November 2011
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Holidays and Seasons, Pictures, Real Estate, Slideshows
Does Kash Have to Walk the Plank?
ATL editor emeritus Kashmir Hill might be getting rogered-but-good by her landlord. Since ATL readers have been so helpful with Elie's landlord/tenant issues, he thought our readers might be able to provide Kash with some unsolicited advice.... -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 11.08.11
* Julie Taymor, former director of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, is suing the producers of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, for infringing on her creative work. As with so many things in that production, I don’t think this is supposed to be part of the show. [The Hollywood Reporter] * In this podcast, I […] - Sponsored
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… -
Feminism, Gender, Small Law Firms, Women's Issues
Size Matters: Them Lazy Broads?
Are women working in small law firms lazy bums? Survey results say that they might be, but columnist Valerie Katz doesn't agree with that assessment....
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Advertising, Continuing Legal Education / CLE, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
A Special CLE Offer for Above the Law Readers
Courtesy of our friends at Lawline (affiliate link), here’s a special deal for Above the Law readers. For $249, you will receive unlimited access to all 500+ Lawline online continuing legal education programs, for one full year. This package, which normally sells for $499, provides exclusive access to: 500+ on-demand courses Weekly live webcasts Access […] -
Crime, Drugs, Privacy, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
SCOTUS Not Psyched About Idea Of Government Secretly Putting GPS Trackers On Their Cars
The Supreme Court justices were decked out in their usual black robes today for U.S. vs Jones [pdf], a case involving the question of whether police need a warrant to attach a GPS tracker to someone’s car. But given their paranoia about possible technology-enabled government intrusions on privacy, it might not have been surprising if […] -
6th Circuit, Animal Law, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Throw the Court a Bone
This is perhaps the dog-gonest case ever to reach a federal appellate court. — Judge Ronald Lee Gilman, writing for Sixth Circuit in O’Neill v. Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government, a case that involved the forcible implanting of microchips in a family’s dogs without consent. -
Attorney Misconduct, Deaths, Facebook, Legal Ethics, Patton Boggs, Screw-Ups, Social Networking Websites, Technology, Trials
Facebook Spoliation Costs Widower and His Attorney $700K in Sanctions
When a tipster sent us an e-mail with the subject, "Court awards $700,000+ in sanctions for destruction of FB page,” Chris Danzig thought it sounded like it might be interesting. Because hey, that's a lot of money. He didn't realize it would also be one of the most depressing legal news stories he'd read since the tragic Friedlander murder-suicide.... -
Bar Exams, Job Searches, Law Schools, Money, Rankings, Student Loans
The 'Best Value' Law Schools of 2011, Now With Numerical Rankings and Grades
In August, we reported on National Jurist's list of the 60 Best Value law schools. The list was unranked, but the final tallies for the honor roll have now arrived. In addition to the rankings, National Jurist has given letter grades to the rest of the schools on the list, ranging from A- to F. Wouldn't you hate to be a student or an alumnus of a law school with a failing grade? - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Advertising, Biglaw, California, Career Center, Partner Issues, Reader Polls, Shameless Plugs, Sheppard Mullin, This Is an Ad
Career Center Survey Results: Top Partners to Work For – California (Part 2)
Today we wrap up coverage of the top California partners to work for, as selected by our readers (see Part 1 here). These six partners have diverse practices that range from real estate, to labor and employment, to IP, and work at some of the nation’s finest firms: Cooley, DLA Piper, Sheppard Mullin, Jones Day, […] -
American Bar Association / ABA, Law Schools
Illinois Law and the Lone Gunman Theory of Admissions Fraud
It’s time to check in on the scandal involving the University of Illinois College of Law and its false reporting on the qualifications of its admitted students. Every time we do look at Illinois, the school tells us that “this time” they’ve figured out the full extent of the problem — and it’s a bigger […] -
Drinking, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Letter from London, Media and Journalism, Racism, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Letter from London: Port, Nazis, and In-House Lawyers
To qualify as a lawyer in the U.K., you first have to eat 12 dinners. Seriously. OK, it’s only barristers (British trial lawyers) who must meet this requirement. And they have to pass legal exams as well as eat. But the essence of my slightly sensationalised opening sentence is true: no dinners, no qualification. Here’s […] -
Biglaw, Dissolution, Football, Kids, Law Professors, Morning Docket, Pregnancy / Paternity
Morning Docket: 11.08.11
* “The most valuable assets of a law firm go home every night.” If only Biglaw firms realized that prior to dissolution, we’d probably have a lot more happy partners and associates. [WSJ Law Blog] * If we can’t deregulate the legal profession, then what can we do to improve it? One law professor suggests […]
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Bad Ideas, Biglaw, Divorce Train Wrecks, Jews, Lawsuit of the Day, Pictures, Ridiculousness, Weddings
'Groomzilla' Todd Remis: What Was He Thinking?
Ever since his heavy-handed lawsuit against his wedding photographer made national news, litigious groomzilla Todd J. Remis has been the butt of many jokes. And he's also been the subject of much speculation, to wit: What the heck was he thinking? A college friend of Remis tried to shed some light on the situation....
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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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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.
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get…
Sponsored
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
Sponsored
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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Crime, Kids, Pornography, Quote of the Day, Sentencing Law
Quotes of the Day: Way Harsh
To me, a failure to distinguish between people who look at these dirty pictures and people who commit contact offenses lacks the nuance and proportionality I think our law demands. — Professor Douglas Berman, commenting on the case of Daniel Enrique Guevara Vilca, a 26-year-old who was just sentenced to life in prison without the […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 11.07.11
* Professor Glenn Reynolds notes Lindsay Lohan’s swift movement through the jail system. [Instapundit] * Professor Orin Kerr notes Professor Stephen Higginson’s swift movement onto the Fifth Circuit — in apparent violation of the rule in judicial nominations “that a circuit court nominee with Supreme-Court-level credentials will have a harder time getting confirmed than a […] -
Contests, Drinking, Lawyer of the Day, Partner Issues, Reader Polls
October Lawyer of the Month: Drunk and Disorderly
It’s time to announce the winner of October’s Lawyer of the Month competition. Our readers had a motley crew of female lawyers behaving badly to choose from, and one male attorney who probably would have loved to keep company with them all. But which kind of lawyer do our readers like the best? Drunk, naked, […] -
Celebrities, Deaths, Jury Duty, Michael Jackson, Trials
Breaking: Conrad Murray Found Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter in Michael Jackson Case
With hundreds gathered outside of a courthouse in California (with a stunning lack of Michael Jackson impersonators), we can finally answer this lingering question. Who’s bad? Dr. Conrad Murray. Dr. Murray, the King of Pop’s doctor, has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. What kind of sentence is Dr. Murray looking at? -
Biglaw, California, Career Alternatives
Former Nixon Peabody Associate Opens San Francisco Bike Shop
A few weeks ago, Chris Danzig heard a group of men discussing ATL at a bar. He heard them mention Brian Smith, a former associate at Nixon Peabody, who opened the doors to his new business, Huckleberry Bicycles, last Friday in San Francisco. Chris met up with Smith last week, and they spoke about how Smith became a part of our growing club of lawyers not practicing law.... -
Election 2012, Gloria Allred, Oral Sex / Blow Jobs, Politics, Sexual Harassment
Herman Cain Seeing All Red Over Another Accuser Hiring Gloria Allred
We live in a country where a president was impeached over charges relating to a sex scandal. Why do we care so much about whether a presidential candidate once sexually harassed a coworker? Probably because that candidate allegedly tried to make a former coworker give him a blow job.... -
Caption Contests, Contests, Law Schools, Pictures
Caption Contest: Have a Seat...
Some people say that you'd have to be crazy to go to law school during these times of economic instability, but people keep going. Some go because they're delusional -- they think that they'll be in the top ten percent of the class. Some go because they're narcissistic -- they think that they'll get to listen to themselves talk for hours on end in a law school classroom. Some go because they're masochists -- they think that they'll get beaten by the Socratic method and the curve. Have law schools realized that their students may need psychiatric intervention?