October 2010
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Intellectual Property, Patents, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: Getting Schooled
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com Dear Above the Law, I’m a jobless 3L with waning hope (shocking). I want to practice patent law in some capacity, but I majored in mathematics and only gained patent bar eligibility through an 8 hour engineering exam last April. Apparently I’m […] -
Copyright, Intellectual Property, Law Schools
Illinois Law Never Got the 'No Snitching' Memo; It May Rat Out Its Own Students About Illegal Downloads
The University of Illinois College of Law knows a thing our two about scandals. It’s a public university in one of the most politically corrupt states in the union, so we can forgive the occasional admissions scandal (like the one that popped up back in 2009). You’d think that a school which has had its […] - Sponsored
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… -
Caption Contests, Contests, Lawyer Advertising, Pictures, Technology, United Kingdom / Great Britain, Weirdness
Best Law Firm Website Photo Ever
Yesterday our social media columnist, Adrian Dayton, asked you: What’s wrong with your law firm bio? One possible answer: your photograph (or lack thereof). As law firm marketing consultant Dion Algeri told Adrian, pictures are “extremely important” to attorney bios on law firm websites. Over at Great Jakes, Algeri analyzes the lawyer photos on the […]
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Anthony Kennedy, Money, Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Money's Assault on American Politics Is Well Underway -- Thanks to the Psychological Effects of Citizens United
I hope Anthony Kennedy is happy. It’s Justice Kennedy’s world now, and we’re all just playing by the rules he lays down. Despite all the talking points you may have heard about how Citizens United really isn’t that big of a deal, what Justice Kennedy calls speech is flooding American politics ahead of this November’s […] -
Clarence Thomas, Clerkships, Elena Kagan, Feeder Judges, John Roberts, Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks
Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: New Term, New Hires
Monday, October 4, marked the start of a new Supreme Court Term — October Term 2010, to be more specific. It also marked the first day of oral arguments for the newest member of the Court — Lady Kaga, aka Associate Justice Elena Kagan. As Justice White famously observed, a new justice makes a new […] -
Akin Gump, Baseball, Law Firm Mergers, Quote of the Day, Sports
Quote of the Day: I don't know anything about sports, but that sounds like a bad idea.
It’s like picking up a whole baseball team just to get a shortstop. — an anonymous partner at Akin Gump, commenting on the failed merger talks with Orrick. -
Reality TV, Small Law Firms
Another Real 'House'wife - Welcome Phaedra Parks to the Neighborhood
Season 3 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA) premiered this week on Bravo. Why, you might ask, are we covering a reality show that features more catfighting and hair pulling than a prize-off between Kenneth Kratz and Jack Camp? Because the new season brought with it a new cast member who is not only […] -
9/11, Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.08.10
* Sh*t just got real. Real canceled. [New York Daily News] * Some activist judge in Michigan refused to strike down Obamacare. [Los Angeles Times] * Aaah, burqa burqa burqa. [CNN] * Guys at Elie’s law school burned 9/11 memorials all the time, it was no big deal. Until prosecutors got tough. [New York Post] […]
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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… -
Fat People, Gender, Money, Women's Issues
Can You Earn a Fat Paycheck With a Fat Ass?
There was a lovely report in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, if you are a big dude. The report was less lovely if you are salad-eating waif of a man, and downright offensive if you are a normal-sized woman. This isn’t going to shock anybody who is trying to make a living by servicing clients, […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 10.07.10
* I’ve already shared my incisive thoughts on this matter via Twitter, but I think my “street-level hyperbole” about Judge Joseph Williams has its own charm. [Simple Justice] * Forget about bedbugs. The real question is: Have you douchebag-proofed your office? [TechnoLawyer] * Somebody get John Locke on the phone, because law schools have broken […] -
Lawyer Advertising, Technology
What's Wrong With Your Law Firm Bio?
Don’t take it personally. Nobody is perfect, but unfortunately, when it comes to law firm bios — well, most of them stink. They tout the vast accomplishments of the lawyer: where they went to law school, if they graduated with honors, whether they were on law review. Then they often include a laundry list of […] -
Anthony Kennedy, Gay Marriage, Quote of the Day, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Quote of the Day: Already Working on His Gay Marriage Opinion?
[A]ll of us in a pluralistic society have components to our identity; we are Republicans or Democrats, we are Christians or atheists, we are single or married, we are old or young. — Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, waxing poetic at oral argument in Snyder v. Phelps (via Jan Crawford). -
Boutique Law Firms, Divorce Train Wrecks, Family Law, Lawyer Advertising, Small Law Firms
Law Firm to Clients: We Don't Work Weekends
Managing expectations is a very important skill — when it comes to personal relationships, movie enjoyment, and, of course, dealing with your co-workers and clients. You need to know how to set boundaries. After you’ve pulled two all-nighters in a row, for example, it’s okay to tell the partner you work for that you just […]
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
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Crime, Law Schools, Rudeness
Bathroom Etiquette for Lawyers
Welcome to Above the Law’s remedial skills class for current and aspiring attorneys. Here, we will trying to help people who were so busy studying in law school or servicing clients that they missed some crucial life lessons along the way. Today we’ve got a special lesson for all of you who were raised in […] -
Advertising, Associate Advice, Biglaw, Career Center, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center: Tips on Networking Within Your Firm to Advance Your Career (Part 1)
As soon as a young attorney gets a job offer and begins working, networking typically takes a backseat until a new job search begins. This fact is not surprising. Junior associates must maintain high billable hours, participate in countless training and CLE events, and still attend various non-billable firm events. While networking and the daily […] -
Conferences / Symposia, Technology
Highlights From the Masters Conference
This week, while taking a break from my favorite pastime — hanging out with strippers and snorting coke with federal judges — I attended the Masters Conference in Washington, DC. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this conference, it has carved out a significant niche for itself in the e-discovery universe. The Masters […] -
Legal Research, LexisNexis / Lexis-Nexis, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners, Technology
LexisNexis Launches New Platform for Solos
Over the next year, LexisNexis is rolling out a completely redesigned research platform, and guess who they’re starting with? From the press release that came out Tuesday: LexisNexis… today announced the launch of Lexis® Advance for Solos – the first in a series of releases of new Lexis® Advance online legal research tools. Created through […] -
Contempt, Free Speech, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Mississippi Lawyer Jailed -- For Not Reciting Pledge of Allegiance
Man, have things changed in Mississippi. Mississippi used to be a hotbed for rebellion against the Union, and now it’s putting lawyers in jail for refusing to pledge allegiance to the flag. That’s progress, baby! (Sorry, I just wanted to see what it would look like to write a paragraph portraying Mississippi as progressive about […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.07.10
* The Phelps clan brought their classy roadshow to the Supreme Court yesterday. [Washington Post] * What would I do with a million dollars? Two chicks at the same time, man. Then I’d hire Jonathan Turley. [TMZ] * Alright, stop. Collaborate and listen. ICE is stealing all the illegals out the kitchen. [Los Angeles Times] […]
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Cocaine / Crack, Crime, Drugs, Federal Judges, Legal Ethics, Marijuana, Prostitution, Sex
Notes on Camp: More on the Federal Judge Accused of Drug (and Whore) Use
In December 2008, then-Chief Judge Jack Camp (N.D. Ga.) gave an interesting interview to the Fulton County Daily Report. In explaining his decision to enter the semiretired state available to certain federal judges known as senior status, Judge Camp said that senior status would allow him to do some things “I really want to do, […]