June 2015
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.30.15
* Justice Kennedy’s writing style… maybe it’s a little over the top. [PrawfsBlawg]
* If you’re looking for representation at the Supreme Court, go small. [Law360 (sub. req.)]
* Marriage equality is only one more step for activists. Next up, fair housing and overall equality. Perhaps on the housing case, we’ll get to hear Justice Thomas make some tone-deaf claim about how there’s no need for protection from housing discrimination because gays are overrepresented on Bravo. [RH Reality Check]
* Don’t like the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell? Why propose a constitutional amendment when you can propose a new constitutional convention? Runaway Con-Con! [Ab Initio]
* A linguistic analysis of jiggery-pokery and the prose of Antonin Scalia. [The Chronicle of Higher Education]
* A jury cleared the University of Iowa College of Law of “political discrimination” when it passed over conservative Teresa Manning’s application to join the faculty.[Associated Press via ABC News]
* Everyone in New York received an Amber Alert over their phones earlier today. Did anyone crash their cars when their phone started screeching with sounds it had never blared before? [New York Personal Injury Law Blog]
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Small Law Firms, Social Media, Social Networking Websites, Technology
Does Social Media Do Any Good At All In Marketing?
Technology columnist Jeff Bennion walks through the different social-media platforms... and expresses skepticism. - Sponsored
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Public Interest
Marriage Today, Climate Tomorrow?
Is it time to pursue global warming prevention in the courts?
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Politics, Supreme Court
'Robert Bork Wouldn't Have Changed History'? Not So Sure About That.
A columnist argues that Robert Bork wouldn't have changed history. If this sounds crazy, that's because it is. -
Law Schools, Technology
Are Lawyers The New Linotype Operators?
No, there's still hope for lawyers, according to an important new book about the legal profession. -
Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court
Advice For Those Of Us With Tenure Or Lifetime Appointments
If you engage in these fallacies in a mean-spirited, toxic way, your colleagues may think you are seriously losing it. -
Admin, Announcements
All The Ways You Can Read And Contact Above The Law
As always, we'll keep your name strictly confidential. We'd love to hear from you! -
In-House Counsel
The Road Not Taken: How Long Must I Wait?
If an in-house career is what you want, don’t use the timeline of your career as your primary focus. - Sponsored
Profit Powerhouse: Elevating Law Firm Financial Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar on April 10th, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm. -
Biglaw, Technology
Biglaw Trend Alert: Say Goodbye To Gmail
The list of firms banning personal email at work is growing... when will your firm be on the list? -
Litigators, Small Law Firms
Beyond Biglaw: Opposition Research For Litigators (Part 1)
An important part of preparing a case involves learning your opponent, as columnist Gaston Kroub explains. -
Depositions, Murder
A Deadly Deposition: Attorney Murdered At His Firm
The lawyer's assailant has been charged with murder. -
Biglaw
Biglaw Firm Decimates Summer Associate Program
Major firm announces that it's more or less eliminating its summer associate program. Is this the beginning of a trend? And if it is, is that a good thing? -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.30.15
* Which Biglaw firm is going to be changing up the way that it recruits new attorneys? That would be Quinn Emanuel. It’s planning to majorly scale back on summer associates and do something completely different. We’ll have more on this news later today. [WSJ Law Blog]
* An undergrad who once had high hopes for law school decided to ditch his legal aspirations in favor of stand-up comedy. His mom is mad since it’s a “path that has no specific stability.” She obviously hasn’t read up on law school job stats lately. [Indy Channel]
* Justice Kennedy should consider trading in his robes for a superhero’s cape, because he just swooped in to the rescue, again. With a 5-4 vote, SCOTUS stayed the Fifth Circuit’s decision regarding the closure of the majority of abortion clinics in Texas. [NPR]
* Damn you, Dewey leaders! Per recent testimony in the criminal trial of the failed firm’s former top brass, but for news of the criminal probe spreading like wildfire throughout the profession, D&L could’ve merged with any number of firms to save itself. [Am Law Daily]
* Some pretty major firms think they have better things to spend their Biglaw bucks on than donations to legal aid organizations. Only five firms were willing to publicly disclose more than $1 million in donations. [DealBook / New York Times via American Lawyer]
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Gay Marriage, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
The (Monday) Morning After: A Conversation About Obergefell With David Lat
ReplyAll conversationalist Zach Abramowitz chats with Above the Law managing editor David Lat about the Supreme Court's big gay marriage ruling. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.29.15
* Senator Ted Cruz describes his experience clerking for Chief Justice Rehnquist. We also learn what Justice Sandra Day O’Connor says about Internet porn. It’s not as exciting as Cruz would want you to think. Personally, I’d hoped she’d say something about “Long Dong Silver,” but alas. [POLITICO]
* If you thought Justice Scalia was interminably grumpy before, today he exhibited some downright bizarre behavior. [Slate]
* Lawyer disciplined for stealing wine. Lots and lots of wine. [Legal Profession Blog]
* Has marriage equality rendered Chief Justice Roberts a footnote to history? [Reuters]
* An in-depth look at New York’s Riker’s Island facility from the perspective of those who live and work there. And let’s not undersell the word “live,” since we have kids living there for 7 years awaiting trial. [New York Magazine]
* Shearman & Sterling’s Doreen Lilienfeld discusses building gender balance in Biglaw. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]
* A thorough guide to Bitcoin for judges. But more importantly, a solidly academic title, “Realm of the Coin.” I see what you did there. [Fordham Journal of Corporate and Financial Law via SSRN]
* Congratulations to former Bloomberg media attorney Charles Glasser, who will be teaching a course about investigative reporting at NYU’s Institute for Journalism. Too bad there aren’t really investigative journalism jobs anymore. Perhaps these are the kinds of classes that can bring those jobs back. [Talking Biz News]
* The regret of every young person must be that they will never be able to duplicate this experience. [What About Clients?]
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Police
New Yorkers, You Can Still Yell At Cops On The Subway
Court of Appeals upholds fundamental right to shout at the police. -
Environment / Environmental Law, SCOTUS
EPA Must Figure Out How Much Not Dying From Mercury Is Worth To People
Is it cost efficient to not breath mercury? -
Crime, Marijuana
Marijuana Legalization: Bad For The Cartels, Better For All
What does legalization of cannabis in the United States have to do with helping Mexico eliminate its cartels? -
Constitutional Law, Politics, SCOTUS
Supreme Court Kind Of Makes Up New Way To Stop Gerrymandering
The Constitution says what it's supposed to say. -
Crime
Criminally Yours: Negotiating With Kidnappers
Ending the threat of criminal prosecution levels the playing field so that the U.S. isn’t the only country whose families are prohibited from direct contact with their child’s captors.