October 2009

In a speech last night before the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, Ronald M. George, criticized his state’s reliance on the initiative process. His remarks focused on how that process, direct democracy taken to the extreme, has paralyzed state government, especially when it comes to fiscal […]

Ed. note: Above the Law has teamed up with Law Shucks, which has done excellent work translating all of the layoff news into user-friendly charts and graphs: the Layoff Tracker. Many people fear that this will be a "jobless recovery" and those people keep getting more justification for their concerns. Unfilled positions fell to the […]

* One (wacko) lawyer thinks Congress must pass a special act to allow Obama to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. Anyone ever hear of Teddy Roosevelt or Woodrow Wilson? [True/Slant] * Career alternatives: driving Catharine MacKinnon’s pick-up truck from Cambridge to Ann Arbor. [Harvard Law School] * Do you have a copy of the Constitution […]

Commenters often complain that we feature too many Biglaw associates in this space — uninspiring young people who’ve drifted through college and law school and are now drones at soulless firms. We’re delighted that this week, Biglaw associates make up only one-third of our couples. Rounding out the field are a soulless-drone partner and a […]

Back in February, Nixon Peabody laid off 56 employees. The firm was public about its decision to lay off people at the time. But sources report that over the past few months Nixon has been conducting additional layoffs — only this time the firm is being very stealthy about the departures. Multiple sources state that […]

Last year, discussing the surprising success of clothing consultants in the recession, we wrote: “When the going gets tough, the tough get new wardrobes.” Maybe we should amend that statement: “When the going gets tough, the tough ditch their wardrobes.” Faced with the dismal legal job market, yet another law student has decided to earn […]

We’re getting multiple reports that Foley & Lardner is laying off 39 people today. Our sources report that associates are being told right now. If you work at Foley, I hope your phone is not ringing. One tipster tells us that the IP group could be the hardest hit: Foley announced associate/senior counsel/etc. layoffs today. […]

On Monday there will be an “all associates” meeting at Winston & Strawn. Any guesses as to what it might be about? Bonuses for this year? A move away from lockstep? Candid acknowledgement of recent stealth layoffs? Feel free to offer us your guesses, by email or in the comments. UPDATE (10/12/09): We are gathering […]

According to CNN Money, being a lawyer is one of the Best Jobs in America. Attorneys rank eighteenth on CNN’s list, just behind IT business analysts, and just ahead of doctors. Congratulations? If you look at the list, you can make a very cogent argument that lawyers should have ranked much higher. Some of the […]

On Wednesday, we reported that Fenwick & West paid $60,000 in “go away” money money to some members of its incoming associate class. Today, we have news about Fenwick’s 2009 summer program, i.e., the most recent summer program, and the firm’s offer rate. Fenwick took on 36 2Ls and 3Ls this past summer. But the […]

* President Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize. I think anything that associates America with “peace” has to be a good thing. [Associated Press] * The Astor trial highlights elder abuse in our society. [ABC] * It turns out that Kwame Kilpatrick was outed by a plaintiff’s lawyer. [ABA Journal] * The allegations […]

Remember Jane Allen Clark? She’s the Texas attorney who originally used the quasi-racy photo on the left for her lawyer profile on the state bar website. After we wrote about it, she replaced it with the more staid portrait on the right: But where did that first photo come from? An eagle-eyed reader drew something […]

“There are no NALP police.”— James G. Leipold, Executive Director, NALP Oh, but wouldn’t it be fun if there were? Let’s use our imaginations…. As the Bad Boys theme song plays in the background, a bespectacled Jim Leipold, accompanied by a gaggle of burly NALP goons, breaks down the door at 111 Huntington Avenue — […]

* The Astor trial is over. Anthony Marshall has been convicted of theft. [WSJ Law Blog] * “Nancy Grace is bad for America,” says Blackbook Legal. Perhaps, but she was great for Amy Poehler. [Blackbook Legal] * So you are being questioned by a terrible interviewer. Now what? [Let’s Talk Turkey] * Reality television can […]

The big decisional news out of New York today is the guilty verdict in the Brooke Astor trial. Anthony Marshall, the son of the late socialite and philanthropist, was convicted in a scheme to defraud Mrs. Astor. But we also have news of another notable ruling. Longtime readers of Above the Law will recall the […]

Last month, we linked to a story in Courthouse News Service about Kansas Judge Kevin Moriarty. Kansas attorney Kimberly Ireland filed a lawsuit against Judge Moriarty, alleging that he had used inappropriate language and masturbated during her divorce mediation. In her suit, she said that her ex-husband supported her and had testified about the judge’s […]

It’s a big day for bar results. We have reports that results are out in Colorado and Minnesota. In the Keystone State, results are out a whole day early. Maybe by fooling people about when the results are posted, PA can avoid the same technical difficulties that plague Illinois. As we noted before, first-time test […]

Back at the beginning of the legal recession, when Heller and Thelen were collapsing, there was talk that a number of firms would either have to fold or engage in mega-mergers. For the most part, that hasn’t happened. But today, Legal Week is reporting that Hogan & Hartson and London-based Lovells are at least talking […]

Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. ATL – I was wondering if you could do a post on (legal) coping mechanisms for surviving in BigLaw, besides the usual smoking, drinking, and sleeping with married partners. BigLaw vs. Corporate America — what makes it so much worse? Is every […]

Welcome to the first in a series of monthly “Ask the Experts” posts, brought to you by the ATL Career Center, powered by Lateral Link. Over the next few months, we’ll be talking with legal career experts, everyone from recruiters to hiring partners to professional development staff. The conversations will focus on what associates and […]