Archive for December 2009

Why Did John O’Brien Leave Sullivan & Cromwell?

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John OBrien John J OBrien headshot Sullcrom Sullivan Cromwell partner.jpgBack 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 Sullivan & Cromwell, there’s often a story behind the departure. E.g., Carlos Spinelli-Noseda (partner left S&C after billing clients and firm for more than $500,000 in fraudulent travel and entertainment expenses).

In addition, word on the street was that O’Brien was escorted from the building by security personnel. Partners are being asked to leave their firms with increasing frequency during the recession — but they’re not usually walked out by muscle.

So we decided to do a little digging.

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Morning Docket 12.17.09

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vampires lost boys.jpg* 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]

* An Indiana judge survives a vampire attack. [Associated Press]

* Will Obama be called to testify in Blago’s trial? [Chicago Tribune]

* Closing arguments in the other huge American criminal trial in Italy this year. [ComputerWorld]

* Bankruptcy judge James Peck okays $50 million in bonuses for Lehman bankers. [Bloomberg]

* Disturbing lawyer of the day Aaron Biber posts $500,000 bail. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

  • 16 Dec 2009 at 6:54 PM
  • UNC Law

10 Minute Rave Break at UNC Law

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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 problem is here? 10 minutes isn’t enough time for the ecstasy to kick in.
Rave takes over Davis [The Daily Tar Heel]
Earlier: Exam Stress Makes University of Maryland Law Students Catty

Non-Sequiturs: 12.16.09

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The Good Wife.JPG* 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]
* Your depressed Biglaw salary is still better than what the J.D.s make at the Big 4 firms. Go check out the comments and feel good about yourselves. [Going Concern]
* Best of luck to Mr. Herrmann of Drug and Device Law in his future endeavors. [Drug and Device Law]
* If I was ever on Inside the Actor’s Studio and James Lipton asked me “what is your favorite sound,” I’d have to answer “the sound of my own voice.” [Litination]

Open Thread: Making the Holidays Happy for Your Secretary / Administrative Staff

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Secretary.jpgIt’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 gift. Not everyone opts for cold, hard cash — some do AmEx or Visa gift cards.

This year has been a tough one. Some associates have had their salaries frozen and have gotten “baby bonuses” in comparison with years past. Are you planning to let the economic pain trickle down?

Some discussion and advice from last year, after the jump.

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Ex-Wife Goes After Deep Pockets

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Steve Cohen playing cards.JPGBillionaire 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 the link below for the details.
SAC Capital, Steve Cohen Sued By Ex-Mrs. C [Dealbreaker]

Howrey Associate Dead in Family Tragedy

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Howrey logo.JPGTragedy 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 gave temporary custody of the girls to an aunt, according to the Los Angeles Times’ L.A. Now blog and the Associated Press. Authorities are conducting forensics tests to determine who pulled the trigger.

Howrey confirmed that Elizabeth Fontaine was a Howrey employee in a firm-wide email yesterday. The email, plus AN UPDATE, after the jump.

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Only Non-Smokers Can Have This Terrible Job

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Non-smoking job.jpgWe 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 an employer looking for vastly overqualified people to do menial work for little pay. That’s almost standard in this market.
No, to be a contender for worst job of the year, you need to have something special. You need a particularly onerous requirement, or you need to show a real flair for being unreasonably cheap with your new potential employee.
This job has both. A law firm in Houston Texas is looking for a licensed attorney to do low-level file management. The pay is craptastic, the benefits are insulting, and there’s a special requirement:

• Non-smokers only

Really? Non-smokers only? I swear smokers are being positively discriminated against in this country. We should be a protected class. You shouldn’t be able to discriminate against people just because they might get lung cancer and don’t really care.
But maybe smokers would self-select out of the applicant pool for this job anyway. After all, smokers know that life is way too short (their lives particularly) to waste doing file management, for $25K, while hoping to one day be eligible for a vacation.
The other job details and an update after the jump.

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Judge Kevin Moriarty Did Not Beat the Honorable Gavel

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kevin_moriarty.jpgEarlier 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 and links, after the jump.

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Best. Motion to Continue. Ever.

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Alabama Crimson Tide.JPGUpdate: 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 to continue is one of the most rational arguments you are likely to hear today. The motion comes from defense counsel in Alabama. It’s so wonderful that even the plaintiffs attorneys found it amusing, as this email from Marsh, Rickard & Bryan shows:

Check out this Motion to Continue that was filed by the defendants in one of our cases today. LOL, it’s awesome.

Roll Tide!

Indeed, it is awesome. And, by now, I’m sure you know why defense counsel is asking for the continuance.
But it’s not just the thought. After all, sports-related continuance motions have been filed before.
It’s the execution that makes it great. Check it out, after the jump.

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Thanks to This Week’s Advertisers

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thank you post it note.JPGA quick word of thanks to this week’s advertisers on Above the Law:

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 advertising@breakingmedia.com. Thanks!

Associate Bonus Watch: Simpson Shares the Wealth with Public Service Fellows

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2009 Associate bonus watch above the law.JPGHere’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 the firm by bonus day means no bonus.

This does seem like a pleasant surprise — especially since we now know that Simpson initially didn’t budget for bonuses for younger classes. We looked back at the terms of the public interest fellowship program at Simpson for mention of prorated bonuses for participating associates, and we found none.

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