January 2010

If you attend or graduated from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, you most likely knew this post was coming. For the rest of you, let me bring you up to speed. Cardozo Law is trying to connect students who want extra tutoring with students who are willing to help. Cardozo’s office of student services […]

On Tuesday, we tuned in to the late night show debacle unfolding at NBC. On his show that night, Conan O’Brien shared insights about the lawyerly wranglings. From US Magazine: “Hi, I’m Conan O’Brien, and I’m just three days away from the biggest drinking binge in history,” he said during Tuesday’s monologue. “I spent the […]

If you’re like most Biglaw attorneys, your days as a first-year associate were some of the best days of your life. The rush of arguing in court with no supervision. The tawdry office romances with beautiful, lonely seventh-years. The 6 p.m. happy hours where you and five of your hard-bodied colleagues sat around O’Neil’s sipping […]

This morning the Supreme Court handed down its eagerly awaited decision in Citizens United v. FEC (PDF). The ruling will allow both corporations and labor unions to participate more fully in the political process. The opinion was written, not surprisingly, by Justice Kennedy. More after the jump.

This past Tuesday, January 19, was the first day of work for many class of 2009 associates. They’ve been deferred, they’ve been scraping by on stipends, but yesterday many of them finally got to start work. Right? On our most recent start date round-up, we noted a number of firms that pinned their class of […]

* Duane Morris partner Daniel Winslow, chief legal counsel to Republican Senator-elect Scott Brown, discusses Brown’s path to victory. [National Law Journal] * Meanwhile, a former U.S. senator — the famous trial lawyer and one-time VP candidate, John Edwards — has admitted he’s the father of his ex-mistress’s 2-year-old daughter. [The Lede / New York […]

Dorsey & Whitney is not planning on more layoffs. Not in California. Anything you may have heard to the contrary is false. If you happen to work for Dorsey & Whitney in California, you may have noticed a recent report in the San Jose Mercury News. Tons of readers sent the story to Above the […]

* 20 legal movies every law student should see. [Legal Writing Prof Blog] * Jeff Toobin would like Obama to be more active when it comes to judges. [The New Yorker] * Incoming ABA president talks, lawyers desperate for protectionist policies should listen. [Legal Blog Watch] * Obama’s Office of Personnel Management needs to get […]

We’re taking some trips down memory lane this week at Above the Law. Yesterday we wrote about Peter John, a Lawyer of the Day from 2007. Today we bring you news about Herman Thomas, a Judge of the Day from 2007. He was accused of improperly paddling prisoners, but was acquitted at trial. Now he’s […]

Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. ATL Editors, I just got my grades, and needless to say they were less than stellar, approximately a 2.0 GPA. I got my Biochemistry PhD prior to attending a 2nd tier law school on a great scholarship, but now I stand to […]

Last week, Seyfarth Shaw kicked off a round of 2010 layoffs. Today, Wilson Sonsini followed suit. The firm just announced that it is laying off staff. Here’s an excerpt from the firm-wide memo: [A]fter a long and thorough analysis, we have concluded that these changes have made it necessary to downsize the ranks of our […]

Perhaps Herb Wachtell and Marty Lipton wanted some company as Legendary Old Dudes at 51 West 52nd Street. From the Associated Press: Former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau has joined the New York-based law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Morgenthau retired at age 90 as district attorney, after 35 years in the job. […]

There’s a lot of news coming out of Goodwin Procter today. Some of it is even pretty good. In a wide-ranging, firm-wide memo, Goodwin announced bonuses (basically), thawed out salaries (kind of), and indicated an intention to adopt a merit-based compensation structure (sort of). Let’s start with the bonus news: Maybe you got a little […]

At right, you will find the old logo for the American University – Washington College of Law (WCL). It’s a typical law school logo. There’s little particularly objectionable about it. We’re not graphic design experts here at ATL, but we would only criticize it for being a little too busy and incorporating too many fonts. […]

Back in July, Morgan Lewis & Bockius became one of the first firms to announce that it was doing away with lockstep associate compensation. Sadly, MLB is still lagging behind other firms in explaining precisely what that change means for its associates. Morgan Lewis’s chairman, Francis M. Milone, sent out a firm-wide email to MLB […]

There are significant similarities between the legal profession and the gay porn industry (which are not mutually exclusive, of course). Here are some thoughts on the subject from Queerty: We’re not sure which is harder: working in law or working in gay porn. They’re both very competitive, require working closely with pricks, and their rough, […]

Many associates are hoping that 2010 will bring an end to the layoffs, pay cuts and deferrals of 2009. But so far January has brought more of the same at several major law firms. This week, our ATL / Lateral Link survey asks whether you think your firm will institute more layoffs and pay cuts […]

Cadwalader conducted layoffs, early and often. Massive, bloody layoffs. Now, Am Law Daily tells us what they won: Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft on Tuesday reported a 28 percent increase in profits per partner, the firm’s first positive results since 2007. Yet while the firm enjoyed a slight increase in net income, some of the increase […]

* So Democrats, what do you have to show for your one (and only) year in total control of the government? [Fox News] * Have you sent in a clerkship application? Do you wonder if the judge even looked at it? [ABA Journal] * Judge distinguishes alleged David Letterman blackmailer from alleged Tiger Woods concubine. […]

For the first time in a while, insomniacs are tuning into a late night show that doesn’t star Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. Everyone loves a good fight. The Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and NBC squabble may be more entertaining than Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel have both knocked Leno. […]