February 2010
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Quicklisting
From Contracts to Couture
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Technology
We Acquired SuperLawyers? For Real? (An Update)
At LegalTech, Thomson Reuters celebrated Tuesday night’s announcement of acquiring the Minneapolis based SuperLawyers with all kinds of bells and whistles. Unfortunately the ringers on the bells were defective and the whistles were meant for dogs. No one from Thomson at LegalTech was prepared to really discuss anything regarding the SuperLawyers pick-up. “Oh, that’s a […] - Sponsored
Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
Zach Warren from the Thomson Reuters Institute discusses the potential and the pitfalls. -
Anthony Kennedy, SCOTUS
Justice Kennedy: 'Courtly and Humorous'
Oh, to be old and powerful. SCOTUS Justice Anthony Kennedy must be living the good life. He’s got a lifelong job in the middle of a global recession, and oh yeah, he’s the swing vote on the Supreme Court. I bet he doesn’t even drive a Toyota. Justice Kennedy gave a talk at Pepperdine School […]
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 02.04.10
* “Lady Al Qaeda” was found guilty. Her reaction: “This is a verdict coming from Israel and not from America.” [New York Times] * And just to be clear, Attorney General Holder is a huge fan of civilian trials. [Courthouse News Service] * Congressional Democrats try to figure how to protect themselves from corporate “speech.” […]
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Biglaw, Conferences / Symposia, Education / Schools, Law School Deans, Law Schools
Changes in Legal Education: Some Thoughts from Dean David Van Zandt
Earlier this week, at the PLI Law Firm Leadership and Management Institute — which was excellent, by the way (and not just because we presented there) — Dean David Van Zandt, of Northwestern University School of Law, offered some reflections on the future of legal education. (We used one of his comments as a recent […] -
Howrey LLP, Layoffs, Staff Layoffs
Howrey Layoff Update: The Final Tally?
Yesterday we reported on layoffs at Howrey. Our sources told us that 100 people were axed, but a Howrey spokesperson declined to give us firm numbers. It turns out that our sources were pretty accurate. The firm confirmed to AmLaw Daily today that it laid off 94 people: 29 associates and 65 staff, from 10 […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs 02.03.10
* According to the IRS, sex change operations are tax deductible, but breast augmentation is not. What the hell? I want my America back. [Going Concern] * Understanding the meaning of euphemisms, fail. [Bostonist] * An Orrick partner comes to the defense of James O’Keefe. [Politics Daily] * Does anybody else think that getting a […] -
Cardozo Law School, Hotties
Law Student of the Day: Matthew Moinian
Last week, the New York Post published a list of the New York men it considers to be the city’s twelve most eligible bachelors. As always, the Post keeps it classy with its criteria: “young. hot. rich.” The list includes Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, comedian Andy Samberg, and Knicks forward Danilo Gallinari. It also includes […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Biglaw, Health Care / Medicine, Partner Issues
Mother of Biglaw-Kidney Recipient Expresses Thanks
It’s still early in 2010, but the runaway leader in the clubhouse for feelgood Biglaw story of the year is coming out of Haynes and Boone. It was widely reported last week that Matthew Deffebach, a partner at Haynes and Boone, donated a kidney to the son of a staffer at the firm. Deffebach didn’t […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2009, Associate Salaries, Killing Lockstep, Money, Salary Freeze
Pillsbury: Raises, Bonuses, and Other Sundries
It looks like Pillsbury is back to communicating important information via firm-wide memo, instead of via cell phone conversation on the Acela. Yesterday, the firm indicated that it is thinking about moving away from lockstep associate compensation, but it is not killing lockstep just yet. Instead, Pillsbury announced lockstep raises — they’ll be true up […] -
Quote of the Day, Student Loans
Quote of the Day: The Mayan Plan for Debt Repayment
Well, the end times are coming in two years, anyway…. — A Liberty University School of Law student, discussing crushing law school debt and dismal employment prospects with a representative of a bar exam prep company. -
Lawyer Advertising, Technology
Adventures in Lawyer Advertising: What the MoFo?
Morrison & Foerster has fully embraced the moniker MoFo. And now the firm appears to be embracing a WTF theme for its website. MoFo rolled out the new website recently. Tipsters say the new site took years and many dollars to create. The design budget is rumored to be $1 million. (We’ve asked the firm […] -
In-House Counsel, Rankings
Law Firms Gain Access to Corporate Counsel Reviews of Their Work
We’ve previously written about the ACC Value Index, a tool developed by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) that is designed to “help[] ACC members share meaningful information about the value they get from their outside counsel.” We noted in our initial post that these client reviews of law firms were available only to ACC […]
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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Advertising, Career Center, Job Survey, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center: January's Ten Most Popular Firms
While associates at some firms are still waiting to learn what their 2009 bonuses will be, associates at other firms are learning more about what the future holds in store for them, as more firms announce new compensation structures for 2010 and beyond. Check out the ATL Career Center, powered by Lateral Link, for the […] -
Technology
Thomson Reuters Attempts to Achieve "Super"iority with Lawyers
After taking a a shot to the chin on news of Lexis Nexis’ new partnership with Microsoft, Thomson Reuters (the parent company of Westlaw), has announced that they are acquiring SuperLawyers. This literally just broke tonight, and like most things in my life I am a bit perplexed on this. I would assume this would […] -
Associate Salaries, Killing Lockstep
Foley & Lardner: New Salary Structure Leaves More Questions Than Answers
Late last week, Foley & Lardner released its new salary structure. Honestly, I can’t tell you what they’re doing. I’m a professional firm double-talk decoder, but trying to pull out key phrases from this memo made me feel like John Nash. The memo starts off similarly to other announcements from firms that want to move […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 02.03.10
* A Seattle lawyer is suing Sallie Mae for harassment for “dozens of unwanted calls” on his cell phone, a.k.a. “pay off your law school loans” calls. [Puget Sound Business Journal via ABA Journal] * After a successful class action suit against department store Windsor Fashions, the plaintiff’s attorney received a payout of $125,000… in […]
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Billable Hours, Facebook, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Quote of the Day, Social Networking Websites
Quote of the Day: 'Poking' the Billable Hour
Flat fee is the way of the future. — Mark Howitson, deputy general counsel for Facebook, in his keynote address at LegalTech New York. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs 02.02.10
* Lost fans respect intellectual property laws. [Epicenter/Wired] * Perhaps SEC employees missed out on Wall Street warning signs because they were so distracted by porn. [WSJ Law Blog] * Texas defense attorney Adam Reposa has appeared on ATL’s pages quite a few times. He’s still trying to fight off a contempt of court charge […] -
Howrey LLP, Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Howrey Can't Utilize Everybody
Update: Howrey has confirmed that 94 people were laid off. More information here. Howrey LLP has been generating a lot of news recently. Last week, the firm got hit with a $30-million racial discrimination suit by a former Brussels-based associate. But the rumor mill there was already churning with other, more depressing news here in […]