February 2012
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Bad Ideas, Biglaw, Job Searches, Law Schools, Money
Columbia Asks Alumni for $1,000 to Help Pay for Biglaw Interviews
File this under: "reasons why the alumni office should clear everything with the PR department." Somebody at Columbia Law School sent out an email to recent alumni asking for a $1,000 donation (or twelve $85 monthly installments) to help current law students. A bunch of Columbia grads who aren't working in Biglaw were asked to... wait, let me get this language exactly right: "Give a student the chance at a dream job." Hilarity ensues.... -
Baseball, Quote of the Day, Sports, State Judges
Quote of the Day: By the Way, the Cubs Have Not Won the World Series in 100 Years, Either
Fricano asserts that the Cleveland Indians are “the arch rival” of the Chicago White Sox. While the two teams maintain a healthy rivalry, this court notes that it is generally accepted, at least among informed baseball followers, that the title of arch rival belongs to the reviled Minnesota Twins, to be shared, during inter-league play, […] - Sponsored
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American Bar Association / ABA, Bar Exams, Law Schools
Another Law School Sued, But This Time With Allegations of 'Negligent Enrollment'
We’ve previously written about all of the problems that have befallen Duncan School of Law’s hopes for provisional accreditation by the American Bar Association. With motions pending in Duncan Law’s antitrust lawsuit against the ABA, perhaps the school thought that it could enjoy a momentary respite from all of the negative media attention it’s been […]
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Biglaw, Depositions, In-House Counsel, Litigators
Inside Straight: Is Our Lawyer Aggressive Enough?
Why do so many people think that you must be a blowhard to be an effective litigator? I’ve recently heard several tales of business folks (or in-house lawyers) worrying that outside counsel is not aggressive enough. What prompts the concern is the lawyer’s performance during a conference call or at a meeting: The lawyer is […] -
New Orleans, Politics, Pro Bono, Public Interest, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Judge Orders Random Lawyers To Defend Poor People
There is a judge in New Orleans who doesn't want poor people to just go away. There is a judge in New Orleans who wants the larger community to not only see but also defend poor people who appear in his court. He hopes that if some prominent people have to get some skin in the game, maybe they won't be so eager to cut essential legal services to indigent defendants.... -
Cars, Crime, Law Professors, Law Schools, Traffic Accidents
Possible Criminal Charges for a Criminal Law Professor
Just because you teach the law doesn't mean that you're above it. We've written in the past about prominent law professors accused of domestic violence and soliciting a prostitute, for example. Today we bring you news of another law professor who could be in trouble with the law. He's accused of reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. The allegations, if true, are surprising. The professor in question teaches at a top law school. Who is he? -
Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Environment / Environmental Law, Hair, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Prisons, Rod Blagojevich
Morning Docket: 02.16.12
* It looks like the Biglaw buzzwords for 2012 are “challenge” and “uncertainty.” Good! Great! Grand! Wonderful! Speaking of uncertainty, where are the spring bonuses? [Thomson Reuters News & Insight] * Kodak got the go-ahead for a $950M bankruptcy financing deal. Just think, if you had taken pictures using a film camera instead of a […]
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Biglaw, Billable Hours, Deaths, Labor / Employment, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms, Ohio State - Moritz College of Law, Small Law Firms
Associate's Death Raises Questions About Work/Life Balance at Law Firms
Stress can be just as deleterious to your health when working at a regional firm as it is when you work for a truly huge firm. This week, we've been fielding a bunch of reports about an associate who passed away at home after working what some tipsters report as maniac hours at his regional law firm the week before. It's a sad story, one that some accuse the law firm of trying to cover up, but it's another opportunity for us to remind readers to take care of themselves even when work seems overwhelming.... - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Airplanes / Aviation, Benchslaps, Health Care / Medicine, Non-Sequiturs, Religion, Texas
Non-Sequiturs: 02.15.12
* Nothing beats a calm, collected, religion-based benchslap of religious hypocrisy. [Tex Parte Blog] * If our parents hadn’t gotten us vaccinated, we’d fire them, too. Jenny McCarthy should jump into a freakin’ volcano. [Volokh Conspiracy] * It must be so hard to write fake news when it all starts coming true. [The Onion] * […] -
Advertising, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Thanks to This Week's Advertisers on Above the Law
We’d like to take a moment to thank our wonderful advertisers here at Above the Law: ALPS American Express BarMax Bill4Time College of Law eLawgic IBM Kinney Recruiting (sponsor of the Asia Chronicles) Lateral Link (sponsor of the Career Center) New York Times Practical Law Company Themis Westlaw If you’re interested in advertising on Above […] -
Antonin Scalia, Biglaw, Billable Hours, Job Searches, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Justice Scalia's Advice: Don't Work Too Hard, Move to Cleveland
On Monday, as the world was learning about Justice Stephen Breyer getting robbed at machete-point, fellow Justice Antonin Scalia was getting cozy in the hallowed halls of the University of Chicago Law School. A few years ago, Scalia criticized the law school's political drift to the left. But just before Valentine's Day, they kissed and made up. On Monday, Scalia gave a speech at U. Chicago, where he used to teach (and served as faculty advisor to the Federalist Society). He also offered some, how shall we say, unexpected career advice for attorneys who are just starting out.... -
Clerkships, Federal Judges, In-House Counsel, Job Searches, Litigators
House Rules: In Defense of Clerkships in Flyover Land
Last week there appeared a column on this site that denigrated clerkships in the middle of the country. I could not decide if the author was attempting satire, but it seemed to be a straight piece. I would like to offer a counterpoint. I began my career at Biglaw in New York City. The firm […] -
Benchslaps, D.C. Circuit, Federal Judges, Quote of the Day, Tax Law
Quote of the Day: It Makes the Arabian Double-Pike Mandamus Look Easy
Of all the routines in judicial gymnastics, few have a higher degree of difficulty than the reverse benchslap, and we’re trying for a combination double with our Opinion today. — Judge Mark V. Holmes of the United States Tax Court, dissenting in Tigers Eye Trading, LLC v. Commissioner. (The background behind this judicial invocation of […]
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Fabulosity, Law Professors, Lawyerly Lairs, Movies, Pictures, Real Estate
Lawyerly Lairs: Hipsters in the Catskills(Hey New Yorkers, Looking for a Country House?)
We're trying to diversify the coverage here at Lawyerly Lairs. After all, the world does not consist entirely of Park Avenue apartments owned by mega-rich law firm partners. Toward that end, we recently wrote about the housing search of some NYU Law students. Let's leave Manhattan behind and head to upstate New York, where we'll visit the beautiful Catskills house of a law professor and his filmmaker wife.... -
Basketball, Harvard, Intellectual Property, Sports, Trademarks
LINtellectual Property Concerns To Entertain Ivy League Grads Who Aren't LINSANE
Thank God Jeremy Lin didn’t have a Tiger Mother. Professor Amy Chua would have prevented Jeremy Lin from playing sports and he’d probably be in law school now instead of saving the New York Knicks. If you haven’t been following Jeremy Lin and the #LINSANITY phenomenon, GTFO here’s a quick recap: Taiwanese-American kid from California […] -
Biglaw, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues, Texas, Thompson & Knight
Sidley Opens in Houston, and DLA Piper Heads to Mexico (I'm Not Joking)
Some major law firms might be closing offices, but others are in expansion mode. For example, Sidley Austin is opening a Houston office, with partners snagged from several other big players in town. And that’s not the only expansion taking place in the southwest. Take DLA Piper. When we last checked in with them, the […] -
Career Alternatives, Job Searches, Law Schools
Maryland Law's Response Highlights Career Services 'Expertise'
On Tuesday, we brought you news of a job opportunity that is currently available on the University of Maryland School of Law's Symplicity job bank. When we first wrote about the listing, we called it a "career services nightmare." After all, the job had more to do with orange parking cones than the law. Instead of hanging their heads in shame for trying to sell a job as a parking garage manager to its students, the career development office issued a vigorous defense of this exciting opportunity in vehicular supervision and coordination. The email was written by the assistant dean for career development herself. What did she have to say? -
Biglaw, Books, In-House Counsel
Checklist
Ed. note: This post is by Will Meyerhofer, a former Sullivan & Cromwell attorney turned psychotherapist. He holds degrees from Harvard, NYU Law, and The Hunter College School of Social Work, and he blogs at The People’s Therapist. His new book, Way Worse Than Being A Dentist, is available on Amazon, as is his previous […] -
Copyright, Intellectual Property, Media and Journalism
AP Sues Meltwater News Claiming Copyright Offense
CHICAGO (ATL) — The Associated Press is suing a digital news distributor, claiming it infringed on AP copyrights. In a story posted yesterday, the AP reported: “The Associated Press is suing a digital news distributor, claiming it infringed on AP copyrights.” Apparently, something called Meltwater News Service has been stealing content from the AP and […] -
Basketball, Biglaw, Drugs, Facebook, Federal Government, Law Professors, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Morning Docket, New Jersey, Trademarks
Morning Docket: 02.15.12
* A tentative deal to extend the payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits has been reached. Is anyone else having a serious case of déjà vu right now? Didn’t we do this already? [Washington Post] * Investigators in Whitney Houston’s drug probe want her prescription records. We should take Tony Bennett’s advice: if all drugs […]