August 2011
-
Biglaw, Celebrities, Crime, Legal Ethics, Lindsay Lohan, Money, Morning Docket, Music, Partner Profits, Pictures
Morning Docket: 08.22.11
* Unfortunately, it looks like law schools aren’t the only ones cooking the books. According to Citigroup, partner profits in the Am Law 100 may have been a teensy bit overstated last year. [Wall Street Journal] * A perp walk is a terrible thing to waste. Prosecutors may be dropping the charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn […]
-
Facebook, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Social Networking Websites, Technology
Non-Sequiturs: 08.19.11
* Germany essentially outlaws the “like” button on Facebook. Really, why did we let them reunify? Did we all honestly think that was a good idea? [BuzzMachine] * West Memphis Three could be getting out of jail. Umm… hide yo’ kids, hide yo’ wife? [WSJ Law Blog] * Is an MBA just as bad of […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Celebrities, Facebook, Lunacy, Music, Prostitution
And I Was Like Baby, Baby, Baby I'll Trade You My Virginity for Bieber Tickets
Teenagers today are obsessing over Justin Bieber. These Bieber fan girls are die-hard, and even have a name for themselves: Beliebers. And in Mexico, one Belieber chica is truly going loca in an attempt to score a ticket to Justin Bieber's Mexico City concert. She's so loca, in fact, that she's willing to trade her virginidad for him....
-
Animal Law, Police
Police Better Off Accidentally Shooting Black People Than Family Dogs
The Chicago Police Department shot an innocent black Labrador Retriever, a family pet who posed no real threat to the officers. As such, the police have been punished and roundly excoriated, and a federal jury awarded the family a huge sum for damages. Editor Elie Mystal thinks this is fine, and he agrees with the jury's decision. He just don't like living in a world where shooting a dog is a bigger liability risk for a police officer than shooting a person.... -
Bad Ideas, Lawyer Advertising
How Many Lawyers Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb?
Ah, the good old "how many lawyers does it take to change a light bulb" joke. It's pretty stupid, but all of its variants never seem to get old. Well, thanks to a mid-size firm in Minnesota, we now know that it takes exactly five lawyers to change a light bulb.... -
Biglaw, Labor / Employment, Money
Silly Lawyer, Overtime Is For Kids
A San Francisco appeals court decided that law clerks still waiting to pass the bar are ineligible for overtime pay. We know struggling law grads out there are eager to wring every last penny they can out of their employers. But if you step back and think about it, paying law clerks overtime is just stupid. Sorry, law clerks. Even though many of you don't use it, you guys have way too much independent discretion to get overtime.... -
Crime, Judge of the Day, Legal Ethics, Perverts, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Weirdness
Every Judge Gets a Nut: No Discipline for Isaac Stoltzfus, of Acorn Condom Fame
Remember Isaac H. Stoltzfus from Intercourse, Pennsylvania? After handing out condom-stuffed acorns to women on the street outside the Statehouse in Harrisburg, Stoltzfus became our Judge of the Day back in September 2010. In the spirit of res ipsa loquitur, we kept our coverage short and sweet. We now know that Stoltzfus was cited with […] -
English Grammar and Usage, Reader Polls
Grammer Pole of the Weak: It's All Right?
Here at Above the Law, we've been discussing English grammar and usage forever -- well, at least since 2006. We've now decided to formalize the discussion. Every Friday we will raise an issue of grammar, spelling, or style, in our newest ATL feature: Grammer Pole of the Weak. Today's topic: "all right" versus "alright." Let's discuss.... - 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… -
Biglaw, California, Crime, Law Schools, Morning Docket, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Morning Docket: 08.19.11
* This Cooley lawsuit is a “mystery.” They don’t game the numbers, they just do what “everybody else does.” Need a rimshot? [National Law Journal] * Yesterday team Bingham McCutchen struck out swinging, and now Frank McCourt is poised to hit it out of the park. [Boston Herald] * Recent law grads can kiss their […]
-
Biglaw, California, Cars, Kasowitz Benson, Pro Se Litigants, Ridiculousness
Remembrances of Gregory Berry
Since we first wrote about Gregory Berry, the former Kasowitz Benson associate who is suing the firm for $77 million, Above the Law readers have been sharing their opinions about working with him. Let's take a look at their opinions.... -
Abortion, Asians, Cars, Law Schools, LSAT, Non-Sequiturs, Politics, Texas, Video games, Women's Issues
Non-Sequiturs: 08.18.11
* Maybe we need law school law firms in the first place because law school professors — the ones who drill law into our heads for 3 years — are “incapable of practicing law.” [Adjunct Law Prof Blog] * “Boss, I’m stuck in traffic. No, I’m literally stuck.” Driving your car into wet concrete is […] -
Bad Ideas, Crime, Cyberlaw, Free Speech, Police, Technology
San Francisco Subway Shuts Off Cell Service, Hackers Get Angry
I rode BART into San Francisco on Monday for dinner. As our train approached the Embarcadero station, the driver came on the intercom. “We aren’t stopping at this station. Don’t want to drop you in the middle of a protest.” So my roommate and I got off a block later and backtracked. We encountered a […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Legal Ethics, Small Law Firms
Size Matters: Niche Practice Scarred By Baby-Selling Ring
A common topic of discussion with small-firm attorneys is whether or not to specialize. There are pros and cons to both, but one of the greatest difficulties in specializing as a small-firm lawyer is to make sure that your niche can provide enough business. Just make sure that you act ethically after making your choice....
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
-
Education / Schools, Money, Student Loans
The Student Loan Bubble: Only Stupid People Will Be Surprised When It Bursts
Today we have more evidence that the student loan market is headed for disaster. The tuition is too damn high, and there aren't enough high paying jobs available for all of the young people with enormous debt. For many recent college graduates, default is inevitable. The numbers are starting to catch up with reality.... -
Advertising, Biglaw, Career Center, Job Survey, Shameless Plugs, Summer Associates, This Is an Ad
Career Center: 2011 Summer Associate Survey Results (Part 2)
I know what you did this summer –- so thanks for filling out the 2011 Summer Associate Experience Survey. We’ve highlighted a few more of the unique and memorable summer programs in 2011. For more summer associate program information, check out the updated summer associate program sections of the law firm profiles on the Career […] -
Biglaw, Dissolution, Heller Ehrman
Former Heller Ehrman Employees Will Finally Get Paid. Kind Of.
Heller Ehrman announced its dissolution in September of 2008. The firm was required to give employees 60 days paid notice under the WARN act, but they couldn’t even get that right. Many associates and staff had their pay terminated before their 60 days were up. And many more employees were not compensated for their unused […] -
Education / Schools, Law Schools, Money, Public Interest, Student Loans
Can't Get a Job? Lacking Lawyer Skills? Try Working for Your School's Law Firm
There has been a lot of talk in the media lately about how law schools are failing to adequately prepare recent graduates for the working world. Law schools have also been under fire for their apparently inability to employ recent graduates in the legal work force. And in the spirit of killing two birds with one stone, law schools may soon have a solution for both of these problems.... -
Biglaw, Billable Hours, In-House Counsel, Money, Technology
Inside Straight: The Truth Behind E-Billing
I’m an idiot. I really am. When I was in private practice, clients said that they instituted e-billing for reasons of efficiency: “We can process bills and pay you faster if you submit bills electronically. E-billing speeds the process for both of us.” I knew that bills that we submitted electronically underwent some kind of […] -
Advertising, Bad Ideas, Pictures, Solo Practitioners, Texas
Solo Practitioner: Fighting Injustice in Cute Outfits
If you watch Futurama, you'll be familiar with Single Female Lawyer. The theme song is as such: single female lawyer, fighting for her client, wearing sexy mini-skirts and being self-reliant. Above the Law managed to find the real life version of this cartooned solo practitioner. Let's check out her website.... -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 08.18.11
* Following up on Matt Taibbi’s article in Rolling Stone, the New York Times reports that an enforcement lawyer at the S.E.C. says thousands of files at the agency were illegally destroyed. Blow the whistle. [New York Times] * Casey Anthony’s attorneys filed an appeal in an attempt to overturn her one-year probation sentence for […]