January 2012

Fashion

Sharing Ties: It’s Not Just For Homeless People Anymore

Two lawyers are trying to bring the concept of shared clothing to upper middle class men. Women already have places where they can "rent" accessories, but now men have a website that allows them to rent ties. Well, not directly "rent," that probably sounds too low class, like you could also put the tie on layaway. Instead, you buy a subscription, and they send you ties. It's like Netflix! Only, don't get coffee or anything on your loaned Fendi....

By Elie Mystal
Food

It’s All Fun and Games Until a Fake Penis Gets You Fired

Here at Above the Law, it seems like we've got a running repository on all of the strange things that employees can do to be fired from their jobs. And whether it's legal or illegal for an employer to do so, we love to report on these firings, because some of them are pretty hysterical. Now, we have a story of a woman who was allegedly fired for wearing a fake penis to work....

By Staci Zaretsky
Biglaw

From Biglaw to Boutique: Why Wait?

Tom Wallerstein thinks that if you are in law school and you have the choice between working for an established firm -- big or small -- or working for yourself/starting your own firm, it’s a no-brainer that you should go with the established firm first. You can always leave the firm to pursue your own practice at any time, but the converse isn’t true....

By Tom Wallerstein
In-House Counsel

Moonlighting: Why You Should Be a Big Softie at Work

Everyone talks about how soft skills are important for success. Soft skills, also referred to as people skills, EQ, et cetera, are key to influence, persuasion, karaoke smack-talk, and many other aspects of being a savvy lawyer and advocate. They’re essential for both in-house and law firm attorneys. But what are soft skills exactly? We […]

By Susan Moon
Crime

Is Peeing On Somebody A War Crime?

Is peeing on somebody's dead body a war crime? The video of those American Marines urinating on dead Afghan bodies is so disturbing that it somehow demands a legal response. Aside from whatever punishment the United States Marine Corps wants to impose on these guys, there isn't a whole lot the international community can do to punish them. Unless we want to call urinating on somebody a "war crime." But is punishing some jackasses worth diluting the term?

By Elie Mystal
Election 2012

Morning Docket: 01.13.12

* What’s funnier here? The fact that Stephen Colbert is running for “president of the United States of South Carolina,” or the fact that he’s already beating Jon Huntsman in the polls? [Washington Post] * Notorious New Jersey defense attorney Paul Bergrin’s second racketeering trial has been postponed and may be delayed indefinitely, but he’s […]

By Staci Zaretsky
American Bar Association / ABA

Is the Legal Recession Finally Ending?

At the start of this new year, what is the outlook like for legal employment? There's certainly a fair amount of bad news out there, particularly for recent law school graduates. But what about for denizens of Biglaw, the lawyers fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to work at the nation's largest law firms? What does 2012 hold for them? Earlier this month, Elie made some predictions for the legal profession. Lat will follow in his footsteps and venture some prophecies of his own for the year....

By David Lat
Ann Althouse

Non-Sequiturs: 01.12.12

* Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s lawyer has a challenge for you: “I defy you to tell the difference between a naked prostitute and any other naked woman.” [Dealbreaker] * It’s not often that Cravath partners leave for other firms, but it happens. Jeffrey Smith, former head of the environmental practice at Cravath, recently decamped for Crowell & […]

By David Lat
Billable Hours

Size Matters: Crisis of Faith

Valerie Katz thought she could do some missionary work and convert her friends in to small-firm lawyers. Something unexpected happened, though. One of her friends asked her why she believed small-firm life was so different from Biglaw. She went through my standard list of reasons: quality of life, money, autonomy, mentoring, etc. But that was where things took an unexpected turn: her friend did not buy it. Does size really matter, she thought?

By Valerie Katz
Crime

This Might Be the Most Tumultuous Divorce of All Time

For a long time, I have been a staunch advocate of putting passwords on all electronic devices — laptops, phones, tablets, etc. There’s no reason to leave your private life or sensitive business data accessible to any schmo who might have access to your phone, just because you’re too lazy to spend three seconds typing […]

By Christopher Danzig
Asians

DiDonato v. Ung: The Temple Law Shooter Gets Hit — With a Civil Suit

Eddie DiDonato Jr., a former lacrosse star at Villanova and the son of a prominent partner at the Fox Rothschild law firm, has filed a civil lawsuit against Gerald Ung, the Temple Law School student who shot DiDonato in January 2010 in the Old City section of Philadelphia. Ung isn't the only defendant. DiDonato is suing a half dozen other parties, relying on various theories of liability. Let's think of this as a Torts final exam: Who else might DiDonato be suing besides Ung? What causes of action can you see?

By David Lat