November 2013
-
Biglaw, Canada, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Federal Judges, Gay, Gay Marriage, Guns / Firearms, Judicial Nominations, Law Schools, Minority Issues, Morning Docket, Politics, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Utah, White People
Morning Docket: 11.29.13
Ed. note: We’ll return to our normal publication schedule on Monday, December 2. We hope to see you at our holiday happy hour on Thursday, December 5 — for details and to RSVP (to this free event with an open bar), click here.
* Even in a post-nuclear world, Republicans can still block certain judicial nominees. [New York Times]
* A prominent Toronto lawyer has gone missing — and so, allegedly, has $3 million in client trust funds. [Toronto Star]
* Dewey see legal fees in the future for Stephen DiCarmine and Joel Sanders? Well, a $37 million lawsuit won’t dismiss itself. [Law360 (sub. req.)]
* Congratulations to Matthew Layton, the new managing partner of Clifford Chance. [The Lawyer]
* And congratulations to Ralph Pellecchio and Jim Wernz, who were married by none other than Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — who even helped them write their vows. [Talking Points Memo]
* Sure, let’s have the whole “is now a good time to go to law school?” debate again. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Especially if you’re a minority, since white people are losing interest in law school. [Am Law Daily]
* Congress can’t even get its act together about real guns, so perhaps it’s no surprise that limits on fake guns are set to expire soon. [New York Times]
* Harry Potter was convicted of obstruction of justice. Just because you’re a wizard doesn’t mean you’re above the law. [Daily Utah Chronicle]
-
Advertising, Asians, Lawyer Advertising, Minority Issues, Racism, Small Law Firms, Videos, YouTube
Law Firm Advertising -- Now With More Racism!
It's puzzling to imagine why a law firm would ever want to be associated with this. - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Alan Dershowitz, Eugene Volokh, Guns / Firearms, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, O.J. Simpson, Sanford Levinson, UNC Law
Non-Sequiturs: 11.27.13
Ed. note: Happy Thanksgiving! We will resume our normal publication schedule on Monday, December 2. We hope you have a wonderful holiday, and we thank you for your readership. * O.J. Simpson is going to be staying in prison longer. The search for the real killers suffers another setback. [Fox News] * Sriracha-gate continues. A federal judge has ordered a partial shutdown of the plant. [Slate] * Lawyers are destroying American society. Because the Romans also had a glut of law school grads when the Republic fell. Or something. [Bloomberg BusinessWeek] * A federal government lawyer who mastered the stock market and lived a frugal life has given some $56 million to the University of Washington School of Law. Go ahead and hold your breath for that Washington tuition decrease. [Seattle Times] * UNC professors are questioning the motives of a public records request targeting the new director of the law school poverty center. Which isn’t naked intimidation at all. [Chronicle of Higher Education] * A couple weeks ago Professors Alan Dershowitz and Sanford Levinson debated Professor Eugene Volokh and David Kopel. The former argued that the Second Amendment has outlived its usefulness. Based on minds changed, they won. The debate video is embedded past the jump… [Intelligence2 Debates]
-
Advertising, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
We Give Thanks -- For Our Advertisers
Above the Law extends thanks to its advertisers. -
Advertising, Books, Fashion, Fashion Is Fun, Holidays and Seasons, Shameless Plugs, Shoes, Shopping, Shopping For Others, This Is an Ad
The 2013 ATL Holiday Gift Guide
No idea what to get for the fickle lawyer in your life? We're here to help. -
Law Schools, Money, Student Loans
The Law School Version Of Black Friday
This law school sale isn't a bad thing, but it shouldn't be confused with real reform. -
Citigroup, Health Care / Medicine, Hotties, Quote of the Day, Wall Street
Woman Allegedly Fired For Being 'Too Hot' Is Suing People Again
What's the buxom beauty suing about this time? -
Cars, Contract Attorneys
If This Van's A-Rockin' Don't Come A-Knockin'
You won't believe the extremes one West Coaster is going to for an hourly wage.... - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Copyright, Health Care / Medicine, Law Schools, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms, Morning Docket, Murder, Music, Pets, Religion, SCOTUS, State Judges, Supreme Court, Trials
Morning Docket: 11.27.13
* Oh baby (or the lack thereof): the Supreme Court has decided to take on two of the cases asserting religious challenges to the Affordable Care Act’s contraception coverage mandate. [Blog of Legal Times]
* “[H]e has a Rolodex like a Ferris wheel.” Delaware’s Supreme Court Chief Justice is retiring from the bench to join Potter Anderson & Corroon, where that Rolodex will come in handy. [Wall Street Journal]
* Italian prosecutors think Amanda Knox should be convicted of murder (again) and given a 30-year sentence in a retrial she’s not even there for. This kind of sounds like it’d be a double-secret conviction. [CNN]
* With fall finals right around the corner, law students can take comfort in the fact that next week they’ll be soothed by therapy dogs — ones that’ll need therapy after dealing with law students. [WSJ Law Blog]
* If you’re considering applying to law school against all odds, you should determine when the right time to apply would be. Don’t listen to your parents, listen to your gut. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]
* If you haven’t heard, the Beastie Boys are having a copyright fight with toymaker GoldieBlox over a parody of the song “Girls” that’s been used in a commercial. Fair use? Decide after the jump. [NBC News]
-
-
2nd Circuit, Fashion, Jury Duty, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Sexual Harassment, Shira Scheindlin, Student Loans, Technology
Non-Sequiturs: 11.26.13
* Santa Claus arrested for sexually harassing an 18-year-old elfette. She started getting suspicious when he kept looking at her and proclaiming “Here Cums Santa Claus.” [The Smoking Gun] * Atlanta jury questionnaire lists “slave” as an occupational option. There’s a lot of outrage, but they were just covering their bases — a potential could have just moved there from Mississippi. [11 Alive] * Speaking of juries, a long-time prosecutor ends up on a jury and sums up the 10 things he learned from his jury experience. [Texas Evidence] * The Second Circuit’s decision to remove Judge Scheindlin from the stop-and-frisk case was bad enough — especially since it was an unprecedented overreach for a circuit panel when no one requested her removal — but its true cost is in chilling justice down the road, when judges start to look over their shoulders for fear that an activist appellate panel is out to get them. [WiseLawNY] * Interesting question: what do you wear under a 3/4-sleeved blazer? I’d wear a T-shirt that says, “I give 3/4 of a damn today,” but most lawyers would disagree. [Corporette] * Apple hired CPA Julie Davis as a damages expert in its case against Samsung. Whatever she was paid, it wasn’t enough — the jury singled out Davis as the reason they awarded Apple $290 million. [The Expert Institute] * Remember when we talked about how much the government profits off your law school debt? Well, the totals are in, and the government pulled down $41.3 billion off you this year. [USA Today] * In the spirit of funny flowcharts, here’s a decision tree to help make that decision about going to law school. Image after the jump… This came to us courtesy of a 2L at a T14 law school who asked to remain anonymous (click for a larger version of the image): -
Biglaw, Fabulosity, Holidays and Seasons, McKool Smith, Parties, Susman Godfrey
Adventures In Law Firm Holiday Party Invites
Have you ever seen law firm holiday party invitations that are this fabulous and fun? -
Arnold & Porter, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Billable Hours, Career Files, Intellectual Property, Labor / Employment, Law Students, Litigators, Rankings, Reader Polls
The Best Of Hours, The Worst Of Hours: ATL Survey Ratings
According to the ATL Insider Survey, which practice areas and law firms offer the best (and the worst) hours?
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How Generative AI Will Improve Legal Service Delivery
Profit Powerhouse: Elevating Law Firm Financial Performance
Sponsored
This AI-Powered Document Tool Will Meet You Where You Are
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
-
Biglaw, Law Firm Mergers, Partner Issues, Sonnenschein
Another Biglaw Deal Bites The Dust: McKenna No Longer Longs For Dentons
What led the McKenna Long partnership to reject the overtures of Dentons? -
Allen & Overy, Biglaw, Contract Attorneys, Magic Circle, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Biglaw Firm To Farm Out Real Work To Contract Attorneys -- By Associate Request
Don't come complaining to us; after all, you apparently asked for it.... -
4th Circuit, Federal Judges, J. Harvie Wilkinson III, Judicial Nominations, Politics, Quote of the Day, Washington Post
And Was His Honor 'Stoked' As Well?
What does a prominent federal judge think of the end of the filibuster for most presidential nominees? -
Contract Attorneys, Craigslist, Job Searches, Unemployment
This Craigslist Post Expresses The Rage Of A Lost Generation Of Lawyers Through Genius and F-Bombs
Most people will dismiss this guy's post as an unhinged rant. Most people are also stupid. -
Caption Contests, Contests, Hotties, Lawyer Advertising, Pictures, Reader Polls, Small Law Firms
Caption Contest Finalists: Lady Justice Gets A Makeover
We know sex sells, but does it sell legal services? -
Biglaw, Job Searches, Money, Partner Issues, Partner Profits, Romance and Dating
A Biglaw Year-End Checklist
What is on your year-end checklist -- financial, professional, and personal? -
Allen & Overy, Biglaw, Contract Attorneys, Disasters / Emergencies, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Jersey Shore, Job Searches, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Magic Circle, Morning Docket, Patents, United Kingdom / Great Britain, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 11.26.13
* You’d think that when discussing major reforms to the patent system, the director of the USPTO would be there, but you’d be wrong. You’d also be wrong if you thought we had a director right now. [National Law Journal]
* Welcome to the future of Biglaw: Allen & Overy has realized that it’s a waste of money to keep hiring in a weak market, so the firm is recruiting its alumni to serve as contract attorneys in times of higher legal demand. [Legal Week]
* Dean Gregory Maggs, the interim leader of George Washington University Law, is being lauded for increasing first-year enrollment by 22 percent in a time of crisis. Excellent work, sir. You flood that job market. [GW Hatchet]
* Just because you have a law degree doesn’t mean you’re “entitled to rise up and become partner.” Getting a job in the new normal involves having a good attitude and social graces. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Ladies, if you get pregnant after a fling with an Olympic medalist and move out of state, please know your “appropriation of the child while in utero [will be deemed] irresponsible, reprehensible.” [New York Times]
* GTL stands for “Gym, Tan, Laundry,” but the owner of these Jersey Shore nightclubs thinks it stands for “Gym, Tan, Lawsuit” — thanks to losses uncovered by its insurer in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. [Newark Star-Ledger]