But with a hot blonde model as the plaintiff. From our sister site, Fashionista:
Liskula Cohen’s modeled for Versace and Armani and landed international Vogue covers, but recently she’s made less fashionable headlines.
Last year, a doorman smashed her over the head with a vodka bottle, and this year she’s sued Google to reveal the identity of an especially cruel blogger. The both tragic and anonymous person used Google’s blogger.com platform to unleash constant rants about the blond’s imagined sexual habits, but argued in court that the words were “non-actionable opinion and/or hyperbole.”
Find out how this fared, at Fashionista.
Internet Anonymity at its Worst [Fashionista]
Don’t get too comfortable with that shiny new #6 Vault ranking, Weil Gotshal. The firm just got served, Texas style. The ABA Journal reports:
The Texas judge who ordered Microsoft to pay $290 million for infringing a patent included a $40 million enhancement that he said was partly justified because of alleged trial misconduct by a lawyer from Weil, Gotshal & Manges.
U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis tacked on the $40 million penalty because of evidence of willful infringement. But also “favoring enhancement,” he said in an opinion, was trial conduct by lawyer Matthew Douglas Powers, a Weil Gotshal partner.
Matthew Douglas Powers is a big name in IP circles. And he’s the co-chair of Weil’s litigation department. But he’s not going to comment on Judge Davis’s $40 million critique of his trial performance.
What were the judge’s reasons for admonishing Powers? Check after the jump.
Continue reading “$40 Million Benchslap for Weil Gotshal”
Gary Appelblatt, 58, a California divorce lawyer, was a bit too thorough in his interviews with his clients. From the Associated Press:
Prosecutors say Appelblatt would tell clients that he had a pharmacy degree and touched them under the guise of performing medical procedures during divorce case consultations.
Appelblatt has admitted to improperly touching five of his clients — we assume they were female — and has been convicted of four counts of sexual battery and one count of attempted sexual contact. Apparently he offered one of his clients the $5,000-off-your-bill-if-you-sleep-with-me discount.
According to his website, Appelblatt is a “registered pharmacist.” He’s also a “certifid [sic] flight instructor.” We think we’d rather not have him in our cockpit.
Divorce lawyer pleads no contest to sexual battery [Associated Press]
Yesterday, we reported that Paul Hastings would be allowing its class of 2010 associates to start on time in the fall of 2010. We received this information directly from a Paul Hastings spokesperson.
Sadly for future Paul Hastings associates, the spokesperson was in error. Here’s the new quote:
Paul Hastings will have some of its new associates start in the fall of 2010, but some new associates will start in the January 2011.
In our poll yesterday, 57% of you said you would rather risk summering at a firm with a 75% offer rate for the guarantee of starting on time. Well, I guess that firm is not Paul Hastings.
Earlier: Paul Hastings Offer Rates
Now that the new Vault rankings are out, it seems appropriate to reflect on the common refrain from senior lawyers about their colleagues under 30. Last Friday, Idealawg kicked off another round Gen Y bashing. The issue this time was whether Gen Y’s supposed obsession with work-life balance was harming client services.
Here are the last two of four pointed questions posed on Idealawg:
As I said above, one thing that troubles me deeply in this ongoing discussion about the generations is the important matter of client service. In the millennial cries for work-life balance, I seldom hear the client mentioned. (I have posted about this absence before.) Third question: Has there been a shift in what is considered the lawyer’s responsibility for client service?
Work-life balance (could someone come up with another phrase? this one’s getting very old) and client service are not either/or. Both can, often do, and most often should co-exist. Both are important. But both do not seem to hold the same weight in the hearts of at least some millennials. Last question: Why then did they become members of a service profession?
I think I can answer both of these questions:
* Answer to question 3: No.
* Answer to question 4: Money.
Cool? Okay, my turn to ask some questions.
Continue reading “Old People Attack Gen Y’s Work Ethic, Again.”
You know you want to know….
Hazard a guess. Then click on the link below.
Bernie Madoff’s Greatest Scam Of All [Dealbreaker]
Earlier: What Kind Of Package Is A Bernie Madoff Package?
The official Vault law firm rankings for 2010 are out today. This list will define law firm prestige for the year to come. Many law students, associates, and partners — especially partners involved in the recruiting process — care greatly about these influential rankings.
Here are the top five most prestigious law firms, according to Vault. This year’s top five is substantially similar to last year’s:
Skadden has flipped-flopped with Sullivan & Cromwell. Otherwise the top five remain unchanged from last year.
After the jump, the rest of the brand new Vault top ten, and a note from Vault’s managing editor about what’s new in this year’s rankings.
Continue reading “Official New Vault Rankings”
* It sounds like very few protesters greeted John Yoo at Berkeley Law School. Only four were tenacious enough to get arrested. [Associated Press]
* Fen-phen lawyers sentenced to 20 and 25 years, respectively. The judge wants their sentences to deter other lawyers tempted to steal from settlement funds. [Bloomberg]
* Proskauer Rose probably likes this headline. [New York Daily News]
* Nino leads one to believe that empathy is not an important quality in a judge. [New York Times via Daily Beast]
* The 5th Circuit agrees with a Texas school district that has banned “shirts with words.” Are shirts with numbers okay? [Courthouse News Service]
* Michael Jackson’s children have lawyered up. [CNN]
* Nationwide salary cut watch: LA County judges. [Los Angeles Times]
* Why has there been no litigation surge in the recession? [National Law Journal]
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.
There has been a lot of chatter about the offer situation at Paul Hastings. Right now, we understand that about 50% of the current summer class has received an offer to return to the firm. The other 50% are in limbo.
Above the Law talked with a spokesperson for Paul Hastings. We have some good news, some bad news, and some great news to report.
First the good news: Paul Hastings intends to make offers to between 70% and 75% of its current summer class, firm wide. That means as many as half of the people who haven’t heard anything about their offers could be receiving an opportunity for full time employment. Yay.
Obviously, the bad news is that there will be quite a few summers that will not be getting an offer from Paul Hastings.
At least the firm is being upfront about the reason to no offer between 25% and 30% of the class. Paul Hastings told us “it’s the economy.” You can’t get any more straightforward than that.
We understand that Paul Hastings will end the suspense for its summers by the end of the program. The summer program wraps up over the next two weeks at the firm.
But for the majority of Paul Hastings summers that will be getting a full-time offer, there is some truly great news for you just after the jump.
Update / Correction: Please see after the jump.
Continue reading “Paul Hastings Offer Rates”
* When people call social media a “fad” it reminds me of what my parents used to say about Nintendo. [Law Librarian Blog]
* A minute-by-minute diary of the day the layoffs came. [California Lawyer]
* A defense lawyer claimed that “pain” was not an injury. Evidently the lawyer thought that the empty, hollow feeling in his head he wakes up with everyday was normal. [New York Personal Injury Law Blog]
* Why is TSA at Newark interrogating Bollywood stars? I mean, Angelina Jolie can gallivant around the world and take children with less hassle. [Transracial]
* Who was a better Ricardo Tubbs? Phillip Michael Thomas or Jamie Foxx? [Courtoons]
* Marijuana companies will need accountants, and bankers, and lawyers. Then the government will want a cut. The end of America’s recession is sitting right there, just waiting to light a fire under this economy. [Going Concern]
* This week’s Blawg Review has “onions!” [Seattle Trademark Lawyer via Blawg Review]
If Michael Vick can learn to love animals, “be they a dog, or a cat, or … a reptile,” then surely the American courts can’t be far behind.
A couple of weeks ago, we brought you the story of a New Jersey appellate panel which declined to view the family pet as mere property in a divorce proceeding. Now a Virginia court is being asked to award damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress stemming from a pet-icide. The Wall Street Journal reports that there is some high profile pro-bono legal counsel taking up the cause of not treating animals as replaceable goods:
A lawsuit slated to go to trial next week down in Virginia could help redefine the theory — at least in that state — on what how a pet-owner should be compensated if a pet is wrongfully killed. In many states, tort law provides the owner simply gets the replacement value of a pet.
But the plaintiff in the Virginia case, represented pro bono by Orrick partner and former White House counsel Lanny Davis, feels the amount should be much higher in certain circumstances. Davis likened the case to that of a family heirloom, which has worth well beyond its street value.
Go Orrick. Family heirloom status is just the first step. It won’t be long now until I can bring my dog into the Duane Reade with the same disregard for other people’s shopping experience as parents enjoy now with their no spatial awareness/no vocal modulation street urchins.
Either that or we’ll soon see strollers tied up to stop signs up and down the east side of Manhattan.
After the jump, even the defendant in the civil suit agrees that family pets are worth more than their store bought value.
Continue reading “Pet Killers, Beware of Orrick”
Over in Israel and India, people are still panicked over swine flu. But here in the United States, it seems to be generating mostly yawns (with the occasional lawsuit mixed in).
Earlier in the summer, swine flu hit a number of law-related venues, including Duke Law School, the Bronx D.A.’s office, and Mayer Brown (in Chicago). We’ve also heard unconfirmed reports of swine flu outbreaks in a Massachusetts courthouse and an Atlanta law firm.
But Chicago seems to be where it’s at. A law school and a law firm that have hosted cases in the Windy City, after the jump.
Continue reading “Still Kicking Around: Swine Flu
(Or: If you’re visiting Chicago, take a face mask.)”
Friday was the last day for companies on the government dole to submit their pay plans to Kenneth Feinberg, our nation’s new Pay Czar. The new compensation commissar is as powerful as a mid-winter blizzard on the Eurasian Steppe. According to Law.com:
The Obama administration’s “pay czar” is embarking on a review of proposed compensation packages for the top employees at seven companies that are on government life support, marking the first time a federal official will have veto power over how much private-sector executives are compensated.
Kenneth Feinberg, who ran the government’s fund for families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, has 60 days to approve or reject the compensation plans submitted this week from bailout recipients. They include American International Group Inc. and General Motors.
Can’t you just see a detail of Feinberg’s men assigned to follow Fritz Henderson (the new CEO of GM) during his training routine? One day maybe Fritz will outrun Feinberg’s men and climb to the top of a high peak and scream “Fein-BERG,” as he prepares for an epic final battle with Feinberg himself?
In the meantime, here are more reasons why being a lawyer right now is better than being a banker.
Continue reading “Хороший день, Comrade Pay Czar. Не снимите нас”
Or maybe good news? It seems they’ll get to enjoy Labor Day weekend before any trouble hits.
Read more and discuss over at Dealbreaker.
Federal Prosecutors May Let Andy And Mark Madoff Enjoy Labor Day Weekend
[Dealbreaker]
Baker & McKenzie, which held the #2 spot in terms of revenue for 2008, has taken a dip in 2009. The firm’s fiscal year ended on June 30, and AmLaw Daily reports that global revenue fell by 3% for the firm.
As noted in Morning Docket, profits per partner took a bigger hit, plummeting 17%, thanks to the recession:
Baker & McKenzie reported Friday that global revenue declined 3 percent to $2.11 billion and profits per partner fell a more significant 17 percent to $992,000 in fiscal year 2009, bringing an end to a four-year period over which the firm experienced consecutive double-digit revenue growth and an 85 percent increase in profits.
While Chicago-based Baker & McKenzie, which generated 66 percent of its fees outside the United States, highlighted the role currency exchange rates played in the falling benchmarks for fiscal year 2009, management admitted the economic downturn negatively impacted the firm’s financial performance.
As we’ve previously reported, Baker has been a leader in terms of outsourcing legal work. The new profit numbers should mean that the trend continues. More details after the jump.
Continue reading “Baker McKenzie Profits Per Partner Tumble. More Outsourcing in the Future?”
We’ve provided extensive coverage of a recent Biglaw blind item, concerning an unidentified law firm in Manhattan planning multiple rounds of layoffs for later this year. If you’re tired of this little parlor game, then stop reading here.
But if you enjoy rampant speculation, surf over to Law Shucks, which has crunched the numbers again and generated a new list of likely layoff lairs. Some of the commenters on our last thread may be gratified to see their nominees on the updated list.
At this point, the law firm mentioned in the original Washington Post article should have the decency to come forward and ‘fess up. Is it fair to let your fellow firms sit under a cloud of suspicion?
Revisiting the Candidates for Impending Layoffs [Law Shucks]
Earlier:Blind Item: Layoffs To Come At ‘A Law Firm in Manhattan’
Blind Item Follow-Up: A New York Firm That Fits The Bill?
Blind Item Follow-Up: Morgan Lewis Also Denies Layoffs
The new Vault law firm rankings, for 2010, are set to be released later this week. But earlier today, readers sent us this link, which takes you to a page on the Vault website with incomplete prestige rankings for a little over 60 law firms.
We reached out to Brian Dalton, managing editor of Vault, who informed us that these rankings are NOT legit. From Dalton:
These are not the correct rankings. There was a technical glitch on our end and some incorrect rankings have appeared on the site. We will publish the new rankings soon.
And when they do, we’ll be sure to let you know.
Still, even if these rankings are wrong, it’s always fun to gawk. While we wait for the official list to be produced, here are the top five firms on the apocryphal list (note the absence of Cravath):
After the jump, more faux rankings.
Continue reading “Pregaming the Vault Rankings: Incorrect Rankings Appear on Vault Website”
A U.K. law student won her lawsuit against Abercrombie and Fitch. The clothing behemoth had relegated her to the stockroom because her uni-armed look didn’t fit in with the company’s dress code. The BBC reports:
Riam Dean, 22, who has a prosthetic arm, claimed she was “diminished” for not fitting the “look policy” at the Savile Row store in central London.
A central London tribunal awarded Miss Dean £8,000 for unlawful harassment and ruled that Abercrombie and Fitch failed to comply with employment law.
I can’t fit into anything at Abercrombie and Fitch, but it seems to me that their employment scheme involves gentlemen and women out front whose sole purpose is to fool people into thinking clothes can replace a lifetime of exercise and proper dieting. I don’t see why this function can’t be performed by pretty people with prosthetic parts.
But the trolls in the stockroom have to lift things, right? Unless Riam Dean is some kind of bionic woman, isn’t she much more suited to the store front instead of the stockroom?
More details on Ms. Dean after the jump.
Continue reading “One-Armed Law Student is £8,000 Sexier”
* Retired judges in Iowa are helping the state cope with its budget woes. [Chicago Tribune]
* Programmers from Princeton, Harvard and the Internet Archive have created a Firefox plug-in for hacking Pacer. In the words of Wired, “it’s still just a stop-gap measure until the federal courts figure out that in the age of the internet, charging citizens to search and read public documents should be a federal crime.” [Threat Level/Wired]
* New trend: unscrupulous attorneys preying on immigrants? [New York Times]
* Landlords are feeling law firms’ pain: “Boston Properties Inc in February was forced to stop construction of a 1 million square-foot building on the west side of Midtown Manhattan after law firm Proskauer Rose backed out from a tentative agreement for about half the space.” [Bloomberg]
* New York AG Andrew Cuomo is going after online brokerage Charles Schwab. [Reuters]
* Texas billionaire fraudster, Allen Stanford, got new lawyers. Now he wants a new judge. [Houston Chronicle]
* Former ATL ‘Lawyer’ of the Day Howard O. Kieffer sentenced to four years. And he has to pay his clients back. [Associated Press]
* Baker & McKenzie derailed from its profit track. [AmLaw Daily]
