June 2011
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Federal Judges, Judicial Nominations, Orin Kerr, Quote of the Day, S.D.N.Y., Supreme Court Clerks
Quote of the Day: Members of the Elect Stick Together
That’s very impressive support. Off the top of my head, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. Washington is a small place, and informal channels will generally get word back to the relevant folks in the Senate without a public letter…. But the fact that so many conservative former clerks publicly support […] -
Advertising, Lawyer Advertising, Small Law Firms, Television
Size Matters: Television Advertising -- Is It Worth It?
The other day, I was watching television and I saw several commercials advertising divorce firms and personal injury firms. One ad featured a scene of nursing home neglect, followed by dramatic music and terms like “BEDSORES,” flashed across the screen in all-caps. Another ad featured William Shatner asking me if I needed legal help. Two […] - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Document Review, Intellectual Property, Patents, Technology
Predictive Coding Patented, E-Discovery World Gets Jealous
The normally tepid e-discovery world felt a little extra heat of competition yesterday. Recommind, one of the larger e-discovery vendors, announced Wednesday that it was issued a patent on predictive coding (which Gabe Acevedo, writing in these pages, named the Big Legal Technology Buzzword of 2011). In a nutshell, predictive coding is a relatively new […]
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Advertising, Biglaw, Career Center, Money, Summer Associates, This Is an Ad
Advice for Summer Associates: Don’t Cost Law Firms More Than You Have To
Jerry Maguire made a memorable plea to retain his client: “Help me, help you. Help me, help you.” As a summer clerk, you are very expensive for the law firm — in addition to your salary and entertainment expenses, firms spend hundreds of attorney hours monitoring your work and keeping you interested. You do not […] -
Crime, Education / Schools, Kids, Ridiculousness, Sentencing Law
They Want To Send This Child Prankster To Jail, And Nobody Even Killed Themselves Over It
Am I the only person who remembers what it was like to be a teenager? Am I the only freaking person up in here that values a good prank? Am I the only person left on this go***mn planet who doesn’t think teenagers who commit pranks should go to jail regardless of how much somebody […] -
Advertising, Lawyer Advertising
Lions and Tigers and Lawyers, Oh My…
Why will some lawyers just never learn that “creative” law firm websites are a bad idea? Over the years we’ve seen an odd array of crazy websites, and, while I may question the sanity of their creators, I must admit that the ever-growing collection has provided hours of entertainment. Today’s addition, courtesy of a friendly […] -
Biglaw, Document Review, Federal Judges, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Litigators
Inside Straight: Clawback Agreements -- An Oft-Missed Trick
I recently heard a panel of judges speak about e-discovery issues. Their opinions on several subjects varied, but on one subject they agreed unanimously: Clawback provisions under Federal Rule of Evidence 502 are valuable tools in most significant litigation, but they remain rarely used. This piqued my interest, so I asked several in-house litigators (not […] -
Craigslist, Job Searches
Is Your Law School Teaching You Hospitality Services?
A lot of times we make jokes about how law students should be learning how to say “do you want fries with that.” Those jokes are funny, because they are true. And today we have proof. Remember our terrible job rules: low salary is not enough. Given the state of the legal economy, getting minimum […] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.09.11
* Paul Clement laid down the law, or lack thereof, when it came to yesterday’s oral arguments on Obamacare in the Eleventh Circuit. [Reuters] * “Hey, I have some cases that could exonerate your client, and you have a law firm job for my nephew. Wanna trade?” Best conflict of interest case ever. [Los Angeles […]
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Crime, Hotties, Law Schools, Prostitution, Sex, Sex Scandals, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners
More About Reema Bajaj, the Lawyer Accused of Prostitution
In my earlier story about Reema Bajaj, the 25-year-old Illinois solo practitioner who now faces prostitution charges, I noted that she seems “very sweet and wholesome,” as well as “a fundamentally decent person.” And I adhere to this position. When I reached out to her through her law firm website, to see if she had […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.08.11
* The bionic lawyer is coming. [CNET] * Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. [Not So Private Parts/Forbes] * Thank God somebody in Georgia understands the difference between Goth kids and murderers. [Siouxsie Law] * The headline on this Pabst v. SEC story is worth the click. [WSJ Law Blog] * Mitt Romney […] -
Admin, Advertising, Announcements, Shameless Plugs, Technology, This Is an Ad
The Legal Technology Leadership Summit: You're Cordially Invited
Preparations continue for the Legal Technology Leadership Summit, presented by Above the Law in partnership with the Electronic Discovery Institute (EDI) and the American Society of Digital Forensics and eDiscovery (ASDFED). We are pleased to announce three new sponsors: Recommind Guidance Software Ernst & Young And two new speakers, who will be joining us at […] -
Small Law Firms, Social Networking Websites, Twittering
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Five People Who Should Never Tweet
There’s not much I can add to this Weinergate thing that hasn’t already been covered on these pages and everywhere else. Congressman Anthony Weiner has said that he’s not going to resign over the scandal that he tweeted various body parts to women other than his wife. I believe that he will have to resign, […]
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so…
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
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…
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
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Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
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Education / Schools, Student Loans
Department of Education Hopes Police State Can Prevent Student Loan Bubble From Bursting
Resorting to violence is part of human nature. We see it all the time, especially in children. When arguments fail, when hope wanes, the fists come out. Most people are willing to fight long before they are willing to admit that their entire worldview is wrong. Institutions are no different; they will fight to preserve […] -
Advertising, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Thanks to Our Awesome Advertisers
We extend our gratitude to this week’s advertisers on Above the Law: American Express BarMax Best Buy Buy With Me Chivas Citibank Datacert Delta Effen Vodka Emirates Georgetown University Kinney Recruiting (sponsor of the Asia Chronicles) Lateral Link (sponsor of the Career Center) Legal Mentor USA LexisNexis – Discovery Services LexisNexis – Juris LexisNexis – […] -
Education / Schools, Paralegals, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: A Degree More Useless Than a J.D.?
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. Dear ATL, I just received my A.A. in Paralegal Studies. Will this be useful at all? How do attorneys view paralegals? I don’t need an attorney to like me. I just need one to pay me. — Wrong Kind of Associate Dear Wrong […] -
Biglaw, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues, Partner Profits
What's Going On At O'Melveny & Myers?
Last month, we broke the news of seven key corporate partners leaving O’Melveny & Myers to join Paul Weiss. Shortly thereafter, we learned that two other prominent partners were leaving O’Melveny to join Weil Gotshal. Of course, partners come and partners go at large law firms — but some of these nine were major rainmakers […] -
Biglaw, Drinking, Drugs, In-House Counsel
A Little 'Me Time'
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). My […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.08.11
* Just a little off the top: this prisoner is suing because Virginia won’t give her the kind of cut that she wants. [Wall Street Journal] * There are probably more bison than gay people in Wyoming, but now the latter can get divorced there. All two of them. [ABA Journal] * Bloggers from Garden […]
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Andrew Sullivan, Federal Judges, Gay, Judicial Nominations, Politics, Quote of the Day, Religion
Quote of the Day: No, but we might criminalize failure to exfoliate.
I don’t have a problem with appointing an openly gay person. Because they’re not going to try to put sharia law in our laws. — Herman Cain, Republican presidential candidate, explaining why he would consider appointing an openly gay person to his cabinet, even though he would not appoint a Muslim to the federal bench […]