December 2011
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Clerkships, Law Schools
UC Irvine Announces Better Clerkship Numbers Than Almost Everyone Else
Ever since the UC Irvine School of Law opened its doors in 2009, the fledgling institution has been garnering rave reviews. Over the weekend, the emerging West Coast powerhouse added a new impressive statistic to its quickly filling trophy case. This year, the school boasts one of the highest federal clerkship placement rates in the country. Keep reading to see which elite law schools have been edged out by UC Irvine.... -
Amy Schulman, Depositions, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Interview Stories, Job Searches, Litigators, Litigatrix, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Litigatrix, Toppled
A story I often tell is about the first time I took a deposition. I got there early, and I thought that the most important thing was to control the witness. I didn’t realize the first time around that the way you control somebody is not by intimidating them. But I adjusted the chair that […] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Associate Bonus Watch 2011, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Ropes & Gray Gets Boston Off to an Early Start
Usually, firms with main offices outside of Manhattan let the New York bonus market settle down a little bit before jumping into the fray. D.C., Chicago, Boston, and even L.A. — they all tend to allow New York to sort itself out before raising the hopes and dreams of people who aren’t paying NYC prices. […]
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Food, Job Searches, Law Schools
Law School Claims Potato Chip Tester/Taster Job Was Fictitious
On Friday, we brought you what could be classified as one of the worst law jobs of all time: a job as an unpaid potato chip tester/taster. And much like the side effects of eating an Olestrafied potato chip, the law school in question has announced that the notorious job was full of crap.... -
Small Law Firms
The Practice: Enough with the Worthless Networking
There are two types of lawyers: Those that “don’t do networking,” and those that do it because it is required to establish a word of mouth practice. For those that want the word of mouth practice, and the reputation in the community as a go-to person (assuming you are a competent lawyer, and these days, that’s a big assumption), here are some things to consider.... -
Crime, Death Penalty, Deaths, King & Spalding, Law Schools, Murder, Violence
King & Spalding Lawyer Received Key Email As Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty Against Stephen McDaniel
As we mentioned in Morning Docket on Friday, prosecutors will be seeking the death penalty against Stephen McDaniel if he is convicted of the murder of Lauren Giddings. The Macon Telegraph conducted a long interview with Lauren Giddings's boyfriend, David Vandiver. The King & Spalding lawyer wonders if Giddings's final email to him was entirely hers.... -
Associate Bonus Watch 2011, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Davis Polk Matches
The pulchritudinous law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell just announced its year-end bonuses. Are they as hot as DPW attorneys? Apparently not. One of the sources who sent it our way had this one-word summary: "Ugh." Said a second: "Bummed but not surprised." Is there a stub bonus for the class of 2011? What about mention of spring bonuses? -
Biglaw, Blogging, Continuing Legal Education / CLE, In-House Counsel, Media and Journalism, Partner Issues
Inside Straight: Building A Practice -- A Case Study
How do you build a practice for a law firm? Everyone has a theory; I’ll provide a case study. In 1997, Congress was about to pass a law that would have been great for America, but horrific for business at the law firm at which I then worked. The firm thus (intelligently) created several committees […] - 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… -
Copyright, Defamation, Education / Schools, Exercise, Free Speech, Mergers and Acquisitions, Morning Docket, Sex, Sex Scandals, Texas
Morning Docket: 12.12.11
* Protip for Mark Hansen, AT&T’s lawyer: when you want a judge to save your merger plans, it’s probably not a good idea to demand that she make a ruling by a certain date. [Businessweek] * What’s going on in Cooley Law’s defamation suit against Rockstar05 (other than discussion of whether the school’s attorney understands […]
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Food, Job Searches, Law Schools
Once You Pop, You Can't Stop: New Law School Job Post Borders on Absurd
Here at Above the Law, we write all the time about crappy law job postings. We recently received word about a law school career services job posting that was so horrendous, so ridiculous, that we could not help ourselves but to write about it. After all, writing about crappy law jobs is like opening a can of Pringles: once you pop, you can't stop. And this job -- well, let's just say that it takes the cake, or the potato chip, as the case may be.... -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 12.09.11
* Can somebody explain to me why America hates our freedom? [Lowering the Bar] * Dharun Ravi rejected the plea deal! It’s on now: either we live in a world where suicide means killing yourself, or we don’t. [New York Magazine] * Bad lawyer tries to bully his way out of a ticket. [New York […] -
Associate Advice, Biglaw, Money, Small Law Firms
From Biglaw to Boutique: Looks Like Rain
The traditional method of building a book of business no longer works for most associates. Firms now sometimes go so far as to actively discourage associates from forming too-strong relationships with clients, lest the associate leave and take the client with them. With these challenges, how can an associate ever hope to make the rain they will need if they want to open their own firm? -
Copyright, Facebook, Pornography, Pranks
Perkins Coie Gets E-Male; Does This Qualify as a Legal Response?
Just when you thought “revenge porn” couldn’t get worse, IsAnyoneUp came along. In addition to posting user-submitted nude photos — often sent in by someone’s angry ex — the site’s proprietor, Hunter Moore, includes a screenshot of the amateur porn star’s Facebook profile page, so that it’s clear exactly who the person is, where they […]
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Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
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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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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…
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In-House Counsel, Practice Pointers
Moonlighting: Just Another Day on Mount Olympus at the Office
An in-house lawyer (let’s call her Athena) was recently offended by a statement made by a law firm attorney (let’s call him Hercules). Athena shared a conversation in which Hercules had told her that his firm would never stoop so low as to represent any companies in her industry (let’s say it’s the tobacco industry). […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2011, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Debevoise and Plimpton Matches S&C
This is my least favorite post to write every year. The Debevoise & Plimpton bonuses were just announced. So now it’s time for me to sit back and marvel at how much money I personally left on the table when I decided to quit Debevoise what feels like a lifetime ago. In fact, the very […] -
Biglaw, Music, Videos, Weirdness, YouTube
The Squire Sanders Attorney Who Made the 'Most Epically Awful' Video of 2011
We talk a lot here on Above the Law about the difficulties attorneys have in finding a work-life balance. Often Biglaw life becomes all work, all the time. Or sometimes, burned out attorneys run in the other direction entirely and open a bike shop, but it rarely feels like there is a viable in-between. I’m […] -
English Grammar and Usage, Reader Polls
Grammer Pole of the Weak: And I Was Like, 'OMG!'
In Grammer Pole of the Weak — yes, “Grammer” is still intentionally misspelled, as are “Pole” and “Weak” — we consider questions of legal writing and English grammar and usage. Last week, for example, we looked at a legal issue, and found out that 81% of our readers voted to support the use of “act […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2011, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Simpson Thacher and Cleary Matching S&C
The floodgates are open and we are awash in bonus news. Sources are reporting that Simpson Thacher and Cleary Gottlieb are both matching the Sullivan & Cromwell bonus scale. That means a little extra money for those at the very top of the scale. But does it mean spring bonuses? -
Associate Bonus Watch 2011, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Kaye Scholer Tries to Confuse By Matching Cravath's Year-End Bonus and Last Year's Spring Bonus
Read carefully, because Kaye Scholer is hoping you won't. The firm announced a match of the Cravath regular bonus from this season. And a match of the Cravath spring bonus from last season. But that has nothing to do with this season's spring bonus, which Sullivan & Cromwell alluded to. Keeping you apprised of the latest bonus shenanigans is what Above the Law is here for.... -
Gender, Law School Deans, Law Schools
University of Texas Dean Ousted As Rumors Fly
There's a lot to unpack about the sudden resignation of Lawrence Sager, Dean of the University of Texas Law School. If some reports are to be believed, it's not an accident that a woman will be replacing Dean Sager. Allegations of gender inequality when it comes to pay are hounding Sager as he makes this hasty exit. Let's delve into it and get some student reaction...