December 2009
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Admin, Advertising, Announcements, 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: Ally Bank Cypress Recruiting Kinney Recruiting Lateral Link LexisNexis Probono Manager The Red Cross The Atlantic West LegalEdcenter If you’re interested in advertising on Above the Law or any other site in the Breaking Media network, download our media kits, or email […] -
Law Schools
Another Law Professor Screws Up Exam Time
I know most law professors don’t like giving or grading exams. They’re busy people with many commitments that don’t have anything to do with preparing the next generation of lawyers. But given the legal economy, given how important law school grades are right now, how can professors justify putting almost no effort into the examination […] - Sponsored
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. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 12.24.09
* Next year, Santa will need to make sure his elves have health care. [Politico] * Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor gets serious about bringing an end to judicial elections. [New York Times] * Arnold Schwarzenegger wants cert for Christmas. [True/Slant] * Los Angeles judge protects porn stars’ right to bareback. [Associated Press] […]
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Admin, Announcements, Biglaw, Shameless Plugs
ATL Visits the West Coast
In light of the frigid temperatures and snow we’ve been experiencing here in New York, Elie and yours truly have decided to visit sunny Los Angeles on January 7, 2010. We’ll be doing two events, both of them free and open to the public: 1. The Future of Big Law When: Thursday, January 7, 2010, […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 12.23.09
* The parents of Balloon Boy are sentenced. [ABA Journal] * The Constitution v. Obamacare. [Volokh Conspiracy] * Christmas tax rap. Or, as I like to call it, “more proof that the crossover success of hip hop music is a terrible thing.” [Going Concern] * Greenberg Traurig gets into poker. But not in a degenerate […] -
SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks
Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: More OT 2010 HiresPlus a discussion of politics and law clerk hiring.
On Monday, Adam Liptak had an interesting article about Supreme Court clerk hiring and possible political polarization. From the New York Times: A new study has found that former clerks have started to take jobs that reflect the ideologies of the justices for whom they worked. “It’s cause for concern mainly because it’s a further […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2009
Associate Bonus Watch: Kirkland's Unhappy Campers?
This week bonuses were announced at Kirkland & Ellis. And it seems that some folks aren’t pleased. Bonuses are individualized at K&E, based on your hours and performance rating (above class / with class / below class). Historically the firm has generally been above-market in terms of overall bonus payments. In the past, it was […] -
Judge of the Day, Sex, Sex Scandals, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Judge of the Day: Donald Jackson
When Judge Donald Jackson enters a courtroom, the bailiffs may ask that “all kneel” instead of rise. The Texas county judge has been found guilty of offering to help a woman accused of DWI if she was willing to serve time in the bedroom. From the Dallas Morning News: A 28-year-old woman charged with driving […] - Sponsored
Law Firms Now Have A Choice In Their Document Comparison Software
Six months on since its launch, over 200 firms worldwide are now using Draftable Legal for accurate and reliable document comparison, including UK Top 50… -
Associate Bonus Watch 2009
Associate Bonus Watch: Weil Pays 'Distinguished' BonusesSome senior associates will get $50K bonuses.
Bonuses have been announced over at Weil Gotshal — and, at least for some associates, WGM is paying above the market. Eat your heart out, Cravath. In addition, Weil is giving its associates their standard seniority-based pay raises for 2010. The firm is using the regular NYC pay scale: $160K – $170K – $185K – […] -
Partner Issues
Cravath: Zero Associates Worthy of Partnership
As the partner announcements (or lack thereof) trickle in, I keep thinking back to the line about partnership in the Simpson Thacher documents that we published earlier this month: We are going to need to continue to be extremely circumspect in making new partners … In an environment in which net income is falling and […] -
Associate Salaries
DLA Piper: Taking the Merit Based Model Out for a Spin
There has been a lot of talk about DLA Piper’s new merit based compensation structure, and a lot of that talk has not been pleasant. Associates are pretty bummed that they’ll be starting at $145,000 with 15% of that salary deferred until the end of the year if they hit their performance marks. We noted […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 12.23.09
* It’s beginning to look a lot like … what? We’re still working? The whole team? Oh all right. [ABC News] * Gatesgate 2: The Prequel. [Courthouse News Service] * Yes, to your friend, Forbes Magazine, you will listen about the wisdom of applying to law school. [Forbes] * An exodus from Dickstein Shapiro to […]
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Associate Bonus Watch 2009, Bonuses, Partner Issues
Associate Bonus Watch: Quinn Emanuel(Plus an analysis of their new partners.)
Yesterday was a big news day over at Quinn Emanuel. In the morning, the firm announced its new partners; in the afternoon, the firm announced its associate bonuses. Let’s start with the bonuses. Here are the criteria, from the firm-wide email sent by Richard Schirtzer (described in his bio as “one of the most successful […]
Sponsored
Law Firms Now Have A Choice In Their Document Comparison Software
AI’s Impact On Law Firms Of Every Size
Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
How Transactional Lawyers Can Better Serve (And Maintain) Their Clients
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 12.22.09
* What’s the difference between Senator Ben Nelson and a terrorist? The terrorist has principles. [Commentary] * At some point, Obama is really going to have to stop being such an a$$**** when it comes to gay rights. [Crime & Federalism] * The Fighting Sioux lawsuit got tossed. [Indian Country Today] * UC Hastings has […] -
Bracewell & Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani Goes For Dollars Over Public Service
The public career of Rudolph Giuliani is likely at an end. The New York Times reports that Giuliani will not be running for the U.S. Senate: Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has decided not to run for the Senate seat held by Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Republicans briefed on his decision said Monday evening. … Mr. […] -
9th Circuit, SCOTUS, Sex, Supreme Court, Technology
SCOTUS Takes on Sexting
As Quinn Emanuel folks are well aware (“CHECK YOU EMAILS”), there are many employees out there who are expected to be chained to their work at all times. The BlackBerry goes to bed with you, and not just because of its vibrate function. Sometimes the bedroom talk makes its way onto the BlackBerry. Such was […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2009, Associate Salaries, Hogan & Hartson, Lovells, Salary Freeze
Hogan & Hartson: Bonus and Salaries for the New Year
Much of the recent talk about Hogan & Hartson has focused on their merger with Lovells. While transatlantic mergers thrill the imagination, back on the ground in the States, people are still concerned about their paychecks. Hogan has long had a two-track salary system. The higher track paid market salary with the expectation that associates […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2009, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Wachtell Lipton Bonuses Go Down Again
Last year, associate bonuses at Wachtell Lipton dipped below 100 percent of base salary, for the first time since 2005. This year, they continued their downward slide. But given the problems plaguing both the broader economy and the legal profession, bonuses didn’t go down by as much as many WLRK associates expected. The general reaction […] -
Associate Salaries, Salary Freeze
Salary Thaw Structure: A Chart!
As firms start to unfreeze salaries, all in different ways, we at Above the Law have started to notice a lot of confusion about what these unfrozen salary structures look like. We’ve been seeing a lot of comments and emails like this one: wtf is a true up vs. a thaw…dude…not everyone reads this blog […] -
Advertising, Career Center, Job Searches, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center: Holiday Survey Results
We received over 1,000 responses to last week’s Career Center survey on whether your vacation plans have been affected by the economic downturn. The results reveal that almost 70% of associates are still taking vacation time, regardless of whether they have met their billable hours or not. Less than 10% of respondents say that they […]