October 2009
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Admin, Advertising, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Thanks to This Week's Advertisers
A quick word of thanks to this week’s advertisers on Above the Law: American Bar Association The Atlantic Charles Griffin LLC Kinney Recruiting Lateral Link Legal Reform Summit LexisNexis Soul Calibur 4 PSP WesCary3D If you’re interested in advertising on Above the Law or any other site in the Breaking Media network, download our media […] -
Boutique Law Firms, Intellectual Property, Musical Chairs
Musical Chairs: Joe Robinson and Bob Shaffer from Darby & Darby to McDermott
We’ve covered in these pages the many challenges faced by standalone intellectual property firms. One of them is competition from Biglaw shops seeking to scoop up top talent in the IP field. Yesterday morning, Robert C. Sullivan Jr., president and managing principal of Darby & Darby, sent around an internal email announcing the departure of […] - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Layoffs, Start Dates
Squire Sanders: Deferral Extensions, Impending Layoffs and Assorted Sundries
Squire, Sanders & Dempsey already deferred its incoming class of 2009 to January 2010. Yesterday, the firm informed half of those incoming associates that they were getting the Bird — i.e., the firm indefinitely deferred half of its incoming class. But before the firm decides what it will do with half of its incoming associates, […]
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.21.09
* SCOTUS has agreed to decide whether federal courts can order Guantanamo detainees to be released into the United States, which raises separation of powers issues (because the political branches are in charge of passing and enforcing immigration laws). [How Appealing (linkwrap)] * A big loss for Exxon Mobil (and its lawyers at McDermott): a […]
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Law School Deans, Law Schools
Fighting Illini Chancellor Richard Herman Stops Fighting
Earlier this summer, we wrote about the University of Illinois College of Law admissions scandal. Former Illinois governor (and soon to be ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ star) Rod Blagojevich pressured University of Illinois Chancellor Richard Herman and Heidi Hurd, former dean of the University of Illinois College of Law, to admit underqualified students who were politically connected. […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 10.20.09
* A Las Vegas legal celebrity sighting: Can Attorney General Eric Holder make it rain in the club? [Main Justice] * Professor Ann Althouse weighs in on the Obama Administration’s new approach to marijuana prosecutions. [Althouse] * Additional proof that S&C’s Rodge Cohen is God. [Am Law Daily] * Is the boundary between insider trading […] -
Williams & Connolly
Lawsuit of the Day: Williams & Connolly v. IDT Corp.
The litigators at Williams & Connolly are known for being a hard-charging bunch. So it’s probably not a wise idea to dare them to make your day — because they probably will. From the BLT: It’s not uncommon these days to see law firms suing former clients over unpaid legal bills (see, for instance, McDermott […] -
Fabulosity, Hotties, Jan Crawford Greenburg, Media and Journalism, Television
Musical Chairs: Jan Crawford Greenburg from ABC to CBS
One of our favorite legal affairs journalists is switching networks. As first reported by Mediabistro, the fabulous (and fabulously talented) Jan Crawford Greenburg is leaving ABC News for CBS News. Greenburg, author of the excellent and bestselling Supreme Conflict (2007), will become Chief Legal Correspondent at CBS, as of January 4, 2010. Meanwhile, back at […] - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Craigslist, Law Schools, Sex
IRAC Your World: Or, a female law student's 'compelling brief' in support of sex.
Think back to taking law school exams as a 1L. Remember the IRAC method — Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion? One horny creative female law student in Los Angeles has decided to deploy IRAC towards carnal ends. Via craigslist, she recently filed a brief in the matter of You & Me Doing It v. You & […] -
Law Schools, Quote of the Day, Television, UVA Law
Quote of the Day
From Jeff Zucker, president and CEO of NBC Universal: Getting rejected by Harvard Law School was “the greatest thing that ever happened to me.” Winning admission to HLS is the dream of many a college student (not just Elle Woods). Being a Harvard Law alum puts you on the fast track to a prestigious law […] -
Law Schools, Romance and Dating, UVA Law
Do You Date Only Ivy?
When we tried to launch the ill-fated Courtship Connection, a matching service for ATL readers, we were stymied. Matchmaking was hard (especially when people didn’t respond to our e-mails). Maybe we should have organized singles parties instead. That’s how the Ivy Plus Society operates. Whereas Courtship Connection sought to match up legal types, this dating […] -
Advertising, Billable Hours, Career Center, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center: What's in Store for New Associates
Last week’s Career Center survey asked whether you think there will be enough work for the class of incoming associates at your firm. The good news is that, despite the all the hype about some firms indefinitely deferring new associates, the vast majority — 91% — of new associates are starting at their firms in […] -
Bankruptcy, Boutique Law Firms, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms, Small Law Firm Open Threads, Solo Practitioners
Small Law Firm Open Thread: Bankruptcy
Time to resume our series of open threads covering small (or smaller) law firms, focused on different practice areas. We’ve already written about small law firms in general, insurance law, personal injury law, trusts and estates, immigration, real estate, intellectual property, ERISA / employee benefits, and family law / divorce law. Some of these threads […]
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
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Contests, New York Times, Reader Polls, Weddings
Legal Eagle Wedding Watch: August and September Couples of the Month
As tends to be the case every year, August and September were fabulously prestigious months here on the Legal Eagle Wedding Watch. Three SCOTUS clerks were featured in this space during that period (two in the same announcement!), as well as a minor AutoAdmit celebrity, an astrophysicist, and Biglaw names like Cravath, Mayer, Jenner, and […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 10.20.09
* Judge James Zagel okays Rod Blagojevich’s being a contestant on Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” despite his pending criminal trial, but warns him to be careful during the confessional portions. [Chicago Tribune] * Kirkland & Ellis rips shreds in Hope case. [Am Law] * Balloon Boy hoax charges will include conspiracy, attempting to influence a […]
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Bar Exams, BARBRI
At Stanford Law School, It's a Whole New Game of Quarters
Stanford Law School is one of the best law schools in the country. SLS is ranked #3 in the latest U.S. News law school rankings. Stanford graduates are generally intelligent, capable, and employable individuals (with some exceptions). But are they smart enough to miss the first few weeks of Bar/Bri? The law school has changed […] -
Advertising, Conferences / Symposia, Law Schools, Shameless Plugs, Social Networking Websites, This Is an Ad
A Pair of West Coast Events
Although Above the Law is based in New York, we adore our West Coast readers. We try to post stories that would be of special interest to them as often as possible, typically later in the day to account for the time difference. (We have one such post coming out after this one; we’re not […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 10.19.09
* People are still responding to the Quinn Emanuel Check BlackBerry Always situation. I have one question for those addicted to BlackBerry usage. How long do you wait to check your device after intercourse? [Josh Blackman’s Blog] * Everybody who thinks Santa Claus works at their law firm, please raise your hands. GUARDS! Arrest these […] -
Department of Justice, Drugs, Marijuana
DOJ to Stoners: It's Okay to Inhale
For a while we had a commenter who liked to comment “Legalize it!” on every post, with “it” referring to marijuana. This person is surely quite happy today. From the New York Times: People who use marijuana for medical purposes and those who distribute it should not face federal prosecution, provided they act according to […] -
Barack Obama, Career Alternatives, Politics, Weirdness
Career Alternatives for Attorneys: Preventing Dictatorship?
Meet Stewart Rhodes. He graduated in 2004 from Yale Law School, where his paper, “Solving the Puzzle of Enemy Combatant Status,” won a prize for the best paper on the Bill of Rights. Before entering the law, he served as a U.S. Army paratrooper. What’s Rhodes up to now? Many military men turned lawyers troop […]