April 2010
-
Biglaw, Sports
Is There a Tiger Woods Effect in Law Firms?
Tiger Woods is back on the green stroking it into the hole, his face no longer in the rough, for the first day of the Masters. Beyond a flyover involving a terrible pun and controversy over Nike’s resurrection of Woods’ dead father’s voice, the first day was a smooth one. Tiger the Superstar is back. […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs 04.08.10
* A man allegedly robbed a Staples in an attempt to get a felony conviction. Why did he want a felony on his record? To avoid going to law school. Sure, this guy is crazy, crazy like a fox. [WPTV.com via Twitter] * Remember the judge who was indicted for keying another man’s car? He […] - Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm. -
Lawyer of the Day, Sex
Wisconsin District Attorney Says Sex Ed is Sexual Assault 101
Put those condoms and bananas away, teachers. Wisconsin district attorney Scott Southworth says that sex ed showing minors how to use contraception is “sexual assault ed,” and that teachers who participate are subject to criminal liability. State legislators want schools to teach the virile young children of the Cheese State how to safely churn the […]
-
Elena Kagan, John Paul Stevens, SCOTUS, SCOTUS Potential, Solicitor General's Office, Supreme Court
Is the Kagan Nomination a Done Deal?
With apologies to John Paul “I’m not dead yet” Stevens, speculation has been rampant about who will replace him, if he decides to retire. Many of the names that came up after Souter retired are bubbling back to the surface, but U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan has to be considered the front runner. Obama hasn’t […] -
Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Please Disregard This Warning
You’d be happy to know they warned all us new New York lawyers to consider before sending an email whether we would want it to appear on AboveTheLaw.com. — New member of the New York Bar -
Advertising, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Thanks to This Week's Advertisers
A quick word of thanks to this week’s advertisers on Above the Law: BarMax Lateral Link Lexis Nexis – Discovery Solutions Lexis Nexis – Law Firm Marketing Products Lexis Nexis – RLS Specialized Law Lexis Nexis – Search Advantage & Hosted Litigation Practical Law Company Suntrust 2010 PWM Legal Thomson Reuters USCL University of Massachusetts […] -
Associate Salaries, Lawsuit of the Day
Lawsuit of the Day: Associate Takes Firm to Court Over Deferred Pay
Well, it’s about time. On April 13th, a small claims court in Florida will deal with a case where an associate is suing his former law firm over allegedly deferred compensation. Only $2,000 is at issue, but this is a battle of principle. The Daily Business Review (subscription) sets it up: The salary deferral imposed […] -
Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Mayer Brown Reducing Its Force by 75
Mayer Brown associates got a disturbing email this morning: After careful consideration, the firm has decided to implement a job reduction in our US offices that will affect 28 associates and counsel and 47 staff members. This can’t be good news for the firm’s incoming mutineers who are still waiting to hear back about their […] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
BU Law, Fashion
What's Your Brand?
Karen Shapiro is a lawyer turned “life coach.” From what I understand, a “life coach” is essentially a therapist who helps you see happiness attainment like a basket that needs to be dunked on. Being called coach may or may not allow them to slap you on the ass when you get a promotion or […] -
Latham's Bob Dell Trips Over Fallen Associates in Effort to Impress Clients
The WSJ Law Blog interviewed Latham & Watkins chairman, Bob Dell. Let’s just jump straight to the money quote: Associates at the firm still aren’t fully occupied, according to Dell. But that, he said, is due in part to the fact that the firm was judicious last year with its layoffs, holding on to more […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket 04.08.10
* Outed commenter Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold is suing the Cleveland Plain Dealer for $50 million. [Associated Press] * Sex-addicted paralegal gets shafted by New York City. [New York Post] * Lindsay Lohan’s lawsuit against E-Trade over a milkaholic baby is preventing that baby’s voice from getting paid. [New York Post via Gothamist] * Photographers […]
-
Law Schools
State of Law School Giving Redux: HLS Offers New Options, South Carolina Had It Right All Along
On Monday, we reported that the kick-off for Harvard Law’s 2010 Class Gift pissed off a lot of current HLS students. Commenters told us that similar class gift drives were alienating students across the country. Well, it seems the class marshals at HLS got the message. They decided to try to sell their students on […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 04.07.10
* Okay, Obama is officially just stealing administrative policies from the plotlines on the West Wing. Today’s episode: Posse Comitatus. [Gawker] * Welcome to the dangerous quadriplegic doctrine. [Legal Blog Watch] * Disabled man has service dog. Disabled man is on food stamps. Disabled man is denied food stamps for his service dog. The government […]
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
-
Job Searches
Goodwin Procter is Hiring: People Goodwin Laid Off Are Pissed
Back in November, Goodwin Procter laid off 55 people: 21 of them associate attorneys. You’ll remember that the laid-off employees took the news particularly hard. In February of 2009 — in the teeth of the recession — Goodwin Procter laid off 74 people: 38 of those victims were associates. But enough about sad old 2009, […] -
March Madness 2010
ATL March Madness: Washington, D.C. is the best city for lawyers.
The final match of our March Madness was not quite as thrilling as the Duke-Butler game. DC pulled away from San Francisco at the very beginning, when voting started on Monday afternoon. We were amused to see that lawyers in SoCal contributed to DC’s early momentum (pictured at right). DC finished strong, defeating San Fran […] -
Environment / Environmental Law, Law Schools
Maryland State and Perdue v. Maryland Law and Reason: An Uneasy Compromise
Over the past few weeks we’ve lightly touched on the fight between Maryland State Legislators and Maryland Law School. To bring you up to speed: the Perdue Chicken corporation was annoyed by a lawsuit filed with the aid of Maryland’s Environmental Law Clinic. So, like all good corporations, the bigwigs at Perdue reached into their […] -
Career Center, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center: Practice Area Survey Results
Our recent Career Center survey asked about how the economy has affected the practice area choices of associates and law students. A large majority – 80% – of law firm respondents indicated that they have not had to work outside their chosen practice area to meet their hours. Of the 20% of law firm respondents who have had to work […] -
In-House Counsel
In-House Counseling: Maybe You're Not Cut Out For This Place
Ed. note: This post is written by Will Meyerhofer, a Biglaw attorney turned psychotherapist, whom we profiled. A former Sullivan & Cromwell associate, he holds degrees from Harvard, NYU Law, and The Hunter College School of Social Work. He blogs at The People’s Therapist. It seems like the cruelest thing they could say to you, […] -
Cars, Lawsuit of the Day
Michigan Lawyer Sues State Over Vanity License Plate
As you know, we’re big fans of University of Michigan law students. From time to time, the students there commit acts of douchebaggery that are very funny. But who knew extreme toolishness extended to adults practicing in Michigan who didn’t even go to UM Law School? A Michigan area lawyer wanted to get a vanity […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.07.10
* Constance McMillen won her court battle to go to prom in Mississippi with her girlfriend. In response, parents in Fulton, Mississippi sent Constance an invitation to a fake prom, and held the real one in secret. [Gawker] * Patricia Cohen — ex-wife of SAC billionaire Steve Cohen — now wants a slice of the […]