February 2012
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Biglaw, In-House Counsel
Inside Straight: Setting Performance Objectives
Do law firms set performance objectives for their lawyers? I worked at two different law firms over the course of 25 years, and I remember only one meeting where anyone sat down and talked with me about setting performance objectives. We set the objectives; no one ever followed up to see whether I’d achieved them; […] -
Abortion, Biglaw, Deaths, Free Speech, Mergers and Acquisitions, Morning Docket, Plaintiffs Firms, Privacy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, United Kingdom / Great Britain, Videos
Morning Docket: 02.13.12
* Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg thinks Roe v. Wade was a mistimed ruling, saying things would be different today if the court had been more “restrained.” Well, wire hanger sales would be up, that’s for sure. [CBS News] * Bait and switch of the day: personal injury firms are enticing plaintiffs to sue with promises […]
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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… -
Biglaw, Law Firm Mergers
Law Firm Merger Mania: Fulbright and Pillsbury Are Talking
The last we heard from Fulbright & Jaworski and Pillsbury Winthrop, the former was busy conducting staff layoffs, and the latter was exploring on-shore outsourcing options. Today, we have bigger and more exciting news: the two Biglaw firms may be headed to the altar. What would a combined firm look like? Fulbright has approximately 900 […]
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 02.10.12
* This is how bros roll in the U.K. There’s a Shearman & Sterling U.K. lawyer up in here. [Daily Mail] * Being hot for teacher gets you suspended now. [Adjunct Law Prof Blog] * It would have been fun to see well paid O’Melveny attorneys dumpster diving. [DNAinfo] * An average American complains to […] -
Biglaw, Lawyer of the Day, Violence
Lawyer of the Day: Former Cravath Associate's Law License Suspended After Assault Conviction
Yesterday, a former Cravath associate had his law license suspended for three years by a New York court. For several years now, the young former associate has been dealing with some serious legal troubles. Michael Zulandt was a Cravath associate in New York (we mentioned the story earlier today in Morning Docket). In 2008, he […] -
Law Schools, Public Interest, Student Loans
Yale Law School Makes It Slightly Harder to Get Loan Forgiveness
Yale is making a slight change to its low-income loan forgiveness program, and it’s going to make it a little harder for people who leave Yale Law School and take low-paying jobs. Now, this isn’t anything to yell and scream about. Yale is still committed to making loan repayment feasible for people who don’t take […] -
Banking Law, Money, Quote of the Day, Real Estate
Quote of the Day: So We Need Lawyers to Torture People Now
If you don’t have a lawyer, it is hard to really put their feet to the fire and make sure the banks have every ‘t’ crossed and ‘i’ dotted… We are going to make sure funding for those legal services is restored. — New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, discussing the implications of a […] -
Contracts, In-House Counsel
Moonlighting: What’s the Big Deal?
Lawyers are great at thinking small — small picture, that is. We’re awesome at details, however painstakingly minor. We sport the “grammar police” badge proudly, even though we know that it’s the dorkiest one out there (wait, except for the “I memorized all of the two-letter words in Scrabble” badge — that one’s slightly dorkier). […] - Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm. -
Advertising, California, Job of the Week, Job Searches, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Job of the Week: Executive Pay in Tech Valley
The recruiters at Lateral Link are working hard to fill positions with Am Law 200 firms and Fortune 500 companies throughout the nation. Today’s Job of the Week, provided by Lateral Link, presents a great opportunity for an Executive Compensation Associate at a top firm in the Silicon Valley. If you’re looking to live and […] -
BU Law, Romance and Dating
Desperately Seeking Michael: Help This Girl Find Her Missed Connection at BU Law!
During the fallout of the Pats losing the Super Bowl, a girl and a boy met by chance while attempting to catch a cab. The young couple shared the ride home, but perhaps they could have shared much more if only phone numbers had been exchanged. We've wondered in the past if Above the Law readers could crowdsource a lawsuit, but could it work for a budding romance? Let's find out.... -
Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, California, Deaths, Litigators, Small Law Firms
From Biglaw to Boutique: 'There’s a Practice Guide for That'
Tom Wallerstein's firm, like most firms in California, has a series of Rutter guides on its shelves. And even though he runs a virtually paperless office, he still loves his printed Rutter guides. Wallerstein even has a joke about Rutter. Whenever a colleague questions his ability to solve a particular issue, he jokes, “I’m sure there’s a Rutter Guide for that.” The joke has a serious point, namely, that the basics of most practice areas can always be learned. And if it’s easy enough to learn a practice area, why shouldn’t a lawyer forming a small firm become a true generalist; handling everything from family law, wills and trusts, civil, criminal, and essentially whatever walks in the door? -
Law Schools
Will Sued Law Schools Take A Hit To Their Credit Ratings?
We’re still waiting to see if the lawsuits marshaled against law schools over their questionable employment statistics will have any effect. Obviously schools are misleading people about the employment outcomes of recent graduates — notice that the law schools aren’t even arguing that they give students an accurate picture. They just say their numbers shenanigans […] -
Drugs, Marijuana, Police, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Texas
Up in Smoke: Texas Judge Busted for Alleged Pot Possession
Being a judge is hard work. So hard, in fact, that sometimes these distinguished members of society go out in search of more plebeian ways to relax. Some judges, for example, are apparent aficionados of the classic gateway drug -- marijuana. One judge in Texas was recently arrested for allegedly smoking two joints before he smoked two joints, and then smoking two more....
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Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
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Job Searches, Law Schools
Dean of Students Gets Networking Advice All Wrong
A couple of days ago, Elie offered some networking advice to the functional alcoholics in the audience. Sure, his thoughts were a little bit outside the box, but they were better than the kind of standard networking tripe most law students get from their overmatched career services administrators. Case in point, take a look as some networking advice sent around by the Dean of Students at a New York-area law school just last week. The advice was perfect if the dean was trying to ensure that the students made no impression, and left all employers wondering why they bothered to show up for a silly networking event in the first place.... -
American Bar Association / ABA, Attorney Misconduct, Biglaw, Celebrities, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Nude Dancing, SCOTUS, Senate Judiciary Committee, Supreme Court, Television, Trademarks
Morning Docket: 02.10.12
* “All My Justices” may soon be coming to daytime television station near you. In a close vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that calls for television access to Supreme Court proceedings. [Legal Times] * A former Cravath associate’s law license has been suspended as a result of a DV assault charge. For […]
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Benchslaps, Drugs, State Judges
Benchslap of the Day: Cornhusker Judge Shucks Druggie Defendant
We have come across a recent Midwestern state court opinion that reads more like Hunter Thompson than Learned Hand. It doesn't hurt the metaphor that the defendant, convicted of multiple theft charges, is also a long-term abuser of methamphetamine, marijuana, and alcohol. We would call this a benchslap, but that might be too nice a word.... -
Adoption, Family Law, Gay, Gay Marriage, Intellectual Property, John Yoo, Non-Sequiturs, Sex
Non-Sequiturs: 02.09.12
* How would you describe the mainstream media’s recent reporting on Citizens United? Not true, not true — and Dan Abrams explains why. [Mediaite via The Corner / Ramesh Ponnuru] * Whether the U.S. Constitution requires marriage equality can be debated as a matter of constitutional law. But as a policy matter, is this still […] -
Advertising, Biglaw, Career Center, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center: How You Should Manage Your Time
Whether you’ve been out of school one year or five, the art of time maintenance is one you shouldn’t ignore. Just like the balance between your personal and professional life should be important to you, you should also work to keep your law firm schedule and work habits as balanced as possible. Following the pace […] -
Bankruptcy, Money, Quote of the Day, Student Loans
Quote of the Day: In Five Years, Don't Say We Didn't Warn You
Take it from those of us on the frontline of economic distress in America. This could very well be the next debt bomb for the U.S. economy. — William E. Brewer Jr., president of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, commenting on a new national survey of 860 bankruptcy lawyers. Surveyed lawyers expressed […] -
Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Career Center, Job Survey, Law Schools, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms, Small Law Firms
Finally... A Survey for Lawyers and Law Students!
Later this year, Above the Law will be launching a new, expanded Career Center. The new Career Center will be a resource for students and lawyers at all stages of their careers, and in all areas of legal practice (i.e., not just Biglaw). But we can be sure that news and insight into life at […]