September 2011

* Hey, Preet Bharara, even Lady Gaga can read your poker face when you’re going all in on an allegation of Full Tilt Ponzi. Maybe Lederer and Ferguson will finally fold. [Wall Street Journal] * You know what this country really needs? More doctors who don’t believe in science. Another stem cell research case is […]

Last week, when we first wrote about Bruce Reilly -- the Tulane 1L who committed a murder nearly 20 years ago -- we noted that when he outed himself on his website, he posted a t-shirt that read, “F**k Google, ask me.” It appears that many Tulane Law students did just that. We've already heard from the Tulane students who don't know Bruce. We've heard their concerns and opinions. Now let's hear from some of Bruce Reilly's new friends on campus....

* I’m not alone in arguing for apprenticeships in the world of legal education. On the other side of the pond, Chris Ashford likes the idea too. [The Lawyer] * Speaking of legal education, “Some Things Are Funny in Law School.” [Only in Law School] * Congratulations to Mike Sacks — founder of First One […]

Last month, federal law enforcement officials accused an Illinois attorney from a small firm, Jason W. Smiekel, of trying to put a hit out on a former client -- who also happened to be the ex-husband of Smiekel’s fiancée. Alas, if they are in love, their love may have to wait, thanks to the latest bad news for Smiekel....

It is crunch time for 2Ls and 3Ls. You’re awash in information — some of it concrete — but much of it ambiguous, amorphous, and second-hand, at best. The dissonance of hearsay collides with the harmony of recruiting. This year, perhaps more than any in the past ten years, Lateral Link’s Frank Kimball, an expert […]

Small firm columnist Valerie Katz would like you to meet Jessica Fairchild of Fairchild Law Offices, LLC. Fairchild, a University of Chicago graduate and former Sidley Austin attorney, started her own firm in May 2010. Fairchild’s path to solo success was the result of this lady making things happen. How can you achieve similar success? Try for yourself by following these steps....

Had I known all of what you just told us, I would have voted differently. I’m sorry. — Justice Richard Palmer (the deciding vote in the groundbreaking Kelo v. New London case) of the Connecticut Supreme Court apologizing to Susette Kelo and keynote address speaker Jeff Benedict at a dinner honoring the Court. Benedict’s novel, […]

In a highway accident in Utah, motorcyclist Brandon Wright was dragged under a burning vehicle and trapped. Wright could have been killed, but a group of bystanders lifted the car and pulled Wright to safety. Well, we should correct that account: almost everyone in the group of bystanders helped to lift the car so Wright could be pulled to safety. One guy, a man who shall forever be known as the "Guy in the Suit," was standing around and watching. It figures that someone claiming to be a small firm personal injury lawyer came forward as the Guy in the Suit....

There's been a sweet apartment deal on Craigslist for about a week, but we haven't been able to tell you about it because it took us a while to figure out where the apartment was. Oh, we knew the city (Boston). And we know there is an intense demand for $40,000/year plus, three-year rentals in the area. But now we know. You're not going to believe this, but the building and the price correspond to an area law school....

Maybe it was the hypnotic effect Pippa Middleton’s ass had on Prince Harry? Or perhaps it was simply that Chelsy Davy didn’t want to marry into the crazy old royal family? Either way, shortly after William and Kate tied the knot in April, Harry and Chelsy split up. And what did the Zimbabwean blonde bombshell do next? She became a lawyer....

* “The road to this day has been long”… and hard. That’s what he said. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell has finally been put to bed, and the next logical step would be to ditch DOMA. [PostPartisan / Washington Post] * “Citizens United has been good for gay rights.” Well, at least it’s been good for […]

Two weeks ago, we asked our readers to submit possible captions for this photo. Last week, you voted on the finalists, earlier this week, Fordham made it harder for homeless people to eat, and now we have finally crowned a winner....

* Really me lawyer mateys. All this pirate talk is highly fictional. Real pirates were just sea-criminals. [National Geographic] * Behold Dancing with the Stars after sunset. Nancy Grace be performing, you’ll recognize her as the Kraken taking screen time from Hope Solo. [ABC] * Unless The ABA makes Illinois Law walk the plank, I […]

Every couple of years, people need to be reminded not to have private conversations in public. Who could forget Acela Bob, the Pillsbury partner who talked about firing people on a crowded train? UVA Law students, that's who. We have another installment of: when popping your collar goes wrong....

It's that time of year again: bar exam results season. While some will be on the edges of their seats until November, others are already breathing sighs of relief. Thus far, we've heard bar exam results news from a handful of states, but as of yesterday, we received news that Florida released its July 2011 bar exam results....

Michael Zimmerman, a 3L at Fordham Law, founded a farm-share program called Farm to Fordham. Amazingly, we're not talking about a Facebook program. Zimmerman did this in real life. For a small fee each semester, students, faculty, and staff were able to purchase a share of fresh produce from a farm in central New York. Nearly 100 pounds of vegetables were donated to a local soup kitchen with every delivery. This sounds like a wonderful program, right? That's probably why Fordham University decided to shut it down....

In our sexually repressed society, we just love it when "normal" people are exposed to have kinky sex lives. The bigger the disparity between the person's "regular" daytime pursuits and their nighttime shenanigans, the better. And while we know better here at Above the Law, the outside world tends to think "lawyer" is about as conservative a day job as possible. It's a profession of discretion. So when the New York Post found a lawyer, a government lawyer no less, who gets paid to be a dominatrix on the side, it was going to be big news....

In case we haven't said this already, welcome back, law students. When you guys are gone over the summer, we have to report on real scandals and real issues. But now that you guys are back on campus, it's time to fire up the "dumb law student story" machine. NYU Law, you're up first....

There’s one guy in your outfit who understands the need not to write stupid e-mails: That’s the guy who just spent all day in deposition being tortured with the stupid e-mails that he wrote three years ago. That guy will control himself. He’ll write fewer and more carefully phrased e-mails for the next couple of […]

* Opponents of New York’s gay marriage law are suing because the Senate kept negotiations in the closet. AG Eric Schneiderman has moved to dismiss the suit, citing a lack of fabulosity. [Wall Street Journal] * Seven states have joined the Department of Justice in asking to be crossed off the guest list for AT&T’s […]