March 2012
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Biglaw, Bonuses
It's the First Day of Spring: Has Sullivan & Cromwell Officially Lied About Spring Bonuses?
S&C promised they’d be paying spring bonuses. But here we are, in the spring, and the firm is still silent. Did they think everybody would forget? Or do they just think that breaking their word is no big deal? -
Advertising, Career Center, Law Schools, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center: Building Your Network on Campus
Networking is simply about connecting with people, and if your goal is to have a flourishing career as a lawyer, start building your network and acquiring networking skills now. Not sure where to start? Read on for Lateral Link’s top three tips on how to effectively build your network as a law student… - 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. -
Federal Judges, Quote of the Day, Religion, Texas
Quote of the Day: Kumbaya Is a Crummy Song Anyway
When it comes to school prayer, according to this judge, you don't need to go out and sing Kumbaya.
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Fashion, Fashion Is Fun, Labor / Employment, Paralegals, Small Law Firms
Orange: A Color That Can Get You Fired in Florida
A dozen law firm staffers in Florida had been fired because they wore orange shirts to work, and people really want to know more about this apparent fashion “faux pas.” What happened? -
Crime, Deaths, Guns / Firearms, Minority Issues, Racism
Are 'Stand Your Ground' and 'Defense of Home' Laws Racist?
Now that everybody is being reminded of stand your ground statutes, are we still sure they're a good idea? -
Judge of the Day, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Violence
Judge of the Day: If You Can Call A Traffic Judge a 'Judge'
Earlier this month, a Chicago judge was unceremoniously removed from her courthouse and arrested for assault. My colleague Staci Zaretsky might have called her a judicial diva, but I think this jurist is more of a Mike Tyson type… -
Job Searches, Law Schools
We Don't Care About Your Credentials, But That's Probably Because We Can't Pay You
With all of the hubbub about unpaid internships, you’d think that legal employers would start showing law students the money — but you’d be wrong. Let’s check out a “unique posting” straight out of a law school in Flori-duh…. -
Law Schools, LSAT, Student Loans
Declining LSAT Test Takers Could Spell 'Death Spiral' for Bottom Law Schools
On March 19, news came out that the number of people taking the LSAT declined for the second year in a row. Sharply declined. So what’s going to happen to the law schools that exist by the grace of the stupidity of prospective law students? - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
6th Circuit, Biglaw, Defamation, Fashion, Fashion Is Fun, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Television, Tobacco / Smoking
Morning Docket: 03.20.12
* It’s time for the Supreme Court to sound off on the battle over women’s wombs, and you know it’s bad when even a sitting justice calls it “a mess.” Can a child conceived after a parent’s death receive survivor benefits? [CNN]
* Disgusting health warning pictures on cigarette packaging and advertising: now constitutional according to the Sixth Circuit. Maybe this will inspire people to quit a habit that’s almost equally as disgusting. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* When Biglaw is involved, so is big money. Say “aloha” to the largest personal injury settlement in Hawaii’s history. The state will pay $15.4M over the hiking death of Gibson Dunn partner Elizabeth Brem. [Am Law Daily]
* A lawsuit filed against fashionista Alexander Wang over his alleged “sweatshop” has been discontinued, and not because there isn’t a case, but because the lawyers on either side have major beef. [New York Magazine]
* The Better Business Bureau has moved to dismiss a Florida law firm’s suit over its “F” grade. Because sometimes the truth hurts, but that doesn’t mean you can sue over it if you don’t like it. [Orlando Sentinel]
* The biggest bimbo from Wisteria Lane gets screwed again, but this time in court. A mistrial has been declared in Nicollette Sheridan’s lawsuit against the producers of “Desperate Housewives.” [Reuters]
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Law Schools, Reader Polls
The Decision: Harvard v. Yale -- An ATL Debate
Grab yourself a drink, make yourself some popcorn, and sit back, as Elie and I argue against our respective alma maters. And then, at the end, cast your vote in our reader poll.... -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 03.19.12
* Dear black people: please do not try to use Florida’s laws allowing you to stand your ground as justification for gunning down a white person armed with candy. If you try, well, you’ll probably end up like Trayvon Martin. [The Root] * Kash had a nice way of analyzing that patently horrible decision the […] -
Contests, Guns / Firearms, Lawyer of the Day, Reader Polls
February Lawyer of the Month: Grab Your Glocks
In a month where a lawyers filed a dozen class action lawsuits against law schools, you shrugged. In a month where a former Cravath associate lost his law license, you looked the other way. Instead, you opted to vote for a man who we assume to be a card-carrying member of the NRA. Let’s take a look at February’s Lawyer of the Month. Grab your glocks when you see this judge…. -
Bad Ideas, Blog Wars, Blogging, Defamation, Free Speech, New Orleans, Rank Stupidity, Technology, U.S. Attorneys Offices
When Anonymous Commenting Goes Real Wrong
Our inbox was flooded over the weekend with the emerging scandal of a prosecommenter (yeah, you read that right) in New Orleans. This is what happens when a federal prosecutor takes his case to the interwebs instead of the court. Bad times…
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
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Baseball, Bernie Madoff, Quote of the Day, Sports
Quote of the Day: Mets Settle Lawsuit But Still Must Live in Queens
What you do in mediation is recite the realities. You don’t have to be brilliant. It’s called common sense. -
Legal Ethics, Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE), Nauseating Things
Poo-Smelling Foulness Pervades MPRE Exam
A real MPRE horror story... -
Law Schools, Rankings, U.S. News, Vanderbilt
ATL Survey Update: Rearranging the T14 and Choosing a Permanent Number 15
Last week, we received our 4,000th response to the ATL School & Firm Insider Survey. We thought it would be interesting to compare how the vaunted T14 stack up based on our own survey feedback. Let's look at how the elite schools compare.... -
Judicial Divas, Legal Ethics, Politics, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Possible Ethics Sanctions for Wisconsin Judge Who Allegedly Choked a Bitch
It seems that Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser isn’t as charismatic as Wayne Brady, because he’s facing possible ethics sanctions over allegedly choking one justice, and calling another a "total bitch." -
Free Speech, Small Law Firms
The Practice: A Lawyer to Emulate -- Marc Randazza
In order to create something -- something important -- you have to first learn from those that have created ahead of you. So who’s on your list? Who’s the lawyer(s) you aspire to be like? -
Contests, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, March Madness, Reader Polls
ATL March Madness (2012): The Most Honest Law School Round 2
In this post, we'll check out last week's winners and set up the next round of the Most Honest Law School bracket.... -
Biglaw, In-House Counsel
Inside Straight: When Is 'Expensive' Cheap?
One lawyer offers to represent you for $1000 an hour. Another lawyer offers to represent you for $400 an hour. Who’s more expensive? The correct answer is: You don’t know....