October 2009
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 10.15.09(Including VA Bar results in the comments.)
* There’s one thing that every lawyer thought when they first heard about Balloon Boy. [Law and More] * Rush Limbaugh was dumped by the group of people looking to purchase the St. Louis Rams. Would the NFL have had a problem with antitrust laws if Dave Checketts hadn’t cashiered him? [Blackbook Legal] * It […] -
Bankruptcy, Craigslist, Law Schools, Romance and Dating, Weirdness
Missed Connections in Bankruptcy Class
Like most people, I’m having trouble focusing on my duties given the perils of Balloon Boy, Falcon Heene. According to my television, the balloon is down, there is no boy in it, and as of now we don’t know where the boy is. And the parents were on Wife Swap. Here’s a write-up of the […] - 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… -
Biglaw, Layoffs
Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics: Some Thoughts on Stealth Layoff Calculation
Last Friday, we reported on stealth layoffs at Nixon Peabody. We’ve previously discussed the difficulty of reporting stealth layoffs. If a firm lays people off slowly, over a long period of time, and refuses to admit it, sometimes the firm can keep the information from becoming public. In the Nixon Peabody case, the firm has […]
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50 Most Powerful People in D.C. Includes Some Lawyer Favorites
GQ has released its list of the 50 most powerful people in Washington, D.C. The list is topped by White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel. But Chief Justice John Roberts makes the top ten. CJ Roberts ranks #10, just behind Dick Cheney. Since Dick Cheney doesn’t have a job, I’m going to go out […] -
pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: An Offer You Cannot Refuse
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. ATL, After busting my ass this summer, I received an offer from my firm which was later rescinded because my firm rescinded everyone’s offer. How should I note this on my resume, if it all? Resume Roadkill Dear Resume Roadkill, Picture it: […] -
Drinking, Nauseating Things, Parties, Rudeness, Summer Associates
Does a Perfect 'Boot & Rally' Net You An Offer at Weil?
Last month, we asked you to share your stories of summer associate craziness. Based on the responses we received, I feel very sorry for the 2009 summer associates. Obviously the days of summers peeing off the side of a Duck Boat are long gone. This story we received from summers at Weil Gotshal in New […] -
The 'Experience O'Melveny' for Summer Associates
Last month, we wrote about a five-year strategic plan created by O’Melveny & Myers. In our initial post, we focused on O’Melveny’s expectations for partners and associates in the future. We skipped over this piece of the plan, focused on summer associates. From a section of the plan entitled “Talent Development”: Identify future junior associates […] -
Health Care / Medicine, Old People, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Breaking: Justice Ginsburg Hospitalized (Again), But Released
The Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Health Watch continues. This just in, from the AP: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had cancer surgery earlier this year, was briefly hospitalized overnight after having a bad reaction to some medicine. A statement from the court says Ginsburg was taken to the Washington Hospital Center Wednesday night and released […] - 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… -
Law Schools
How Much Is a Law School Worth?
Southern New England School of Law (which is not accredited by the American Bar Association) is trying to sell itself to the University of Massachusetts. The Boston Globe reports: UMass President Jack Wilson received a letter last week from trustees chairwoman at the 235-student school offering to enter into discussions that could lead to the […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.15.09
* The Justice Department is implementing reforms to avoid another Ted Stevens-style snafu. [Washington Post] * Foley & Lardner officially confirms the 39 lawyer layoffs that we previously reported. [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via ABA Journal] * Chief Judge Vaughn Walker (N.D. Cal.) denies a motion to dismiss the gay marriage case brought by David Boies and […]
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Biglaw, Health Care / Medicine
Work-Related Illnesses: Open Thread
If you have a job these days, especially a job at a high-paying law firm, you should be grateful, right? Right. But that doesn’t mean work is all sunshine and lollipops. Many attorneys continue to experience a high amount of stress, which often manifests itself in the form of illness. A friend who works at […] -
Elizabeth Wurtzel, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 10.14.09
* Here’s all you need to know about this link: Elizabeth Wurtzel, curtains, no rug, “vaginal hegemony.” [Jezebel] * Never take sex photos you don’t want everybody to see after you break up with the guy. [True/Slant] * On-campus interviewers are very interested in your answers to “behavioral questions.” I guess they are trying to […] -
Job Searches, Layoffs, Notes from the Breadline, Pictures, Shopping
Notes from the Breadline: Every Picture Tells a Story (Part II)
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. Last week, we brought you Scenes from the Breadline, in […]
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Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
Zach Warren from the Thomson Reuters Institute discusses the potential and the pitfalls.
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
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…
Sponsored
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…
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
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Law Schools
Puerto Rico Law in a Hurricane of Hurt
Puerto Rico You lovely island Island of tropical breezes Always the pineapples growing Always the coffee blossoms blowing And no law school going. According to tipsters, Puerto Rico School of Law is being shut down: The University of Puerto Rico School of Law has been unexpectedly shut down for a week. Law students protested today […] -
Cheapness, Food, Law Schools, Perks / Fringe Benefits, Ridiculousness
Columbia Law School Now Charges For Plastic Forks
Tuition at Columbia Law School this year is $48,004 (which doesn’t include $1,638 for health insurance and a $95 “transcript fee”). The estimated living cost for an academic year is $21,263. Putting it all together, students are looking at more than $70,000 for a year of legal education, during the worst recession in the legal […] -
Bonuses, In-House Counsel, Money
In-House Counsel Salaries Might Not Be Frozen, But They Are Certainly Flat
Corporations are so busy reducing the amount of money they spend on outside counsel that it’s easy to overlook the fact that they are also reducing the money they spend on in-house counsel. Well, it’s easy to overlook the fact if you are not in-house. But a new survey reports that in-house lawyers are feeling […] -
Cardozo Law School, Food, Jews, Religion
One 3L's Anti-Kosher Crusade at Cardozo
This summer, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law 3L Dave Johnston won $50,000 on the online game show, “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” He had a little help from the TruTV (formerly Court TV) anchor, Ashleigh Banfield. When we interviewed him back in July, we asked what his plans were for his 50Gs. He […] -
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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 If you’re interested in advertising on Above the Law or any other site in the Breaking Media network, download our media kits, […] -
Bad Ideas, Barack Obama, Lawyer of the Day
Lawyer of the Day: Orly Taitz
Orly Taitz is a California attorney described by Wikipedia as “a leading figure in the ‘birther’ movement, which challenges whether Barack Obama is a natural-born citizen eligible to serve as President of the United States.” She started the Defend Our Freedoms nonprofit in order to wage the birther battle. We’re glad to see that its […]