What’s your Halloween costume this year? A slutty nurse? A creepy Notre Dame 1L? Or something far more scary — maybe Bob from Human Resources, the Grim Reaper who takes your Biglaw job away?
This year we decided to dress up as Judge Denny Chin (S.D.N.Y.), recently nominated by President Obama to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. If you’re a criminal, Judge Chin can be quite frightening — he sentenced Bernie Madoff to a whopping 150 years.
And where did we get the idea for our costume? ATL comments (see #2 and #17).

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A slideshow of photos showing us in our Judge Chin costume, after the jump.
We carefully accessorized when putting together this outfit. As you scroll through the pics, note the following (in addition to the miniature gavel, an Above the Law gavel-shaped stress ball):
- the running shoes (Judge Chin is an active runner and four-time New York City marathon finisher);
- the shumai (Judge Chin enjoys dim sum, often after running with his law clerks); and
- the Bernie Madoff cover, from Portfolio magazine (reaching out from the grave of dearly departed publications).

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We reached out to Judge Chin to solicit suggestions for additions to our costume that would reflect who he is as a jurist and a person. Alas, his chambers declined comment, citing his pending nomination.
We’ve shown you ours; now you show us yours. Let us know what you’re wearing today, in the comments. If you need some last-minute inspiration, check out these ideas.
Happy Halloween!
P.S. Thanks to Elie for taking the photos.
Earlier: Halloween Ideas: Is Just Being a Lawyer Scary Enough?
Judge Denny Chin: Born to Run