January 2011
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Crime, Politics
California Man Arrested for Death Threats Against A Democratic Congressman
Yesterday, authorities arrested a man for allegedly making death threats against Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA). Charles Turner Habermann allegedly threatened McDermott because of the Congressman’s stance on tax policy. The FBI claims the arrest of the man who threatened the Congressman wasn’t spurred on by the tragedies in Arizona. But, given the shootings in Tucson, […] -
Biglaw, In-House Counsel
Inside Straight: 'Will You Be There On Monday?'
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Inside Straight, Above the Law’s new column for in-house counsel, written by Mark Herrmann. Put yourself in the other guy’s shoes. I don’t want a chorus of, “But that’s common sense! Tell me something new! Complain about bonuses!” Of course it’s common sense that you should put […] - Sponsored
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 01.13.11
* Jared Lee Loughner had a long, strange relationship with the local constabulary. [New York Times] * Illinois Governor Pat Quinn says he will follow his conscience in deciding whether to sign a bill abolishing the death penalty. And if you’re at all familiar with Illinois governors…well, that might not mean a whole lot. [Chicago […]
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Education / Schools, Law Schools, Media and Journalism, New York Times, Student Loans
A Notable Correction to the New York Times Article on Law School
It isn’t easy to wring a correction out of the New York Times. The Gray Lady is notoriously stingy when it comes to confessing error. [FN1] But David Segal’s very interesting and widely read article about the perils of going to law school — which still sits at the top of the NYT’s list of […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 01.12.11
* Boasting about how you abuse attorney-client privilege probably isn’t the smartest thing to do. [Business Insider] * Now that House Republicans have subpoena power, Obama is lawyering up. His latest hire: the nephew of a well-known movie critic. [Politico] * Vigilantism and primitive justice. [Blackbook Legal] * Lawyers should have goals, and metrics to […] -
Advertising, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Thanks to This Week's Advertisers
A quick word of thanks to this week’s advertisers on Above the Law: American Express BarMax Columbia Business School EMBA Kinney Recruiting Lateral Link Livescribe Thomson Reuters WestlawNext If you’re interested in advertising on Above the Law or any other site in the Breaking Media network, please download our media kits, or email advertising@breakingmedia.com. Thanks! -
Bar Exams, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Student Loans
Character & Fitness Fail for Graduate With 'No Plan' To Pay Off His Debts
Wow. Guy goes to law school, guy racks up a huge amount of debt, guy has no idea how he’ll pay off his debts. Sound familiar? Okay, here’s the twist: the guy failed the “character and fitness” component of the Ohio bar because he has no plan to pay off his loans. What the hell […] -
Education / Schools, Job Searches, Law Schools, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Is Educational Pedigree Overrated?
When you read the accounts of recruiters at these firms, you get a sense of why they might choose these metrics. They have multiple stacks of resumes. They meet hundreds of applicants at career fairs. Rather than scrutinizing anyone’s resume it’s easier just to limit the pool to the top three or four universities. Do […] - Sponsored
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Feminism, Gender, In-House Counsel, Pregnancy / Paternity, Women's Issues
Work/Life Whatever and Ten Missing Minutes of Tape
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. His new book, Life is a Brief Opportunity for Joy, is available on Amazon. I did a […] -
Bad Ideas, Biglaw, Cellphones, Partner Issues, Rudeness
Acela Bob, Meet Acela Jim: Kelley Drye Managing Partner Conducts Confidential Conversation on Packed Train
Here at Above the Law, we’re trying to help you. We write about lawyers who do embarrassing things so that you can learn from their examples. Heck, you should get ethics CLE credit for reading this site. One of our most widely-used lessons — now part of new employee training at a Wall Street firm, […] -
Biglaw, Litigators, pls hndle thx, Public Interest
Pls Hndle Thx: Are Non-Lawyer Jobs Career Suicide for JDs?
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. Dear ATL: I am a graduate of a T3 law school. I was on a law journal, successfully competed in moot court competitions (regional and national) and loved my clinical experience during my third year of law school. Basically, I love the […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 01.12.11
* The attorney of Jared Lee Loughner will likely dig back several generations in order to establish her client’s lunacy. Apparently Loughner was an avowed nihilist. I mean, say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism… [New York Times] * Meanwhile, newspapers have grappled with how to use the batsh*t mugshot of Jared […]
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Bar Exams, Boalt Hall, California, Law Schools, Loyola Law School
California Bar Exam Results By Law School: Open Thread
Here in New York, home to Above the Law and Breaking Media, we’re gearing up for more epic snow. Those of you lucky enough to live in the Golden State might have to deal with earthquakes, mudslides, and obnoxious celebrities, but at least you don’t have to deal with blizzards. Falling snow? Not in sunny […]
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 01.11.11
* Lady Kaga issues her first single: a ruling against a Chapter 13 debtor, in favor of his credit card issuer, affirming the Ninth Circuit by a vote of 8-1. The lone dissenter: Justice Scalia. Weird, huh? [WSJ Law Blog; ABA Journal] * “How do you spark a bonobo orgy?” [Andrew Sullivan] * How do […] -
Media and Journalism, Privacy, Prostitution, Sex, Sex Scandals, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Max Mosley Fights for Right to Be Told About Nazi-Orgy News Stories in Advance
Max Mosley, former head of international motorsports organization FIA, has been fighting with British tabloid News of the World for almost three years. In 2008, News of the World published a story about Mosley’s raunchy role-playing rendezvous with five sex workers, in which they played prison guards to his naughty prisoner. One of the sex […] -
Admin, Announcements, Contests, David Boies, Law Schools, Reader Polls, Ted Olson
ATL's Lawyer of the Year (2010): The Winner!
Above the Law’s 2010 Lawyer of the Year contest is now over. Thanks to everyone who nominated a lawyer; thanks to our finalists, for being such accomplished and interesting individuals; and thanks to all the voters, who picked our victor. Here are ATL’s past Lawyers of the Year: 2007: Loyola 2L 2008: President Barack Obama […] -
Crime, O.J. Simpson, Old People, Racism, Violence
F. Lee Bailey Has New Evidence That O.J. Was Innocent
Please note the headline says “new” evidence. It does not say “good” or “credible” or “definitive” evidence. That’s because the evidence doesn’t really fall into any of those categories. In fact, the headline could have read “F. Lee Bailey Evades Caretakers, Gets to Internet Before Somebody Stops Him.” But whatever, former Dream Team (and now […] -
New Yorker, Quote of the Day, Theater, Violence
Quote of the Day: Is seeing Broadway shows the new ambulance-chasing?
It’s like Formula One. You want to see the car crash. We like to go to Rockefeller Center to watch the ice-skaters fall. — Carol Barbeiro, a lawyer, on why she went to see Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the ill-fated, accident-prone Broadway musical. (Her boyfriend added: “She wants to see blood.”) -
Layoffs, Travel / Vacation
The Grass Is Not Always Greener: Layoffs in Bermuda
Nothing depresses me more than when bad things happen in the Caribbean (except for Haiti, ’cause I’m used to it, or Cuba, because they get better health care than we do). Especially during the winter months, I like to imagine that I could leave every material possession behind and move to the Caribbean and find […] -
Advertising, Biglaw, Billable Hours, Job Survey, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center Survey Results: A Better Billable Year
After a year like 2009 (aka the worst year ever for Biglaw), 2010 was bound to be better. According to the nearly 1,000 survey responses we received, 2010 did in fact turn out to be a busier year for most associates. An impressive 73% of respondents hit their firm’s minimum billable hours requirements or unofficial […]