January 2013
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Job Searches, Law Schools, Unemployment
Gradenfreude: The Employment Questionnaire Lower-Ranked Law Schools Should REALLY Be Using
The law school employment questionnaire for graduates of lower-ranked schools wasn't cutting it for this disgruntled graduate, so he created a new one. It's worth taking a look at it... -
Crime, Law Schools, Student Loans
Law Graduate Allegedly Robs Bank Because Of His Student Debt (And Because He Might Be Cray-Cray)
We need to stop and think before arming weird people with law degrees... - Sponsored
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Biglaw, Billable Hours, In-House Counsel, Partner Issues
Buying In: An Interview with an In-House Insider (Part 3)
What criteria do in-house counsel use to determine if a firm is delivering value to their company? Why have clients drawn such a line in the sand when it comes to paying for associate time?
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2nd Circuit, Abortion, Bar Exams, Barack Obama, Biglaw, Books, Crime, Disasters / Emergencies, Holland & Knight, Job Searches, Joe Biden, John Roberts, Law Professors, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Parties, Politics, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Student Loans, Supreme Court, War on Terror
Morning Docket: 01.22.13
* “Given health care, I don’t care if he speaks in tongues.” Chief Justice John Roberts botched Barack Obama’s presidential oath at his first inauguration, but this time he managed to get it right. [New York Times]
* What was more important to Justice Sonia Sotomayor than swearing in Joe Biden as VP at noon on Sunday? Signing books at Barnes & Noble in New York City. Not-so wise Latina. [Los Angeles Times]
* D.C. Biglaw firms — like Holland & Knight, Covington, K&L Gates, and Jones Day — allowed others to bask in their prestige at their swanky inauguration parties. [Capital Business / Washington Post]
* It’s been 40 years since SCOTUS made its ruling in Roe v. Wade, and this is what we’ve got to show for it: a deep moral divide over women being able to do what they want with their own bodies. [Huffington Post]
* The latest weapon in the fight against terrorism is the legal system. The Second Circuit recently issued a major blow to those seeking to finance militant attacks in secret. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* “Firms don’t just hire a body anymore.” The 2012 BLS jobs data is in, and if you thought employment in the legal sector was going to magically bounce back to pre-recession levels, you were delusional. [Am Law Daily]
* Three months have come and gone since Hurricane Sandy rocked law firm life as we know it in Manhattan, but firms like Fragomen and Gordon & Rees are still stuck in temporary offices. [New York Law Journal]
* This seems like it may be too good to be true, but it looks like New York’s chief judge may be on board to grant law students bar eligibility after the completion of only two years of law school. [National Law Journal]
* Law professors may soon be in for a nasty surprise when it comes to their salaries if their schools follow Vermont Law’s lead and remove them as salaried employees, paying only on a part-time basis. [Valley News]
* Resorting to a life of crime in order to pay off your law school debt is never a good thing — unless you’re doing it while waring a Bucky Badger hat. We’ll probably have more on this later. [Wisconsin State Journal]
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Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Barack Obama, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan, Fashion, Fashion Is Fun, Federal Judges, John Roberts, Merrick Garland, Neal Katyal, SCOTUS, SCOTUS Potential, Supreme Court
The Supreme Court in President Obama's Second Term
How will the Supreme Court affect President Obama, and how will President Obama affect the Supreme Court, as we enter the 44th president's second term? -
Admin, Civil Rights, Holidays and Seasons, Public Interest
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Today we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the pioneering civil rights leader. -
Events
The ATL New Year's Party: A Fun and Fabulous Photo Essay
Thanks to everyone who attended the Above the Law New Year's party. Here are some pictures from our fabulous event! -
American Bar Association / ABA, Clarence Thomas, Contracts, Facebook, Non-Sequiturs, SCOTUS, Sex, Sexual Harassment, Supreme Court
Non-Sequiturs: 01.18.13
* Is this contract for sex based on Facebook likes enforceable? [Gawker] * Speaking of unenforceable contracts, what in the hell does Bilbo sign before his unexpectedly long journey? [Wired] * And Jesus, you certainly can’t barter legal services for sex! I think everybody needs to go home and read the Second Restatement. [Indianapolis Star] * Now you can hear for yourself the three words that Clarence Thomas spoke. It’s at the 41 minute mark. [The Supreme Court] * Ms. JD is offering lawyers and law students the chance to submit questions to ABA President Laurel Bellows that will be answered at an event on January 31 (with viewing parties around the country). [Ms. JD] * How to answer a question when an interviewer asks you something that you don’t have to answer. [Lawyers.com] * Litigation can be a good excuse to get your client to do things they should have been doing all along. [What About Clients?] * North Carolina dean claims she was forced to underreport sexual assaults at the college. When reached for comment, the Duke Lacrosse team said, “We kind of have the opposite problem.” [Salon] - Sponsored
Profit Powerhouse: Elevating Law Firm Financial Performance
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Career Alternatives, Career Center, Career Files, Lawyers, Money
From the Career Files: The First Step in Leaving Law Behind -- It’s the Money, Stupid
A member of the ATL Career Center's team of expert contributors offers some practical advice for unhappy attorneys who want to leave the law. -
Cars, Facebook, Football, Quote of the Day, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Texas
Quote of the Day: Johnny Football's Speeding Ticket Is Totally Real... Trust Us
A municipal judge knocks a Heisman trophy winner down a peg or two by outing him as the recipient of a speeding ticket. -
Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Legal Ethics, Litigators, Partner Issues, Screw-Ups
Benchslap Update: Skadden Partners Learn Their Fates
Remember the two Skadden partners who got hit with a big benchslap, an order to show cause why they shouldn't be sanctioned? What punishment did they get from the court? -
Biglaw, Junk Email / Spam, Litigators, Partner Issues
Funny Man Partner Now Spreads Joy With Reply-All Responses To Spam
Do Biglaw and comedy mix? -
In-House Counsel, Interview Stories, Practice Pointers
Moonlighting: How to Give Great Mock Interviews? Be a Jerk!
Wherein in-house columnist Susan Moon explains that the best way to give a mock interview is to let your inner jerk shine.
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Biglaw, Billable Hours, Pictures
The Biglaw Flowchart That Tells You When You Can Leave The Office
Do you need help leaving the office? -
Basketball, Celebrities, Football, Sports
Sports Law, Spaw, Lorts: The Lies They Tell Ourselves
In today's sports law column: Manti Te'o's alleged 'catfishing' experience, Larry McGuinness's suit against the Spurs, and other sports figures in legal hot water. -
Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Deaths, Defamation, Education / Schools, Football, Howrey LLP, Law Professors, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Musical Chairs, New York Times, Partner Issues, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Technology
Morning Docket: 01.18.13
* “The bottom line is … I’m the 800-pound-gorilla that you want to settle with.” By the way, if you weren’t sure, Howrey’s trustee Allan Diamond wasn’t kidding about suing the firm’s former partners. “Either we’re going to cut deals, or I’m suing you.” [Am Law Daily]
* It takes two to do the partnership tango: in the expansion of its Financial Institutions Group, Goodwin Procter picked up Brynn Peltz, an attorney with more than 20 years’ experience, and an ex-partner at Latham and Clifford Chance. [Fort Mill Times]
* Hello, predictive coding! Goodbye, jobs! Not only can computers do the work of lawyers on the cheap, but they can do it more intelligently, too. Get ready to welcome our new digital overlords. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* Another day, another op-ed article about the law school crisis in the pages of the New York Times. But at least this one is about something most can support: changing the third year of law school. [New York Times]
* As it turns out, with 82 applications for the program’s first five spots, there’s actually a demand for Yale Law’s Ph.D. in Law. So much for this being “[t]he worst idea in the history of legal education.” [National Law Journal]
* Linebacker Jonathan Vilma’s defamation suit against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in connection with Bountygate was dismissed. Wonder when Goodell will suspend Vilma for thinking he could win. [Bloomberg]
* Francis Lorson, former chief deputy clerk of the Supreme Court, RIP. [Blog of Legal Times]
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Akin Gump, Associate Salaries, Biglaw, Killing Lockstep, Money
It's Mid-January. Do You Know Where Your Raise Is?
Associates at two top law firms freak out over fears of not getting their annual pay raises. -
Animal Law, Crime, Guns / Firearms, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Sports, Texas
Non-Sequiturs: 01.17.13
* A Charleston School of Law student leader was arrested for stalking. I’m not sure how else Charleston Law students are supposed to get jobs. [Fitsnews] * I think this is a very poor reading of the history of the Second Amendment that is making the rounds. Sure, having weapons really helped slaveholders, but that’s not “the reason” the Second Amendment was ratified. The founders had better reasons… reasons that have nothing at all to do with the time we live in, but that’s a different story. [Truthout] * By the way, you saw that Obama nominated a black lawyer for something, right? Since the Republicans in Congress are so concerned about Obama’s record on diverse appointments, I’m sure Todd Jones will be confirmed super quickly. [Daily Beast] * Should pet owners be allowed to recover for “sentimental value”? A Texas case might answer that question. I’m looking forward to the companion case in Arkansas where pet owners try to recover from loss of consortium. [Adjunct Law Prof Blog] * I’d be shocked if this Manti Te’o thing doesn’t end up with somebody suing someone for something. [New York Daily News] * There’s going to be a law and robots conference at Stanford in April. Because we all know how much robots love law. [The Volokh Conspiracy] -
Baseball, Fast Food, Food, Quote of the Day, Sports, State Judges
Quote of the Day: Watch Out for Batted Balls Wieners
Injured by a flying hot dog at a ball game? You may still have a case! -
Advertising, Job Searches, Shameless Plugs, Social Media, Social Networking Websites, Sponsored Content, Technology, This Is an Ad, Videos
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