April 2011
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4th Circuit, 5th Circuit, Animal Law, Barack Obama, Bernie Madoff, Crime, Free Speech, Insider Trading, Jeffrey Skilling, Morning Docket, Pets, Politics, Trials, Wall Street, White-Collar Crime
Morning Docket: 04.07.11
* Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling’s appeal was denied by the Fifth Circuit. While he remains the smartest guy in the room, the room consists of him and a half-wit cellmate whose only discernible talent is making Prune-o. [WSJ Law Blog] * Bruce Fein, an attorney who worked on Clinton’s impeachment and called for Bush’s […]
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Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Morrison & Foerster Matches Spring Bonuses
Wow, it’s like White & Case’s attempt to glom on to the spring bonus trend just ticked off these other firms. First Sidley and now Morrison & Foerster have come out with real spring bonus announcements, detailing the amount of money associates can expect to get paid. We’re running off to the We Know What […] - Sponsored
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 04.06.11
* We previously reported that Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld, daughter of Yale law professors Amy “Tiger Mother” Chua and Jed Rubenfeld, had decided to go to Harvard. But on her blog, the Tiger Daughter reports that she is “seriously considering” both Harvard and Yale. (I’ve posted a comment arguing for Harvard.) [New Tiger in Town] * Wall […]
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Asians, Football, Jury Duty, Racism, Sports, Trials
How (Not) To Get Out of Jury Duty
Honestly, I don’t understand why people hate jury duty so much. What’s the big deal? You don’t have to go to work. You can sit down and read stuff on your iPad or play Angry Birds. Then you go home. How is this a hardship to be avoided at all costs? And if you are […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Bonuses
Associate Bonus Watch: Sidley Austin Matches on Spring Bonuses
Well, Sidley Austin turned that around more quickly than I thought. Last night I pointed out that any further delay from Sidley Austin regarding spring bonuses would just be causing pain and anguish for Sidley associates for no reason. The firm was going to have to match anyway, so why drag it out? Well, today […] -
Small Law Firms, Weirdness
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: The Perfect Font ... To Show You Don’t Care
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Small Firms, Big Lawyers, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. If you want to send a message that you really don’t care what your document looks like, or that you never really gave it any thought, then this is the font for you. […] -
Football, Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi, Sports
Party Over for the Fiesta Bowl?
Ed. note: Natasha Lydon is a new writer who will be helping out around Above the Law. She graduated from NYU Law School and spent years at a Vault top 50 law firm. She’ll be writing posts and working on some long-term projects. Also she’ll occasionally stop Elie from murdering the English language. While most […] -
Biglaw, Crime, Insider Trading, Lawyer of the Day, Mergers and Acquisitions, Wall Street, White-Collar Crime
Ex-Associate at Three Top Firms Charged With Massive Insider Trading
There’s no contest today for Lawyer of the Day honors. The clear winner is Matthew Kluger, a former associate at three leading law firms, who has been charged in a massive insider trading case. Kluger stands accused of reaping more than $32 million in profit over the course of a 17-year conspiracy, which also allegedly […] - Sponsored
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Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money, White & Case
Associate Bonus Watch: White & Case's Mystery Spring Bonuses
Two months ago, when spring bonuses were new and fresh and exciting, we reported on spring bonus deliberations at Cadwalader (which eventually matched the market). At the time, I wrote: “If Cadwalader jumps into the spring bonus pool, we’re going to have to start asking questions about Paul Weiss, Willkie Farr, White & Case (don’t […] -
Biglaw, Celebrities, In-House Counsel, Money, Music, Student Loans
Hipster. And Lawyer.
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 (affiliate link). Two […] -
Barry Bonds, Baseball, Boutique Law Firms, Education / Schools, Entertainment Law, Gay, Kids, Lesbians, Morning Docket, Small Law Firms, State Judges, Trials
Morning Docket: 04.06.11
* On the same day that Lady Kaga wrote her first dissent, Governor Deval Patrick nominated Barbara Lenk, an openly gay woman, to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Big week for… uhh, female judges. [New York Times] * The prosecution in the Barry Bonds case rested their case yesterday, and the judge is considering […]
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Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Gibson Dunn Finally Pays Up
On Friday we noted that Gibson Dunn associates can read. Today it looks like management at Gibson Dunn finally acknowledged the writing on the wall. After a year of record-setting profits, Gibson Dunn finally decided to match the spring bonus market. The firm will be paying Cravath-level spring bonuses to eligible associates, on April 29. […] -
Howrey LLP, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 04.05.11
* Harvard Law School exams used to be easier. Think about that the next time you hear about grade inflation. [The Volokh Conspiracy] * Speaking of things getting harder, this seems like proof that the Bluebook exists to propagate sales of the Bluebook. [Josh Blackman’s Blog] * And yet the Bluebook hasn’t been updated to […]
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Judge of the Day, Nude Dancing, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Judge of the Day: A Bed Sheet Is Not a Robe
A memo to judges: we do not want to see you naked (with the possible exception of the Superhotties of the Federal Judiciary). Please keep your clothes on, Your Honors. We’re not talking just about Madam Justice Lori Douglas, the Canadian jurist whose nude photos surfaced on the internet. This message goes out to male […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Biglaw, Bonuses, Mergers and Acquisitions, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: What Did Wachtell Do?
The law firm of Wachtell Lipton is not the nation’s coolest firm, having been knocked out by Davis Polk in Above the Law March Madness. But the bonuses paid out by WLRK in 2010 were still plenty hot — about as sizzling as some DPW associates, one might say. Should they have been even better, […] -
Biglaw, Contests, Lawyer of the Day, Reader Polls
Lawyer of the Month: March Reader Poll (Still Breathing Edition)
Our first two lawyer of the month polls in 2011 were dominated by death and despair. Several high-profile, wonderful attorneys died in the month of March — e.g., Warren Christopher, Bill Stuntz — but we’re not including them in this month’s contest. This month, the lawyer of the month reader poll is 100% alive. And […] -
Advertising, Biglaw, Career Center, Job Searches, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center Tip of the Day: Evaluating the Counteroffer -- Should You Stay or Should You Go? (Part 1)
The current installment of the Career Center “Tip of the Day” series focuses on helping associates evaluate the counteroffer. Since most law firms have trimmed the “fat” and reduced the number of attorneys on their payrolls, associates have been working harder and billing record hours. It is not surprising that many associates will be searching […] -
Courtship Connection, Food, Romance and Dating
Courtship Connection: Likes - Cooking; Dislikes - Kissing
What’s more hopeless than sending two lawyers out on a blind date and hoping they hit it off? Answer: Sending thirty-something lawyers out on a blind date and hoping they hit off. It’s safe to assume that a person (and especially a woman) still single in their 30s is a picky type. As Elie recently […] -
Boutique Law Firms, Fabulosity, Perks / Fringe Benefits, Small Law Firms
Size Matters: How Are Small Law Firms Like Oscars After-Parties?
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Size Matters, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. I am getting tired of hearing about all these large law firms and their unnecessary spring bonuses. This weekend I went on a trip with friends who all work in Biglaw, and the topic came […]