February 2012
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American Bar Association / ABA, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Minority Issues, Racism
Can A Law School Force You To Be Racially Sensitive?
Is it right for a law school to send its students to tolerance camp? Mandatory tolerance camp? Mandatory tolerance camp, where unexcused absences will result in an intolerant notation placed in students’ permanent records? When I came across the story of a state law school holding a “mandatory” diversity seminar that students were required to […] -
9th Circuit, Document Review, Drinking, Gay Marriage, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 02.07.12
* The fact that this guy got so drunk off of beer pong means he’s probably the best pong competitor who has ever lived. [New York Post] * This is the best document review job ever. I’m not joking. Does $85/hour sound like a joke? You might need to learn Japanese, though. [Constitutional Daily] * […] - 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… -
Junk Email / Spam, Small Law Firms
Size Matters: Use Your Spam Sense
Every time Valerie Katz gets an email, she gets really excited. The idea that some of her readers want to reach out and share ideas is overwhelming. Lately, the emails have taken a turn for the worse. The last email she received read like this (or a close approximation because she deleted it upon receipt for fear of catching something): SPAM. She knows enough not to respond to spam emails. Some other people -- specifically, small firm attorneys -- do not. So, she am offering them some advice....
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Advertising, Associate Advice, Biglaw, Career Center, Lateral Moves, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center: For Fifth Year Associates, It’s Decision Time
This week, Lateral Link Director Tricia McGrath shares the inside scoop on what fifth years need to do to make sure they stay on track to become partner, and avoid the pitfalls that come with being passed over continually. Law firm economics changed substantially over the past decade. Law firms now run like “businesses,” in […] -
Family Law, Kids, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: You Wagered Eleventy Billion Dollars?
There may be a case, which is for a court of law to decide, but that’s a made-up number. — Kate O’Brien Ahlers, a spokesperson for the New York City Law Department, commenting on the $900 trillion lawsuit filed against the city by Fausat Ogunbayo, a mother whose children were placed in foster care in […] -
Bankruptcy, Law Schools, Money, Student Loans
There's No Easy Way Out Of Student Debt, But That Doesn't Stop Some People From Feeling Superior
Yesterday, my colleague Staci Zaretsky decided to make the case for why all the people who are dutifully paying off their law school debts should feel superior to those who default on their law school debts, or seek to discharge them through bankruptcy. As she wrote in her post, “Have I ever thought about filing […] -
B for Beauty, Breasts, Career Alternatives, Fabulosity, Hotties, Law Schools
A Model Law Student: This Sexy Sooner Hits the Books Hard
When you think of Oklahoma, what's the first thing that comes to mind? For some it's a Broadway musical, for others, it's agriculture, and for others still, it's football. But what about beautiful, intelligent women? We've got a story for our readers about a law student with some really big... brains. A tipster notified us about this sexy Sooner and the double life she leads: she's a second-year law student, but in her free time, she's a model who's worked at some of the finest breastaurants in the business.... -
9th Circuit, Anthony Kennedy, California, David Boies, Gay, Gay Marriage, Stephen Reinhardt, Ted Olson
Breaking: Ninth Circuit Issues Landmark Ruling on Gay Marriage
The Ninth Circuit has issued a landmark ruling on gay marriage. Or, if you prefer, a ruling on marriage equality. We knew this ruling was coming because the Ninth Circuit kindly informed us in advance that its opinion would be issued. Now, let's find out how the three-judge panel ruled in Perry v. Brown (formerly known as Perry v. Schwarzenegger).... - 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 Advice, Drinking, Job Searches
How Alcohol Can Help You Network
There's a list that's been going around the past two days that purports to be A Drink-by-Drink Guide for networking events. Don't get your hopes up. It's not really drinking advice for legal networking events. It's regular advice for legal networking events that happens to use the word "drink" -- instead of "level" or "number" -- to demarcate the five tips in the article. Here's Elie's advice on how to look cool and confident while knocking back a few without getting so sloshed you end up on Above the Law in the morning.... -
Biglaw, Facebook, Letter from London, Plaintiffs Firms, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Letter from London: U.K. Law Firms Set to Cash in Facebook-style
History is littered with examples of Aussies sticking it to the Brits: from early convict rebellions to the time Rupert Murdoch bought our favourite tabloid newspaper, The Sun, and had a photo of a topless woman placed on its inside page each day — a tradition that continues to this day (semi-NSFW link). Last week […] -
Crime, Facebook, Police, Rank Stupidity, Rape, Social Media, Social Networking Websites
He Trolled the Law, and the Law Won
It's always tempting to call people like the guy in this story the stupidest (alleged) criminal ever. But, somehow, the bar for getting arrested via internet idiocy keeps getting set lower and lower. Until yesterday, we'd never heard of a wanted man posting on his local sheriff's Facebook wall, commenting on a story about the fact that police were looking for him. Wait, did we say commenting? This dude started a whole thread. You can't make this stuff up.... -
9th Circuit, American Bar Association / ABA, Antitrust, Arnold & Porter, Biglaw, California, Department of Justice, Election 2012, Election Law, Morning Docket, Politics, Summer Associates
Morning Docket: 02.07.12
* Obama has officially nominated William Baer, an Arnold & Porter partner, to run the DOJ’s antitrust division. Get ready for an election year confirmation showdown between the parties. [New York Times] * Newt Gingrich has dropped out of the Virginia ballot lawsuit that was originally filed by Rick Perry. What does this mean for […]
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6th Circuit, ACLU, Education / Schools, Gay, Gay Marriage, Religion
Should Therapists Be Able to Turn Away Clients on Moral Grounds?
Over the weekend, Mark Oppenheimer wrote an interesting New York Times piece about the Sixth Circuit’s recent ruling in Ward v. Polite (PDF). In that case, Judge Jeffrey Sutton — noted feeder judge, judicial hottie, and possible SCOTUS nominee in a Republican administration — handed a (partial) victory to Julea Ward, an evangelical Christian who […]
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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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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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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Airplanes / Aviation, Lawsuit of the Day, Pro Se Litigants, Racism, Travel / Vacation
Lawsuit of the Day: Nightmare Vacation for Rich 'Honkeys'
Don’t you just hate it when rude and inefficient airline administrators ruin your vacation by stranding you on the ski leg of your vacation in Aspen, causing you to almost miss your cruise leaving out of Florida? It’s so annoying to have to stay in a series of luxury hotels across the country because the […] -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 02.06.12
* Roll on Friday crowns the European firm of the year. It’s like the Eli Manning of old world law firms. [Roll on Friday] * Here are some thoughts from a former NFL All-Pro turned lawyer. Maybe there is still hope that Chad Ochocinco can have a productive career. [Legal Blitz] * Staci was on […] -
Accounting / Accountants, Document Review, S.D.N.Y.
KPMG Recieves an E-Discovery Smackdown
I don’t always cover electronic discovery, but when I do, I prefer juicy court decisions. And that’s what we have today. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York released a blunt, controversial ruling last week, slamming down accounting firm KPMG for requesting a less intense preservation obligation. The case has […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2011, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Orrick's Merit-Based Matrix Continues to Be the Most Transparent
The firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has been a leader in instituting a merit-based compensation system. Two aspects of their system make Orrick’s commitment to merit-based seem genuine: 1. Partners put in significant time so that merit evaluations are more than just hours cut-offs. 2. Orrick is transparent about how many people get paid. […] -
Small Law Firms
The Practice: Fewer Clients
In prior years, Brian Tannebaum attempted to mentally keep track of who called him and who hired him, but he wound up forgetting a lot of the details. This year, he made some changes. On a monthly basis, he's reviewing prospective clients who called, as well as who referred them, who took their calls, their case types, and whether he was retained. The percentage of calls-to-retained used to be “most.” Most potential clients that came to his office retained me. He made it easy. He'd bring them in, spend some free time, smile a lot, negotiate the fee, and get the case. Now that percentage has gone down, way down.… -
American Bar Association / ABA, Antonin Scalia, Biglaw, Clerkships, Money, Quote of the Day, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks
Quotes of the Day: Mo' Superior Legal Minds, Mo' Problems!
What does Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia think about the state of the legal profession and Biglaw's compensation system? See what he had to say about both at the 2012 American Bar Association Midyear Meeting.... -
Bankruptcy, Law Schools, Money, Student Loans
Not Even Bankruptcy Will Make Your Student Loans Go Away
More and more law school graduates are trying to seek bankruptcy protection from their mountains of student loan debt. Now, we know that reading comprehension is tested on the LSAT, but apparently, once students complete the law school entrance exam, that skill goes right out the window. How do we know? Because law school graduates, who freely signed up for student loans as law students, are now trying to shirk their repayment responsibilities....