April 2012
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Biglaw, Facebook, Rudeness, Social Media, Social Networking Websites
Internet Commenter to Facebook Attorneys: What We Have Here Is a Failure to Communicate
Facebook goes after an internet commenter for, well, we aren't sure exactly what… -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 04.04.12
* The best part of this story isn’t how the company analogizes itself to a pack of hyenas, it’s how it fundamentally misconstrues the hunting habits of hyenas. [Dealbreaker] * So this school bans a “Jesus is not a Homophobe” t-shirt because it’s indecent? Saying that the so-called Lord and Savior doesn’t hate people is indecent? Man, I love God, but the people working for him are a$$holes. [The Volokh Conspiracy] * A sex offender’s probation banned him from Facebook, but he couldn’t stay away, and now he’s in jail for ten years. I don’t see why he couldn’t stay away, most of it is just pictures of babies and… oh man, that’s freaking sick! [Not-So Private Parts / Forbes] * Was this a tip or drug money? I don’t see why it can’t be both. [Associate Press] * This must be how Jones Day gets so many clients. [What About Clients?] * Lat said he was on the fence about Judge Jerry Smith’s benchslap of the DOJ and President Obama. Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post has stronger opinions. [Washington Post] * Between the Supreme Court authorizing strip searches and the ongoing travesty of the TSA, I’m pretty close to just walking around naked all the time to save everybody the trouble of disrobing the Big Sexy. [Borowitz Report] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Advertising, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Thanks to This Week’s Advertisers on Above the Law
Thanks to This Week’s Advertisers on Above the Law
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Animal Law, Police, Racism
More Evidence That Shooting Dogs Is A Way Bigger Deal Than Shooting Black People
The price for shooting a dog is going up... -
Contracts, In-House Counsel, Technology
House Rules: Data Security
David Mowry analyzes a contentious issue in business-to-business terms and conditions negotiations: data security. -
Bloomberg, Caption Contests, Celebrities, Contests, Pictures, Weirdness
Caption Contest Finalists: Tough Rebound From Katy Perry?
It appears that Russell Brand is a fan of Bloomberg Law television. Who knew? -
Bail, Crime, Death Penalty, Deaths, Law Schools, Murder, Violence
A Creepy New Claim About Stephen McDaniel in the Lauren Giddings Murder Case
The prosecution claims it has new evidence against Stephen McDaniel, the Mercer Law School graduate accused of killing a former classmate, Lauren Giddings. It is lurid stuff; reader discretion is advised. -
Cars, Lawyer of the Day, Native Americans
Lawyers of the Day: Native American Tribe Says Their Attorneys Swindled Them for Cars and Nice Furniture
Did two Miami defense attorneys swindle a Native American tribe for millions of dollars? - Sponsored
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Quote of the Day, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Television, Thomas Goldstein
Quote of the Day: Strip Searches Are Funny on Cable TV
Tom Goldstein of SCOTUSblog goes on the Daily Show to discuss goings-on at the Supreme Court. What does he predict will happen in the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare case? -
Arent Fox, Biglaw, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Lateral Moves, Money, Partner Issues, Partner Profits
Dewey Have A Problem With Defections? Or With Math?(Plus information on international offices.)
What's going on with Dewey defections? And restated financial results? And overseas offices? -
Affirmative Action, Law Schools, LSAT, Minority Issues, Privacy, Racism, Screw-Ups
Baylor Law Screw-Up Reveals Personal Data of Entire Admitted Class: Data That We've Got
Baylor Law accidentally releases personal information of admitted students... -
5th Circuit, Barack Obama, Benchslaps, Constitutional Law, Department of Justice, Election 2012, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Health Care / Medicine, Judicial Divas, Politics
Benchslap of the Day: Fifth Circuit Orders DOJ To Write 'We Respect Judicial Review' in Three-Page Letter
The nation recently received a lesson in constitutional law from President Barack Obama. The problem with this lesson: it wasn't exactly accurate. One prominent conservative jurist, Judge Jerry E. Smith of the Fifth Circuit, took it upon himself to set the record straight.... -
5th Circuit, Barack Obama, Biglaw, Canada, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Eric Holder, Gloria Allred, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Murder
Morning Docket: 04.04.12
* AG Eric Holder can thank Obama for this homework assignment from Fifth Circuit Judge Jerry Smith, because it seems like our president, a former con law professor, forgot about Marbury v. Madison. [CBS News]
* Dewey need to buy this Biglaw firm a functional calculator? New information shows that the imploding firm was off by roughly $153M when partners reported 2011 earnings to the American Lawyer. [Am Law Daily]
* You know there’s got to be something questionable about a law school when the accreditation machine that is the ABA gives it the side eye. And no, Duncan Law, a judge still won’t force its hand. [National Law Journal]
* Stephen McDaniel pleaded not guilty at his arraignment for the murder of Mercer Law classmate Lauren Giddings, but will he be released on bail before trial? Only if he’s got $2.5M sitting around. [Macon Telegraph]
* More law school lawsuits are coming down the pipeline, but local lawyers in Massachusetts don’t think that they stand a chance. Why? The highly-educated consumer argument strikes again. [Boston Business Journal]
* Thanks to Gloria Allred, transgender beauty queen Jenna Talackova may be able to participate in the Miss Universe pageant if she can meet the legal requirements for being a woman in Canada. [MSNBC]
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Privacy, Technology
Another Massive Data Breach Exposes A Lot Of People's Credit Card Information; Welcome to the 21st Century
Another high-profile data breach exposed a lot of people's personal information. I wish I were more shocked… -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 04.03.12
* Is it me, or do way too many smart people who are not lawyers listen to Jeff Toobin? [The New Yorker] * Should the LSAT test basic legal knowledge, like the MCATs require some basic medical understanding? Well, unlike medical school, there would still be a bunch of law schools willing to accept people who can’t spot a conspiracy to commit fraud when it’s staring them in the face. [Constitutional Daily] * I like the idea that bankers really think that only the New York Times is against them. Lawyers are much smarter, and know that hate for them spans all social and economic groups. [Dealbreaker] * Grey hair on corporate ladies is not helping their careers. It would be the same for men, it’s just that in a world of balding troglodytes, the grey-haired man is king. [The Careerist] * Facebook and Yahoo being friends? That was so 2000 and late. [All Things D] * Fun with Westlaw. [Noncuralex] * Good luck to all you shingle hangers. [I Just Want To Practice Law] -
Advertising, Drinking, Lawsuit of the Day
Belvedere 'Date Rape' Model Won't Let Ad Go Down Smoothly
Belvedere Vodka is still suffering a hangover from the rapey ad it broadcast on its Twitter and Facebook feeds last month. -
Bernie Madoff, Biglaw, Divorce Train Wrecks, Family Law, Money, Partner Issues
New York Court Rules on Biglaw Partner's Request for a Divorce Deal Do-Over
New York's highest court has ruled on a wealthy Paul Weiss partner's request to make his ex-wife share in his Madoff-related losses. What did the court have to say? -
Abortion, Money, Public Interest, Texas, Women's Issues
Tucker Max: Too Douchey for a $500K Donation?
Why doesn't Planned Parenthood want Tucker Max's money? -
Advertising, Career Center, Job Searches, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center: Conducting A Stealth Job Search (Part 2)
As we pointed out in last week’s post on looking for another job, job seekers should be cautious about the job-search process, even if they only want to test the waters. While many attorneys fear getting caught by their employer for searching for a new job, there are things one can do to keep the […] -
Education / Schools, Old People, Student Loans
Student Debt: It's Not Just For Young People Anymore
There’s a great story in the Washington Post this morning about how senior citizens are still struggling to pay off their educational debt. Senior. Citizens. The story says that collectively Americans over 60 owe $36 billion in student debt. That figure includes seniors who have co-signed on loans for their children or grand-children. And yes, […]