March 2011
-
Food, Legal Ethics, Quote of the Day, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Quote of the Day: Sorry, Lady Soto Already Took Them All
If I was a Supreme Court Justice, I’d take all the buffet’s individually-wrapped butters. I answer to no manager! — Stephen Colbert, discussing the lack of mandatory ethical rules for justices of the Supreme Court (gavel bang: BL1Y). -
In-House Counsel, Litigators
Inside Straight: Classic Bad Introductions
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Inside Straight, Above the Law’s column for in-house counsel, written by Mark Herrmann. I know, I know: This column is not supposed to be about written advocacy. And I know, I know: No one needs my smug suggestions, because no one who reads “Above the Law” ever […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Clifford Chance Matches Cravath Spring Bonuses
Things have been a little quiet lately on the spring bonus front. For a while we were wondering whether this might be it — i.e., that any firm that hasn’t announced by now isn’t planning on announcing anything. Happily, this speculation was wrong. The latest news comes from Clifford Chance, which this morning announced spring […]
-
Law Schools, Money, Rankings
The Best Law Schools -- For Getting Rich
Another day, another set of law school rankings. The world’s appetite for these things knows no bounds. Earlier this week, we covered U.S. News & World Report’s best law schools as ranked by law firm recruiters — and the reader interest and traffic were off the charts. Apparently there’s no such thing as “rankings fatigue.” […] -
Biglaw, Job Searches, Law Schools, Small Law Firms
Size Matters: Forget You, Biglaw (oo, oo, ooo)
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Size Matters, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. Like many unhappy lawyers, I find Cee Lo Green’s F**k You — which has been picked up by radio stations in a more family-friendly version, Forget You — to be a personal theme song (a […] -
Arlen Specter, Celebrities, Gay Marriage, Lindsay Lohan, Morning Docket, Partner Profits, Politics, Solo Practitioners
Morning Docket: 03.10.11
* Mel Gibson has reached a plea agreement in a battery case involving his ex-girlfriend. #losing #BeaverBlood [Associated Press] * Meanwhile, Lilo isn’t accepting her plea deal. No ma’am. Not for all the Texas booger sugar in the world. Well, maybe for all the Texas booger sugar. But that wasn’t really offered. [New York Post] […]
-
Biglaw, Dissolution, Howrey LLP, Job Searches, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues
Howrey LLP, RIP: Partnership Votes to Dissolve
The partners of the law firm of Howrey LLP, founded in 1956, have voted to dissolve the existing Howrey partnership. The dissolution will take effect on March 15, 2011, according to a press release that was issued earlier tonight by the firm. The firm’s chairman and CEO, Robert Ruyak, has not been the most popular […] -
Akin Gump, Blogging, Google / Search Engines, Insider Trading, John Dowd, Kenneth Starr, Non-Sequiturs, Privacy, S.D.N.Y., Technology, Trials, White-Collar Crime, Yolanda Young
Non-Sequiturs: 03.09.11
* Is concern for “privacy” simply a justification for censorship on the internet? Some thoughts from a lawyer for Google. [Peter Fleischer: Privacy…? via Kashmir Hill / Forbes] * What’s the secret to lawyer happiness? And no, it doesn’t involve illegal drugs or porn stars (Charlie Sheen isn’t a lawyer). [Slaw via Legal Blog Watch] […] - 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… -
7th Circuit, Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Litigators, Quote of the Day, Richard Posner
Quote of the Day: The Best Brief Is a Brief Brief
We add that the appellants’ brief is rambling, and would be more effective if compressed to 14,000 words. — Judge Richard Posner, in a benchslap that denied appellants’ motion to file an oversized brief — and summarily affirmed the district court (full opinion here, via How Appealing). -
Advertising, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Thanks to This Week's Advertisers
Maybe you don’t want to quit your law firm and move to Nepal. But if you’re interested in going to Paris or Hong Kong, check out the two latest posts in Sponsored Content: Jet Off to Paris in Style with OpenSkies The Asia Chronicles: Hong Kong and China Placements And now, thanks to this week’s […] -
Biglaw, Career Alternatives, Email Scandals, Travel / Vacation, Weirdness
Another Great Departure Memo: Skadden Associate Trades Chicago for... Nepal?
Young lawyers of Chicago: What the heck is going on with you people? You seem to be losing it. Has the brutal Chicago winter driven you crazy? Do we need to put The People’s Therapist on the next plane to O’Hare? Let’s look at the evidence. You’re quitting prestigious and lucrative law firm jobs to […] -
Biglaw, Dissolution, Howrey LLP, Job Searches, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues
Howrey Going to Vote on Dissolution?
Yes. The voting started today at 11:30 AM (Eastern time) and remains underway, according to Am Law Daily. We will keep you posted, either by adding updates to this post or publishing a new post. Meanwhile, the CEO (and poet laureate) of Howrey, Robert Ruyak, gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal about the […] -
1st Circuit, Biglaw, Labor / Employment, Legal Research, Litigators, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: It's Not About the Law
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Small Firms, Big Lawyers, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. Let me tell you about a couple of cases I lost. Now, wait: before the Commentariat sharpens its knives (“This guy couldn’t get a big-firm job, then loses all his cases. No wonder […]
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
-
Biglaw, Career Alternatives, In-House Counsel, Job Searches
I Demand the Answer
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 receive a […] -
Celebrities, Entertainment Law, Fame Brief, Lunacy, Munger Tolles & Olson, Television
Busy Lawyer's Guide to Charlie Sheen's Bitchin' Termination Letter
You don’t have to be a total bitchin’ rock star from Mars to have predicted that Warner Bros. — the company that produces Two and a Half Angry Men and, not un-coincidentally, Looney Tunes — would fire Charlie Sheen from the show. And on Monday, that’s exactly what happened. Writing on behalf of Warner Bros., […] -
Death Penalty, Deaths, Morning Docket, S.D.N.Y., Securities and Exchange Commission, Securities Law, U.S. Attorneys Offices
Morning Docket: 03.09.11
* The opening of the RaJabba Rajaratnam trial will be gripping, apparently. [Reuters] * The S.E.C. is being attacked again about its ethical standards. It’s not like these problems started with Cam Newton. I mean, the S.E… what’s that? The Securities and Exchange Commission? What? No, I don’t even know what that is. What does […]
-
Law Schools, Rankings, U.S. News
The Best Law Schools -- Ranked By Law Firm Recruiters
We mentioned them briefly in Morning Docket but didn’t do more, figuring that perhaps you might have rankings fatigue. But we were wrong; apparently you can’t get enough of law school rankings. (This really shouldn’t surprise us, based on the traffic we got for this rankings post, and even this one.) We’ve received several emails […] -
Benchslaps, Biglaw, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Insider Trading, Musical Chairs, Non-Sequiturs, Trials, Wall Street
Non-Sequiturs: 03.08.11
* The epic insider trading trial of Raj Rajaratnam got underway today. Bess Levin, of our sister site Dealbreaker, comes up with a (rather hilarious and bizarre) list of possible character witnesses for Raj. [Dealbreaker] * Speaking of the Rajaratnam trial, who were those mystery men observing the proceedings in the courtroom? [Clusterstock] * In […] -
Biglaw, Dissolution, Howrey LLP, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues
Howrey Going to Save the Winston Deal?
We’re hearing reports — not yet confirmed, so please take them with the proverbial grain (or shaker) of salt — that Winston & Strawn has rescinded some or all of its offers to partners of Howrey. The supposed catalyst for the collapse: antitrust star Sean Boland, who had been leading the talks on the Howrey […] -
Advertising, Associate Advice, Biglaw, Career Center, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
How to Become an (Almost) Indispensable Junior Associate (Part 1)
Whether you’re a junior associate just barely surviving Biglaw, thriving in Biglaw, or somewhere in between, this Career Center Tip of the Day series is for you. For many of you junior associates, the extent of your experience with Biglaw layoffs was reading about them on Above the Law from the safety of your law […]