Times] * The Sotomayor scorecard: At least eight Republican senators plan to vote to confirm her Supreme Court nomination. [Washington Post] * We wrote yesterday about George Sodini, the LA Fitness […]
-
Education / Schools, Harvard, Money
Can Harvard Turn Things Around?
Oh, how times have changed. Back in May 2008, Massachusetts was contemplating an excise tax on university endowments. This proposed tax law change would have imposed a 2.5% annual assessment on Massachusetts colleges with endowments over $1 billion. (Cough cough, Harvard.) Alas, Harvard doesn’t need any help from the government when it comes to dissipating […]
-
Lessons Learned from the Top eDiscovery Cases and Trends from 2014
The adage that law turns slowly does not hold in eDiscovery. This year saw unprecedented sanction awards for falling behind the curve. Courts did not hesitate to engage with advanced and nuanced technological issues. For lawyers and other eDiscovery professionals who plan on maintaining basic competence, these cases and trends shouldn’t be overlooked. For a full exploration of trends and developments in this area of case law, check out this on-demand webinar.
-
* Naked shorting: it sounds hot, but it might just get you into trouble with the SEC. [Dealbreaker] * So you worked for Bernie Madoff — or Marc Dreier, aka Mini-Madoff. Is it okay to lie on your résumé? [Let’s Talk Turkey] * Are Canadian law students and lawyers cuter than their American counterparts? Based […]
-
Nationwide Salary Cut Watch: Perkins Coie Makes a Tiny Incision
Might this be the kindest cut of all? Perkins Coie just announced a salary cut for associates, but it’s rather small — and it was accompanied by good news. Today a firm-wide voice mail from managing partner Robert Giles went out, announcing the following: – an average 3.8 percent pay cut for Perkins Coie associates, […]
-
Remember the fellow we mentioned yesterday, whose wife (and her friends) gave him the reverse Bobbitt treatment, by gluing his penis to his stomach? Poor guy — things have gone from bad to worse for him. From the Madison Capital Times: The eastern Wisconsin man who was the victim in a bizarre plot to punish […]
-
And accountants, and investment bankers. Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) has introduced legislation that, if passed, would make it easier for investors to sue law firms, accountants and investment banks involved in perpetrating fraud. The law would effectively overrule Supreme Court precedent placing limits upon suits against parties with indirect involvement in fraud. Read more — […]
-
Layoffs, Notes from the Breadline, Romance and Dating
Notes from the Breadline: Alone, Alone, Alone
Ed. note: Welcome to the latest installment of “Notes from the Breadline,” a column by a laid-off lawyer in New York. Prior columns are collected here. You can reach Roxana St. Thomas by email (at roxanastthomas@gmail.com), follow her on Twitter, or find her on Facebook. On a drizzly Thursday morning, my friend Giovanna calls to […]
-
Thanks to This Week’s Advertisers
A quick word of thanks to this week’s advertisers on Above the Law: Stone & Magnanini (a job listing!!! see HERE) University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Isenberg School of Management (read about JD/MBA programs HERE) OCI Advantage The New York Times The Economist Kinney Recruiting Mestel Law.com If you’re interested in advertising on Above the Law […]
-
Nationwide Salary Cut Watch: Mintz’s Levy on Salaries
Two weeks ago, Mintz Levin laid off 15 associates. But apparently those cuts were not deep enough. Above the Law has been able to confirm that Mintz Levin has cut associate salaries. A tipster explains it this way: Salaries will be adjusted as follows (firm-wide, all departments) based on this 12-month period: * Hours greater […]
-
Fabulosity, Lawyerly Lairs, Real Estate
Lawyerly Lairs: Latham Partner Gives His Wife a Fabulous Paris Pad for Her Birthday
Earlier this year, Latham & Watkins laid off some 400 employees (190 associates and 250 staff). This caused many to wonder about how tough times were getting at Latham. Well, don’t shed tears for LW partners just yet. From the New York Times: If a tourist passing along the Rue du Cloître Notre-Dame just looks […]
-
Day Pitney’s New Definition of Summer
You really have to take a step back and think about what summer associate programs used to be in order to appreciate what they are becoming. It is hard to imagine that a recruitment model that firms used for years is suddenly so “outmoded” that some firms are doing away with it entirely. Day Pitney […]
Sponsored Content
Take Our Ediscovery Fitness Challenge And Enter To Win A Fitbit
Take our quiz and test your knowledge of one of the most crucial aspects of legal tech: Ediscovery.
Sponsored Content
KINNEY’S TOP DOGS IN HONG KONG OVER THE NEXT 10 DAYS
For about the 40th time in the last five years, Kinney Recruiting’s got a team flying to Hong Kong for visits with clients and candidates. Please feel free to reach out to Evan and Robert at asia@kinneyrecruiting.com and set up a meeting with them if you would like to discuss your career and the market.
