Firms have been making offers this month. The good news came first, leading us to ask at the beginning of the month: Summer Offer Rate Open Thread: Are We Back to 100%?
We’re such optimists here at ATL that we followed that thread with this one: Summer Offer Rate Open Thread: Happy Happy Joy Joy!.
This week, a number of recent summer associates have asked us to take off the rose-colored glasses. On Monday, we reported that Paul Hastings would have a 75% offer rate, leaving a quarter of its summers with no offers.
We’re now getting reports of no offers at other firms. Two examples are after the jump. But tell us what you are hearing in the comments or send it into tips@abovethelaw.com.
Continue reading “Summer Offer Rate Open Thread: Here Come The No Offers”
We have an update on former Lawyer of the Day and Sonnenschein San Francisco partner Paul Glad. Glad was sued earlier this year by a Girl Scout and her mother after running into them with his Lexus.
We wrote in June:
According to the San Mateo County Times, [Glad] had stopped to pick up some delicious Girl Scout cookies. But in his excitement to get his Samoa and Thin Mint fix, he neglected to shift his car into park. His Lexus then rolled into the cookie table. The car pinned Girl Scout mother, Holly Rogers, to a wall, causing her to lose her leg. Her daughter, then 6, suffered multiple leg fractures.
Did we mention that Glad had parked in a disabled spot? And that he was on prescription painkiller OxyContin on the day of the accident?
Glad got some pain relief this week…
Continue reading “The Only Crime: Sonnenschein Partner Paul Glad Can Never Eat Girl Scout Cookies Again”
* Maybe this dude thought that displaying the mental aptitude of child would make it okay for him to look at pictures of naked children. He was wrong. [Roll On Friday]
* Facebook — good for cheaters and divorce attorneys. [Long Island Press]
* If you want to shoot at beautiful wild animals for “sport,” there’s a lawyer willing to help you. [Legal Blog Watch]
* Maryland’s chief Public Defender might want to get an employment lawyer. [Underdog]
* Are “wimpy local counsels” out for themselves more than their clients? [What About Paris?]
* If you take away the color of her skin, is Sonia Sotomayor still “diverse”? [Blackbook Legal]
* Notes from the late Justice Rehnquist’s poker buddy. [BLT: Blog of the Legal Times]
* Open Letter to VH-1: Please familiarize yourselves with the term “vetting.” That is all. [Popsquire]
* More about skanks, from Kash! [True/Slant]
Sure, firms can try to dump their bad news on a summer Friday, but Above the Law is open 24/7.
Today, emails started going around to rising 2Ls who were seeking interviews with Loeb & Loeb’s New York office. They were not happy emails:
Thank you for your letter and resume inquiring about the possibility of employment at our firm.
In moving forward with our hiring efforts for the coming season and for the future, we have given a great deal of thought to the needs of the partners and associates in servicing our clients. In reviewing our client base and the matters that we are handling, we have come to the conclusion that in order to provide the level of sophistication and complexity required to service these clients, it will be necessary for us to recruit at a more senior level. We have reexamined our hiring efforts, and, in so doing, have determined to suspend the New York summer associate program for the foreseeable future. We intend to focus our hiring efforts on identifying associates with those levels of experience and practice specialties that will best enable us to meet the challenges of servicing our clients. If at any future time we feel that our needs and those of our clients would best be served by having a summer associate program, we will reinstate the program.
We very much appreciate your interest in Loeb & Loeb LLP and wish you every success in finding a satisfactory position.
Wow. That doesn’t even sound like the firm has decided to temporarily ratchet back recruiting because of the recession. “If at any future time we feel that our needs and those of our clients would best be served by having a summer associate program, we will reinstate the program,” sounds a lot more like the firm’s New York office has decided to totally dispense with the notion of hiring summers, indefinitely.
Is this a small glimpse of the future? The class of 2012 better hope not.
Earlier: Prior ATL coverage of Canceled Summer Programs — 2010
What could have been a tragic story looks to have been resolved in a peaceful manner.
The Louisville Courier-Journal reports:
A former University of Louisville student and contract employee was apprehended by University of Louisville Police Friday morning after a law library staff member recognized that he was barred from campus.
According to police, Thomas H. Irwin entered the law library at about 8:30 a.m. with two handguns and ammunition. A library employee called U of L Police, who escorted Irwin from the premises without incident.
According to an email sent to the student body, the former University of Louisville student “had been declared persona non grata by the university in December 2008.”
Way to watch over your library like a hawk, not a cardinal, unknown super-staffer. We gotta get you into the TSA.
Statement from the university, after the jump.
Continue reading “Law Library Staffer of the Year Averts Disaster at Brandeis School of Law.”
In a world where there are already too many law degrees flooding the market and allowing firms to handle their associates like fungible assets, the new law school at UC Irvine continues to rake in positive press. We’ve previously noted that the new law school is already one of the most selective in the country. Today, the L.A. Times positively gushes about the new public law school:
In a challenging fundraising climate, the first new public law school in California in more than a generation begins classes Monday at UC Irvine with 61 top-flight students, a highly regarded faculty and the goal of becoming a model for an innovative legal education emphasizing hands-on experience and public service.
It appears prestige isn’t just conferred by a magazine.
Brian Leiter, a University of Chicago law professor and author of an influential blog on legal education, said that, based on the quality of its faculty and the entrance exam scores of its first class, UCI should be ranked among the nation’s top 20 law schools, status that typically takes a new school decades to achieve.
“It’s quite unusual. But this is an unusual situation,” Leiter said. “This is the University of California, after all, which is a big selling point. They’ve recruited the right kind of people from the right kind of places. And the fact that someone of Erwin [Chemerinsky]‘s stature is the dean obviously helps.”
The school touts a commitment to public service that you don’t often hear from law schools. It also touts free tuition, which sounds like the Gods are having an orgasm to law students hoping to keep their debts under control.
After the jump we ask if UCI Law can keep it up. And an update on potential future tuition decisions.
Continue reading “UC Irvine Law Doesn’t Need U.S. News To Get Prestige”
UPDATE (3/12/11): Douglas Wacker was acquitted of the charges discussed below — please see the update at the end of this post.
One University of San Diego Law School student isn’t worrying about deferrals. He’s worrying about defense strategies. From the San Diego Union-Tribune:
A 30-year-old Marine Corps captain will face a court-martial Feb. 8 on rape and other charges involving three University of San Diego students in April 2007, a judge ruled today.
At the time of the alleged crimes, Capt. Douglas S. Wacker was on unpaid leave from the military to pursue a law degree at the university and on a spring break trip to New Orleans with the three alleged victims.
So not a very fun spring break trip for those San Diego law students.
According to the Union-Tribune, the New Orleans D.A. and a USD administrative board both looked into the allegations and decided not to pursue them, even though, in the opinion of one USD student, Wacker’s a “creeper”:
This guy was a 3L last year and was on the moot court board. A lot of people thought he was a real creeper.
Wacker might well be a “creeper,” whatever that means, but whether he’s a rapist is yet to be determined. The University of San Diego won’t be giving him a degree until that’s sorted out though. The University’s message to students, AND an update (analysis from a lawyer and former Marine as to Wacker’s fate), after the jump.
Continue reading “JD Withheld From Alleged Rapist at University of San Diego”
We’ve previously reported on the hiring of Supreme Court law clerks for October Term 2009. Their names appear here (everyone but Justice Sotomayor’s clerks) and here (Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s clerks).
As we mentioned, we weren’t 100 percent certain on the Sotomayor clerks. Happily, as it turns out, our intelligence was correct. Thanks to everyone who shared information with us; we can’t accurately track Supreme Court clerk hiring without your help.
The Public Information Office of the Supreme Court has released the official list of October Term 2009 law clerks, and it matches up with what we’ve reported in these pages. For a copy of the official list, click here to download (as a Word document). (Note that it doesn’t include law school and prior clerkship information, which usually comes in a second, more detailed list.)
Not counting the law clerks’ middle initials, the official list doesn’t contain much information that hasn’t already appeared on ATL — with one exception. We now know that retired Justice David H. Souter’s clerk will be Thomas Pulham, formerly of the D.C. office of Jenner & Block (which has sent a number of its associates into SCOTUS clerkships).
Based on the official list, we’ve made some small tweaks to our list (e.g., changed some maiden names to married names). Check out the final list, a mash-up of the official list with the law school and prior clerkship information that we’ve gathered on our own, after the jump.
Continue reading “Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: The Official List”
The firms might not be particularly well known, but every time a firm cancels its summer associate program, a 2L angel loses his wings.
Tipsters report that the Pittsburgh-based firm Eckert Seamans let people know it was canceling its 2010 summer program on its website:
The firm is not actively recruiting law students at this time.
The firm did not respond to our request for immediate comment. But sources report that interested 2Ls shouldn’t waste the time sending in a resume.
After the jump, let’s check in with Howard Rice.
Continue reading “Canceled Summer Program Watch: Howard Rice & Eckert Seamans Join the Party”
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com.
ATL-
I have been invited to a poker party a junior partner’s house. I am very good at poker, and I assume the partner is not as good as I. Should I play to win so I look impressive and intelligent? Or should I throw the game, so I don’t look uppity or risk offending the partner’s ego?
Sir Gaga
Dear Sir Gaga,
A junior partner who invites an associate to poker at his place is the sort of person who lives in a Scarsdale McMansion decorated in fauxTuscany-style, sits around the poker table and yells for his Juicy Couture velour sweatsuit-clad wife to quit yapping on the phone and deliver the goddamn Doritos and Lipton Onion Dip to the guests, chomps on cigars while talking about Per Se, Vegas, and golf, swills Johnny Walker Black from his Wiliams-Sonoma highball glass which was the one item he lobbied hard for on the wedding registry, mentions his humidor, claims his bachelor party was the best one he had ever been to, has a Golden Retriever named Phoenix, says “work hard, play hard” is his personal motto, indiscreetly bangs two associates on the side, once snorted coke off a hooker in Amsterdam, sends purposely nonresponsive emails to a dweeb first year just to be a bully, DVRs SportsCenter, wears French cuffs to partner meetings, plays X-Box and ignores his wife while guzzling Coke from a 7-11 Slurpee cup, farts and doesn’t apologize, wears Prada loafers without socks on the weekend, drives a Jeep Grand Cherokee for alleged “off-roading” that no one has ever seen him do, “lives for the deal” but hates his life, so you should feel free to roll up this partner’s plywood palace with your Full Tilt hoodie, hologram sunglasses and Marlboro Miles visor and take this chump for everything he’s got.
Your friend,
Marin
Elie’s homage to Rounders, after the jump.
Continue reading “Pls Hndle Thx: Poker Face”
* Terminally ill Lockerbie Bomber was released from a Scottish prison yesterday, on grounds of compassion. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton aren’t feeling it. [CNN]
* Attorneys at the Office of Special Investigations begin to prosecute a new generation of war criminals. [Washington Post]
* I suppose that I should know the answer to this question, but is your school accredited…? [Courthouse News]
* “Obviously, any witnesses you can eliminate is a good thing.” New York Special Assistant Attorney General prosecuted for (ahem) tampering with witnesses. [Bloomberg]
* Skank fight! [New York Post]
* Are you ready for some football? All my rowdy friends will be at an emergency injunction hearing in Delaware, Monday Night! [The Legal Intelligencer]
Moving right along with our Vault open threads, it’s time to take a look at the firms ranked #6 – #10.
6. Weil Gotshal
7. Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett
8. Cleary
9. Covington & Burling
10. Kirkland & Ellis
Weil’s strong move up the Vault charts — the firm was ranked #9 last year — shows the power of high profile work. The Lehman bankruptcy and the General Motors restructuring were just two of the many recognizable matters Weil has had its hands on in the past 12 months.
But Weil also seems to have timed the Vault rankings quite well. The firm didn’t start deferring incoming first years until March, didn’t start laying off staff until May, and didn’t start laying off associates closing offices until the end of June.
Regardless of whether or not those moves catch up with Weil next year, right now is Weil’s time to shine in the warm recruiting light of sixth place. Congrats.
Let’s look at the other firms after the jump.
Continue reading “Fall Recruiting Open Thread: Vault 6-10 (2010)”
If you’ll be in New York on Monday, August 24, you might be interested in this event, brought to you by Above the Law and our friends at Applied Discovery:
SPACE IS LIMITED. To request an invitation, please email InviteRequest@breakingmedia.com. Please include your name, employer, and job title in your response. If we can accommodate you, we will send you a confirmation by email.
Thanks! We hope to see you on the 24th.
* Would the Mad Men working environment be illegal today? [Miss Trials]
* There are so many ways for the current administration to help students tackle their debt that one of them will eventually catch on. [The Stimulist]
* We’re getting to the point in the recession where tips for laid off lawyers need to include instructions on how to build your own shanty and strategy tips for Madden 2010. [New York Personal Injury Law Blog]
* Making associates work more, not bill more. [The Client Revolution]
* I think Harriet Miers could do more good on Facebook than arguing in front of the Supreme Court. Look how well it is working out for Sarah Palin. [BLT: The Blog of the Legal Times]
* Maybe email isn’t safe for attorney-client communication. From now on, all client contact should be done in person. Let’s see how important that 4:30 p.m. Friday email is now. [Legal Blog Watch]
We’ve written before about Hal Turner, the infamous internet radio host who has been charged with threatening three federal judges. This week brings new information about him, from Wired:
A notorious New Jersey hate blogger charged in June with threatening to kill judges and lawmakers was secretly an FBI “agent provocateur” paid to disseminate right-wing rhetoric, his attorney said Wednesday.
Hal Turner, the blogger and radio personality, remains jailed pending charges over his recent online rants, which prosecutors claim amounted to an invitation for someone to kill Connecticut lawmakers and Chicago federal appeals court judges.
But behind the scenes the reformed white supremacist was holding clandestine meetings with FBI agents who taught him how to spew hate “without crossing the line,” according to his lawyer, Michael Orozco.
Unfortunately for him, Turner can’t blame the FBI for the comments that got him in trouble with the law. His claimed involvement with the Bureau ended in 2007, and his alleged threats against the Seventh Circuit judges were made in 2009.
More discussion about Turner’s case — plus comment from one of the threatened jurists, Judge Richard Posner — after the jump.
Continue reading “Hal Turner: Did He Threaten Federal Judges?”
If you side with those who think baby-making is a good option these days, you’ll read this post with special interest. The Bulldogs have named the top ten pup-friendly Biglaw firms.
Here are the best firms for the family-minded according to the Yale Law Women:
Arnold & Porter
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Covington & Burling
Jenner & Block
Katten Muchin Rosenman
Mayer Brown
Munger, Tolles & Olson
Patton Boggs
Sidley Austin
WilmerHale
Earlier this month, Working Mother named the 50 Best Law Firms for Women. Covington, Jenner, Katten, Munger, Sidley and WilmerHale have bragging rights for making their way onto both lists.
So what are the stats at these firms that earned them this distinction? Hint: Granting more than three months of maternity leave is a good start.
Continue reading “Yale Law Women Anoint Top Ten Family-Friendly Firms”
Despite last week’s welcome reprieve from Biglaw layoffs, it looks like some firms didn’t get the memo. Above the Law has learned that Curtis Mallet conducted layoffs early this week. We believe that 10% – 15% of its corporate associates have been let go. Multiple class years were affected, but it appears that first years were spared.
Curtis Mallet would not respond to our multiple requests for comment
Perhaps the firm is embarrassed to be laying off associates on the heels of last year’s strong profit numbers. In February, Am Law Daily reported:
Bucking the trend among New York law firms, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle reports a 13.5 percent surge in revenue to $125 million. Curtis Mallet has chosen the worst business year in memory to cross the million-dollar profits per equity partner mark, with PPP up 11 percent to $1 million. Revenue per lawyer for the firm’s 225 lawyers, scattered among 14 offices worldwide, nudged up 3.5 percent to $570,000….
Firm chairman George Kahale, who was profiled in The American Lawyer last year, says that Curtis Mallet has the right mix of groups for the current economic climate.
So you see, laid off associates should be proud that they helped the partners make a million dollars before being shown the door.
After the jump, we learn that the work of soon-to-be-former Curtis Mallet associates is not quite done.
Continue reading “Nationwide Layoff Watch: Curtis Mallet Cuts Corporate Associates”
A California defense attorney has earned a spot in the ATL Lawyer of the Day hall of fame. Michael Lukehart didn’t let a weak heart stop him from defending his client. From KERO-TV:
Lukehart said he woke up at 5 a.m. on Monday with massive chest pains.
A normal non-ATL-Lawyer-of-the-Day would head to the hospital at that point. But not Lukehart.
Even though he knew something was seriously wrong, he said he was in denial. So instead of going to the hospital, Lukehart said he went to the courthouse to deliver his closing arguments on a case he was on.
Michael Lukehart’s website says he’s “passionately committed to your defense. When you hire Michael Lukehart, you hire a fearless warrior who is passionately committed to you and your case.”
In the case of Lukehart, that’s not hyperbole. Massive chest pains are no obstacle for this legal warrior. So when he finally went to the hospital, what was the diagnosis?
Continue reading “Lawyer of the Day: Michael Lukehart”
Above the Law has learned that officials at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law are investigating the actions of the school’s 2008-2009 Student Bar Association President. As we understand it, the investigation remains internal and has not resulted in any law enforcement action; accordingly, we will not be printing the student’s name.
Word around campus is that the former SBA president is being investigated for allegedly misappropriating student funds. A tipster reports the details this way:
[The former SBA President] is now under investigation by the administration for embezzling thousands of dollars from the University. [He] reportedly used this money to fund trips around the country, including a spring break booze-fueled extravaganza — having told the administration that the funds would be used to attend a “conference.”
Our sources report that university investigators have already contacted and questioned members of the Moritz class of 2009 who know the former president. We also understand that his boyfriend, an undergraduate at OSU, has been questioned.
The allegedly embezzled money came from the Inter-Professional Council:
Throughout the year, IPC plans or co-plans a variety of social, professional outreach, and community services events, including professional skills workshops, multi-cultural dinners at area restaurants, and food drives for the Mid-Ohio Food Bank.
We believe that the total amount of money at issue is in the neighborhood of $3,600. As one student put it, the IPC “doesn’t do much for students anyway.”
The law school’s response and more details, after the jump.
Continue reading “Moritz College of Law Student Investigated For Embezzlement”
