* Working in the Obama Administration is kind of like a feeder school for getting into Harvard Law School. I guess the hardest part really is getting in. [Law and More]
* Strangely, I feel sorry for this victim of bike theft. The police won’t be able to help; let’s help her get her bike back. [Village Voice]
* Still on the Law & Order front, I’m puzzled by people who act a fool in the streets and forget that we live in a world where cameras are everywhere. [New York Times]
* The McCourts have agreed on a way to decide who owns the Dodgers, assuming Major League Baseball still lets them own the Dodgers. [WSJ Law Blog]
* I really don’t think washing your mouth out with soap is the best medicine. [WWLP.com]
* You want to talk about cruelty to cats? How about taunting a lioness with a delicious baby placed just out of reach?
Best YouTube clip you’ve seen in a while, after the jump…
Continue reading “Non-Sequiturs: 06.17.11″
Last week I attended an interesting talk by Preet Bharara, currently serving as the U.S. Attorney for the (extremely powerful and prestigious) Southern District of New York. I had heard great things about Bharara from many people, including current and former colleagues in the U.S. Attorney’s office and people who previously worked with him on Capitol Hill, where he served as chief counsel to Senator Chuck Schumer. So I was eager to hear his remarks, which he delivered to the New York Financial Writers Association, a group of business and finance journalists here in New York.
Here’s my report on what he had to say — including, for those of you who aspire to be assistant U.S. attorneys, what he expects from the prosecutors who work for him….
Continue reading “An Evening With Preet Bharara”
For the most part, I’ve just been happy that the lawsuit against Thomas Jefferson School of Law, over the school’s allegedly misleading employment statistics, exists. It’s not about winning or losing; it’s about raising awareness of the disingenuous way law schools go about filling up their classes.
Of course, anytime somebody says “it’s not about winning or losing,” you can best believe that person expects to lose. I’ve been operating under the assumption that Anna Alaburda, the woman suing TJSL, would get her butt kicked all over the courthouse.
But maybe I am wrong to give up hope for a victory so quickly. Karen Sloan of the National Law Journal has managed to find a couple of lawyers who believe law schools could be in big trouble…
Continue reading “Could Thomas Jefferson School Of Law Actually Lose?”
Maybe I’m just naive, but I find the concept of conducting any courtroom business via video enthralling but also a bit unnerving. It seems so inconsistent with the mythical and timeless ideals of the hallowed halls of justice, yadda yadda yadda.
Whether we like it or not, however, video conferencing is creeping into courthouses across the country. For example, as I previously reported, a Georgia court let a criminal witness testify via Skype.
Last week a government survey revealed that Pennsylvania state courts conduct more than 15,000 video conferences each month. More than half were preliminary arraignments, but the state used videoconferencing for warrant proceedings, bail hearings and sentencing hearings, too.
According to the survey, not only does video conferencing save the state a boatload of money, it also saves magistrate judges from having to personally interact with the pesky “derelicts” charged with crimes.
Keep reading to find out how virtual arraignment conserves dollars and judicial peace of mind….
Continue reading “Video Arraignments Save Money and Make Judges Feel Safer”
Dads, please don't set yourselves on fire.
I’ve said before that the word “literally” is overused and misused in our culture. I’m guilty of it, and so are many others. It’s not a big deal, except for the fact that when you really need the word, its meaning has been diminished.
But guys, today we have a story about a man who literally and successfully set himself on fire on the courthouse steps and died. To quote a tipster: “If burning yourself alive to protest the court system isn’t sensational enough to merit a mention on ATL, I don’t know what is.”
No doubt.
But why self-immolation? Well, let’s take a look at the man’s 10,000 word suicide note….
Continue reading “Man Literally Sets Himself On Fire On The Courthouse Steps”
Attorneys who earned their JDs in 2008 and 2009 often had to settle for their second-choice practices because of the economy. With the market heating up, now is an opportune time to move to a more prestigious firm and handle more sophisticated deals. Today’s Job of the Week, brought to you by Lateral Link, presents a great opportunity for corporate M&A associates: multiple openings at one of D.C.’s most successful corporate practices.
Position: Corporate Associates
Location: Washington, D.C.
Description: Top international firm is looking to hire two junior to mid-level M&A associates. This corporate group offers immediate access to partners, lean staffing on major deals, and high-profile matters that have received significant press in recent months. Top compensation is just one of many other benefits to joining the group. Ideal candidates will have M&A, transactional, and/or securities experience with a respected firm or the government (SEC in particular). Strong academics are a must. Candidates interested in relocating are encouraged to apply.
For more information about this position, please view Position #9115 on Lateral Link; current Members may contact their personal search consultant for this or other corporate opportunities in Washington, D.C. Non-members can contact Jordan Abshire at jabshire@laterallink.com.
Tupac Shakur
Back when things were real, musicians didn’t get hurt jet skiing. They got shot. And if realness can be measured in bullet wounds, nobody was as real as rapper extraordinare and do-rag styling visionary Tupac Shakur, who was shot five times in 1994 and then again, fatally, in 1996. None of the gunmen from either shooting have been identified. Until now.
On Wednesday, permanent resident of federal prison Dexter Isaac confessed to Tupac’s non-fatal 1994 shooting. In his confession, Isaac claims that Suge Knight-like music exec James “Henchman” Rosemond hired Isaac to commit the crime:
In 1994, James Rosemond hired me to rob 2Pac Shakur at the Quad Studio. He gave me $2,500, plus all the jewelry I took, except for one ring, which he wanted for himself. It was the biggest of the two diamond rings that we took. He said he wanted to put the stone in a new setting for his girlfriend at the time, Cynthia Ried. I still have as proof the chain that we took that night in the robbery.
If $2,500 seems low to you, you need to adjust for inflation ($3,765 in today’s dollars). In any event, why is Isaac ratting out Henchman after all these years, after the statute of limitations has run? Henchman, an FBI fugitive wanted for drug charges, recently told the press that Isaac was cooperating with authorities to build a case against him. In order to protect his good name and prove that he is under no circumstances a rat, convicted murderer Isaac is working closely with federal investigators to bring down Henchman. No word on whether Carmen Sandiego is on the case…
Continue reading “Fame Brief: Is This the Man Who Shot Tupac?”
We have recently covered a number of notable partner departures from O’Melveny & Myers. While some of the losses were “not undesired,” as one source put it, others were bad news for OMM.
But, in fairness to the firm, there is good news coming out of O’Melveny these days as well. Let’s discuss some of it.
First, OMM has responded to some of the partner departures with fresh leadership. Firm chairman A.B. Culvahouse remains at the helm of the ship, but several practice groups now have new heads. As recently reported by Am Law Daily, Steven Tonsfeldt is the new leader of the M&A practice group, C. Brophy Christensen and Eric Reimer will take over the corporate finance/capital markets group, and Robert Rizzi will head the tax group. Congratulations to all of them on their new posts.
Second, OMM is busy — so busy that it is calling up some of its incoming associates and asking them to come in earlier. These associates were originally given start dates in December 2011 but are now wanted in the early fall.
(By the way, we are working on a story for next week about start dates at major law firms. Feel free to send us info about your firm if you have any.)
So what specific start dates are O’Melveny’s incoming associates being offered now, and how do they feel about the change?
Continue reading “Good News at O’Melveny & Myers”
Something we don’t really get a chance to write about that often on Above the Law is the rise of the Goth subculture in America — and that’s probably because no one cares about it. Just like how no one cared about most Goth kids when they were growing up, which led them to believe that dressing up like sad, neoclassical clowns was a good idea.
You know what, this is America, and if you want to paint your face like an inept contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race and wear chains connecting your ears to your nose, then by all means, go right ahead. I have absolutely no problem with that. If you want to look like the latest incarnation of Boy George, and thereby make your family embarrassed to be around you, then go for it.
But really, leave your pets out of it, okay? Your kittens don’t have daddy issues like you do…
Continue reading “Piercing Your Cat Will Not Make You Better at Being a Goth”
* What’s going on over at the Empire State Building? If the allegations are true, this is one hell of a way to try to oust a tenant. [New York Daily News]
* Of course a man would argue that stripping is a “beneficial social activity.” I guess that’s an improvement, since other items on that list for men include Call of Duty and fart jokes. [Boston Herald]
* I guess if you can’t figure out how to get out of jury duty, you’re not going to be able to figure out that you shouldn’t tell the defendant on Facebook how it’s going for him. [Bloomberg]
* U.S. News will be probably be changing the way it ranks for employment, starting with the class of 2010. It will be interesting to see just how lost my class really is. [U.S. News & World Report]
* Portland had to drain an entire reservoir because one man peed in it (and may be prosecuted). Imagine how often a town pool would have to be drained if the laws for drinking water applied. [ABA Journal]
* The best way to increase diversity in law school is to throw money at it — and the best place to do that is at Harvard, which is actually surprisingly diverse. [Wall Street Journal]
* Need a lawyer? There’s an app for that! It’s like ordering a pizza, except better. Pizza usually takes 30 minutes, but now you can get a lawyer in half the time. [New York Times]
Yesterday we kicked off the Fictional Lawyer Madness by starting the voting on the left side of the bracket.
Today, we’re opening up the right side. On this side of the bracket we have more movie characters, and more female characters.
And there has been one big change from yesterday’s bracket. I forgot to add a fictional lawyer everybody loves.
Voting closes on Sunday, June 19 at 11:59 p.m. So don’t waste any time…
Continue reading “Fictional Lawyer Madness: Round 1, Part 2″
* “I doubt this is constitutional, but let’s just do it.” Sounds like business as usual down in the Senate as to plans to extend the FBI Director’s term. [Blog of Legal Times]
* Are we really still talking about desegregating schools in Arkansas? I can’t even believe that this is a serious proposition. [WSJ Law Blog]
* This is what happens when lawyers from Yale stop being polite, and start getting real. What good can come from Kentucky or North Dakota? [PrawfsBlog]
* Ladies, should you take a new job while pregnant? To me, that’s kind of like asking, “Should I go bungee jumping while pregnant?” Not a good idea. [Corporette]
* Apparently, there’s some debate as to which city will be the next world capital of law. And no, it probably isn’t going to be one of these outsourcing cities. [Law21]
* Kash, of course it’s bad for America that Weiner is resigning. We don’t get to see any more big, kosher pickles. [The Not-So Private Parts / Forbes]
* Summer associates, please take note. Do not send emails to colleagues about wild, underage ragers like this JP Morgan intern did. You will look like a complete tool. [Dealbreaker]
* Leave it to Paul Clement to get this lady off with a 9-0 decision. It turns out she wasn’t a terrorist, just a little kooky. [CNN Justice]
* Bob Tennant of Recommind tells patent critics (and competitors) a thing or two about prior art and automated discovery. [Recommind]
I know that all of you have been anxiously awaiting the results of the salary survey. I had envisioned the results post to be equal in excitement to the results shows for American Idol or Dancing With The Stars. Indeed, in anticipation of this monumental post, I commissioned a group of MIT grad students to perform a regression analysis, do a double-blind sampling, and make colorful pie charts. Unfortunately, that dream cannot be realized today. I take partial responsibility for the survey design, but going forward please include salary information if you chose to participate in a salary survey and designate your location with specificity (e.g. not “the South” or “California” or “an NFL market”).
It is not all bad news for you. I have some good news.
The good news:
• A few trends emerged;
• The majority of respondents were unhappy with their compensation (maybe not good, but consistent);
• I can tell you with high accuracy the salary information for a few third year associates in various cities; and
• I learned a few new curse words.
Now that I have successfully managed expectations, let’s look at the results after the jump.
Continue reading “Size Matters: Salary Survey Results”
Mastering assignments begins with understanding what the lawyers you are working for want. You are not in law school; this is not a contest where you are graded against other students. Clients want answers, not issue spotting. Sophisticated clients already know the issues. Clients want answers based on the facts and applicable law — not theory based on policy arguments, law review articles, cases from other states, dissenting opinions, or model statutes that have not been adopted.
According to Lateral Link’s Frank Kimball, an expert recruiter and former Biglaw hiring partner, the most frequent problems in summer programs arise from misunderstood assignments. Common errors include spending the wrong amount of time on a project, delivering the wrong type of work product, memoranda that speak with the voice of a law student rather than that of a lawyer, and inadequate or excessive legal research. Each is preventable.
If you do not enjoy research, call that truck driving school. If you do not have a natural curiosity about legal issues, you are in the wrong profession. That means a rigorous, disciplined approach to defining problems and finding answers even if it means going through scores of cases, stacks of treatises, and hitting innumerable dead ends until you are satisfied.
Know that your assignment will be delivered by an attorney responsible for coordinating projects for summer associates or the attorney for whom the work will be done. Therefore, do not leave the office of the assigning lawyer without answers to these eleven questions — which you can read by clicking here. Don’t forget, for additional career insights as well as profiles of individual law firms, check out the Career Center.
Yesterday, we brought you a story about the plight of UGA Law students who were still jonesing for their grades. After having received a number of comments, emails, tweets, and Facebook messages, it seems like the moral of the story for rising 2Ls and 3Ls at UGA Law (and at every other law school) is this: “Quit bitching, gunners.”
I guess everyone will get their grades sooner or later, but to be honest, it will probably be later.
But, in particular, we noted that graduates from the school’s class of 2011 had not yet received their transcripts. The transcripts in question were due to the Georgia Bar yesterday, but as commenters and tipsters alike responded, this really, really isn’t a big deal. Really.
Apparently, UGA Law has some sort of secret agreement with the Georgia Bar that negates the deadline in question…
Continue reading “Is Not Getting Your Grades A Big Deal? The Georgia Bar Thinks So”
All right everybody, be cool, no need to break out the Drudge siren.
Yes, Cahill Gordon, which previously smashed the year-end associate bonus market back in December, has just announced “mid-year” bonuses. But this announcement is unlikely to start a trend. Remember, because Cahill’s bonuses were already so high, the firm did not announce spring bonuses. Spring bonuses really amounted to a bunch of other law firms trying to catch up with Cahill.
So today’s mid-year announcement is kind of just Cahill’s version of spring bonuses. And Cahill did mid-year bonuses last year. Am Law reports that associates will be getting between $5,000 and $25,000 bonus dollars from Cahill.
Wait a minute, what am I talking about? Of COURSE this is huge news! A bunch of associates just got a bonus from the partners for all their hard work… and right when the summer associates were around to see it. Somebody is making it rain up in here….
Continue reading “Associate Bonus Watch: Cahill Gives Out ‘Mid-Year’ Bonuses”
A paralegal at work (via the Bureau of Labor Statistics page on paralegals).
One week ago, in our advice column, Pls Hndle Thx, Marin and Elie tackled the topic of paralegal education. The question presented: the usefulness of an Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree in Paralegal Studies in securing gainful employment as a paralegal.
For the record, Pls Hndle Thx should not be viewed as a straight-up advice column. Rather, PHT represents Above the Law’s irreverent reinterpretation of the conventional advice column, and the “advice” offered therein should be taken with (more than) a grain of salt. Alas, judging from some of the reader comments and blogosphere reactions, Marin and Elie’s comments were taken seriously — and viewed as insulting to paralegals, which was definitely not their intent.
Based on the intense reaction (and traffic) to that controversial column, however, we learned that many people are interested in a more serious story about how educational credentials will affect the search for paralegal positions. Here it is….
Continue reading “The Value of a Paralegal Degree: Experts Weigh In”
I’ve received a couple of e-mails from associates at large firms saying that these folks sit at their desks dreaming about having in-house jobs: One client instead of many competing for your time. More manageable workload. A broader range of work. Less stress. An opportunity to think strategically instead of wallowing in minutiae. No more billable hours. No more time sheets. Bliss!
Please, these correspondents ask, write a column explaining the tribulations of in-house counsel.
This is tricky. First, the in-house life is pretty good. I wouldn’t want to understate the advantages. Second, I don’t hide behind a cloak of anonymity when I publish these columns. If I faced any tribulations (and I don’t, of course), this wouldn’t be a wise forum in which to let loose. Third, my own personal experience doesn’t prove very much generally, and I hear a wide range of varied reactions from others who work in-house.
But I’ll give it a shot….
Continue reading “Inside Straight: The Other Side Of Paradise”
I’ve always wondered what kind of salary contract lawyers make these days. Okay, not really, I kind of already know, because a lot of my friends are contract lawyers. But for those of you who aren’t familiar with the wonderful world of contract lawyering, the Wall Street Journal had an interesting article yesterday, by Vanessa O’Connell, on the trials and tribulations of these lawyers-for-hire.
The Journal editors decided to give the piece a cutesy title by using a play on words: “Lawyers settle… for temp jobs.” Lawyers are supposed to be settling cases, and now they’re settling for temporary jobs. Oh, that’s so very witty.
What the WSJ folks might not have realized is that when you’re an unemployed new lawyer in this kind of economy, or even if you’re an older one, you don’t really have the option of “settling.” It’s depressing, but you kind of just accept the fact that this is the hand that you’ve been dealt.
But maybe there is a bright side to this situation after all. Maybe these contract attorneys are making serious bank in these temporary positions….
Continue reading “How Can a Lawyer ‘Settle’ for the Only Job He Can Get?”
This is not strictly legal, but it does involve a lawmaker – or soon-to-be-former lawmaker. We thought you might like to know that you won’t have Anthony’s weiner to kick around anymore. The New York Times is reporting that Weiner will resign:
Representative Anthony D. Weiner has told friends that he plans to resign his seat after coming under growing pressure from his Democratic colleagues to leave the House in the wake of revelations of his lewd online exchanges with women, said a person told of Mr. Weiner’s plans.
So, for those playing along at home, Anthony Weiner is resigning because he likes to send out naked and semi-nude pictures of himself, but Charlie Rangel still has his job.
Way to keep our priorities straight, America.
Weiner Tells Friends He Will Step Down [New York Times]
