February 2011
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 02.25.11
* Baker Hostetler is making out like a bandit on this whole Madoff thing. I’ve always assumed bandits make out with a lot of tongue. Like the French. [New York Times] * It will take awhile before the effects of the Obama administration’s decision on DOMA are felt. In the meantime, supporters of the law […]
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Drinking, Law Schools, Parties, Rudeness, Violence
Drunk and Disorderly Conduct at a Law School Prom?
The volume of applications to law schools nationwide is down by about 13 percent for the fall 2011 class, as noted recently by the Daily Journal (subscription). This is positive news. Maybe it means that people who are thinking prudently about their futures are finally getting the message that law school is no longer a […] - Sponsored
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 02.24.11
* Yes, we have seen the excellent GW Law Revue video based on the Cee Lo Green song (embedded above). No need to send it to us again. In fact, please do not send us links to any Law Revue videos until we announce the start of our third annual Law Revue Video Contest (perhaps […]
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Free Speech, Quote of the Day, Social Networking Websites, Technology, Twittering
Quote of the Day: Caveat Tweeter
I think that in this day and age that tweet was not a good idea, and in terms of that language, I’m not going to use it anymore. — Jeffrey Cox, former deputy attorney general in Indiana, commenting on the controversial tweets that got him fired from his government job. P.S. If you’re on Twitter, […] -
Dreier, Lawsuit of the Day, Media and Journalism, Politics, Rudy Giuliani
Lawsuit of the Day: A Gallery of Rogues
The lawsuit captioned Dreier LLP v. Judith Regan was filed back in March 2008, months before Ponzi schemer Marc Dreier’s eponymous law firm went bust. But it’s back in the headlines as of today, thanks to some juicy documents unearthed by the New York Times. The documents in question — affidavits that were supposed to […] -
Job Searches, Shameless Plugs, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: The Key Question for Shingle-Hangers
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Small Firms, Big Lawyers, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. Many Above the Law readers are currently facing dismal job prospects as the law-firm economy continues to trail the national economy. Some are law students contemplating graduation without an offer in hand. Others […] -
Ave Maria School of Law, Law Schools, Money, Student Loans, Trendspotting
Law Schools Join the Ranks of Institutions Averse To Profiteering During a Rough Economy
You can’t call it a trend just yet, but the University of New Hampshire School of Law has joined Maryland Law and Miami Law in the fight to keep law school tuition down during a still-recovering economy. The school reports it will not be raising tuition for the 2011-2012 academic year. It’s a sad state […] -
Advertising, Biglaw, Holidays and Seasons, Job Survey, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center Survey Results: Another Working Holiday
Thank you for all your responses (or attempted responses) to this week’s Career Center survey on whether or not you worked on Presidents Day. We received 715 responses before the flood of respondents managed to take the survey offline. Based on the responses we did receive, the majority of respondents – 73% – reported working […] - Sponsored
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Biglaw, Cars, In-House Counsel, Litigators
Inside Straight: On Alphabet Soup (Hereinafter 'OAS')
Words! Words are great! Use 'em! -
Crime, Family Law, Inappropriate Venue, Nauseating Things, Sex, Sex Scandals
Incest Is Bad, Mmmkay. It's Just Bad.
I don’t like talking about incest, ever. But apparently some people out there need to be reminded that they shouldn’t have sex with their children. There are a couple of absolutely disgusting stories floating around about some horribly depraved people. I hope you haven’t had breakfast yet… -
Gay, Gay Marriage, Immigration, Intellectual Property, Lesbians, Lindsay Lohan, Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 02.24.11
* A British court ruled that Julian Assange should be extradited to Sweden. [Reuters] * Governor Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii signed into law a bill legalizing same-sex civil unions. Men, barbecue, I like you, I like you too dawg, let’s get… civil unioned? [Honolulu Star-Advertiser] * Seems like Betty Boop was passed around like a […]
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Bar Exams
Bar Exam Open Thread: How's It Hanging, February Test Takers?
Sorry, I wasn’t trying to make a hanging joke in the middle of the February bar exam. I know it’s tough stuff taking the bar in February. Many people who are sitting for the exam right now have already had one bad experience with the test. It’s cold in most of the country. A lot […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs 02.23.11
* There’s poor taste, there’s bad taste, and then there’s whatever the hell was going through the heads of the sick bastards who came up with this advertisement for legal services. [Ross’s Law Marketing Blog] * Dear state attorneys general, please be careful about whom you hire as deputies. If you didn’t learn from Andrew […]
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Facebook, Jury Duty, Technology, Trials, Twittering
If You're Not Using Facebook, You're A Bad Lawyer
If you’re not booting up your laptop or iPad during voir dire, you’re not a very good lawyer. That’s my takeaway from recent WSJ and Reuters articles on jury selection in the social media age. This week, the Wall Street Journal took a look at the evolution of jury selection in the age of social […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Bonuses
Associate Bonus Watch: Shearman & Sterling Matches Spring Bonuses
Either your New York firm is paying spring bonuses, or your firm is counting on you being too much of a beta to leave. Today Shearman & Sterling announced that it will be paying spring bonuses, and the bonuses will match the Cravath scale for the spring payout. As with other firms, the Shearman’s spring […] -
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 Black Socks Buy With Me Columbia Business School Kinney Recruiting Lateral Link LexisNexis – Juris Themis Bar Review 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 […] -
9th Circuit, ACLU, Barack Obama, Gay, Gay Marriage, Politics, Ted Frank
Obama Directs DOJ to Stop Defending DOMA
President Obama has directed the Department of Justice to stop defending Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law prohibiting federal recognition of same-sex marriage. Attorney General Eric Holder’s letter explaining the decision to Speaker of the House John Boehner appears here. In other marriage-equality-related news, the American Foundation for Equal […] -
Job Searches, Small Law Firms
Size Matters: A Perfect Fit
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Size Matters, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. Since obtaining this illustrious post, I have done my best to invoke the great Andrea Zuckerman (another legendary Jewish newswoman) and find out what makes an attorney happy in her small law firm. The answer, […] -
American Bar Association / ABA, Ave Maria School of Law, Law Schools
Ave Maria Goes Back Into Hiding From Law School Transparency
Guys, this is my bad. I made a mistake. You see, back in September, Ave Maria School of Law said it was going to do something. And me, silly fool that I am, believed them. I know, I know, I’m an idiot. What kind of person actually believes Ave Maria will keep its word? In […] -
Biglaw, Deaths, Partner Issues
Skadden Name Partner Joe Flom, R.I.P.
Earlier this month, the son of Joseph Flom — name partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and a legendary figure of the M&A bar — wrote a moving tribute to his father. He explained that the 87-year-old Flom was gravely ill and not far from death. This morning, Skadden confirmed the sad news […]