February 2013
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Ask the Experts, Biglaw, Books, Libraries / Librarians, Media and Journalism, Movies, Partner Issues
The ATL Interrogatories: 10 Questions with Theodore Boutrous of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Star litigator Ted Boutrous, co-chair of Gibson Dunn's Appellate and Constitutional Law Group, speaks with Above the Law about how the legal profession has changed over the years. -
Craigslist, Job Searches
Satan Finally Reveals Himself As A Legal Employer
And, of course, Satan uses Craigslist to recruit new legal talent. - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Crime, Immigration, Intellectual Property, Patents, SCOTUS, State Judges, Supreme Court
Today at the Supreme Court: Mistakes Were Made
What are the consequences for various kinds of screw-ups? That's the theme of today's opinions from the Supreme Court.
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Pornography, Secretaries / Administrative Assistants, Sexual Harassment, Small Law Firms
Law Firm Partner Allegedly Threatened to Whip Secretary for Being a 'Bad Girl'
Sticks and stones may break this partner's bones, but whips and chains allegedly excite him. -
Education / Schools, Job Searches, New York Times
If College Is The New High School, Is Law School The New Liberal Arts College?
Does degree inflation lead people to get too much education? -
Biglaw, Career Alternatives, Death Penalty, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Divorce Train Wrecks, Family Law, Federal Judges, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Murder, Secretaries / Administrative Assistants, Small Law Firms
Morning Docket: 02.20.13
* Should the mentally disabled receive the death penalty? Neither SCOTUS nor Georgia’s Supreme Court stayed Warren Lee Hill’s execution, but the Eleventh Circuit saved the day. [Washington Post]
* If you’re looking for a mishmosh of Biglaw news, from new offices to new hires to new firm leaders, then look no further. If only this list were in alphabetical order! [Law Firm Insider / U.S. News & World Report]
* Dewey know why this partner who was sued by Barclays in the U.K. over his capital loan is suing the bank in the U.S.? It involves an alleged fraud and Joel Sanders. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* So much for that “silly sideshow”: Judge Richard Sullivan of the S.D.N.Y. hasn’t made a ruling in the Greenlight case yet, but he says David Einhorn may have a “likelihood of success on the merits” if the matter proceeds further. [Bloomberg]
* One of the partners at this small law firm apparently watched Secretary a few too many times, and he’s now accused of threatening to “whip” his ex-assistant into shape because she was a “bad girl.” [New York Post]
* The University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law named an interim successor to former dean Hiram Chodosh, but we can’t say he’s a law dean hottie. He looks like Van Pelt from Jumanji. [Salt Lake Tribune]
* The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law will house the first clinic in the nation devoted to pardons and the law. It figures that a religious school would focus on legal Hail Marys. [Blog of Legal Times]
* Career alternatives for law school dropouts: mining magnate and financier of the Titanic II. Much like the value proposition of going to law school for today’s generation, this idea is unsinkable. [New York Times]
* Prosecutors have upgraded the charge against Oscar Pistorius to premeditated murder, and one could now say the track star doesn’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to being released on bail pending trial. [CNN]
* D is for… divorce? Sesame Street is talking about divorce in a way that children can understand, but alas, the series neglects important topics like “why mommy is a whore” and “why daddy drinks.” [Law Firm Newswire]
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Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Election Law, Minority Issues, Racism
With All Deliberate Speed, Mississippi Officially Ratifies The Thirteenth Amendment
I don't trust Mississippi, and neither should the Supreme Court. -
Billable Hours, Copyright, Football, Intellectual Property, Non-Sequiturs, Sports, Technology
Non-Sequiturs: 02.19.13
* A new lawsuit asks, “Who owns Sherlock Holmes?” That sounds like a mystery suitable for… ugh, I can’t bring myself to finish that gag. [Courthouse News Service] * The well-oiled train wreck that is the NCAA finds itself in hot water for ignoring legal advice and going after Miami using privileged information. Lawyers are often maligned by non-lawyers, so let’s enjoy this article from a sports columnist explaining why lawyers can be awesome. [EDSBS] * There’s a new iTunes app to keep track of your hours! I’m assuming it has a Biglaw feature to pad hours. [Herald Online] * A trilogy of articles about California’s prison “realignment,” described as “The Best Trilogy Since Star Wars.” I’m certainly hoping this isn’t a reference to Episodes I-III. [PrawfsBlawg] * The previously discussed proposal to allow Arizonans to bypass law school and take the bar exam has been cut down. It was always ironic that the state most wrapped up in “they took our jobs!” rhetoric wanted to open the legal profession to everyone. [Verde Independent] * The third in an ongoing series of posts covering the trial of DC superhero Firestorm. Too bad he doesn’t have that split personality defense to fall back on. For the three of you who got that joke, you’re welcome. [Law and the Multiverse] - 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. -
Abortion, Kids, Pregnancy / Paternity, Quote of the Day, Texas
Papa Don't Preach, She's Keeping the Baby
Because choice goes both ways under Roe v. Wade. -
Biglaw, Books, Fabulosity, Parties, Partner Issues, Partner Profits, Shameless Plugs
Calling All Law Firm Partners: The Future of Big Law Reception
Law firm partners in NYC: Are you free a week from tonight, Tuesday, February 26? -
In-House Counsel
Moonlighting: Giving Credit and Taking Blame
How should lawyers divvy up credit for success and blame for mistakes? In-house columnist Susan Moon shares her views. -
Copyright, Intellectual Property, Larry Lessig, Music
New Birthday Song To Make You Even More Depressed To Get Older
A new copyright-free birthday song. You get what you pay for. -
Law Schools, Plaintiffs Firms
It's Time for the New York Court of Appeals to Drop the Hammer on the Law School Lawsuits
Team Strauss/Anziska will be appealing its class action suit against New York Law School over the school's allegedly deceptive employment statistics to the state's highest court.
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
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Federal Circuit, Intellectual Property, Patents, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Technology
Monsanto Tells Supreme Court The True Value Of A Hill Of Beans
The Supreme Court will hear arguments to determine if secondhand seeds are worse than secondhand smoke. -
Job Searches
Gradenfreude: Four Hundred Ninety-Nine Job Applications Later, and I'm Still Working in Retail
This disgruntled law grad has sent out 499 applications, but what does he have to show for it? -
Career Alternatives, Job Searches, Kids, Law Schools, Old People, Women's Issues
Law School Program Puts Mommies Back To Work
Putting mothers back to work probably means their adult children will have even more trouble finding a job. -
Biglaw, Job Searches, Partner Issues
Buying In: Put Me In, Coach
Does it make sense to use a career coach? If so, for what? Anonymous Partner has some views. -
Clarence Thomas, Confirmations, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Harvard Law Review, Job Searches, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Politics, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Student Loans, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 02.19.13
* Save for an unintelligible joke made last month, it’s been seven years since Clarence Thomas has spoken during oral arguments, much less asked a question, but with no offense to his colleagues, he’d rather “allow the advocates to advocate.” [Washington Post]
* Sorry, members of the American public, but something like 95 percent of you are too stupid to understand what’s going on during Supreme Court hearings, so there’s no point in having cameras in the courtroom to film them. (Sotomayor, J.) [New York Times]
* “Having an empty bench means people don’t get their cases heard,” but it seems like Senate Republicans could not care less. Obama’s facelift for the federal judiciary is going to have to wait a little while longer. [San Francisco Chronicle]
* A lawgasm for prestige nerds: the Harvard Law Review received federal trademark protection, and with that, the number three law school in the country gained some bragging rights over Yale. [Daily Report (reg. req.)]
* Oh my God, you guys, law school applications are down, no one can find jobs, and recent graduates are in debt up to their eyeballs. This is totally new information that no one’s heard before. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
* Turning to your parents for law school advice is perhaps the worst idea in the world — after all, they’re the cause of your “special little snowflake” syndrome in the first place. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]
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Football, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Pro Se Litigants, Supreme Court
Non-Sequiturs: 02.18.13
* Maker’s Mark will not get diluted after all — likely causing a shortage. Start hoarding mediocre bourbon, folks! [Wonkblog] * If you’ve ever wondered what the Supreme Court feels like to a pro se petitioner, here’s your answer. “Simply put, the Supreme Court uses its desktop publishing and printing guidelines as a weapon against the American public.” So much for “the least dangerous branch.” [Aaron Greenspan] * “Nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Russia’s taking that phrase to a whole new level by pushing forward with a criminal tax evasion trial against a dead man. This is the first case of its kind since United States v. Bernie Lomax. [Reuters] * Is the pressure mounting on the Washington Redskins to change their name? It’s an interesting take, but overlooks one important detail: Dan Snyder is a tone deaf jerk. [Sports Law Blog] * Computer science students realize that taking collective action to intentionally fail the test was better than trying to pass it. It’s like The Producers of education. And if this grading policy applied to 1Ls, there’d be at least one jerk who defected to ruin everyone else’s curve. [Volokh Conspiracy] * Ten points to Gryffindor if you know what “tumid” means. Because you’re going to have to know before you pass through Ohio again. [Legal Juice] -
Conferences / Symposia, Constitutional Law, D.C. Circuit, David Sentelle, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Laurence Silberman, Merrick Garland, Money
New D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Dreading the Sequester
The D.C. Circuit's new chief judge and two of his colleagues spoke at a conference over the weekend. What did Their Honors have to say?