On Wednesday, white and nerdy musical genius Weird Al released “Perform This Way,” to his Twitter followers for free download, after Lady Gaga supposedly refused to approve it for inclusion on his upcoming album. The song parodies Gaga’s “Born This Way” and, while certainly no “Another One Rides The Bus” or “Rye or the Kaiser,” appropriately mocks the Gaga marketing machine with such gems as “got my straight jacket today / it’s made of gold lamé / no I’m not crazy, I perform this way.” The whole thing is kind of a meta-parody because “Born This Way” is really a low rent rip-off of Madonna’s “Express Yourself” and “Vogue.”
Here’s the background story:
Lady Gaga denied Weird Al the right to release his parody of BORN THIS WAY, only the second time in his career that he’s been denied. [Ed. note: The other refusal came from Prince.] But he recorded the track at her request as a part of the approval process… the first time any artist has made that request. She summarily passed without comment. So instead of selling a couple hundred thousand or a million copies… he gave PERFORM THIS WAY away for free to his 2 million followers on Twitter.
Really, Lady Gaga wants to throw down with Weird Al?
Continue reading “Fame Brief: Weird Al, Fair Use, and the Lady Gaga Saga”
It’s definitely a good Friday over at Akin Gump. The firm just announced spring bonuses.
Better late than never. We’ve been receiving complaints from financially achin’ Akin associates for weeks. Earlier this month, for example, one Akin Gump lawyer complained about the firm not paying spring bonuses despite robust profits in 2010 (profit per partner of $1.6 million, compared to 2009′s $1.5 million).
So Akin Gump partners had a good year in 2010, and now they’re spreading the wealth. Let’s take a look at what they’re doing with spring bonuses….
Continue reading “Associate Bonus Watch: Akin Gump Jumps on Spring Bonus Bandwagon”
Hey little dude. FYI, don't go to Alabama.
Yesterday, there was a wonderful story coming out of Kansas Law School (gavel bang: @VaultLaw). A student there is starting the first animal cruelty prosecution clinic in the country. That’s what the scholars call “awesome.” There are simply not enough lawyers who are even familiar with animal cruelty laws. If more people know how to go after people who abuse animals, these criminals are more likely to be identified and punished.
Unfortunately, there’s an email going around a law school down south which will illustrates just how important it is for the new Kansas program to succeed and provide a model for similar initiatives around the country. There are some sick a$$holes out there, and they need to be stopped…
Continue reading “Sicko Mass-Emails Animal Death Fantasy To Law School Classmates”
Ed. note This is the first in a series of posts that Alex Aldridge, a London-based journalist who covers legal affairs, will be writing for Above the Law about the upcoming royal wedding of HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton.
So, you wish you had a royal family, eh?
Judging by the content of your media, royal wedding fever is even hotter in the US than in the country to which Wills and Kate belong (that’s the United Kingdom, by the way, for the 90% of you without passports who think London is in France). To an outsider, it seems you’re doubting the wisdom of that decision you took to go independent from your colonial forebears and start a republic.
You knew almost before us about the Kate Middleton jelly bean, the emotional pre-wedding visit to Diana’s grave, and the plans of our many extremist groups to hijack the big day in an assortment of eye-catching ways.
But I have stuff you don’t have: namely, on-the-ground insights into the mood of the British legal intelligentsia….
Continue reading “The Royal Wedding: A Legal Look (Part 1)”
It’s been a rough year in South Bend. A promising new head football coach led the Fighting Irish to a disappointing 7-5 regular season. The #5-ranked basketball team forgot to show up during March Madness (but at least the women’s team exceeded expectations). It was a year that many Irish fans would like to rewrite.
And now a few 1Ls at Notre Dame Law School would like to do some rewriting of their own. A tipster informs us that controversy has been brewing for a while regarding NDLS’s first year legal writing program. It appears that some students believe that they work too darn hard to only receive one measly credit for their second semester legal research and writing course.
So, what do angry law students do when they feel that they are not being properly credited for their writing efforts? They write more — a petition, to be exact. Find out what these future lawyers are demanding, after the jump.
Continue reading “Notre Dame Goes for Two”
Harvard Law School
* Attorney Jason Goldfarb pleaded guilty to securities fraud and conspiracy yesterday in a case that originated with the Rajabba investigation. Here’s his firm website photo. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Harvard Law is being investigated for violating Title IX. As someone who did not attend Harvard, I assume IX rhymes with sticks. Which brings me no closer to understanding exactly what was violated here. [Harvard Law Record]
* The Bonds trial ended just in time for us to get super-psyched about the Roger “Frosted Tips” Clemens perjury trial. Let’s start boning up on it! [Reuters]
* Mexico is considering filing a lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers. Poor Mexico, so far from God and so close to Remington. [CBS News]
Frank and Jamie McCourt, in happier days.
* Here’s a thorough breakdown of the McCourt mess, including details on the ongoing Bingham divorce debacle. [Am Law Daily]
* So there’s a Canadian lawyer who looks like Kate Middleton? Yeah, well my buddies say I look like Hedo Turkoglu. #humblebrag [Vancouver Sun via ABA Journal]
* Fox News wins the headline contest for Obama’s new gasoline price task force. [Fox News]
* It’s Friday. Let’s consider the better bonobos of our nature, guys. [Times Higher Education]
Earlier this month, Above the Law recorded a webcast, We Know What You Should Do This Summer. We convened a panel of career experts to discuss how law students can make the most of their summers. The panel was sponsored by our friends at the Practical Law Company. (We previously explained PLC and its mission over here.)
We started off with information and tips for our less fortunate readers — namely, law students (and lawyers) who have not yet found positions for the summer.
Check out the first installments, after the jump.
Continue reading “ATL Webcast: Career Advice for This Summer (Part 1)
Introductions, and how to find a summer job.“
If I ever have a daughter, the only dolls she's getting will be Maya Moore action figures.
* There were a bunch of stories about the Barbie Bratz decision today (woot: Orrick), but this one had the best title. [Street Sweep/Forbes]
* Do you trust your government with your identity? [An Associate's Mind]
* A lesbian couple won $22,000 from a comedian after a “tirade” of offensive jokes. Wow, that’s gonna have a chilling effect on the humor of this blurb. If only I could find some way to turn it around on these ladies… [CBC News]
* Alabama might redo its constitution. I’m hoping black people make it all the way up to 3/5ths this time. [Constitutional Daily]
* You’re gonna love my nuts. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Paul Krugman (a.k.a. God of Thinking Clearly) gives everybody a remedial lesson on why we have taxes in the first place. [New York Times]
* I think the crazy pastor who doesn’t deserve to be name checked should not burn the Koran. But I think legally preventing him from doing it would be a more dangerous attack on free speech and thus our way of life than any potential retaliation from his misguided protest. So the next time you say progressives only support free speech that they agree with, you can shut your freaking mouth. [Fox News]
* Congratulations to Breaking Media’s CEO, John Lerner, who was named as one of the 40 visionary leaders on the ‘net. [Folio]
Coming off a successful year in which some firms even saw record-setting revenues and profits, many Biglaw associates are now the busiest they have been in recent memory. While this uptick in work may initially be a welcome relief for some, in the long run associates often find themselves struggling to balance an increased workload with life outside the firm.
Today’s Career Center “Tip of the Day” features advice on maintaining work-life balance. Despite what you may have heard, work-life balance isn’t just a program for new mothers. Sure, many law firms aim their work-life policies — like parental leave, reduced hours schedules, and flexible working arrangements — at parents. But the fact is that everyone needs to balance work and life, regardless of whether or not you have kids and whether or not you work at a firm that promotes work-life balance, if you plan to make a career out of Biglaw while staying relatively happy and sane.
We collaborated with Biglaw associates to provide practical tips for helping you to achieve a work-life balance in your daily schedule. The first set of tips is aimed at managing your work to help free up time for your personal life. Next week, we will feature tips aimed at helping you maintain your personal life. Of course, these tips come with the caveat that the nature of Biglaw means that at times the “life” portion of the equation can be non-existent. For example, if you are on trial or closing a deal, you may be expected to work around the clock. But eventually your trial will end or you will complete your deal, and you will have the opportunity to regain some semblance of a life. These tips are geared toward helping you do that.
On to the tips for managing your work…
Continue reading “Career Center Tip of the Day: Making Work-Life Work (Part 1)”
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Size Matters, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers.
Like everyone, I enjoy me a Bush’s Baked Beans commercial. Jay and Duke’s witty banter over the secret family recipe highlights the joy of working with family. Unfortunately, not many of us can work with their talking family dog. (I mean, who else is there, besides Scooby Doo and Jake?)
Luckily, some can work with their two-legged family members. Working with family has been a key to the success of Melendres, Melendres & Harrigan P.C. Four of the five attorneys of this firm are related either by blood, through marriage, or through friendship. Paul Melendres and his wife Paige founded the firm in 2005 after leaving Biglaw in New York City to set up shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A year ago, Paul’s brother, Fred, and friend, Ryan Harrigan, left Biglaw to open the San Diego, California office.
Find out more about the firm, after the jump….
Continue reading “Size Matters: Brothers-In-Law Make For Good Business Partners”
[A] lawyer who defends an individual or a law, no matter how unpopular or distasteful, helps ensure that the outcome is viewed as fair. If DOMA is struck down, the fact that it was defended effectively will make the victory for its opponents more credible…. We hope [Paul] Clement loses, but we don’t begrudge him the assignment. Even a lawyer of his skills will find it hard to defend a discriminatory law like DOMA.
– a Los Angeles Times staff editorial, defending former Solicitor General Paul Clement and his law firm, King & Spalding, against criticism of their defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
Personally, I think it’s time for Biglaw associates in the class of 2010 to drink a tall glass of shut the hell up. They got jobs at a time when many of their classmates did not. They received $160K salaries just after there was a significant effort by some firms to push starting salaries down to $145K. Most of them got to start sometime in 2010… in the same year many of the people in the class of 2009 got to start. And, as far as we know, none of them have been Lathamed and had their careers aborted before they even started.
Are things as easy for the class of 2010 as they were for the class of 2006? No. But sometimes I think that the current n00bs forget that they could have been cast back down with the sodomites in the class of 2009.
But, that’s just me. And I’m old and irritable and have lost sight of the youthful exuberance that makes a person sing “I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now.” It turns out that first-year associates don’t want to wait until they mature into a class worthy of a full bonus at the end of 2011. They want whatever bonus money they can get out of 2010, and they are angry at the firms that are not paying up.
The Cravath-level spring bonus for the class of 2010 is only $2,500 at the firms that are paying spring bonuses to first years. And so we have two disgruntled groups: people who work at firms not paying a spring bonus to first years, and people who feel the $2.5K is “illusory” because it’s prorated based on when the associate started at the firm.
Let the bitching begin…
Continue reading “Open Thread: Class of 2010 Associate Bonus Bitch-Fest”
Isn’t it annoying when the YouTube video you’re watching just stops loading right in the middle? Or when your Skype connection suddenly starts sucking in the middle of a video conversation?
Well, it turns out that in Europe, sometimes stuff like that doesn’t happen accidentally. Internet Service Providers intentionally “throttle” certain kinds of web traffic.
The European Union is sick of this. On Tuesday, the European Commissioner for Digital Agenda threatened new legislation and public humiliation for companies that don’t allow consumers easy access to a free and open Internet. That’s right, kids; the net neutrality debate is hot in Europe, too….
Continue reading “Just Like Us, Europe Isn’t Sure How to Handle Net Neutrality”
Another day, another controversy over something hanging in a law school. Why is law school decor such a charged issue these days?
As some of may already know, I served as vice president of the Yale Federalist Society when I was in law school. My campaign was non-controversial. At the time, the VP was responsible for handling travel arrangements for visiting speakers, as well as for making restaurant reservations for post-talk dinners. In my speech, I talked about how much I enjoyed making travel arrangements, confessing that in high school my career goal was to become head concierge at a leading hotel. I won handily; it was a successful strategy.
I did not put up inflammatory posters that upset many members of the law school community and triggered a response from the dean — like the aspiring Fed Soc president at one midwestern law school.
Yes, we have pictures of the posters. Judge for yourself whether the posters, which have been removed, were racist and/or offensive….
Continue reading “Continuing Misadventures in Law School Decor: Is This Poster Racist?”
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Inside Straight, Above the Law’s column for in-house counsel, written by Mark Herrmann.
Can we just put this one to rest?
At every conference, and in many articles, people pose the question: “As a client, do you hire law firms, or do you hire lawyers?” The clients dutifully respond that they hire lawyers, not firms. Hasn’t this become sufficiently obvious that we can stop asking the question?
Why does any rational client hire lawyers and not law firms?
Because law firms are an aggregation of lawyers. Once a firm grows beyond a relatively small size, the quality of lawyers will vary. As a client, what matters is the quality of the lawyer working on your matter, not the quality of people not working on your matter, or the identity of the firm. (An exception may exist when a timid client is protecting itself against the possibility of a bad result: “We hired the biggest, baddest law firm available to handle this matter for us. Now that things have gone poorly, you can’t blame me, because I hired the best and sunk a lot of money into the matter.” But that reasoning is foolishness, and I hope this doesn’t happen often.)
The truth is that law firms themselves are uncertain about the quality of their own lawyers. Why?
Continue reading “Inside Straight: Hiring Law Firms Or Lawyers?”
Victory!
A couple of days ago, we told you that NYU 3Ls without jobs lined up are receiving discounts on tickets to their law school formal. It’s a nice gesture, but some NYU Law School students wanted more action from the NYU administration regarding the soon-to-be-unemployed students.
Well, maybe the NYU kids should have gone to school down south.
We are years into this legal-industry downturn, but finally we have a top-10 law school taking a basic step to help students who were unable to secure employment. Since law school doesn’t prepare you for the bar exam, and since bar review prep courses are expensive, this law school will pay bar expenses for graduating 3Ls who don’t have jobs lined up.
Which law school has adopted this policy? And why isn’t every law school doing this?
Continue reading “This is How A Top Law School Should Look Out For Unemployed Grads”
* BP has its granny panties in a bunch over Transocean’s liability for the oil spill. So they’re suing. [Bloomberg]
* Major League Baseball sought to take over the Dodgers from Frank McCourt yesterday. Your move, Wilpon. [Los Angeles Times]
* Tax Lady Roni DEUTCH may be thrown in jail. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on in this video, but definitely wait for the thrown dog. [ABA Journal]
* Juvenile killers are hoping to reach the Supreme Court in an effort to overturn their life sentences. If their cases make it that far, they’ll undoubtedly find a certain justice who only cares about inferior MP3 players and Emilio Estefan. [New York Times]
* Something called the Second Amendment Foundation has sued Massachusetts over their law forbidding legal immigrants from owning handguns. Crocodile Dundee didn’t need a handgun. [Fox News Latino]
The law firm of Vinson & Elkins, one of Texas’s top shops, once represented Enron. I was reminded of this fact in trying to write up V&E’s bonus news (year-end bonuses and spring bonuses, which the firm just announced). Lawyers at Vinson & Elkins seem to thrive on complexity — in the service of hiding what’s really going on with respect to money matters.
Trying to get a grasp on the V&E compensation system gave me a splitting headache. Unfortunately, because the firm plays such an important role in setting compensation for the Texas legal market, attention must be paid.
So let’s discuss the just-announced V&E spring bonuses, as well as the 2010 year-end bonuses that were announced in January 2011, and try to figure out what the heck is going on down there….
Continue reading “Associate Bonus Watch: Vinson & Elkins Gives Me A Headache Takes Spring Bonuses to Texas”
* I thought the four magic words for women lawyers were: “you still have time,” but apparently this is what they need to hear. [Forbes/She Negotiates via Legal Blog Watch]
* Samuel Alito’s mere existence is making it difficult for women to protect their reproductive rights. [Slate]
* Taco Bell presses its advantage and is now looking for an apology. Look, I thought the lawsuit against the company was stupid, but they sell food for 89 cents, it’s not unbelievably offensive that somebody would question its ingredients. [WSJ Law Blog]
* After a contentious process, Case Western Reserve Law has a new dean. Can I make a suggestion? Drop the “Western” and certainly the “Reserve” from your name. Just “Case,” it’s cleaner. I promise there’s a plus ten rankings bump in this for you. [Crain's Cleveland Business]
* Un-damage my rep. Say you’ll pay me some fees. Un-do the hurt that I did when I embarrassed myself on reality t.v. [ABA Journal]
* Women represent the fastest growing prison population. Apparently, the Chained Heat movies were total bullcrap. [National Geographic]
* Thanks to the Paul Clement’s defense of DOMA, all King & Spalding employees are barred from supporting the Respect for Marriage Act which overturn DOMA. Hopefully John Grisham will write a screenplay called Philadelphia 2 starring Tom Cruise as a closeted K&S attorney who is trying to escape from the firm. [MetroWeekly]
