Archive for August 2010

Career Center: Learning How to Meditate — and to Write a Supreme Court Brief Like a MoFo

By Above the Law

With the summer coming to an end, we are almost done updating the summer associate profiles for all the firms listed in the Career Center. Along with Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman and WilmerHale, Morrison & Foerster was another one of the firms that encouraged their 2010 summer associates to share their experience with us.

Summer associates at MoFo definitely noticed the amount of transparency at the firm and appreciated how the firm “openly communicate[s] with summers regarding expectations.” If you end up summering at MoFo, don’t be surprised if you get to discuss regulatory matters with clients or draft portions of a brief about to be submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. While every assignment may not involve earth-shattering issues, summer associates are given the opportunity to participate on various pro bono matters throughout the summer.

When MoFo summer associates aren’t busy selecting assignments in different practice areas or attending training sessions, they get to experience “just the right amount of social events to provide a contrast to the work.” In 2010, summer associates would end the workday sailing the Chesapeake Bay, mediating with a Zen Monk, or touring the Museum of Modern Art. In addition to real work experience and quality social events, MoFo had a not-too-shabby offer rate of almost 100% for the 2009 summer class.

Get more details about the summer associate experience at MoFo and other firms by going to the Career Center. Keep an eye out for future posts as we will be publishing the rest of the summer associate survey results in the next week or so.

Opulence: New York City Has It.
(And what about other cities?)

By Elie Mystal

If you’re going to generate million-dollar fees, you’re going to need million-dollar clients. And in New York, the self-proclaimed center of the universe, America’s millionaires come to live and mingle. So says the Metro Wealth Index, which has completed its annual report on high-net worth individuals:

New York City continued to top the Index and had more [high-net worth individuals] than the next top three [metropolitan statistical areas] – Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C. – combined.

The power might have shifted to Washington, the glitz might be in L.A., and the coronary disorders might be in Chicago — but New York still has the money. Lots of it.

And with money comes jobs and clients. Right?

What other cities around the country are faring well in terms of the millionaire count?

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Opulence: New York City Has It.
(And what about other cities?)“

New Rankings List ‘Best Value’ Law Schools

By Elie Mystal

In a time of rising tuition prices and declining job prospects, looking at the value proposition of going to law school is more important than ever. For the second year in a row, the National Jurist has named the 60 best value law schools in its preLaw magazine. From these 60 schools, it has further honored the top 20 value schools (unranked for now, but to be ranked, one through twenty, in October).

For the second year in a row, the methodology used to formulate these rankings needs to be much better if anybody is going to pay attention. The National Jurist recognized law schools as “best value” schools if they met four criteria:

1) their bar pass rate is higher than the state average;

2) their average indebtedness is below $100,000;

3) their employment rate nine months after graduation is 85 percent or higher; and

4) tuition is less than $35,000 a year for in-state residents.

We’ll get to naming the top 20 in a minute. First, we need to break down these inputs — inputs that could have been so much better and more relevant…

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “New Rankings List ‘Best Value’ Law Schools”

Morning Docket: 08.18.10

By David Lat

* Want to visit Cuba? The Obama administration plans to loosen travel restrictions to la isla bonita. [New York Times]

* Two federal judges in D.C., Judges Emmet Sullivan and Ellen Segal Huvelle, refuse to rubber-stamp settlements they view as insufficient, in actions brought by the feds against Barclays (Sullivan’s case) and Citigroup (Huvelle’s case). [WSJ Law Blog]

* Elsewhere in Washington, Harvard law prof Elizabeth Warren, a leading contender to head the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, meets with lobbyists for big banks. [Washington Post]

* The Rod Blagojevich circus will continue, with the former Illinois governor to be retried on hung counts, but ethics reform in Illinois doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. [New York Times]

* Lehman has gone cold in the grave, but the company’s Chapter 11 case continues to be a cash cow for bankruptcy lawyers. [Am Law Daily]

* Federal criminal charges won’t be filed against the Lower Merion School District in the laptop spycam case, but civil litigation continues. [PC World via ABA Journal]

* Speaking of civil litigation, a trial date has been set in the wrongful death suit filed by the family of Robert Wone against his ex-college roommate, former Arent Fox partner Joseph Price, and Price’s two lovers. [Who Murdered Robert Wone?]

* The Obama administration supports creating a United Nations commission of inquiry into crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma. [Washington Post]

Breaking: Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Convicted on One Count – Making False Statements

By David Lat

Ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich was accused of trying to sell President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat in Illinois. The U.S. Attorney for Chicago, Patrick Fitzgerald, seemed to have some great evidence — tape recordings of Blagojevich engaging in apparent wheeling and dealing (and uttering a fair amount of profanity).

Today, on the fourteenth day of jury deliberations, the jury found the former governor guilty on count 24 of the indictment, making false statements to federal agents, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001. The maximum penalty is five years of imprisonment. This makes Blagojevich a convicted felon.

But there was some better news for Blago, too….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Breaking: Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Convicted on One Count – Making False Statements”

Non-Sequiturs: 08.17.10

By David Lat

* Five Ways Not to Lose Your Job Playing Around on the Internet. [Going Concern]

* A suggested gift for incoming 1Ls. [Someecards]

* An interesting Q-and-A with a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act lawyer (which makes FCPA practice sounds a bit like a James Bond movie). [FCPA Professor]

* Harvard sells off its some investments in Israel, which critics accuse of violating international law. [Media Line]

* Say what? Pierson v. Post has been overturned? [Laws for Attorneys (satire)]

* Possible unforeseen consequences from fixating on the memos written by Supreme Court clerks to their justices. [National Law Journal]

* Holland & Knight partner R. David Donoghue hosts Blawg Review #277: A Virtual Day With Lord Stanley’s Cup. [Chicago IP Litigation Blog via Blawg Review]

Help Wanted: Above the Law Seeks In-House Counsel Columnist

By Above the Law

The applications for our Morning Docket opening were so wonderful — and overwhelming (no more apps being accepted) — that we figured we’d go back to the well to fill another freelance position available here on Above the Law. We’re launching a column aimed at in-house counsel, and we’re looking for a writer.

We’ve done a lot of in-house coverage before, from the very good pay — e.g., Gregory Palm of Goldman Sachs; J. Michael Luttig of Boeing — to the occasional layoffs that rock that world.

But now we’re looking for someone who has been on the inside. Someone who has been a corporate consumer of legal services, not just a provider of them. Someone who has had the rare joy of calling up a partner in private practice, bossing him or her around at 4:30 p.m. on a Friday, and getting the desired work product by 8:00 a.m. on Monday. You know, someone who has lived the good life.

But we know the challenges a writer could face with this column. We know, for example, that pesky SEC rules could hamstring a writer who is currently employed at a large publicly held company. If you’re in a position where another lawyer at your company would probably have to review your column before publishing, this job probably isn’t right for you.

But maybe you used to work in-house and now have a private consulting practice, or an academic job? Or maybe you’re still in-house, but at a smaller enterprise? What we’re looking for is a person with experience of and insight into the world where lawyers protect the corporate shield (and sometimes make it home in time for dinner).

You can share your wit and insight with ATL’s thousands of readers (who may insult you; don’t take it personally). You can hone your writing skills (on the non-legal side). You can write under your own name or under a pseudonym (so long as you aren’t breaking any laws). And you will be paid (at a level commensurate with a freelance writing gig like this one).

If you’re interested, please send us your résumé or a brief bio, along with a cover email describing your vision for the column and how you’d make it appealing to corporate counsel readers. You can reach us at tips@abovethelaw.com (subject line: “In-House Column”).

Thanks for your interest. We look forward to hearing from you.

Fall Recruiting Open Threads: Vault 61 – 80 (2011)

By David Lat

With fall recruiting gearing up, and the lateral market warming up, we continue our annual series of open threads about the law firms featured in the Vault prestige rankings. These threads provide ATL readers with a forum to discuss the different firms and their various strengths and weaknesses.

The end of the Vault 100 is in sight. We’re covering the firms in batches of 20 now. Here are the firms ranked #61 to #80, which will provide today’s discussion fodder:

61. Greenberg Traurig, LLP
62. Holland & Knight LLP
63. Fish & Richardson P.C.
64. Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
65. Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
66. Foley & Lardner LLP
67. Perkins Coie LLP
68. Nixon Peabody LLP
69. Patton Boggs LLP
70. Kaye Scholer LLP
71. Hunton & Williams LLP
72. Reed Smith LLP
73. Steptoe & Johnson LLP
74. Chadbourne & Parke LLP
75. Howrey LLP
76. Bryan Cave LLP
77. Lovells (US) [now part of Hogan Lovells]
78. Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
79. Crowell & Moring LLP
80. Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP

This is a very eclectic group, including a few New York-centric firms, some D.C.-dominated places, and a bunch of national and even international giants.

Let’s take a closer look at some of these shops….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Fall Recruiting Open Threads: Vault 61 – 80 (2011)”

Minorities and Women and Law Reviews, Oh My!

By David Lat

Earlier this month, roughly around the time that newly minted law review editors were hearing the good news, we raised the issue of how many minorities and women are being selected for law review.

It’s not a new debate; whether underrepresented minorities (URMs) and women are adequately represented on the nation’s leading law journals has long been a subject of controversy. But in light of the tough legal job market, in which credentials like law review membership are more valuable than ever, it’s certainly a subject worth revisiting.

We kicked off the discussion with this tip:

You may want to investigate proportions of URMs [underrepresented minorities] and women at some top 5 law reviews. I hear that [one school] took 29 1Ls, but only 7 women and no African-Americans. [Another school] took 45 first-year editors, about even male/female, but only 2 URMs in the bunch.

Which law journals are being referred to here? And how are URMs and women doing at other law reviews — perhaps yours is mentioned — around the country?

UPDATE: Please note that a few updates and corrections have been added since this post was originally published. Check them out after the jump.

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Minorities and Women and Law Reviews, Oh My!”

ABA Ponders Accrediting Offshore Law Schools

By Elie Mystal

In August, 2008 the ABA issued a landmark ethics opinion allowing the outsourcing of U.S. legal work.

This August, the ABA is pondering whether to accredit offshore law schools that follow the U.S. system. Because apparently 200 accredited U.S. law schools just isn’t enough. The National Law Journal reports:

The American Bar Association is already tasked by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit U.S. law schools. Now an ABA committee has recommended that it should seriously consider expanding that power to overseas law schools that follow the U.S. model.

In June, the ABA’s Council of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar appointed the committee of law professors, attorneys, judges and law deans to examine whether foreign law schools should be allowed to seek ABA accreditation. The council is scheduled to consider the committee’s recommendations in December.

Globalization, baby! Catch the epidemic fever…

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “ABA Ponders Accrediting Offshore Law Schools”

Thanks to This Week’s Advertisers

By Above the Law

Thanks to this week’s advertisers on Above the Law:

If you’re interested in advertising on Above the Law or any other site in the Breaking Media network, download our media kits, or email advertising@breakingmedia.com. Thanks!

Pie-Throwing Protester Arrested

By Elie Mystal

There was a time when Americans knew how to protest a war. Now is not that time. From the Detroit News:

One protester, Ahlam Mohsen, a Michigan State University senior from Coldwater, was arrested and faces arraignment today on a felony charge of stalking, as well as misdemeanor counts of assault and disorderly conduct, Big Rapids police said. She is accused of throwing the apple pie at [U.S. Senator Carl Levin] after her friend Max Kantar made a lengthy statement at a public event at Peppers Cafe and Deli in downtown Big Rapids.

I can accept that money is speech. I can accept that mosque building is religious freedom. But if your political discourse devolves to pie throwing — or shoe throwing, for that matter — you’re just an idiot.

Senator Levin wasn’t injured by the iconic American dessert…

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Pie-Throwing Protester Arrested”

Skaddenfreude: A Look Inside the Life of a Kirkland & Ellis Contract Attorney

By David Lat

We call it Skaddenfreude: taking pleasure in the misfortune of others who work at large law firms. Today’s tale of Skaddenfreude involves a contract attorney working a project in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis.

Let’s kick it off with a picture….

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Skaddenfreude: A Look Inside the Life of a Kirkland & Ellis Contract Attorney”

Morning Docket: 08.17.10

By David Lat

Orly Taitz, Queen of the Birthers

* Former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) celebrates the Justice Department’s decision to drop its six-year investigation of his dealings with ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff. [Washington Post]

* Speaking of money and politics, state judicial elections are being flooded with cash. [How Appealing]

* Two Stanford Law students strike a blow against California’s three-strikes law. [Los Angeles Times]

* Davis Polk, which has long had a soft spot for Asia (see first blockquote), launches a Hong Kong law practice. [Am Law Daily]

* The latest law firm to get work out of the BP oil spill: Cozen O’Connor. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

* Shocker: The Supreme Court won’t stay $20,000 in sanctions against Orly Taitz, “Queen of the Birthers.” [The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times]

* Musical chairs: Charles “Chuck” Greenberg — former head of Pepper Hamilton’s sports law practice, and the new managing partner and CEO of the Texas Rangers — is taking his team of sports lawyers to Reed Smith. [Am Law Daily]

* Crowell & Moring gets embroiled in litigation over legal fees and settlement money from a lawsuit arising out of the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Pakistan. [ABA Journal]

* Last week was a record week for Cahill. No wonder they paid out mid-year bonuses. [Cahill Gordon & Reindel]

Breaking: Ninth Circuit Issues Stay Pending Appeal in Prop 8 Case, Schedules Oral Arguments for December

By David Lat

Judge Sidney Thomas

The three-judge motions panel — consisting of Judges Edward Leavy, Michael Daly Hawkins, and Sidney Thomas — has issued a stay pending appeal in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the case in which Judge Vaughn Walker (N.D. Cal.) struck down Proposition 8′s ban on gay marriage in California.

More about the ruling and a link to the order, after the jump.

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Breaking: Ninth Circuit Issues Stay Pending Appeal in Prop 8 Case, Schedules Oral Arguments for December”

Departure Memo: Kashing Out

By Kashmir Hill

As I mentioned on Friday, today is my last day as a daily contributor at Above the Law. I’m off to write about The Not-So Private Parts for Forbes.

It’s been two and a half years since my first post for ATL. What have I learned about lawyers since? After the jump is a list of the top five things I’ve come to understand about the Esquired class.

Since I can’t find an inflatable slide here in the Above the Law offices, I’ve found inspiration in another viral departure story…

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Departure Memo: Kashing Out”

Non-Sequiturs: 08.16.10

By Elie Mystal

* When in Starbucks, do as the baristas do. [New York Magazine]

* A warning to Biglaw ladies: don’t make more money than your husband or else he’ll cheat on you. Really, at all times women should just assume they’re married to a bonobo. [Gawker]

* Columbia wants more space in Harlem. It claims the area it wants is blighted. But is it really any worse than anywhere else in New York City? [Out of the Storm News]

* Censorship in Massachusetts just proves that you can never underestimate Massholes. [The Legal Satyricon]

* Here’s a nice profile on our own In-House Counselor, Will Meyerhofer. [TechnoLawyer]

* And here’s me talking about LSAT horror stories, or at least how people should stop whining and just do better on their LSAT. [Law School Interactive]

Bed Bug Emails From Brooklyn

By Elie Mystal

Over the weekend, we linked to the Gothamist story about the bed bug problem plaguing the Kings County D.A.’s office. The bed bug epidemic is sweeping New York. Yes, California, have your laughs. Just know that in New York we slough off bed begs; in California, the Earth itself will scratch you off into the ocean.

Still, your Manhattan-based Above the Law editorial team is well-protected from the brunt of this plague, as the New York Daily News reports:

Ten percent of respondents in Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn reported bedbugs at work, as did 8% of Bronx residents, but just 3% of Manhattanites were afflicted.

And I bet those 3% of Manhattanites are the ones who fall for the occasional “come to my [party / wedding / wake] in Brooklyn, it’s not that far” email. Idiots. If God wanted us to cross rivers and risk the savages of the outer boroughs, he would have provided more helicopter pads.

Oh we kid, Kings County, ’cause living in Brooklyn is like living in Manhattan, only not nearly as cool. And because when the Kings County D.A.’s Office has a bed bug problem, they send out some hilarious emails.

And we’ve gotten our hands on those emails…

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Bed Bug Emails From Brooklyn”

Would You Want to Join the ‘Big Law Society’?

By Kashmir Hill

A D.C.-based friend of Above the Law sent us an email Friday, with very simple instructions:

LOL … please find out more about these d-bags:

http://biglawsociety.eventbrite.com/

The link took us to an invitation to the launch party for the “Big Law Society.” It’s tomorrow night at 8 p.m. at the BlackFinn American Saloon. While BlackFinn is in the appropriate part of town, the power corridor near the White House, it is a sports bar.

A sports bar! Ick. Not an auspicious start for these “d-bags.” (A proper Biglaw Society event should be in the cigar bar at the Old Ebbitt Grill, or at an upscale restaurant like the Palm or Central.)

What is it with D.C. and douchey societies? See our previous coverage of the Ivy Plus Society.

We’re not sure how many firms in D.C. received the invitation, but our Biglaw correspondent told us that the email with the invitation attached was “carpet-bombed to associates” in his office. We’ve tried to find out more about the people behind BLS, but it appears they want to keep the founders’ identities secret. We did find something that gave us serious concern about this society, though…

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Would You Want to Join the ‘Big Law Society’?”

Craigslist Killer’s Self-Imposed Death Sentence Leaves Some Unsatisfied

By Elie Mystal

Here’s an interesting issue for the pro-death penalty crowd: If killing violent offenders passes as justice, are they happy when a violent offender kills himself? That’s the question being bandied about the blogosphere in the wake of Philip Markoff’s apparent suicide.

Markoff was in jail awaiting trial as the “Craigslist Killer.” He allegedly murdered Julissa Brisman after meeting her on Craigslist.

Over on Sentencing Law and Policy (gavel bang: WSJ Law Blog), Ohio State law professor Douglas Berman makes an interesting point:

[A]ssuming he was guilty, my first reaction here is to be pleased. By killing himself, Markoff saved a lot of time, money and energy for those who would be tasked with prosecuting and defending him. And the family of his victim would, I hope, get some measure of closure from Markoff’s death.

Actually, the family of the victim does not seem at all pleased by Markoff’s apparent suicide…

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Craigslist Killer’s Self-Imposed Death Sentence Leaves Some Unsatisfied”