Over the summer, we wondered: what can law firms do to prepare for a possible double-dip recession? One obvious answer: firms can “right-size” themselves, by making sure that they are as lean and as mean as they can be. And this seems to be what has been happening over the past few months. We haven’t […]
In-house columnist Mark Herrmann reflects on some of the things he's discussed with his son about the law as he's grown older. Unsurprisingly, Mark's son is now in medical school....
Law firms and legal departments are writing the future of the profession in separate rooms. What happens when they actually work together?
The National Association for Law Placement has produced an extremely useful chart for people trying to figure out where to start their Biglaw careers. They've listed the cities that give you the most bang for your buck if you land a high paying Biglaw job. And boy, are New York City associates going to feel stupid....
* Like many of the victims of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, he and his wife contemplated suicide, too. But come on, why bother? Was career suicide just not good enough? [New York Times] * For Sale: One Illinois law license at discount price! Hasn’t been used in 15 years — almost like new. Slightly tarnished. […]
* Leah Ward Sears, who shows up on SCOTUS shortlists, wants to impose a mandatory waiting period… on divorces. It’d be interesting to live in a country where you had to wait for a year to get rid of your spouse, but not to buy a gun. [Slate] * Speaking of marriage…. Tara Reid was […]
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Legal work isn’t slowing down, and the firms that win won’t be the ones working harder — they’ll be the ones working smarter.
It’s late October, so Biglaw bonus news could drop any day now. In 2010, Cravath didn’t kick off the season until November 22. But back in 2009, Cravath announced bonuses on November 2. And in 2007 — yes, the glory days, before the Great Recession — Cravath announced bonuses, regular and “special,” on October 29. […]
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has launched a lawsuit claiming that animals, namely Orcas (a.k.a. Killer Whales), should be protected under the Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution which outlaws slavery. You know you are in trouble when you are filing lawsuits inspired by songs from Michael Jackson....
It’s the end of October, and you know what that means: law school finals are lurking. As law students begin to hunker down and make sweet, sweet love to their outlines and flashcards, others are busy thinking up more clever ways to study the same materials. Visual learners think that drawing pictures will help them […]
Lawyers, journalists, investment bankers — they are liabilities, not leaders, in the zombie-infested world…. In the zombie apocalypse, your J.D. is worthless — which is actually not so different from the real world of recent years. — Torie Bosch, in a thought-provoking Slate article entitled First, Eat All the Lawyers, arguing that the boom in […]
LexisNexis sat down with John Ursin, Managing Partner at Schenck Price, to learn how the firm is using legal AI to strengthen client service and daily legal work.
So you’ve decided to take the plunge in-house. You have likely had to accept a pay cut. Not the worst thing to have happen, given that you’re about to get your life back. But most in-house counsel do not make the mid-six figure salaries of senior associates, or junior partners....
Yesterday, President Obama announced "new" programs to help students in debt. At least, he wants the media to report these programs as "new." Those who have been paying attention, such as debt-saddled law students, will recognize that there is very little "new" about these programs....
The People's Therapist, Will Meyerhofer, wants you to know that this happens a lot. It begins with the standard set-up. You feel trapped. Hate your life. Nerves shot. Self-esteem shredded. You know the drill: Biglaw. That's when the dæmon lover appears. It doesn't end well....
* Rajabba is appealing his insider trading convictions and prison sentence, but someone needs to suffer for this outrage. Where are Solo and the Wookiee when you need them? [Bloomberg] * PETA is suing SeaWorld on Thirteenth Amendment grounds for enslaving killer whales. Oh, so the only marine animals you’ll help have to be black […]
As I’ve mentioned before, there are all sorts of restrictions on what lawyers can do to advertise to the general public. Law schools have no such concerns. They can say pretty much whatever they want, wherever they want — and when they get sued for their alleged misrepresentations, they can just kick blame to the […]