January 2010
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China, Texas
Latham is Expanding. Where Have I Seen This Movie Before?
Last week, we reported that Latham & Watkins officially raised salaries, all the way back to where they would have been had the firm not frozen salaries in the first place. Today, we have news that Latham is opening up new offices: one in Houston and one in Beijing. Ahh, ah, AHHH, ah. Don’t call […] -
Contests, Fabulosity, Reader Polls, Sonia Sotomayor
ATL's Lawyer of the Year: The Winner
Voting has concluded in our LAWYER OF THE YEAR contest. From over 160 comments, we developed a slate of ten nominees. Over 1,600 votes later, we have a winner. With so many worthy competitors, the voting was close. These were your top three vote-getters, each with over 15 percent of the vote: The Anonymous Laid-Off […] - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Associate Salaries, Willkie Farr
Good News for Willkie Associates
On Friday evening, we created an open thread for discussion of which firms are providing their associates with the customary salary raises, now that a new year is here. We cited Willkie Farr as one notable example of a firm that had not yet told its associates whether they’d be getting the usual salary bumps. […]
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Sports
Recession is Hurting Lawyer Sports
Yes, I have my Al Bundy-esque stories of high school sports glory. You’re not going to believe this, but I used to be a tailback. 4-year letterman, 3-year starter, with a sub-5.0 forty time good enough for D-III, probably could have made a D-II team if I really wanted it. Yes, I used to … […] -
Gay, Gay Marriage, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Technology, Trials, Videos
Prop 8 Blackout
Because when you want to argue against average Americans having access to a basic civil right, you want to make sure nobody sees you doing it. From the Associated Press: The Supreme Court is blocking a broadcast of the trial on California’s same-sex marriage ban, at least for the first few days. The federal trial […] -
Elena Kagan, SCOTUS, Securities Law, Supreme Court
Elena Kagan: Solicitous of Shareholders
You can’t go two clicks on the internet today without hearing something about the new term of the Supreme Court (or the NFL playoffs, or porn). I’ve got to agree with the WSJ Law Blog’s Ashby Jones that the most interesting SCOTUS related piece comes via Bloomberg and talks about Solicitor General Elena Kagan’s willingness […] -
Job Searches, Law Schools
The Class of 2008: The 'Lost Generation' Revisited
It’s been a while since we debated which class of associates got screwed over the most because of the global economic meltdown. Is it the class of 2009? That was the class who enjoyed the first round of (sometimes indefinite) incoming first year deferrals. Maybe you think the class of 2010 is most screwed? That […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 01.11.10
* Does moving Jay Leno back to 11:35 trigger Conan O’Brien’s (allegedly huge) buyout clause? [USA Today] * I think the city of New York has an unhealthy interest in my diet. [ABC News] * All rise … for a fun SCOTUS term. [National Law Journal] * Ted Olson makes the conservative case for gay […]
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Attorney Misconduct, Food, Legal Ethics, Reader Polls
An Ethical Transgression: The Oreo Thief?
We asked Randy Cohen, author of The Ethicist column at the New York Times, the following question: When I checked into a hotel in California, I was starving, so I ate the $6 box of Oreos from the minibar. Later that day, I walked down the street to a convenience store, bought an identical box […] -
Law Shucks, Layoffs
This Week in Layoffs: 01.09.10
Ed. note: Above the Law has teamed up with Law Shucks, which has done excellent work translating all of the layoff news into user-friendly charts and graphs: the Layoff Tracker. The year isn’t off to a good start, but it’s the same bad news it’s been for a while. Focus is increasingly turning to the […] -
Biglaw, Salary Freeze, Willkie Farr
Open Thread: Firms That Have Raised Salaries As Usual
We’ve been reporting on firms that have announced pay freezes for 2010, but at some firms, the salary outlook for 2010 is still unclear. For example, associates at Mayer Brown and Willkie Farr are huddled in the dark, not sure if they’re freezing. From a junior Willkie associate: I’m a second-year associate at Willkie. I […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs 01.08.10
* The Washington Post’s newest legal expert: Drew Brees. The New Orleans Saints quarterback weighs in on American Needle v. NFL, which will be tackled by Team SCOTUS next week. [Washington Post] * The secret to coming out of the closet at a law firm is to come out casually. [The Lawyer] * Lawsuit of […] -
Celebrities, Clerkships, Media and Journalism, New Yorker, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
SCOTUS Justice Sonia Sotomayor Has Star Power
The most recent New Yorker features a profile of the newest resident of the High Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Given the tone of the piece, you might think One First Street is turning into Melrose Place. Journalist Lauren Collins describes Sotomayor as “the first celebrity Justice”: a “diabetic, a divorcée, a dental-bill debtor, a person […]
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
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New York Times, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, UVA Law, Weddings, Willkie Farr
Legal Eagle Wedding Watch: Rabbit, Rabbit
Holy crap. We did not Photoshop this picture. It actually appeared in a New York Times wedding announcement. Chuckle at it, if you must. But know that when you do, you’re fiddling while a venerable institution goes up in flames. December isn’t a great month to get married, and this December was particularly bad. Still, […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2009, Partner Issues
Associate Bonus Watch: Morrison & FoersterPlus news of their new partners.
On Monday, a bonus announcement was made by Morrison & Foerster, in an email from chair Keith Wetmore. In New York, the firm is matching the Cravath scale, which is not terribly surprising. In addition, New York associates will receive a “contribution bonus” to make them whole for the 2009 salary freeze. This was previously […] -
Fantasy SCOTUS, Guns / Firearms, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
FantasySCOTUS: McDonald v. Chicago (Chicago Handgun Ban Case)
Ed. note: ATL has teamed up with the 10th Justice to predict how the Supreme Court may decide upcoming cases. CNN has called FantasySCOTUS the “hottest new fantasy-league game.” One of the most anticipated cases before the Supreme Court this term is McDonald v. Chicago. McDonald considers whether Chicago’s handgun ban violates the Second Amendment. […] -
American Bar Association / ABA, Law Schools, Student Loans
No. More. Law Schools!
So I’m sitting on a veranda enjoying 70-degree Los Angeles weather, a cuban, and a crisp copy of the Los Angeles Times.* What could possibly make this better? I’ll tell you: an op-ed in a mainstream publication acknowledging the over-saturation of the legal job market that I’ve been preaching about for months. Today’s L.A. Times […] -
Career Alternatives, Hotties, Litigatrix, Sports
Extracurricular Pursuits for Attorneys: St. Louis Rams Cheerleader
We occasionally write about career alternatives for attorneys here at Above The Law. But as far as we know, cheerleading does not constitute a full-time job. So we’re creating a new “extracurricular pursuits” category for it. Many lawyers are cheerleaders in a way, seeking to boost their clients’ spirits and fortunes and tout their best […] -
Gay Marriage, Morning Docket
Morning Docket 01.08.10
* Obama won’t weather this advertorial use of his image. [New York Post via Fashionista] * New Jersey follows New York’s lead on gay marriage. [Star Ledger] * North Face sues South Butt. [South Butt] * Seven lessons for working with regulators. [Young Lawyers Blog] * Insider-trading Canadian lawyer Stan Grmovsek gets 39 months. His […]
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Associate Bonus Watch 2009, Intellectual Property
Associate Bonus Watch: 'Special' Bonuses at Fish & Richardson
Who says “special bonuses” are so 2007? Earlier this week, we reported that Irell & Manella paid supplemental bonuses to its associates that took total bonuses to twice the Sullivan & Cromwell scale. Today we bring you the news that another firm, intellectual property powerhouse Fish & Richardson, is also going the extra mile on […]