March 2012
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Canada, Dick Cheney, Facebook, Intellectual Property, Morning Docket, Politics, Social Media, Social Networking Websites, Technology
Morning Docket: 03.13.12
* Yahoo! continues to try to save its fading empire… by filing a patent lawsuit against Facebook. [Dealbook/New York Times]
* Dispatch from SXSW: employing homeless people as Wi-Fi hotspots. I see no problems here. [New York Times]
* Dick Cheney has canceled a trip to Toronto. Because Canada is “too dangerous.” It’s actually kind of reassuring that the former Vice President, who drunkenly shot his friend in the face with a shotgun, is just as much as a wuss as the liberals he has mocked for the last 12-odd years. [National Post]
* It’s my jury and I’ll tweet if I want to, tweet if I want to. You would tweet too, if it happened to you. [Wall Street Journal Law Blog]
* A new United Nations report says Wikileaks suspect Bradley Manning endured “cruel, inhuman and degrading” treatment during the months he was incarcerated before his trial. The report comes just in time for the Department of Defense to completely ignore it and continue throwing the book at Manning. [Threat Level/Wired]
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Law Schools, Media and Journalism, Rankings, U.S. News
The U.S. News Law School Rankings Are Out!
The latest U.S. News & World Report law school rankings are out - and there's a surprising amount of movement among the top schools. Who are this year's winners and losers? - 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. -
Contests, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, March Madness, Reader Polls
ATL March Madness (2012): The Most Honest Law School
Which law school is the most honest? That's the subject of this year's ATL March Madness. Cast your vote today!
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 03.12.12
* Happy International Women’s Day, ladies! Now get in the kitchen and bake yourself a cake. Legal Cheek] * The judge in the Raj Rajaratnam case speaks out about wiretapping and the uptick in insider trading enforcement. You probably don’t want to play this game of telephone. [Bloomberg Law] * I would also add this […] -
Craigslist, Drinking, Drugs, Job Searches, Weirdness
This Is the Weirdest Craigslist Job Ad I Have Ever Seen
Last week we covered a confident San Diego attorney's entertaining Craigslist ad for a young, hip, attractive assistant. I'ma let you talk, Legal Baller. Your ad was pretty good, but I wanted to let you know that a Denver business just posted the most bats**t-crazy Craigslist lawyer ad of all time. OF ALL TIME. Let's take a look… -
4th Circuit, Constitutional Law, Elena Kagan, Federal Judges, J. Harvie Wilkinson III, Quote of the Day, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Quotes of the Day: On Wednesdays We Wear Black!
Justice Elena Kagan defends the Supreme Court's work ethic, and Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson defends judicial restraint. -
Copyright, Intellectual Property, Social Media, Social Networking Websites, Technology
Pinterest's Terms of Service Screws Its Users... Or Maybe It's Just Like Every Other Social Networking Site
Pinterest is still in its infancy, but it's already facing its first backlash/potential legal controversy, a problem kicked off a few weeks ago by a lawyer-slash-photographer who thought she noticed something fishy about the startup's terms of service policy. Namely, how does a company built on the premise of users sharing art they don't own protect itself? Pass the buck on, of course… -
Facebook, Small Law Firms, Social Media, Social Networking Websites, Technology
The Practice: Does Anyone Want a Mentor Anymore?
Some Gen Y lawyers think their elders want them to fail, are scared of them stealing clients, and only offer criticism for these reasons. I hate to break it to you kids, but I want you to succeed, and my clients aren’t hiring you. They’re not hiring your website or your Facebook Fan Page. Really, they’re not... - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Job Searches, Law Schools, Media and Journalism, Plaintiffs Firms, Student Loans, Unemployment
The Latest News in the Law School Lawsuits
The litigation against law schools made the front page of Metro, New York's big commuter paper, this morning. What's the latest news? -
Biglaw, Job Searches, Law Schools, Partner Issues
Are Graduates of Elite Law Schools 'Too Good' for Biglaw?
Are graduates of elite law schools "too good" for Biglaw? Interestingly enough, they tend not to stick around large law firms. Grads of many lower-ranked schools make partner at higher rates than grads of certain top law schools. -
Biglaw, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Job Searches, Rudeness
Inside Straight: If Law Don't Get No Respect
Current in-house lawyers: Is the law respected in your workplace? Aspiring in-house lawyers: How can you make sure that a potential in-house employer respects the legal function? -
Alston & Bird, Anthony Kennedy, Biglaw, California, Email Scandals, Health Care / Medicine, John Roberts, Law Schools, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 03.12.12
* Two weeks from today, the Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments on the Obamacare case. Everyone thinks Justice Kennedy’s vote will swing the Court, but Chief Justice Roberts isn’t about to let him steal his sunshine. [New York Times]
* Montana’s Chief Judge stands accused of sending a racist email, but he once counseled law students about the dangers of email. It seems like the man can’t follow his own advice… and that’s some major Cebulls**t! [Billings Gazette]
* Gaming post-graduation employment statistics: the Columbia Law School and NYU Law edition. It looks like it might be time to fire up the Strauss/Anziska machine for the top tier of our nation’s law schools. [New York Post]
* Greenberg Traurig and Alston & Bird think people care about their new, multimillion dollar rental agreements in Los Angeles. No one cares. They just want to know where the spring bonuses are. [Los Angeles Times]
* But speaking of Alston & Bird, some Floridians are complaining about the firm’s bill. $475 an hour for four partners and associates? You really need to stop, because you’re getting the deal of the century. [The Ledger]
* James Humphreys — with a P-H! — donated $1M to GW School of Law so more students can receive scholarships. Maybe one of our favorite Wall Street Occupiers will get one? [National Law Journal]
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Antonin Scalia, Constitutional Law, Federal Judges, Free Speech, Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Videos, YouTube
Justice Scalia at Wesleyan: Now With Photos and Video
When Justice Scalia spoke at Wesleyan University on Thursday night, he was greeted by protesters. What did they have to say? Here are photos and videos.
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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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 03.09.12
* I think the brother who wrote this post and I should head out to a bar this weekend and talk about the dangers of privately objectifying women in the workplace. I’ll get us a table at Rick’s Cabaret. [Jezebel] * Topless woman protests Bank of America at a corporate meeting. Luckily, she was escorted out before everybody ran out of dollar bills. [Dealbreaker] * The war on religion continues. Next on Your Republican Party: Companies who make birth control pills but mislabel them so women are taking the sugar pills at the wrong time shouldn’t be liable for their gross negligence because they were within their religious rights to trick dirty sluts who like to have sex. [Legal Blog Watch] * Every time a new law school doesn’t open, an angel gets its wings. And then I capture the angel, ram a cone up its ass, and sell it at Christmas time to pay down my debt. [BU Pipe Dream] * I had oral surgery this morning, so I’m high as a kite and I still couldn’t understand this post. [PrawfsBlawg] * Just a reminder that trial lawyers aren’t required to fight like petulant children over every issue. [Forbes] * I think America should play nicely with Europe in space. But the “lamestream media” seems to want us to be able to shoot wolves with machine guns while in low earth orbit. [New York Times] -
Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Rank Stupidity
Benchslap of the Day: The Lawyer Loves Me... Lawyer Loves Me Not
In our Benchslap of the Day, let's watch a federal magistrate judge shoot down complaints that his judicial colleague is part of a “large, amorphous conspiracy" like a boss... -
Biglaw, Contests, Elena Kagan, Law Schools, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms, Pictures, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, SCOTUS, Small Law Firms, Supreme Court
ATL's 'Lawyer Meme' Contest: The Winner
Two weeks ago, we asked our readers to submit their entries for Above the Law’s “Lawyer Meme” contest. This week, you voted on the finalists, and now it’s time to announce the winner…. -
Facebook, Pictures, Police, Quote of the Day, Rank Stupidity, State Judges
Quote of the Day: Florida Has Idiots, Too
Protip: you probably won't be accused of stealing a judge's nameplate in Florida if you don't put pictures of it on Facebook. -
Legal Ethics, Partner Issues
New York Says 'No' (For Now) to Non-Lawyer Firm Ownership
But as we noted in Morning Docket, "America's Most Familiar Law Firm," Jacoby & Meyers, took a bit of a blow in New York yesterday when one of its lawsuits challenging the ban on non-lawyer firm ownership was dismissed. Let's take a look at what happened.... -
Law Schools, Rankings
How Stanford Law School Could Cut Tuition and Save the World
Professor Paul Campos has a drastic idea for fixing for what he would call the “law school scam.” It all starts at Stanford University, where he visited earlier this week to talk about his idea. What did he have to say? Does “30 percent unilateral tuition cut” mean anything to you? -
In-House Counsel
Moonlighting: How Watching Game Shows Can Help You in Meetings
Some of you are shy about speaking up in larger groups. You feel pressured to come up with something brilliant, and often end up not saying anything at all because you don’t think your ideas are worthy of public utterance. Here are some tips on how to speak up during meetings....