December 2009

* Professor David Bernstein asks: Could a law school lose its ABA accreditation if its faculty members are insufficiently supportive of racial preferences diversity? [Volokh Conspiracy via Instapundit] * Professor Michael McCann asks: Was Coach Mike Leach wrongfully terminated by Texas Tech? [Sports Law Blog] * Justice Scalia has a bee in his bonnet (or […]

We have linked in the past to Big Debt, Small Law. Like Third Tier Reality, which we linked to yesterday, Big Debt focuses on exposing what the writer sees as the fraud of American legal education and the legal profession more generally. The bloggers behind these and similar sites — deeply bitter and angry, but […]

Julie Kamps graduated from Harvard Law School in 1998 and moved to New York to work for Fried Frank. She spent 10 years as a litigation associate at the firm and was let go in January 2009. Anyone who spends ten years at a firm without making partner might be tempted to sue. In Kamps’s […]

* Robert Morgenthau, the 90-year-old legal legend, concludes 35 years of service as district attorney of Manhattan. [CNN] * A gestational mother is held to be the legal mother of twin girls, even though she contracted to carry them for her brother and his husband and is not genetically related to the twins. [New York […]

* Guru gets smacked down for filing a downward facing dog of a lawsuit. Potential defamation plaintiffs, take note. [Bad Lawyer] * We aren’t the only ones who make grammatical errors; even President Obama does. [Althouse] * Loyola 2L, 2.0? “Do not attend [law school] unless: (1) you get into a top 8 law school; […]

We don’t know anything about college football, but apparently many of you do — and are eager to talk about the firing earlier today of coach Mike Leach, by Texas Tech University. There are a number of legal angles here. First, the disputes between Leach and Texas Tech have already resulted in litigation. Earlier this […]

The year 2009 is almost over, but not just yet — which is a good thing. This means we still have time to solicit your nominations for Above the Law’s LAWYER OF THE YEAR. In 2008, you crowned then-President Elect Barack Obama your Lawyer of the Year. After being named ATL’s Lawyer of the Year, […]

Before Christmas, we highlighted one law firm holiday card that we particularly enjoyed (from Haynes and Boone). We also invited readers to email us with other holiday cards we might enjoy. We stated that, if we received sufficient submissions, we might even hold a contest. Lo and behold, we did receive enough entrants. So we […]

* Ninth Circuit to police: Don’t tase him, bros. [How Appealing (linkwrap)] * The AIG email trail could provide evidence for criminal and civil actions related to the company. [Washington Post] * The Christmas day bomber incident renews the debate over full-body scans and how to strike the proper balance between security and privacy. [New […]

* Indianapolis city councilman demands satisfaction from the Colts. Or, as the story is playing out in New York, J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets! [Indianapolis Star] * Fugitive taunts cops on Facebook. I like law, I like order, but I like “awesome” even more. [Gawker] * The Bristol Palin, Levi Johnston custody battle will be waged […]

We thought about trying to curate a list of the most important legal stories of 2009. But then the National Law Journal upped the ante with the Biggest Stories of the Decade. Rather than telling you what was most important, we’re enlisting Google Analytics to tell you what was most popular at Above The Law […]

Last week, Kramer Levin announced its bonuses. The firm is paying bonuses on the Cravath scale, to associates “in good standing.” So it looks on the surface like a market match. But the memo contains the following language worth noting: As has been our practice, eligibility to receive the Year-End Bonus will be based on […]

Every time a firm cuts pay or does something that associates perceive as crappy, people hop on Above the Law and claim that they will be leaving said firm at the earliest opportunity. Then other, meaner commenters hop on and say: “Leave? You can’t leave. Nobody is hiring. Mwahahahahahaha.” After reading those comments, presumably the […]

* AIG’s general counsel cashes out. [Marketwatch] * Scathing report issued in the death of 37-year-old lawyer, Sergei L. Magnitsky, in a Moscow prison cell. [New York Times] * Judge Charles Bernstein wants to stay on the bench and is claiming that forced retirement is unconstitutional. [Daily Record and Baltimore Sun] * Job watch in […]

* Admit it, as soon as you heard about the thwarted Christmas Day terrorism you thought: “Christ, what stupid thing is TSA going to make me do next time?” I’m supposed to go to L.A. in ten days. I figure I’ll just show up at the airport naked carrying a vial of Propofol so that […]

Over the course of 2009, we covered attempts from a number of firms to replace lockstep associate compensation with a “merit based” compensation system. We have seen firm after firm (and consultant after consultant) claim that clients really care about how law firms pay their associates. And who can disagree with a term like “merit?” […]

We’re not in the business of filing pleadings at Above the Law, but there were five motions in 2009 that were outrageous enough to justify posting here. We’re not sure how the judges felt about these, but we were moved: 5. Motion to Compel State’s Attorney to Drop His Accent: Being a New Yorker in […]

* Airport security rules being reexamined after the Northwest 253 scare. [New York Times] * Advice from lawyers who graduated during the 1990s recession: “Don’t panic.” [ABA Journal] * This may be more embarrassing than ordering an appletini. [New York Post] * We hope 2010 brings closure for Dahlia Lithwick’s novel, which she hoped to […]

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the Internetz, Not many creatures were clicking, not even Biglaw cadets; The BlackBerrys were silenced and set aside with care, Because RIM crashed again and no emails were there. Corporate lawyers were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of billable hours danced in their heads… […]

We haven’t received the official memo, but sources report that Mayer Brown (New York) has matched the Cravath scale for 2009 bonuses. A tipster simply reports: Mayer Brown New York announced cravath bonuses today That’s good news for the New Yorkers at the firm. But for our tipster, wow, way to yawn about free money. […]