September 2010
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Biglaw, Job Searches, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms, Money, Small Law Firms
Money v. Job Satisfaction: How Much Do You Need?
Last week I had dinner with a friend who used to work at a large law firm and now has a non-legal career. I asked her what, if anything, she missed about life in Biglaw. “Just one thing: the paycheck,” she said. “I miss being able to go crazy in the shoe department of Bloomingdale’s.” […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 09.13.10
* Due to some baby mama drama, Floyd Mayweather posed for a modeling headshot mug shot after being arrested in Vegas. [Los Angeles Times] * Joey Lo, SMU Law’s anti-abortion warrior, was deemed unfit to stand trial. Gee, ya think? [Dallas Morning News] * Petey Pablo puts another notch on the rapper’s stupidity belt after […]
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Asians, China, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Well, It's a Living
I worry America has too many lawyers. I don’t want to spend time having people sue me every day. — Terry Gou, billionaire and CEO of Chinese electronics company Foxconn.
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Biglaw, Law Shucks
This Week in Biglaw: 09.11.10
Ed. note: Law Shucks focuses on life in, and after, Biglaw, including by tracking layoffs, bonuses, and laterals. Above the Law is pleased to bring you this weekly column, which analyzes news at the world’s top law firms. Most executives will agree that cutting expenses is the far easier way to increase profits. Growing revenue […] -
Nauseating Things, Vermin / Rodents / Pests
Move Over, Muppets: Bedbugs Take Manhattan (D.A.'s Office)
I recently wondered, on Twitter, whether it’s only a matter of time before everyone in Manhattan has bed bugs. Bedbugs are like death and taxes: they will get you eventually, and the only question is when. For lawyers and staff in the legendary Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the answer may be: soon. An employee in […] -
Elena Kagan, Non-Sequiturs, Sonia Sotomayor
Non-Sequiturs: 09.10.10
* Gawker is now offering Donald Trump money to shut up. You could say that Gawker is not getting any consideration in this deal, but you’d be very wrong. [Gawker] * Alice Lingo, the lawyer-turned-cleaning-lady we posted about yesterday, has a Biglaw background. [Law Shucks] * Professor Jonathan Adler has a detailed write-up of Sonia […] -
Eric Holder, Gender, Minority Issues, Racism, Yolanda Young
Yolanda Young Is Once Again in Covington's Face
If you are new to Above the Law, you might not remember Yolanda Young. She’s an African-American woman who used to work as a staff attorney at Covington & Burling. Some time ago, she sued the firm for racial and gender discrimination. You can read all about her claims here. Regular readers of this site […] -
Breasts, Gender, Sexual Harassment, Women's Issues
'Big Boob Friday' Complaint Has Legs
A year ago, we brought attention to the sexual harassment claims of Shelly Sindland. Sindland was a local television reporter in Connecticut who claimed she was discriminated against by Fox 61 News due to her age and gender. Here are some of the highlights from the complaint: * On or about January 30, 2009, during […] - 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. -
Law Schools, Money, New York Observer
From Law School Dropout to Billionaire: Meet Stewart Rahr
Should you drop out of law school? In last week’s debate, I argued against the proposition, and in favor of staying in school. But the decision to drop out of law school works out well for some people. Take Stewart Rahr, the subject of a recent, interesting profile in the New York Observer. Back in […] -
Associate Advice, Clerkships, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: Secret Clerkship
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com ATL, I was wondering if you could do a post about when/how we should tell our firms that we have accepted a clerkship offer — particularly if the clerkship is not a super prestigious one (i.e., fed magistrate), and if we have not yet […] -
Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Headhunters / Recruiters, Lawsuit of the Day, S.D.N.Y.
Major Lindsey Drops RICO Action Against Ex-Employee
Call it RICO not so suave. One of the nation’s biggest legal headhunting firms, Major, Lindsey & Africa, is withdrawing its RICO action against a former employee — after a federal judge offered a somewhat snarky assessment of the merits of MLA’s case. As reported by Leigh Jones over at the National Law Journal, on […] -
Contract Attorneys, Document Review, Technology
Legal Technology Company Takes New Approach to Hiring Contract Attorneys
Fear not, unemployed attorneys of New York City! The recession is over! Work has arrived! No more breadlines for you, Roxana! A couple days ago, a colleague forwarded the following email to me. Names have either been changed or redacted to protect the not-so innocent. To: [Redacted] Subject: Document Review Project – Immediate Need We […] -
Attorney Misconduct, State Judges
Retired Brooklyn Judge Blasts NYAG Candidate Via Email
The Democratic primary for the new New York Attorney General is on Tuesday. Earlier this week, I broke down the candidates and liveblogged the debate between the five Democratics that want to follow in the footsteps of Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the frontrunner, Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice. But […]
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 09.10.10
* Elie mentioned this yesterday. When the third tier toilet stopped being a metaphor. [New York Daily News] * Look at this f**king free speech warrior. [WSJ Law Blog] * Missouri ranks 49th in the nation for per capita spending on public defense. Take that, Mississippi! [New York Times] * After some quality cybersex, I […]
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Federal Judges, Gay, Military / Military Law
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Held Unconstitutional
This year has been a big one for LGBT rights litigation. There was Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, striking down Proposition 8’s ban on gay marriage in California. There were the Massachusetts decisions by Judge Joseph Tauro, holding unconstitutional section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). And in a decision […] -
Cars, Crime, Drinking, DUI / DWI, Hotties, Lawsuit of the Day, Lawyer of the Day, Police
Lawyer of the Day: Anne Bremner - 'I'm famous... You can't arrest me.'
A Seattle reader brought a remarkable tale to our attention. He sent along some links about prominent attorney Anne Bremner and her recent brush with the law, along with this commentary: Anne is a high-profile lawyer — at least here in the Northwest. She is a legal analyst for lots of broadcast media outlets. There […] -
Career Alternatives, DealBreaker, Job Searches, Layoffs
From Laid-Off Lawyer to... Cleaning Lady!
A Dealbreaker reader was out and about on the Upper West Side, and something caught his eye. He moved in for a closer look, snapped a photo, and sent it to Dealbreaker. Our colleague Bess Levin has been having a grand old time ever since. Me? I just want people to see it before they […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 09.09.10
* Pyromaniac Pastor Terry Jones has called off his threat to burn copies of the Koran on 9/11. Jones claims that it’s in exchange for the developers agreeing to move the Ground Zero mosque. Developers claim they only agreed to meet with him. So who knows where this is going. The only thing I know […] -
The Fashion Law Institute Launches At Fordham Law School
The melding of fashion and law seemed like an odd concept in the past, as evidenced by Elle and her hot pink suits in Legally Blonde. With concerns about counterfeiting, the new intellectual property bill in Congress, and the complex nature of the fashion business, designers need legal support more than ever now. Stilettos and […] -
Boutique Law Firms, Small Law Firms
Priorities Are a Big Deal When Moving to a Small Firm
Welcome back to Above the Law’s coverage of small law firm practice. I was pleased with the comments and emails I received in response to Tuesday’s opening volley. After debating on the subject matter for today’s post, I decided that since Small Law attorneys are quite comfortable, often by necessity, with diving right into the […]