December 2010
-
Biglaw, Blogging, In-House Counsel
Inside Straight: Business Development (Part 3)
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Inside Straight, Above the Law’s new column for in-house counsel, written by Mark Herrmann. Is blogging a useful business development tool? The folks who sell blogging platforms to lawyers say that blogging is the route to riches. But bloggers themselves are far less certain whether blogging actually […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2010
Associate Bonus Watch: Kirkland & Ellis Open Thread (of Awesomeness)
Partners are calling Kirkland & Ellis associates right now and letting them know about their 2010 bonuses. The early reports we are getting are positive — very positive. Thus far, the people we’ve heard from are getting more, often substantially more, than their class-year counterparts at Cravath. Exactly how much more? That really depends. Kirkland […] - 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. -
Education / Schools, Law Schools, Money, Student Loans
How Much Are Educational Prestige Points Worth in Real Dollars?
How far are we from getting real answers about the value proposition of going to law school? Pretty far, if you read the New York Times Week in Review. An article by Jacques Steinberg illustrates that researchers don’t even really know if receiving an elite undergraduate education is worth the price. The Times asks: Is […]
-
Associate Bonus Watch 2010
Associate Bonus Watch: Mayer Brown (NY) Matches
In addition to the bonus announcement of Quinn Emanuel, late last week brought bonus news from the New York office of Mayer Brown. But the MB announcement was considerably less interesting. It was essentially a match of the Cravath bonus scheme, but with a slight twist…. -
Family Law, Gay, Gay Marriage, Law Professors, New York Times, Quote of the Day, Weddings
Quote of the Day: Is Marriage Overrated?
[T]he supposed legal benefits of marriage are often illusory, and in any event they are probably more than offset by legally created burdens. Marriage confers fewer rights now, but still many obligations. The question for any mature couple then is simple: Why do it? — Stanford law professor Ralph Richard Banks, in a Room for […] -
Lawyer of the Day, Police, Tobacco / Smoking
Lawyer of the Day: What Are You Going To Do, Arrest Me for Smoking?
Smokers are not crazy. I know it seems like we’re crazy. I know what non-smokers think: “Why would you put something in your body that you know will give you cancer?” It’s not like the explanation is particularly complicated: 1) it’s a narcotic and people get addicted, and 2) some people aren’t terribly worried about […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Biglaw, Bonuses, john quinn, Money, Partner Issues
Associate Bonus Watch: Quinn Emanuel Pays 150 Percent of Cravath Scale -- With Some Catches
CHECK YOU EMAIL — for some happy bonus news. On Friday, litigation powerhouse Quinn Emanuel announced its 2010 bonus schedule. And it was good. It’s a little more complex than the standard bonus scale at a lockstep firm. As in years past, Quinn Emanuel bonuses reflect a combination of seniority and hours worked. But one […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 12.20.10
* Thanks Senate, but gay servicemembers now get to play another waiting game. How long will the certification process take? Don’t ask, because the administration isn’t going to tell. [New York Times; Wall Street Journal; Washington Post] * Filibusted: with the DREAM Act’s failure, undocumented college graduates can’t get jobs. As a member of the […]
- Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Bernie Madoff, Crime, Department of Justice, White-Collar Crime
A $7.2 Billion Settlement Generates Money for Madoff Victims
Rack up another win for trustee Irving Picard, the partner at Baker Hostetler who’s cleaning up the Bernard Madoff mess. On Friday, Picard and Preet Bharara, the headline-making U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced a $7.2 billion settlement with the estate of Jeffry Picower (no it’s not spelled “Jeffrey”). Picower, a […] -
Gay, Military / Military Law, Politics
Senate Repeals 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Law
Here’s a nice surprise on this otherwise quiet Saturday afternoon in late December. The Senate just voted to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the legal ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. The vote to repeal the law was 65-31, with eight Republicans joining the Democrats. For additional discussion and analysis, see […] -
Law Schools, Sex, Sex Scandals, Texas, Videos, Violence
Cuckolded Spouse Gets Revenge on SMU Law School Lovers
One Dedman School of Law student may be a dead man. He may have picked the wrong person’s wife to have an affair with. Here’s the set-up: a husband suspects that his wife, a student at SMU Law School, is cheating on him with another SMU Law student. So the husband sets up a video […] -
LSAT, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 12.17.10
* You know, I think the National Organization for Women should just try to pretend that Hooters doesn’t exist. The restaurant is just going to piss them off; who needs the aggravation? [ABA Journal] * If you trust legal advice you receive over Twitter, you’ve already lost. [Legal Blog Watch] * Apparently, Iowa lawmakers see […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Tempering the Excitement on the Sidley Bonuses
There’s no denying all the good news over at Sidley Austin. The firm just named 28 new partners, up from 15 last year. It recently snagged three leading litigators from Howrey: Gary Bendinger, who served as co-chair of litigation at Howrey, and two of his partners, Gregory Ballard and Kevin Burke. And as we reported […]
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
-
Associate Bonus Watch 2010
Associate Bonus Watch: Debevoise Matches Cravath
This shouldn’t come as a shock, but Debevoise & Plimpton just announced its 2010 associate bonuses, and it is matching Cravath. With so many top firms already matching Cravath — including several in the Vault’s top ten for prestige, such as Skadden, Davis Polk, and Weil Gotshal — is it less likely that Sullivan & […] -
Celebrities, Drugs, Fame Brief, Marijuana
Fame Brief: Is Salvia the New Four Loko?
Another person who wasn’t watching the finale of The Apprentice last week? Miley Cyrus. Instead, the 18-year old Hannah Montana wacktress took a break from her usual routine of grinding on stripper poles and groping in 21-and-over clubs to take bong hits at her birthday party at her L.A. home. TMZ has the whole episode […] -
Deaths, Law Professors, Old People, Reader Polls, Suicide, Tax Law
Estate Tax Compromise Could Save Thousands of Lives (of Millionaires)
Late last night, Congress passed a compromise tax bill that will, among other things, cap the estate tax at 35% (with a $5 million exemption). If not for this compromise, the estate tax would have returned in 2011, at rates as high as 55 percent (with a $1 million exemption). Hallelujah. Anytime you can save […] -
Crime, Hotties, Kumari Fulbright, Law Schools, Prisons, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Kumari, Pass the Patchouli
This experience has been both profound and humbling. I have been able to reflect on my relationship with the universe and despite the physical incarceration of the past year, it has been incredibly emancipating for all other aspects of my being. Everything I have learned, seen, and lived I regard as invaluable in the journey […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Biglaw, Bonuses, Gay, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Kaye Scholer Rewards High Billers
If we were to hold a contest for “Law Firm Whose Name Sounds Most Like That of a Drag Queen,” the clear winner would be Kaye Scholer. Just drop that first “e” to form “Kay Scholer” — doesn’t she sound fierce? Scroll through this list of drag queen names. Wouldn’t Kay Scholer fit right in? […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 12.17.10
* This Illinois woman can officially tell people that by law her sh*t doesn’t stink. It actually smells like poinsettias. [Northwest Herald] * A lawsuit that started with a bang has fizzled out in small claims court. Such is life when delicious delicacies detonate on your plate. [San Jose Mercury News] * The Obama administration […]
-
Biglaw, Crime, Partner Issues, S.D.N.Y., White-Collar Crime
Lawyer of the Day: Jonathan Bristol, Winston Partner Turned Accused Fraudster
Back in June, we wrote about an amusing effort by Winston & Strawn to rewrite history. The firm edited an historical press release to omit all mention of sketchy lawyer Jonathan Bristol, who joined Winston as a partner from Thelen. Now Winston has even more reason to be embarrassed by its former partner. Earlier today, […]