November 2009
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Boutique Law Firms, Deaths, Litigators, My Job Is Murder
My Job Is Murder: Of Death, Detectives, and Defibrillators
Ed. note: Welcome to ATL’s first foray into serial fiction. “My Job Is Murder,” a mystery set in a D.C. appellate boutique, will appear one chapter at a time, M-W-F, over the next few weeks. Prior installments appear here; please read them first. Susanna Dokupil can be reached by email at sdokupil@sbcglobal.net or on Facebook. […]
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Law Schools, Lawyer of the Day, Violence
Law Student of the Day: Did Pissed-Off Iowan Pee on Girlfriend’s Belongings?
How would you like to be sitting in property class at Iowa College of Law, and realizing that you are in the same section as this guy? The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports: An Iowa City man is accused of physically and verbally abusing his live-in girlfriend on Sunday. According to Iowa City police, Alvin K. […]
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“I’ve landed a job as an associate at a top law firm, but why am I paying 7% on my student loans?”
I became a lawyer without really understanding that the job cuts time off of your life. My work hours are long, I can’t see my family or friends, and I am constantly at the mercy of the partner or the client. On top of everything, at one point, I was paying 7% on my law school loans. […]
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Email Scandals, Minority Issues
Lack of Commitment to Diversity Angers McGuire Woods Partner
It’s nice to see a firm maintaining its commitment to diversity despite tough economic times. Changing the culture of Biglaw is a hard thing to do, but it starts at the top. It looks like the partners at McGuireWoods understand that. But a McGuireWoods tipster reports that you can’t just force terrified and busy associates […]
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Judge of the Day, State Judges
Judge of the Day: Michael Edwards
Many ’08 law school grads are about to take a step up to second year associate level at Biglaw firms across the land. You’re feeling pretty proud? And lucky to have a Biglaw gig these days, right? Well, eat your hearts out. Michael Edwards, Georgetown Law ’08 grad, has already been appointed a judge. 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: Assara Laser The Atlantic Cypress Recruiting Group Harvard Business School Kinney Recruiting Lateral Link LexisNexis The Tikvah Center at NYU School of Law The Red Cross University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Isenberg School of Management If you’re interested in advertising on Above the […]
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Deferral Stipend, Job Searches, Start Dates
Open Thread: Should Deferred Associates Be Looking for Work?
Last week, we asked you if deferral stipends for incoming associates are too small. The reaction was mixed. Some people felt that incoming associates should be thankful for every penny they get. Others noted that it was extremely difficult to make loan repayments off of the deferral stipend. But many people felt that deferred associates […]
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* Judge David Hamilton (S.D. Ind.), nominated to the Seventh Circuit, will (finally) be put to an up-or-down vote in the Senate today. [Christian Science Monitor] * A veto for Iraq’s election law means that elections might not happen in January as expected. [New York Times] * Speaking of things that aren’t happening in January, […]
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Law School Tuition Hikes Spread Like Wildfires in California
Last month, we reported that UC Hastings College of Law was set to become the most expensive law school in California. Apparently, the good people at Berkeley and UC Davis took that as a challenge. Tomorrow, November 18th there will be a meeting on the proposed budget for the California university system. The tuition numbers […]
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Lessons Learned from the Top eDiscovery Cases and Trends from 2014
The adage that law turns slowly does not hold in eDiscovery. This year saw unprecedented sanction awards for falling behind the curve. Courts did not hesitate to engage with advanced and nuanced technological issues. For lawyers and other eDiscovery professionals who plan on maintaining basic competence, these cases and trends shouldn’t be overlooked. For a full exploration of trends and developments in this area of case law, check out this on-demand webinar.
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* Today is the NRA’s birthday! To celebrate, I’m heading to my local gun range (it’s called “the Bronx” if you’re not from New York) where I intend to pump a copy of the Second Amendment full of hot lead. [Jew with a Gun] * Google gets into the Westlaw and Lexis business. [The Supreme […]
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Lawyers Who Are Okay With Burning One Down (Or: Pot and the Law)
Ben Harper says that “what’s from the earth is of the greatest worth.” Yesterday, ex-U.S. attorney John McKay weighed in on the marijuana debate, and said that “what’s from the earth” shouldn’t be illegal. Instructing federal agencies to ignore congressional laws is not a fix, said McKay. From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: McKay faulted Congress for […]
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American Bar Association / ABA
ABA Executive Director Resigns
There will be a change at the top of one of the few organizations that can help address some of the problems facing lawyers today. The ABA Journal reports: ABA Executive Director Henry F. White Jr. has resigned after three years at the helm of the world’s largest voluntary professional membership organization. ABA General Counsel […]
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Nationwide Layoff Watch: Schulte Gets Things Done Before the Holidays
The Above the Law inbox has been on fire all morning as disgruntled (former) Schulte Roth & Zabel associates share some bad news: Yet more lay-offs: Two groups — 13 associates so far — real estate and business transactions. Other tipsters have used the same ominous language: “13 associates, so far.” Are there more people […]
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Last night, the WSJ Law Blog previewed a new set of law school rankings. Today, we have the full list from SuperLawyers. The magazine, in association with Minnesota Law & Politics and Washington Law & Politics, has ranked law schools based on the number of Super Lawyers they produce. Is it a little self-serving for […]
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Biglaw, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Rankings
Association for Corporate Counsel Says Its Rankings Aren’t Ripe Yet
On Friday, we gave you a sneak peek at the new rankings being developed by the Association for Corporate Counsel. The organization is asking its members to submit reviews about the law firms they work with based on a five star system. We told you that the ACC rankings were still a work in progress, […]
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Advertising, Biglaw, Career Center, Killing Lockstep, Money, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center: Show Me the Money
Our recent Career Center survey asked about compensation structure for salaries and bonuses at your firms. The results reveal that reports of the death of lockstep compensation have been greatly exaggerated: a large majority of respondents — over 75% — say their firm still pays base salaries on a lockstep scale. And despite the tough […]
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Law Schools, LSAT, Student Loans
We’ve had a lot of evidence that prospective law students have hatched a diabolical plan to flood the legal market with fresh talent. But this graph from Most Strongly Supported tells it all: My Lord. Right now, I’m like Oliver Platt at the end of 2012. Shut the damn door or we’re all gonna die. […]
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* Utah college student can’t use “global warming” as a defense. Tim DeChristopher was indicted in April on felony charges for interfering with a government auction and making false representations when he bid $1.8 million for land near Utah’s national parks knowing he could not make good on the bids. [New York Times] * ATL […]
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KINNEY’S TOP DOGS IN HONG KONG OVER THE NEXT 10 DAYS
For about the 40th time in the last five years, Kinney Recruiting’s got a team flying to Hong Kong for visits with clients and candidates. Please feel free to reach out to Evan and Robert at asia@kinneyrecruiting.com and set up a meeting with them if you would like to discuss your career and the market.
