December 2009

In parsing the fate of law school students, there’s no point in talking about the 3Ls. Their chances of success in the job hunt are about as bright as Obama’s prospects of winning the war in Afghanistan. In other words, abandon hope all ye who enter here. The 1Ls can actually pray the economy will […]

Yesterday we reported that Patton Boggs was having an all associates meeting and wanted its people to be there in person. With everybody gathered around, Patton Boggs unleashed a torrent of news. First things first. Here’s the bonus announcement, from a statement the firm released to Above the Law about the meeting: As usual, we […]

The legal blogs selected for the ABA Journal Blawg 100 have been announced. In case you’re not familiar with this fine tradition, now in its third year, the Blawg 100 are “the 100 best Web sites by lawyers, for lawyers, as chosen by the editors of the ABA Journal.” The 100 websites are divided into […]

I spent all day yesterday trying to summon the rage, trying to figure out a way to trumpet the cause of a sixty-something, recent law school graduate who is still having trouble discharging her student loans in a bankruptcy proceeding. The National Law Journal has the tear-jerking story: When she graduated four years ago with […]

* The fourth time’s a charm — or at least another mistrial, no conviction — for accused mobster John Gotti Jr. [New York Times] * Anyone have a referral for a Florida divorce lawyer? Tiger Woods, liable for careless driving, may be guilty of infidelity too. [Us Weekly] * The alleged White House party crashers, […]

Back in February, we covered a legal malpractice lawsuit brought by Billy Blanks, the Tae Bo king, against his former firm, Seyfarth Shaw. A jury found in Blanks’s favor and issued a $30 million verdict, but that verdict was overturned on appeal, due to flawed jury instructions. A new trial is set for July 2010. […]

* Washington and Lee Law School Dean Rodney Smolla is a finalist to become the new president of Furman University. But he’s only been at Washington and Lee like a semester. So, some students aren’t very happy about the possibility of Dean Smolla jumping ship. [Greenville Tribune-Times] * Two law firm business models enter. Only […]

Just before Thanksgiving, I lightly mentioned Kick-A-Ginger day. In case you missed it, some kids at a California middle school used Facebook to organize a day of beating on redheaded children like they were redheaded step-children. Parents of children at a Calabasas middle school were understandably horrified when they learned that 12-year-olds and 13-year-olds were […]

Adventures in Lawyer Advertising is a recurring feature here at Above The Law, where we highlight, um, noteworthy advertising by lawyers and law firms. Last week, we brought you questionable imagery from a Texas criminal defense firm. (They’ve since removed those photos — thank goodness for screen shots.) The newest addition to this series is […]

UPDATE (3:07): The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) just held a press conference. FHP announced that Tiger Woods was found “at fault” in his traffic accident, guilty of careless driving. The fine is $164 and four points on his driving record. This ends the Florida Highway Patrol’s investigation. FHP determined “that there was insufficient evidence to […]

What is going on, D.C.? As you know, Above the Law will be inside the Beltway tomorrow. And we know a lot of D.C. associates are wondering whether their bonuses will be on the level that Cravath has set for the New York market. We could be getting our first piece of solid information on […]

Yesterday, we reported on Thanksgiving week layoffs at Faegre & Benson. Our sources reported that between six and ten people were let go from just before the holiday. The firm responded after our post went up. Faegre & Benson spokespeople denied that the firm laid anybody off: Faegre & Benson did not lay off any […]

To be clear, we at Above the Law don’t go out and proactively search for the most terrible jobs being offered to law graduates in this economy. But because of the recession, there just seems to be an endless supply of really horrible things you can do with a J.D. The latest entry into the […]

We mentioned in Morning Docket that Harvard Law School is cutting back on loan forgiveness to students bound for public interest jobs. The news that HLS is gutting a major initiative that it started just last year is pretty shocking, and we figured you’d like to see the full email from HLS Dean Martha Minow. […]

* Florida lawyer Scott Rothstein will be charged with criminal racketeering today. [Associated Press] * HLS kids will get free coffee but now those bound for public interest jobs have to pay for their third year. [Harvard Crimson via ABA Journal] * White House party crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi lawyer up. They’ve hired entertainment […]