January 2011
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Associate Advice, Biglaw, In-House Counsel, Partner Issues, Technology
Inside Straight: Thinking About E-mail 'Subject' Lines
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Inside Straight, Above the Law’s new column for in-house counsel, written by Mark Herrmann. Please think for a second before you hit “send” and launch your next e-mail. There are actually a bunch of things you should think about before sending your next e-mail, but today I’ll […] -
Fashion, New York Times, Quote of the Day, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Television
Quote of the Day: Thanks for That Mental Image, Ginia
The costuming department has put Kate in clothing so tight and heels so high, they make Ally McBeal’s notorious miniskirt suits seem like something you would expect to find on Ruth Bader Ginsburg. — New York Times television critic Ginia Bellafante, referring to Kate Reed, the protagonist of the new legal drama Fairly Legal (in […] - Sponsored
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Admin, Civil Rights, Holidays and Seasons, Public Interest
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Today we honor the birthday of the late great civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929 (so he would have been 82 today). The holiday of MLK Day is observed on the third Monday of January. Legislation for a holiday honoring Dr. King was first introduced […]
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 01.17.11
* Lawsuit lending, i.e., investing in lawsuits, is a booming business — but are plaintiffs getting screwed (again)? [New York Times] * The “state secrets” doctrine goes before the Supreme Court tomorrow. [USA Today via How Appealing] * Elsewhere in SCOTUS news, Justice Breyer gets a shout-out in the title of a new study: “‘People […]
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Asians, Book Deals, Books, Jed Rubenfeld, Kids, Law Professors, Law Schools, Lunacy, Patricia Wald
Yale Law Prof Amy Chua Backs Away from Controversial Claims About Superiority of Chinese Mothers
If you’re going to be a diva, then own it. Was this lesson lost on Yale law professor Amy Chua, the author of an incendiary essay in last weekend’s Wall Street Journal, Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior, and a new book about Eastern versus Western parenting styles, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother? Professor Chua […] -
Law Schools, LSAT, Non-Sequiturs, Politics
Non-Sequiturs: 01.14.11
* Republicans won’t have Michael Steele to kick around anymore. [Huffington Post] * Akin Gump apologizes for a controversial post on Powerline by partner Paul Mirengoff. [Indianz.com] * Is WikiLeaks responsible for the Tunisian revolution? [Business Insider] * Speaking of Tunisia, MLK Day is important and everything — but maybe, just maybe, U.S. officials in […] -
Conferences / Symposia, Courtney Love, Outsourcing, Technology
The Rundown: This Week in Legal Technology – 01.14.11(And a note about ATL's LegalTech coverage.)
This week, The Rundown is going international. LegalTech is just around the corner, and there will be a solid contingent of lawyers from the United Kingdom in attendance. Speaking of LegalTech, I’m going to be covering the conference for Above the Law. If you are interested in communicating with someone from ATL about LegalTech coverage, […] -
Animal Law, Crime, Drinking, DUI / DWI, Pets, Texas
Drinking While Riding Your Burro Is Still Legal!
Legal Blog Watch has a perfect Friday story up on its pages. Two men were arrested for riding animals while drunk. One guy was on a mule, the other was on a horse. But when they got to the police station, the county attorney determined that the animals did not fall within the definition of […] - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
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Law Schools, Legal Research, Quote of the Day, Westlaw
Quote of the Day: Is Elie Writing Westlaw Headnotes Now?
Although no accredited law school offered night classes, public interest did not require granting of accreditation to law school offering night classes, absent a sound operation, because there was no compelling need for additional law graduates. — Matter of Laclede School of Law, 700 S.W.2d 81 (Mo. 1985) (via Westlaw Headnote of the Day). -
Biglaw, Money, Partner Issues, Partner Profits
The Two Faces of K&L Gates
The end of the year was a pretty interesting time for partners at K&L Gates. Our sources report that right before the close of the year, the partners received a blistering message from Peter Kalis, the managing partner of the firm. Just 24 hours later, K&L Gates partners received an email from Kalis that was […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Divorce Train Wrecks, Legal Ethics, New Jersey, Romance and Dating, Sex, Sex Scandals
Disbarred Partner Blames Trampoline for Female Divorce Client's 'Soreness'
The accusations against disbarred New Jersey lawyer Kenneth Denti — who allegedly falsified time sheets, slept with a client he was representing in her divorce, and got reimbursed by his firm for dinner dates with women he met on the internet — have been covered extensively throughout the legal blogosphere. We previously linked to a […] -
Law Professors, Law Schools, Screw-Ups
Penn Law Professor Too Lazy To Come Up With New Multiple Choice Questions Causes Exam SNAFU
As David Lat said earlier this week, “Here at Above the Law, we’re trying to help you.” Honestly, think of Above the Law as the MPRE, but for situations people in the legal community are actually likely to face. Don’t conduct sensitive firm business on a crowded train. Don’t offer hand-jobs in school-wide emails. And […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 01.14.11
* Arizona has one of the least restrictive laws on involuntary commitment of nutters in the nation. Next time, Arizona. Next time. [Reuters] * Talk of new gun laws is the perfect time to link to the most criminally underrated movie of all time…UHF. [New York Times] * Two teen girls in Florida were arrested […]
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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9th Circuit, Alex Kozinski, Federal Judges, Pictures
A Request from Chief Judge Alex Kozinski
The Honorable Alex Kozinski, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, has a favor to ask of Above the Law readers…. -
Biglaw, Feminism, Gender, Kids, Pregnancy / Paternity, Women's Issues
Biglaw Baby Making 101
There’s been so much talk of Biglaw women and baby making floating around the blogosphere this week that I think there must have been a “repopulate the species” action memo in US Weekly. Existentially, I blame the season. It’s January, and childless professional women just went through another holiday season getting bombarded with images of […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 01.13.11
* Brooklyn College kid complains of a hidden camera in her apartment and is sent to psychiatric ward. The thing is, there was a hidden camera in her apartment. And tinfoil hats work. (Only one of those last two sentences is true.) [Forbes] * Somebody should start a group for law professors against law schools. […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Gibson Dunn Open Thread
(Yes, this is late, but better late than never. If you have bonus news or a bonus memo that we have not yet written up — run a site search or scroll through our archives to check what we’ve already covered — please email us. Thanks.) Last month, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher announced associate bonuses. […] -
Federal Judges, Guns / Firearms, Quote of the Day, Violence
Quote of the Day: Tense Times for Judges
What is not thought of or talked about relative to these threats and follow-up protection is the effect on a judge’s ability to think about the cases and the law. With gun toting Deputy Marshals, good people all, within arm’s reach, it’s pretty hard to think about anything other than security. The whole experience is […] -
American Bar Association / ABA, Law School Deans, Law Schools, LSAT, Rankings, U.S. News
ABA Considers Dropping LSAT Requirement for Admission to Law School
Really, it’s a good news/bad news kind of thing. The good news: the ABA committee reviewing the accreditation standards for law schools is starting to remember it has some power over how law schools operate. The bad news: the committee is contemplating a change that will only result in making it easier for schools to […] -
Advertising, Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Biglaw, Bonuses, Career Center, Job Survey, Money, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center Survey Results: Bonus Satisfaction
In a previous post, we revealed that 73% of respondents to our survey met their minimum billable requirements last year. Today, we find out whether associates were satisfied with receiving 2009-level bonuses for a busier 2010. Let’s see what the survey says….