December 2009

Back in April, we wondered about the departure from Sullivan & Cromwell of John O’Brien, a highly regarded and well-liked corporate partner who focused on M&A work. This development captured our interest because it’s unusual for lawyers to leave the (highly lucrative) partnership of a top firm like S&C. When partners leave a place like […]

* Mumbai high court upholds 1995 decision invalidating licenses for White & Case, Ashurst and Chadbourne & Park to open firms in India. Unless the government changes the law, that goes for any other non-Indian firm that wants to open an office there. Partnerships with Indian firms and offshore work still welcome, of course. [Bloomberg] […]

We mentioned the NYU Law awkward and silent dance parties earlier this month. Kash was very diplomatic in that post. I would have emphasized the extreme dorkiness on display. I’m not sure the clip below from UNC Law is much better. But it’s certainly louder, and that counts for something. See, you know what the […]

* Maybe I should check out some The Good Wife episodes over the holidays. People who watch it tell me it’s good, and it can’t possibly be worse than what The Deep End will offer. [Law and More] * More people try to explain the value of work to (non-lawyer) Elizabeth Wurtzel. [Double X] * […]

It’s that time of the year again, says one ATL reader: now would be a good time for the old “how much are you giving your secretaries for the holidays?” story It’s customary for associates at large law firms to give a cash gift to their administrative assistants, often along with a card or small […]

Billionaire and hedge fund god Steve Cohen, founder of SAC Capital, has been sued in a civil RICO case by his ex-wife, Patricia Cohen. And this isn’t some kind of pro se craziness. The suit is being handled by noted trial attorney Paul Batista. Dealbreaker has the full story, and it is juicy. Click on […]

Tragedy struck the Irvine, CA, and Houston offices of Howrey earlier this week. The ABA Journal reports: A Howrey intellectual property lawyer was found dead along with her daughters and mother Monday in an apparent murder-suicide. Associate Elizabeth Fontaine, her two daughters and her mother were killed on the same day that a California judge […]

We have done a series of posts about the terrible jobs being offered to attorneys and law students during the recession. There will be a contest to crown the Worst Job of the Year — please send us your tips on jobs we might have missed. To make the finals, we need something more than […]

Earlier this year, Kansas lawyer Kimberly Ireland filed a lawsuit against state judge Kevin Moriarty, accusing him of masturbating while overseeing her divorce mediation. After we wrote about it, her ex-husband came to Judge Moriarty’s defense, saying his wife’s accusations were limp. Ireland is now recanting her claims as well, issuing a public apology. Excerpt […]

Update: This motion was granted. Some on this board have doubted my commitment to college football. Even though I didn’t go to a school with a major FCS team, I adopted Michigan long, long ago (Elvis Grbac era), and I know how important the sport is. So believe me when I say that this motion […]

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Here’s a bit of surprising good news, from a source at Simpson Thacher: Thought that STB should get its props for the (completely unexpected) notice that those on the public service fellowships will receive a pro-rated portion of the bonus that their individual class years received. Not bad, considering that normally not being employed at […]

Back in October, we wrote a piece for the Washington Post about retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s new educational video games. She’s spearheading a project called Our Courts, which seeks to improve civic education in middle schools. One game, Supreme Decision, lets the kiddies weigh in on a First Amendment case in the […]

* Microsoft reaches a settlement with European antitrust regulators, agreeing to give Windows users a choice of browsers. [New York Times] * Garth Brooks is suing his hometown hospital for half a mill. (If we had knowledge of any of his music, we’d engage in some wordplay here based on an album or song title, […]

Last week, I wrote: If Dewey doesn’t follow the market and instead pays what it did last year, I’ll strip naked and run through the streets screaming “I am TTT! I am so TTT!” Happily for me — and the women and children of the New York metropolitan area — Dewey & LeBoeuf decided to […]

* “They used to call me Crazy Joe, now they can call me the Batman.” [Bad Lawyer] * Is it really so hard to imagine that young, talented, hard-working individuals would rather start their careers instead of sitting around for a year while being fed $80,000 to stunt their professional growth? [The Economist] * E-marriage […]

‘Tis the season for… litigation between law firms and their ex-clients? What happened to the holiday spirit of peace and good will for all? First Simpson Thacher (malpractice), then Debevoise (last item — unpaid fees), and now, Paul Hastings (malpractice). From the New York Law Journal: A financing unit of Cerberus Capital Management L.P. has […]

Last month, we asked you if it was better to be laid off before the holidays, so you could adjust your holiday spending accordingly, or after the holidays, so you could bank the extra paychecks. Above the Law readers were pretty evenly split on the question: 50.8% would rather be laid off before, 49.2% wanted […]

Aaron Biber was a principal specializing in business law at the Minnesota law firm of Gray Plant Mooty — until yesterday. As mentioned in yesterday’s Non-Sequiturs, he’s been charged with molesting a 15-year-old boy. His photo appears at right. We’ll let you be the judge. Biber was a prominent member of the local bar. From […]

The Day That Lockstep Died (to the tune of “American Pie”) My, my, pushin’ lockstep aside, They say merit — do they mean it? ‘Cause my raise has run dry. But top-tier firms are not inclined to comply: Sayin’, we’re not sure if this s**t will fly; we’re not sure if this s**t will fly. […]