July 2011
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 07.08.11
* Chief Justice Roberts tries to explain why law reviews are so damn useless and boring. [Adjunct Law Prof Blog] * Look, I like Jimmer Ferdette Fredette. I think that he was discriminated against because he’s white and I’ll bet all the money in my pocket that he ends up having a better career than […] -
New Jersey, Privacy, Technology
New Jersey Court Says It's Okay To Use GPS To Track a Cheating Spouse
Next year, the Supreme Court will decide whether it’s okay for law enforcement to put a GPS tracking device on someone’s car without a warrant. Some courts say yes and some courts say no. If it’s not the po-po tracking you, though, but a spouse who suspects you might be cheating, a New Jersey court […] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Crime, Kids, Lunacy, Murder, Trials, Weirdness
Voicemail of the Day
As many of you already know, if you don’t want to use email, you can send tips to Above the Law by text message. The number to use is 646-820-TIPS (or 646-820-8477). That number, which is hooked up to our Google Voice account, also accepts voice mails. We strongly prefer text-based tips, via email or […]
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Craigslist, Law Schools, Sexual Harassment
Suing Law Schools Potpourri: Tidings From Law Schools Named After A 'Thomas'
A couple of days ago, we mentioned that Thomas Jefferson Law School had been sued, again. The school is already facing heat for its allegedly misleading employment statistics, and now it has also been caught up in sexual harassment litigation. Officials at Thomas Jefferson furnished us with a response to the allegations that a school […] -
Career Alternatives, Job Searches, Law Schools
Indy Law Offers Its Alumni the Most Nontraditional In-House Position Ever
Are you a recent law school graduate searching for a job in a down economy? Do you hope to find a nontraditional position in the Great Midwest? Do you have an unconditional love for breakfast foods? If so, you need look no further, because Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis may be able to assist you with all of your employment needs, but only if you like waffles. -
Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Jed Rakoff, Quote of the Day, S.D.N.Y.
Quote of the Day: I Award You No Points, And May God Have Mercy On Your Soul.
Not only am I dismissing your case — WITH PREJUDICE — but I am also referring you to the grievance committee, and will personally recommend that you are sanctioned. You lied to this Court, and that will not be countenanced. Now please leave my courtroom. — Judge Jed Rakoff, benchslapping (as reported by an ATL […] -
Biglaw, Celebrities, Eugene Scalia, Jane Ginsburg, Kids, Matthew McGill, Phil Alito, Samuel Alito, Summer Associates
Celebrity Summer Associate: Supreme Offspring
Last month, we asked: Who are this year's celebrity summer associates? Our next celebrity summer associate isn't super-famous in his own right (even though he's as good-looking as many a Hollywood actor). Instead, he derives his celebrity from a famous father. So who is he, and where does he work? -
Boutique Law Firms, Cars, Drinking, DUI / DWI, Small Law Firms
Biglaw Alternative: Getting Drunks Off
Most lawyers would cringe at the thought of spending their entire careers trying to find loopholes that will release drunk drivers back onto the streets. But one small firm is building a DUI defense empire in Georgia. You’ll be so happy that they get your case thrown out that you won’t even mind when they use your full name and share the details of your drunken escapades to drum up more business. - 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… -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 07.08.11
* Jared Lee Loughner’s lawyers are fighting his forced medication due to the side effects of antipsychotics. Sorry bro, but when you’re charged with killing so many people, you deserve to lactate a little. [CNN] * New York’s AG may save the day for football fans. He’s investigating the legality of the NFL lockout due […]
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Biglaw, Job Searches, Law Schools, Summer Associates
A Tale Of Two Law Students: One Summering At Cravath, The Other Still Searching For A Job
Law school isn't a bad choice or financially ruinous choice for everybody -- just for many people. Law schools tend to trumpet the few stories of success while ignoring the many stories of distress. And now we can look at the thoughts of a have-not -- and see just how bitter he's become. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 07.07.11
* Florida gets a lot of flak, but the state seems to be doing something right with respect to defamation lawsuits. [The Legal Satyricon] * “How is law school like the NFL draft?” (Aside from the high risk of getting your brains scrambled.) [Freakonomics] * Let’s “think the unthinkable” about the legal profession in 2020, […] -
Alan Dershowitz, Crime, Jury Duty, Law Professors, Murder, Quote of the Day, Trials
Quote of the Day: Dershowitz Defends the Casey Anthony Verdict
The verdict in the Casey Anthony case reflected the lack of forensic evidence and heavy reliance on circumstantial inferences. There was no evidence of a cause of death, the time of death, or the circumstances surrounding the actual death of this young girl. There was sufficient circumstantial evidence from which the jury could have inferred […] -
Biglaw, Breasts, Fashion, Fashion Is Fun, Hotties, Parties, Sexism, Summer Associates, Women's Issues
Grin and Bare It: Stripping Out of Your Suit at Firm Events
It's almost the middle of summer, and it's hot as hell outside. The invitation to the firm summer party is coming for you -- and it might involve a pool or beach. Is there such a thing as bathing suit etiquette for a Biglaw summer bash?
Sponsored
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…
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…
Sponsored
Sponsored
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.
Sponsored
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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Admin, Shameless Plugs, Technology, This Is an Ad
The Legal Technology Leadership Summit: Revisiting Qualcomm and Possible Ethics Sanctions
As we learned in Qualcomm v. Broadcom, e-discovery can be tricky. While there is an ethical rule against disclosing client confidences, there is an exception to that rule. In order to properly invoke that exception, certain procedural and ethical steps must be taken. A special ethics and e-discovery panel at the Legal Technology Leadership Summit […] -
Small Law Firms
Size Matters: Time To Get All Nancy Grace On You
It has been a while since I took the S.A.T, but here goes. Nancy Grace: Casey Anthony Verdict; Valerie Katz: ________. A. Ramona Singer Pinot Grigio; B. Biglaw Spring Bonuses; C. Closed Compensation Model in Small Firms; D. All of the above; E. None of the above. Correct Answer: C. I, like Ms. Grace about […] -
Bad Ideas, Crime, Judge of the Day, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Judge of the Day: Lady Likes To Take Pictures of Men Peeing. What's Wrong With That?
A Florida judge stands accused of photographing a guy peeing in the men's bathroom. That judge is also a biter, but who and what did she bite? Read on for more info on our Judge of the Day. -
Google / Search Engines, Lexis-Nexis, LexisNexis / Lexis-Nexis, Old People, Rank Stupidity, Screw-Ups, Summer Associates, Technology, Westlaw
All This Techno-Ignorance Will Make Your Head Explode
Over the last few weeks, I’ve written about some über expensive and embarrassing examples of lawyers making technological mistakes. Those stories involved sexily scandalous blunders, but they were relatively extreme scenarios. (If turning over thousands of privileged documents happens regularly at your firm, may God help you.) More frequently, firm employees deal with little technological […] -
Advertising, Biglaw, Career Center, Holidays and Seasons, Job Survey, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center Survey Results: Who Worked on the Fourth of July?
According to the more than 1,000 responses we received to this week’s Career Center survey, 65% of respondents took the Fourth of July holiday off to celebrate their freedom or something like that. That’s a huge jump from the 27% of respondents who reported not working on Presidents’ Day, and the 34% of respondents who […] -
Biglaw, In-House Counsel, Litigators
Inside Straight: If I've Got It, Then By God I'm Gonna Inflict It On You
A few months ago, I attended a hearing on a motion for a temporary restraining order. The judge came out on the bench and berated one side’s lawyers: “You filed these papers at midnight last night. Your brief is more than 70 pages long and has a foot of exhibits attached to it. I arrived […] -
Crime, Murder, Sentencing Law, Trials
Casey Anthony: The Sentence
If you're still following the Casey Anthony case, she was sentenced yesterday for lying to the cops. She'll be out of jail in about a week. WHERE'S THE JUSTICE FOR CAYLEEEEEEEEEEE??????!!!!!!!!!