November 2010
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Job Searches, Law Schools
The Secret To Inflating Employment Rates? Only Survey Law Grads Who Are Employed
The following will shock no one who has been paying attention to how law schools are trying to openly game the U.S. News law school rankings and mislead prospective law students. When it comes time to collect employment data, law schools are selectively surveying their graduates: they’re seeking survey responses from employed graduates, while ignoring […] -
Advertising, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Thanks to This Week's Advertisers
Thanks to this week’s advertisers on Above the Law: American Express BarMax Delta Kinney Recruiting Lateral Link Lexis Nexis – Discovery Solutions Lexis Nexis – File & Serve Lexis Nexis – Law Firm Marketing Products Lexis Nexis – RLS Specialized Law Lexis Nexis – Search Advantage & Hosted Litigation Livescribe New York Times Thomson Reuters […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Airplanes / Aviation, Crime, Federal Government, Lunacy, Police, Social Networking Websites, Technology, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Brit Twit's Sense of Humor Does Not Appeal
This morning, the Senate had a TSA oversight hearing to discuss serious issues around secure air travel, notably the use of see-through-your-clothes scanners and aggressive “crotchal area” patdowns. A highlight was the TSA head offering any of the senators that wanted one a sample patdown to experience it for themselves. No happy ending guaranteed. For […]
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Biglaw, In-House Counsel
The Angel and the Devil
Ed. note: This post is by Will Meyerhofer, a former Sullivan & Cromwell attorney turned psychotherapist. He holds degrees from Harvard, NYU Law, and The Hunter College School of Social Work, and he blogs at The People’s Therapist. There comes a time as a lawyer when you split in two –- an angel and a […] -
Biglaw, Email Scandals, Partner Issues, Screw-Ups
Skadden Partner Accidentally Emails Confidential Evaluations to Entire Department
Those of you who have been in the legal profession long enough remember the tale of Jonas Blank. While working as a summer associate at Skadden, he inadvertently sent an irreverent email, intended for a single friend, to the firm’s entire underwriting group (partners included). Whoops. But the firm was forgiving of young Jonas. He […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 11.17.10
* The FDA has made sure no one gets lok’d again. Thanks a ton, Buzz Killington. [New York Times] * The incoming New York AG is looking for the “best legal talent in the nation.” NBTG: nothing but Touro grads. [DealBook / New York Times] * If you’re going to file a lawsuit claiming some […]
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Department of Justice, Minority Issues, Police, Racism
DOJ to Police: Racial Profiling Is Still Wrong and You Still Need to Stop Doing It
It seems like such a simple proposition: if a police officer stops you, he has to have a reason. He doesn’t have to have to be right. He doesn’t even need a particularly good reason. He just needs a legitimate reason. And the reason can’t be based on the color of a person’s skin. Why […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 11.16.10
* Should gay TSA agents be allowed to give “same-gender pat downs”? Only if they’re cute. [Christian News Wire] * Is it “stealing” electricity to plug your Nissan Leaf into a parking garage’s electrical outlet? [Instapundit] * Professor Orin Kerr asks: Have you ever cheated on a law school exam? [Volokh Conspiracy] * If Ginni […] - Sponsored
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… -
John Paul Stevens, Quote of the Day, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Quote of the Day: A Supreme Court Beautification Project?
Personally, I would like to see more Midwesterners or Westerners and not as many from the Ivy League schools. But that does not mean any one of them is not fully qualified. It’s a problem that there are only so many seats available…. — Justice John Paul Stevens, in an interview with the Houston Chronicle […] -
Deaths, Lawsuit of the Day
Lawsuit of the Day: Parents Sued By Man Who Killed Their Son
On occasion, I get accused of “blaming the victim.” I think that’s unfair. Really, I think I just know the difference between “suicide” (which is something you do to yourself) and “homicide” (which is something somebody does to you). For instance, if you purposefully ride your bike off of a cliff, that’s a suicide. If, […] -
Job Searches, Law Schools, Student Loans
Even If You Told Prospective Law Students the Truth, Would They Care?
We’ve devoted a lot of coverage around here to efforts at forcing law schools to be more transparent about the true employment opportunities for law graduates. We’ve screamed at the ABA, at NALP, and at law school deans themselves. We’ve begged them to just tell the truth about jobs to would-be law students. Maybe it’s […] -
Biglaw, Citigroup, Layoffs, Peter Lattman, Pregnancy / Paternity
Nationwide Layoff Watch: Boies Schiller(But query whether these were really 'layoffs.')
This morning brought more lawyer layoff news. As reported by Peter Lattman over at DealBook, David Boies’s celebrated litigation firm, Boies Schiller, last week laid off three associates. (The DealBook piece refers to the dismissals as “layoffs,” and we’ve used that terminology in the title of this post and the first paragraph. But whether these […] -
Admin, Announcements, Biglaw, Blogging, In-House Counsel, Media and Journalism, Shameless Plugs
Above the Law Launches a New Column for In-House Counsel
Some time ago, we solicited applications for a new position here at Above the Law: a columnist to cover the world of in-house counsel. We received many outstanding applications, and we thank everyone who applied for their interest. Today we are pleased to announce the launch of the new column, entitled Inside Straight (for the […]
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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…
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
Sponsored
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Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
Zach Warren from the Thomson Reuters Institute discusses the potential and the pitfalls.
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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…
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Advertising, Biglaw, Career Center, Litigators, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center: Four Litigation Powerhouses
Whether you are betting the entire company or see winning as only a matter of pride, here are four firms that clients turn to for the best representation in litigation. Prestige and great work experience aside, working at any of these firms will not be a cake walk. Check out how these litigation behemoths fared […] -
Divorce Train Wrecks, Fame Brief
Fame Brief: Michael Douglas' Money Never Sleeps for Ex-Wife
Diandra Douglas‘ $45 million divorce settlement from Michael Douglas in 2000 is one of the most expensive in Hollywood history. But greed is good, and Diandra hauled Michael back into court this summer ten years after their divorce to lay claim to 50% of his earnings from Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleep, released in […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 11.16.10
* In Russia, TV watches jury. Did I do that right? [New York Times] * Charlie don’t surf, but Charlie does walk. Looks like the House needs a Rangel wrangler. [Washington Post] * A California woman was charged with conspiring to aid Somali terrorists. I just listened to that Katy Perry song, looking for a […]
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 11.15.10
* Unless coyotes can eat bedbugs they’re totally freaking useless! [ABA Journal] * Social security disability judges are receiving violent threats from the people they rule against. Sorry, if you can physically menace a judge, you can probably show up to work and sort office supplies. [Associated Press] * I’m starting to like this ABA […] -
Education / Schools, Law Schools
Turns Out Touro Is Even Crappier More Troubled Than We Thought
We don’t cover Touro Law School a lot on these pages because frankly it would just be mean. The school, located in New York, is ranked fourth tier by U.S. News, and that’s probably generous. The school charges $40,000 a year which is just… I mean… Well, “crime, boy I don’t know.” Its reputation just […] -
Career Alternatives, Law Schools, Student Loans
In Defense of Going to Law School: A Prudential Perspective (Part 2)
On the Quote of the Day posted over the weekend, a commenter wrote: “In my head I’ve changed the name of this blog from ‘Above the Law’ to ‘The law is f**king stupid and dumb and anyone who goes into it is an idiot forever and did I mention it’s dumb.’ There are still reasons […] -
Craigslist, Job Searches
God Awful Jobs for Lawyers Potpourri
It’s been a while since we took a look at how little lawyers are willing to pay new attorneys. But today we’ve got two jobs which pay a combined salary of $1,000 per/month. I guess these employers are trying to ensure that whoever takes these jobs will show up to work on time because the […]