January 2010

* AP image-appropriating artist Shepard Fairey is under criminal investigation. If convicted, perhaps he can ‘Hope’ for a pardon from Obama. [ABC News] * Gays and lesbians settle in their relationship with eHarmony. [San Francisco Chronicle] * Balloon boy parents don’t want to pay their fines. [Washington Post] * Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein is expected […]

A neighborhood association in Berkeley has filed a class action suit against the University of California – Berkeley’s many fraternities, accusing them of being, well, total frat boys. This lawsuit got wasted in the Californian press last week, but we’re funneling it for the first time today thanks to Courthouse News Service. As one would […]

* Remember the guy who dressed up as a pimp to “sting” ACORN workers? Well, he’s at it again, this time caught attempting to bug the office of Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu. What a hero. [New Orleans Times-Picayune] * Vinny from Jersey Shore is contemplating going to law school. You know, Yale or Harvard if […]

Next month we’ll be speaking on a panel at a conference for Asian American law students and lawyers. It’s taking place at the University of Pennsylvania and being sponsored by the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) at U. Penn. Details and registration info appear here. Asian law students. In Philly. Will there be […]

As a denizen of New York City, I find that I have to deal with people who could be cast members on The Jersey Shore all the time. They clog up my 4 train when the Yankees are playing. They bounce at bars and clubs. Here in the city, you can even see them in […]

Our recent Career Center survey asked about whether you think layoffs and salary cuts are a thing of the past or if 2010 will bring more of the same.  The majority of respondents — 70% — are optimistic about salaries, saying they do not expect any further salary cuts in 2010.  However, respondents were not […]

Predictably, I used to play Dungeons & Dragons in high school. Just as predictably, I didn’t lose my virginity until I stopped. It’s an established fact that Dungeons & Dragons is a bigger threat to human reproduction than all the gay marriages in the world. But I did not know until this day that D&D […]

Over the weekend — yes, we often publish over the weekend, so do check in with us — we wrote about the happy story of Jeffrey Fenster. Fenster, a 29-year-old lawyer who previously worked for a short time at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, was recently selected by Governor David Paterson to serve as executive […]

Some lawyers love what they do. Those who don’t are vocal about how much they hate their jobs. So what would the naysayers prefer to be doing professionally? Above the Law editors have heard these “dream careers” tossed around: government intelligence analyst, writer/journalist, banker (so they can keep making the bank), and — for those […]

Yesterday, reports came in that Chadbourne & Parke unfroze salaries. Then tipsters started telling us that Chadbourne didn’t just thaw out one class year; instead, they went all out and gave true-up raises — putting their associates back to the salary level they would have been at had the firm never frozen salaries in the […]

* Obama will propose a government spending freeze in tomorrow night’s State of the Union address. [Washington Post] * The Justice Department gives the green light to the Ticketmaster / Live Nation merger (subject to conditions). [Main Justice] * This Foreign Corrupt Practices Act case sounds like it might make a good movie. [WSJ Law […]

Biglaw firms do pro bono work for all sorts of reasons: to “give back to the community,” to give associates varied legal experience, for reputational reasons, and for that warm, fuzzy feeling we all get helping those less fortunate. Usually pro bono work makes for good press. But not always. Pillsbury Winthrop got a good […]

* The dog-haters and other associated meanies out there will think this link belongs in the doghouse. But if you have ever seriously thought about the legal rights of dogs and social and political implications of having a pet, you simply must read this article. [New York Magazine] * This gives entirely new meaning to […]

Last week, Wilson Sonsini was busy shuffling staffers out the door. Today, Wilson Sonsini is proud to announce bonuses for the lawyers — just in case any of them were feeling bad about their recently departed secretaries. The firm-wide memo just went out; here’s the bonus news: Merit Bonus The firm will pay merit bonuses […]

Jean Valjean once stole a loaf of bread to feed his starving family during a down economy in France. Despite this crime, Valjean is regarded as a hero who stole only when it was absolutely necessary, then devoted his life to helping others and serving God. I thought of the Les Misérables story when I […]

Berkeley law professor John Yoo, author of the so-called “torture memos” — as well as a new book on executive power, Crisis and Command, which has been getting very good reviews (even from such outlets as the New York Times and the Washington Post) — once again finds himself in the hot seat. And we’re […]

If you’ve been paying attention, you might have noticed that the value proposition for going to law school is diminishing. Legal salaries are in a deflationary state, despite the fact that law school tuition is on the rise. And that debt/salary ratio is really only a concern for the law school graduates who are lucky […]

It has been a month since our last caption contest, so it’s high time for another. Here’s the pic: Same rules as always: Submit possible captions for this photo in the comments. We’ll choose our favorites — with preference given to those with a legal bent — and then let you vote for the best […]

Are we breaking the back of the recession? Today, we have news that Hughes Hubbard is making raises that put will put its associates back to pre-salary freeze levels. Here’s the salary information from the firm-wide memo: ANNUAL SALARIES In recognition of those efforts, we will be implementing raises in annual salaries in all offices […]

We’ve told you before, and we’ll tell you again: be nice to your secretary. They do important work for you. And during their down time — when they’re not playing solitaire — they may be thinking about ways they can screw you over should you cross them. An attorney in North Carolina apparently does not […]