January 2012
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Biglaw, Blogging, Books, In-House Counsel, Law Reviews, Media and Journalism
Inside Straight: 'Recreational' Writing, In-House and Out
Complete honesty is such a dangerous thing. I’m going to give it a shot. I’m posing three questions to myself today. First, why might a lawyer at a law firm choose to write articles? Second, what topics should lawyers write about, and where should they publish the articles? Finally, why might an in-house lawyer choose […] -
Crowell & Moring, Fashion, Football, Jeannie Suk, Money, Morning Docket, Rape, Shoes, Trademarks
Morning Docket: 01.23.12
* Representative Gabrielle Giffords will be resigning from Congress this week to focus on her recovery. Jared Loughner, the man accused of shooting her, is still way too loony to stand trial. [CNN] * Because of this huge law firm, Dotcom’s bubble has officially burst. Hogan Lovells partner Robert S. Bennett has withdrawn from the […]
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Crime, Drugs, Masturbation, Pornography
Just in Case You Were Wondering, Porn Store Video Booths Do Carry the Expectation of Privacy
Well, you don’t see this every day. “This” meaning a substantive legal debate over the privacy implications of watching porn inside an adult video store. The stimulating (hem hem) opinion comes (why does everything suddenly sound so dirty?) to us courtesy of the New York County Supreme Court. A man arrested in Times Square for […]
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 01.20.12
* If you don’t allow strip clubs in New Jersey would that leave the state with, you know, any businesses? [WSJ Law Blog] * If Obamacare does nothing else, it just made birth control covered the same as Viagra. If that’s not enough to give Obama a three to one advantage among women, I don’t […] -
In-House Counsel, Practice Pointers
Moonlighting: Soft Skill Strategies That Aren’t Too Hard
Last week, we looked at why lawyers need soft skills and noted that there’s a general lack of this kind of training for them. Today, we’ll consider some strategies for learning to play nice in the legal sandbox. As mentioned last week, there are so many different types of soft skills — communication, leadership, management, […] -
Canada, Education / Schools, Law Schools, LSAT
The Early Numbers on Law School Applications
Somebody got a hold of a password-protected report from LSAC that discusses the state of law school applications. Do you want to hear the good news? It's too early to know the full scope of this law school application season, but the early numbers suggest that law school applications are going to be down -- way down.... -
Celebrities, Hotties, Quote of the Day, Reality TV, Videos, YouTube
Quote of the Day: Please Stick to Sex Tapes
What reputation? She doesn’t have one. — Legal analyst Joey Jackson, commenting on allegations made in Kim Kardashian’s lawsuit against The Gap. The reality television star claims that an Old Navy commercial featuring a look-alike actress damaged her reputation to the tune of $15-20 million. (A clip of the commercial in question, after the jump.) -
Fame Brief, Law Schools, Reality TV, Television
Fame Brief: Illinois 2L Is Kicked Off the Bachelor, Pranked By Classmates
Still reeling from the producers’ decision to include one Latino contestant four seasons ago, The Bachelor franchise is back in Narnia this season with another all-white cast. Available for fake engagement this season is a sexy, seasoned, Biglaw attorney. Just kidding! Erika Uhlig, 23, is a completely average looking 2L at the University of Illinois College of Law. To precisely no one's shock, a law school classmate of Erika's reports that “she’s a bitch".... - Sponsored
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Advertising, Lawyer Advertising, Money, Real Estate, Small Law Firms, Utah
Kick ’Em When They’re Down
What’s the most sure-fire way to make money in a bad economy? Capitalize on the misery of others. As the Kobra Kai taught us, strike first, strike hard, no mercy, sir! Today’s Legal Sweep the Leg Award goes to Kick’em Out Quick, a “One Stop Shop” for tenant evictions and collections based in Ogden, Utah. Kick’em Out Quick is an online marketing company that strives to drum up eviction numbers for member attorneys who pay for the privilege of bearing the Kick’em Out Quick name.... -
Law Schools, listserv, Transfer Students
You Can Transfer the Student into Stanford, But You Can't Transfer the Stanford into the Student
When you are a transfer student, you are constantly fighting for respect. We know how transfer students talk to non-transfers, but we don't often get to see how transfer students talk among themselves. But today, we've got a whole transfer student email thread from Stanford Law School, and boy, like Fredo in the Godfather, they really want respect.... -
Cyberlaw, Department of Justice, Technology
SOPA Be Damned, DOJ Has Sent a Message to Internet Pirates. And the Internet Sent a Message Right Back
While the Internet was throwing itself a party for taking down the Stop Online Piracy Act, getting drunk off its own power and shooting pistols into the air like a Mexican fiesta, the Department of Justice was already throwing up a big middle finger to offshore rogue websites, or whatever they're calling pirates now. Everyone's favorite hacker collective, Anonymous, struck back in revenge almost immediately. The group launched massive denial of service attacks against every media and governmental website their deranged hive mind could think of.... -
English Grammar and Usage, Reader Polls
Grammer Pole of the Weak: For 'Who' the Bell Tolls?
Welcome to the latest edition of Above the Law’s Grammer Pole of the Weak, a column where we turn questions of legal writing and English grammar and usage over to our readers for discussion and debate. Last week, we learned that 59% of our readers would never use “their” in the place of “his or […] -
Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, California, Copyright, Intellectual Property, Small Law Firms, Trademarks
From Biglaw to Boutique: Beyond the 'Small Law Firm' Stereotype
For some, the phrase “small law firm” implies certain stereotyped practice areas, clients, and attorneys. At its worst, the stereotype invokes unsophisticated clients and matters that are routine and uninteresting. To break the stereotype, Tom Wallerstein remarks on some great practice opportunities for smaller law firms which exist in Silicon Valley....
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Attorney Misconduct, Bankruptcy, Copyright, Department of Justice, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, Sexual Harassment
Morning Docket: 01.20.12
* Listen up, internet pirates: if your license plate says “GUILTY,” it’s almost like you’re doing the DOJ’s job for them. More on this later. [Blog of Legal Times] * Say cheese, because you’ll want to catch this first on camera. Sullivan & Cromwell is serving as lead counsel on Kodak’s bankruptcy case. [Am Law […]
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Career Alternatives, Job Searches, Law Schools, Student Loans
What 'Can't' You Do With a Law Degree?
There's a really funny post up on Constitutional Daily, in which the protagonist -- who holds a J.D. from NYU Law and was laid off from Biglaw during the recession -- recounts his inability to secure a job at Target. It got us thinking of that other great lie that law schools tell incoming law students: "Yada yada, you can do anything with a law degree... also, I'd like to interest you in partial ownership of the Brooklyn Bridge." But many J.D. holders have found out the hard way that holding a law degree only opens doors to "law" jobs. They aren't degrees of general utility. If anything, they close more doors than they open.... -
Airplanes / Aviation, Books, Boutique Law Firms, Guns / Firearms, LLMs, Musical Chairs, Non-Sequiturs, Partner Issues, Small Law Firms, Trials
Non-Sequiturs: 01.19.12
* Dressing shrinks as wizards when they testify would be an AWESOME idea. I’m serious. Why can’t we have this? And titles, too. “Your Honor, I call Dr. Freud — Ph.D in weakness management and keeper of the sacred staffs of Ivory guard — to the stand.” [Overlawyered] * iTextbooks! Could be awesome, could widen […] -
Advertising, Career Center, Lateral Moves, Shameless Plugs, Texas, This Is an Ad
Career Center: State of the Market - Texas (Part 1)
The next few State of the Market posts by Lateral Link, as compiled by Director Gary Cohen, will focus on one of the country’s largest states — Texas. In general, lateral hiring activity in Texas has increased substantially in the past 12 months, with even greater momentum as we head into 2012. Corporate/securities and IP […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2011, Associate Salaries, Biglaw, Billable Hours, Bonuses, Money, Pro Bono
Associate Bonus Watch: Goodwin Procter Makes Good
Tomorrow, associates at Goodwin Procter will receive individualized news of their bonuses. You may recall that last month, when ATL’s new director of research, Brian Dalton, compiled a list of Biglaw’s ten most generous firms — i.e., the ten firms that pay the best bonuses, when measured against their profits per partner — Goodwin did […] -
Document Review, Technology
Why Is the D.C. Court of Appeals Feeling Testy Toward E-Discovery Vendors?
Anyone who works with e-discovery has no doubt encountered the bewildering array of vendors and service providers clamoring for legal technology business. It can be confusing. As the e-discovery industry has exploded, vendors’ roles have expanded and changed as well. Just a few years ago, it was more common for attorneys and their firms to […] -
Alston & Bird, Biglaw, Rankings
Fortune's ‘Best Companies to Work For’ List Includes Four Law Firms
Each year in January, Fortune releases its list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. As in years past, a few law firms have managed to sneak their way onto a list that includes companies like Google, DreamWorks Animation, and Goldman Sachs. With companies like that on the list, you’ve got to wonder (Elie […]