November 2010
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 11.23.10
* The New Jersey Senate passed an Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights. Is this just reactionary pandering? Cue Elie’s opinion on the nanny state in 3, 2, 1… [New Jersey Star-Ledger] * You’re doing it wrong! Chandra Levy’s murderer was convicted in D.C. without forensic evidence, a murder weapon, or eyewitnesses, because “there was a lot […]
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Football, Harvard, Minority Issues, Parties, Racism
Racism Will Find You, Even at the Harvard-Yale Game
The Harvard-Yale Game was this weekend. I didn’t attend. I’m at that uncomfortable age where I’m too old to go to The Game and get black-out drunk at the keg, but too young to show up in a fur coat handing out glasses of Cristal (rhymes with “Mystal”) while my butler grills porterhouse steaks out […] - Sponsored
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 11.22.10
* A discussion of the English language’s “internal structures of logic and order” — inspired by the “pleaded” versus “pled” dispute, a topic we covered back in 2008 — from Professor Eugene Volokh. [Volokh Conspiracy] * A common-sense approach to airport security, from Professor Nathan Sales. [National Review] * A careful dissection of my write-up […]
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Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Associate Salaries, Biglaw, Bonuses, Cheapness, Holy Crap, Money
Cravath Bonuses Are Out: The 2010 Bonus Season Is Under Way!
We’ve had to wait a long time for this announcement. Last year, Cravath kicked off bonus season on November 2nd. This year, bonus news took longer to arrive. Was it worth the wait? Cravath just announced its bonuses, this afternoon. So, what are the Cravath year-end bonuses looking like for 2010? -
Law Schools, Rankings
In Defense of Law School -- Namely, Touro and Other Fourth-Tier Schools
Last week, I wrote a post about Touro Law School. The post highlighted allegations of wrongdoing at Touro College. In light of these allegations, and after talking about Touro Law’s reputation with a St. John’s law student I know, I suggested that the ABA might want to take a closer look a Touro Law — […] -
Biglaw, Billable Hours, In-House Counsel
Inside Straight: Vive La Différence
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Inside Straight, Above the Law’s new column for in-house counsel. When I moved in-house ten months ago, my phone started to ring off the hook — and not just from folks I hadn’t spoken to in years, who thought that I’d now be itching to retain them. […] -
Blogging, Law Schools, Money, Small Law Firms, Student Loans
Small Firm Lawyers Balk at ASU 3L's Request for Sponsorship
While bonuses are burning up the comments here at Above the Law, there’s another discussion raging over at the ABA’s SoloSez Listserv — where solo and small firm lawyers from around the country share resources, practice tips and the occasional anecdote. It seems that a 3L at Arizona State’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law […] -
Federal Judges, Frank Easterbrook, Quote of the Day, Real Estate, Richard Posner
Quote of the Day: Law-and-Econ Types Don't Like to Waste Time
I didn’t read one word. I have a life to live. — Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook, explaining that he didn’t read the 100 pages of RESPA disclosure documents when he recently purchased a house. (Gavel bang: Josh Blackman, who notes that Judge Easterbrook’s colleague, Judge Richard Posner, previously said essentially the same thing.) - Sponsored
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Associate Advice, Job Searches
Pucker Up: Traits of Highly Effective Boot Lickers
Flattery will get you everywhere in your legal career. Really. Professors at the Kellogg Business School did an entire study and figured out that people with a legal background are especially skillful at sucking up — and sucking up will take you far. On the one hand, this shouldn’t surprise anybody. People kiss up because […] -
Law Schools, Morning Docket, Sarah Palin
Morning Docket: 11.22.10
* It would be much easier more entertaining if Eva Longoria and Tony Parker had to settle their dueling divorce filings with a jump ball. [New York Daily News] * Duquesne’s law student clothing drive was pathetic, but this just takes the cake. Would you pay an ASU law student’s tuition? [ABA Journal] * After […]
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Antonin Scalia, Celebrities, Clerkships, Fabulosity, Federalist Society, Media and Journalism, Parties, Politics, Samuel Alito, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks, Technology
Justice Scalia at the Federalist Society Fête
On Thursday evening, I had the great pleasure of attending the annual dinner at the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention, in Washington, D.C. The event — attended by an estimated 1,400 people, and held in the cavernous ballroom at the Omni Shoreham — featured, as always, conservative and libertarian legal luminaries galore. (Did Judge Diane […] -
Constitutional Law, Federalist Society, Gay, Gay Marriage, Law Professors, Richard Epstein, Weddings, William Eskridge
Proposition 8 Violates the Fourteenth Amendment: A Debate
A liveblog of what should be a most interesting debate on Prop 8 and gay marriage — taking place at the 2010 National Lawyers Convention of the Federalist Society, and pitting Professor William Eskridge against Professor Richard Epstein — after the jump. -
John Yoo, Quote of the Day, Wall Street Journal, War on Terror
Quote of the Day: A Professor's Practical Perspective
[T]he imperatives of law enforcement distract soldiers and intelligence agents from their primary war-fighting mission. We don’t want our soldiers pausing on hostile battlefields to read detainees Miranda warnings, take down witness statements, and collect evidence in plastic baggies. They should remain focused on finding and killing al Qaeda terrorists. — Professor John Yoo, in […]
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Bar Exams, California
California Bar Results: Open Thread
I’ll say this for California: at least they didn’t accidentally release the results of the July 2010 bar exam and then lie about it for a whole day. Apparently, the good people at the Nuts & Boalts blog have been acting like there’s been an early release… and then Rickrolling people who click on it. […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 11.19.20
* The president of Duke begs students to stop acting like douches. Good luck! I beg my dog to learn how to use the toilet while I’m at work, but every evening she needs to dookie in the street. [The Not-So Private Parts / Forbes] * Over there, that thing slinking along the ground, is […] -
Billable Hours
The Hours Survey Results
Earlier this month, we asked you to tell us how you were doing with your hours. I planned to announce the results of the survey when the first firm announced bonuses contingent on an hours requirement. But since bonus news is late this year, perhaps Rudolph has some sort of tumor? I still think bonuses […] -
A. Raymond Randolph, Brett Kavanaugh, Federalist Society, Free Speech, Politics, Privacy, Technology
Anonymity and the First Amendment
A liveblog of an interesting panel at the 2010 National Lawyers Convention of the Federalist Society, after the jump. -
Conferences / Symposia, Contract Attorneys, Document Review, Technology
The Rundown: This Week in Legal Technology – 11.19.10
This week — in between tweeting some really funny stuff (such as how I want to blow up airports — it was so funny!), buying up every last can of Four Loko that I could get my hands on, and forwarding Skadden employee evaluations to all of my friends — I spent the rest of […] -
Holidays and Seasons, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: Hallmark of Justice
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com Greetings, My firm, like so many, has decided not to purchase and send holiday cards for our clients, instead relying on those stupid ecards. Ostensibly this is part of our “Going Green” initiative. More likely it puts more green in the partners’ […] -
Biglaw, Gay, Gay Marriage, Money, Perks / Fringe Benefits, Tax Law, Videos
Biglaw Perk Watch: MoFo Takes a Stand for Fairness
Sorry, we’re still waiting for the Biglaw bonus shoe to drop. While you wait, here’s some good news in the Biglaw benefits area (a la Proskauer’s iPad announcement). On Wednesday, I asked: “Remember Google’s gay gross-up? Barclays is doing it too. Will law firms follow suit?” At least one law firm is stepping up to […]