October 2011
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Law Schools
Do People Choose Law Schools Based On Subway Ads?
On Friday, we told you about the administrator at New England Law who embezzled over $170,000. That was the first time Elie had heard of New England Law School, and he thought he knew all of the ABA-accredited law schools. But evidently, he hasn't taken the "T" (the Boston subway system) in quite awhile. Apparently, regular T passengers know of New England Law. If you are the kind of person who believes subway ads, you might have a totally different impression of New England Law than anybody else.... -
Advertising, Biglaw, Career Center, Partner Issues, Reader Polls, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center Survey: Who Are the Best Partners to Work For?
It’s that time of year again when the Career Center is taking your nominations for the top Biglaw partners to work for. Last year, we highlighted 69 exceptional partners from all over the country who are not only great at what they do, but who are also great to work for. Now we’re looking for […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Letter from London, Magic Circle, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Letter From London: Beware Of The Innovative Lawyers
The Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards ceremony, held in London last Wednesday, was most notable for the contrast between the puppy-like excitement of the lawyer nominees and the auto-pilot professionalism of the host, FT editor Lionel Barber, whose aura was of a man who’d rather be at home watching TV. This was a shame, not […]
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Bar Exams, Fashion Victims Unit, Job Searches, Mafia, Morning Docket, Movies, State Judges, Technology, Texas
Morning Docket: 10.11.11
* The legal sector lost 1,300 jobs in September. And because that’s not depressing enough, lawyers now have to compete for jobs with computers. Guess it’s time to learn binary. [WSJ Law Blog] * Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week kicked off yesterday in West Virginia. Too bad this campaign isn’t in Michigan, where a woman is […]
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Deaths, Football, Sports
Al Davis, R.I.P.
Al Davis shuffled off this mortal coil on Saturday, slipping the surly bonds of earth. Juggalo probably doesn't need to tell you this, but Al Davis epitomized everything this website is about. Through sheer cunning and derring-do, Davis committed his life to two things: lawsuits and trolling the everliving s**t out of the most successful sports league this country has ever known.... -
Books, Crime, Election 2012, John Paul Stevens, Morning Docket, New Jersey, Paul Bergrin, Politics, Trials, War on Terror
Morning Docket: 10.10.11
Ed. note: In honor of Columbus Day (and Canadian Thanksgiving), we’ll be on a reduced publication schedule today. We’ll be back in full force tomorrow. * If you are curious about that legal memo justifying the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, Charlie Savage describes its contents in this very interesting NYT piece. [New York Times] * […]
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2nd Circuit, Asians, Denny Chin, Federal Judges, Quote of the Day, S.D.N.Y., Sentencing Law
Quote of the Day: Just Watch Out for 'Empathy'
One of the interesting concepts in Professor Rosenbaum’s book (affiliate link) is that the law lacks a soul. The law lacks tenderness. The law is objective and cold and inhumane. The law abhors emotion. I don’t think that’s true. Every time I sentence a defendant, there is a lot of emotion. I think there is […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 10.07.11
* Instead of a human, TSA may employ a computer to look at your naked body scan. I think somebody misunderstood the memo; we want robots to be our sex slaves, not the other way around. [Not So Private Parts / Forbes] * Lawyers need to dream bigger about their careers, says Cordell Parvin. Good […] - Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm. -
Election 2012, Politics, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Not Everyone Can Be a Hottie With a Body
Thank God! — Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown commenting in response to opponent Elizabeth Warren’s recent jab that she “didn’t have to take her clothes off” to pay for college. (Actually, Brown posed nude for Cosmopolitan in 1982, when he was studying for finals at Boston College Law School.) -
Law Schools
Law School Controller Embezzles Funds: Turns Out, This Is Still a Crime
I think we get so used to law schools taking money out of the hands of their students that we forget that there can actually be a crime when you appropriate student funds for yourself. The Boston Globe reports that the controller of a Massachusetts law school admitted he embezzled more than $170,000 from the […] -
Contests, Hotties, Law Schools, LLMs, Media and Journalism, Tax Law
Are Male Lawyers Getting Less Attractive?
Are male lawyers and law students getting uglier? Whether male lawyers are decreasing in attractiveness seems subjective. But there's actually some evidence that the men of the legal profession are 66 percent less hot than they were last year.... -
5th Circuit, Benchslaps, Contests, D. Marvin Jones, Edith Jones, Law Professors, Lawyer of the Day, Murder, Prostitution, Reader Polls, Sex, Sex Scandals, Wall Street
Lawyer of the Month: September Reader Poll
Our candidates for the coveted Lawyer of the Month title have been a bit tame for the past few months. This time around, we’ve chosen some lawyers and law students who represent our more prurient interests and our unabashed love for scandal. Aficionados of hookers? We’ve got ’em. Vicious tongue lashings? We’ve got those, too. […] -
Free Speech, Money, Student Loans, Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street Needs To Occupy A Library
No mob has ever changed the course of history. For the last two weeks, the Occupy Wall Street people have been a mob. A leaderless, unfocused, and harmless mob. They're not even violent. And so they are (for some) easy to dismiss, ignore, and deride. The Occupy Wall Street people have no frame of reference; they're just out of their element....
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
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English Grammar and Usage, Reader Polls
Grammer Pole of the Weak: Post-Colon Capitalization
The most recent installment of Grammer Pole of the Weak showcased the sophistication of Above the Law readers. The poll results show that most ATL readers appreciate the distinction between “that” and “which” (which they like to show off in their legal writing). Today we tackle an issue that is less clear-cut, which will probably […] -
In-House Counsel, Practice Pointers
Moonlighting: Feeling the Kumbaya (Part 1)
So you’ve moved in-house or are planning to go in-house sometime. Be ready to think less like a lawyer. Business clients think differently. I know, crazy, right? But, seriously, one of the biggest transitions from working as a transactional lawyer at a law firm and moving over to a company is learning to understand the […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Crowell & Moring, Deaths, Free Speech, Health Care / Medicine, iPhone, Jersey Shore, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Morning Docket: 10.07.11
* The Westboro Baptist Church has announced — on an iPhone — that it will be picketing Steve Jobs’s funeral. And now I have an Alanis Morissette song stuck in my head. [Los Angeles Times] * Price check on aisle seven. Price check on aisle seven for a divorce train wreck. People over in England […]
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Kids, Law Schools
Parents Just Don't Understand
Last week, we received a fairly provocative question in the Above the Law inbox. A reader asked us to assess the role that parents play -- or should play -- in their children's decision to go to law school. Elie don't think that parents are allowing their kids to go to law school because they want to be supportive of their kids' dreams. He thinks that more parents are forcing their kids to go to law school. Absent parental meddling, there wouldn't be nearly as many people applying to law school.... -
11th Circuit, American Constitution Society (ACS), Canada, Guns / Firearms, Non-Sequiturs, Pets, Violence
Non-Sequiturs: 10.06.11
* Saying your dog ate something isn’t a creative enough excuse these days. Try this instead: “I kept the clients’ missing money in my car, which I left running in the parking lot to keep my dead dog’s ashes from freezing. Someone then stole the car, and now the missing client money is gone forever!” […] -
California, Divorce Train Wrecks, Family Law, Gay Marriage, Small Law Firms, Weddings
Size Matters: Divorce Lawyer Gives Marriage Advice
Valerie Katz profiles a San Francisco family lawyer whose firm has become a highly regarded boutique that specializes in “Family Building,” “Divorce and Dissolution,” and “Asset Protection.” What's so special about him? This guy is a marriage counselor, too. Would you take marriage advice from someone who specializes in divorce? -
Crime, Hotties, Prostitution, Sex, Sex Scandals, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners
I Am Not a Crook Ho: Reema Bajaj Pleads Not Guilty
Remember Reema Bajaj? Well, how could you forget her? This highly attractive Illinois solo practitioner was hit with prostitution charges back in June. But Bajaj isn't going down without $100 a fight....