October 2011
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California, Job Searches, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Loyola Law School
Loyola Law - L.A. Tries to Placate Disgruntled Recent Graduates
On Friday, we told you about the angry recent law school graduate who emailed a scathing letter to the alumni officers at his alma mater, Loyola Law School – Los Angeles. The graduate, whom we nicknamed “Loyola 6L,” called out the school’s career services office and the dean, Victor Gold. Loyola 6L sent out his […] -
Biglaw, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues
What's Going on at McDermott Will & Emery?
Last week, the American Lawyer shined a spotlight on extensive partner departures from McDermott Will & Emery. According to Brian Baxter of Am Law Daily, a whopping 38 partners have left MWE in 2011 so far. Let's look at some of the departures, explore possible implications for the firm, and discuss what might be motivating the movement toward the exits.... - Sponsored
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Biglaw, Feminism, Gender, Secretaries / Administrative Assistants, Women's Issues
Why Legal Secretaries Hate Women Lawyers
Being a woman is a tough job, especially when you're working in a Biglaw atmosphere. Among the long list of things that Biglaw women have to worry about, being cordial to coworkers sometimes tends to fall by the wayside. So ladies, have you been wondering why your legal secretary avoids eye contact with you at all costs? Here, let me give you a clue: it's because your legal secretary secretly hates you....
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Biglaw, Billable Hours, Bonuses
The Hours Results: Y'All Been Working Really Hard
Last week, we asked you to report on how many hours you were on track to bill in 2011. Well, the results are in, and damn, people out there in Biglaw have been working like dogs. We hope there is a big bonus payoff for all the hours people have been billing.... -
General Counsel, In-House Counsel
Inside Straight: Train To Stay, Or Train To Go?
It’s hard to create career paths for in-house lawyers. It’s easy to describe the career path for a junior lawyer at a law firm (even though the path may be illusory for many): Work hard and well and become a partner; work harder and better and become a richer and more powerful partner. Retire. Die. […] -
Election 2012, Facebook, John Edwards, Kids, Morning Docket, Ridiculousness, SCOTUS, Sexual Harassment, Supreme Court, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 10.24.11
* Now trending on the Election 2012 campaign trail for Republicans: attacks on the federal court system. Be prepared for SCOTUS term limits and other ridiculous propositions. [New York Times] * After some bratty behavior from MGA Entertainment, Orrick was allowed to withdraw as counsel. Maybe they’re using the unpaid $3.85M in legal fees to […]
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Biglaw, Non-Sequiturs, Sexual Harassment, Tax Law
Non-Sequiturs: 10.21.11
* Lawyers with four to seven years of experience are apparently now in demand. You know why? BECAUSE THEY FIRED ALL OF THEM TWO YEARS AGO! [WSJ Law Blog] * Occupy Wall Street is now getting free hugs. It’s like, when you register as a liberal, somebody comes in the night and shoves your testicles […] -
Contests, Kids, Law Professors, Law Schools, Music
Some Random Friday Fun: A Law Professor Turned Songwriter
Some people — for example, Chief Justice John Roberts — are not fans of contemporary legal scholarship. These critics might say, “You’d have to pay me to read the writings of a law professor!” Well, what if a law professor were willing to pay you to check out his writings? And what if the writings […] - Sponsored
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American Bar Association / ABA, Law Schools
Thomas M. Cooley Law School Adopts the 'Blame the ABA' Theory For Defending Its Employment Stats
As we mentioned in Morning Docket, Thomas M. Cooley Law School has now filed a motion to dismiss the class action suit filed against it over its employment statistics. New York Law School was also sued and filed its motion to dismiss a couple of days ago. NYLS argued that the students shouldn’t blame NYLS […] -
Courtship Connection, Drinking, Romance and Dating
Courtship Connection: If At First You Don't Succeed, Try to Get Her Wasted
Since the dates in D.C. have been a little more exciting than those in Chicago, Kash decided to spoil you with one last set-up in the nation's capital. She brought in a pinch hitter for this one. The two legal eagles both sounded like thrill-seekers to her, so she sent them to The Russia House after work on a Friday and hoped for an epic night. Epicness ensued.... -
Music, Old People, United Kingdom / Great Britain, Weddings
This Bride Had No Desire to Be a 'Dancing Queen,' So She Sued
Old people are so cute. From the way they don’t understand how to use modern technology, to the way they cringe at the music of our times, it just makes you want to squeeze their wrinkly, little cheeks. And old people in love? Well, that’s even cuter. So when we heard about a British couple […] -
Drugs, Lawyer Advertising, Marijuana
Minnesota Takes the High Road to Mentoring
I was never a huge fan of firm mentoring programs. In the days after firms started cracking down on using mentoring funds for hookers and blow, mentoring became distinctly less exciting. For the male associates, it seemed to revolve around mass quantities of red meat and booze. For the female associates, it was a lot […] -
General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Job Searches, Law Schools, Money, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners
A Recent Law Grad's Attempt at Revenge on His Law School
The administrators at Loyola Law School of Los Angeles didn't think they were walking into a smackdown when they sent out an email to alumni asking them to update their employment statuses. But smacked they were, down on their heads, as one former solo practitioner's epic, slightly rambling response to the innocent request just tore up the school for its behavior towards recent graduates....
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English Grammar and Usage, Reader Polls
Grammer Pole of the Weak: Ending Sentences With Prepositions
In last week’s Grammer Pole, you voted to overwhelmingly approve the use of split infinitives. Fifty-three percent of Above the Law readers said that splitting infinitives is acceptable, even if it should be done sparingly. An additional forty percent said, “Yes. It’s great to liberally split infinitives!” This suggests to me that ATL readers are […] -
In-House Counsel, Interview Stories, Job Searches
Moonlighting: The Shortest Interview Process Ever (SIPE)
A lot of people ask in-house columnist Susan Moon how she ended up in her in-house gig. She likes to call the interview process she had for her current job the Shortest Interview Process Ever (SIPE, for short). She's going to tell you about it, and include a couple of tips that she thinks helped her.... -
American Bar Association / ABA, California, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Paul Clement, Tax Law
Morning Docket: 10.21.11
* According to Jacoby & Myers, “winning is everything.” And by “winning,” they, of course, mean “settling.” Ten points to Gryffindor Jay Shepherd. [New York Times] * Ah, DOMA. Like it or not, we’re footing the bill for a law the DOJ won’t touch. This guy wants us to stop putting money in Paul Clement’s […]
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Conferences / Symposia, Cyberlaw, Duane Morris, Madonna, Pornography, Privacy, Technology
How Not to Screw Up on the Internet
Last week, Christopher Danzig went to the Computer Forensics Show in San Francisco. He sat in on one legal technology-related panel that was particularly entertaining and informative. What he heard underscored was the importance of maintaining a technology dialogue between legal and other parts of the business. It was also chance to hear some awesome war stories from a veteran partner at a major law firm.... -
Deaths, Gay, Immigration, Job Searches, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 10.20.11
* Another victim of the vengeful prosecution of Tyler Clementi’s roommate might be the guy Clementi was hooking up with when Dharun Ravi broadcast it. [Gawker] * As I said on Twitter, you have to give Obama a little credit: when he uses suspect legal reasoning to do whatever he wants abroad, he comes home […] -
Feminism, Gender, In-House Counsel, Kids, Small Law Firms, Women's Issues
Size Matters: A Conversation with Mae O'Malley
If you ask a small-firm attorney what is the advantage of a small firm over Biglaw, most will tell you that smaller size makes firms more nimble and better able to adapt to client needs and market changes. It stands to reason, then, that small firms could revolutionize the law firm model. But what changes should small firms make? To answer these questions, Valerie Katz spoke to Mae O'Malley, founder of Paragon Legal, and a visionary when it comes to offering legal services.... -
Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Barack Obama, Constitutional Law, Election 2012, Elena Kagan, Federal Judges, Joe Biden, Old People, Politics, Robert Bork, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
Borking Up a Storm: Romney's High-Profile Legal Adviser Speaks His Mind
Some lawyers can be so circumspect in speech and so careful in action that they’re just plain boring. Such caution might help you make it to the Supreme Court someday, but it’s not a recipe for a very fun life. Thankfully, not all brilliant lawyers are afraid of speaking their minds. Take Robert Bork, the […]