August 2011
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Biglaw, Kasowitz Benson, Lawsuit of the Day, Pro Se Litigants, Ridiculousness
Lawsuit of the Day: Ex-Kasowitz Associate With 'Superior Legal Mind' Sues the Firm for $77 Million
By now, you've probably heard about a lawsuit filed against litigation powerhouse Kasowitz Benson and two Kasowitz partners by Gregory S. Berry, a former first-year associate at the firm. Berry seeks a whopping $77 million in damages -- $2.55 million in estimated lost income, and $75 million in punitives. Let's have a look at his interesting allegations, plus hear from some tipsters.... -
Billable Hours, Hair, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 08.17.11
* I’m sure the soon-to-be first-year associates out there could use this guide on who to bill their hours to. [Going Concern] * Everybody has advice for when lawyers should step back and remain calm. When is the appropriate time for lawyers to freak out, start screaming and pounding things, and run around saying “we’re […] - Sponsored
How Generative AI Will Improve Legal Service Delivery
Learn how emerging tools will likely change and enhance the work of lawyers for years to come in this new report. -
Advertising, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Thank You to This Week's Advertisers
We would like to extend our to this week’s advertisers here on Above the Law. We are honored to have these respected brand leaders as our advertisers. Please show them your support: Approach the Bench Autonomy Datacert Ernst & Young Kinney Recruiting (sponsor of the Asia Chronicles) Lateral Link (sponsor of the Career Center) LexisNexis […]
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Celebrities, Football, Kids, Quote of the Day, Sports
Quote of the Day: You Know What They Say About Big Shoes
We’ve done a million Brady blogs. Every one of them, we try to put a different spin on why he’s the best. For this, the pictures we had, that was the spin. — Blogger David Portnoy of Barstool Sports commenting on a visit from the police after he posted a naked picture of New England […] -
Jersey Shore, Law Schools, LSAT, Reality TV
Vinny From Jersey Shore In Re: The LSAT And Its Relevance In Building A Legal Career
We've reported before on Jersey Shore star Vinny Guadagnino's law school aspirations. Vinny is now talking about his LSAT score, and his take on things is not going to sound strange to anybody who has spent time around recent law school applicants.... -
English Grammar and Usage, Reader Polls, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: A Period Piece
My overlords here at ATL thought it would be fun to run a poll about whether there should be one space or two after a period. As if these things are decided by popularity, rather than by rules. This is strange, really, because just about all of you reading this are lawyers or studying to […] -
Courtship Connection, Romance and Dating
Chicago Singles, Watch Out Get Excited: Here Comes ATL Courtship Connection!
There are many kinds of journalism: investigative, advocacy, tabloid, service… Okay, there are four kinds of journalism we can currently think of. Above the Law’s Courtship Connection is in the service journalism camp. It’s our attempt to help over-worked, under-socialized, but ultimately lovable legal types, both lawyers and law students, to find romance. Or, failing […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Legal Ethics, Sex, Sex Scandals, Texas
Cheating Wife? Don't Just Get Mad, Get Even (Then Watch Her Get Disbarred)
If someone cheats, don't get mad, get even. A lawyer in Texas shared our point of view on cheating, but he got mad and apparently took the "getting even" part a little bit too far. In the end, while he might have been $155,000 richer, his law license was indefinitely suspended, and his wife was recently disbarred. How did this all come to pass? And why did she get disbarred, not her husband? - Sponsored
Profit Powerhouse: Elevating Law Firm Financial Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar on April 10th, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm. -
ACLU, Breasts, Education / Schools, Feminism, Food, Gender, Kids, Women's Issues
Udderly Deplorable
Heather Burgbacher has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that she was fired from her job as a teacher because she had to leave the classroom to pump breast milk. Read on to get the details.... -
Bernie Madoff, Biglaw, Food, Kasowitz Benson, Money, Morning Docket, Racism, Shoes
Morning Docket: 08.17.11
* The tried and true accounting method of finders keepers, losers weepers prevailed in an appeals court win for Irving Picard in the Madoff case. [Bloomberg] * Why in the world did you think it would be a good idea to file a $77M lawsuit against Kasowitz Benson? Are you out of your “superior legal […]
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Biglaw, Cold Offers, Job Searches, NALP, National Association for Law Placement (NALP), No Offers, Summer Associates
Summer Associate Offer Rates: Another Update(Now we'd like to hear about the no-offering....)
Welcome to our latest round-up of summer associate offer rate news. This post contains the latest list of law firms and offices with 100 percent offer rates. Time to pop the bubbly.... -
Celebrities, Citigroup, Deaths, Fashion, Fashion Is Fun, Murder, Non-Sequiturs, Politics, Wal-Mart
Non-Sequiturs: 08.16.11
* I know we’re a little tight for money, but we should find some money in the budget to make sure faded American stars are bailed out of the housing crisis, just like the banks were. [Monsters & Critics] * Illinois’s redrawn legislative districts draw legal fire. I have an idea: let’s use Illinois as […] -
Biglaw, In-House Counsel, Job Searches, Small Law Firms
Size Matters: Exit Strategy
Small law firm columnist Valerie Katz contemplates whether it is possible for a small-firm associate to go in-house, or if the small-firm associate will be required to follow her path and find a new exit strategy....
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Profit Powerhouse: Elevating Law Firm Financial Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar on April 10th, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
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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…
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This AI-Powered Document Tool Will Meet You Where You Are
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How Generative AI Will Improve Legal Service Delivery
Learn how emerging tools will likely change and enhance the work of lawyers for years to come in this new report.
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Admin, Advertising, Announcements, Conferences / Symposia, Dorsey & Whitney, Shameless Plugs, Technology, This Is an Ad
Legal Technology Leadership Summit: Get a Ritzy Room Discount
The Legal Technology Leadership Summit will be taking place in three weeks, from September 6 – 8, on Amelia Island, Florida. Rooms are still available at the Ritz-Carlton, and conference attendees will be able to take advantage of our special rate at the hotel for just $199 a night. This extended offer EXPIRES TOMORROW, so […] -
ACLU, Constitutional Law, Education / Schools, Facebook, Free Speech, Kids, Pictures, Pornography, Sex
Indiana Judge Upholds High School Girls' Constitutional Right To Post Slutty Photos Online
Back in 2009, some teen girls in Indiana had a sleepover that lived up to any teen boy’s fantasy version of one. After racy photos from the summer slumber party made their way to the principal’s office, two of the athletes in attendance were suspended from school sports for the year. What did the court have to say about their First Amendment right to post slutty photos of themselves online? -
Law Schools, Quote of the Day, Sports
Quote of the Day: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Being a jock’s agent is a selfish business. Law is anything but a selfish business, and it has saved me emotionally and spiritually. I am learning something every day, and I just love the arena. In a courtroom or arbitration, people of different opinions can get along. They respect each other. That’s not always the […] -
Kids, Lawyer of the Day, Pregnancy / Paternity, Reader Polls
July Lawyer of the Month: It's Raining Babies
It’s time to announce the winner of July’s Lawyer of the Month. Actually, it’s well past time to announce the winner of July’s Lawyer of the Month, but I forgot to do it before I went on vacation. Sorry about that. Since it’s late I’ll make this column free. The winner of the July contest […] -
Cars, Rudeness, Stupid Lawyer Tricks
Law License Plates: Say It Loud, We're Lawyers and We're Proud
In this edition of the Law License Plates series, we are writing about legal professionals who are so proud of what they do that they've slapped their titles on their license plates. If this isn't an invitation to get rear-ended, then I don't know what is. These submissions come to us from New York, Ohio, and Tennessee, proving that stupid lawyer tricks know no bounds across state lines.... -
Advertising, Biglaw, Career Center, Job Survey, Shameless Plugs, Summer Associates, This Is an Ad
Career Center: 2011 Summer Associate Survey Results (and Some Summer Program Superlatives)
Now that 2011 summer programs have officially come to an end at Biglaw firms everywhere, law students are returning to their schools a little less naïve about working in Biglaw, a little bloated from all the free food, and seriously missing their fat summer associate paychecks. But how hard did they have to work, and […] -
Biglaw, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, Law Firm Mergers, Law Firm Names, Mergers and Acquisitions, Partner Issues, Partner Profits, Wildman Harrold
Law Firm Merger Mania: Edwards Angell Merges With Wildman Harrold
What results from the coupling of an angel and a wild man? One might think: angel + wild man = air traffic nightmare. In the law firm context, however, the result is quite different. Edwards Angell is merging with Wildman Harrold, to form Edwards Wildman Palmer. What else do we know about Edwards Wildman Palmer? And what might be motivating this merger?