August 2015

Making it to midlevel status in Biglaw isn't easy -- but once you get there, life is pretty good.

* Ugh, you throw one stinkin’ party that infringes on the Pokemon copyright and the lawyers shut you down. Buzzkills. [Vice]

* You know what Ryan Phillippe loves to do? Run around without his shirt on and talk about how his Stanford Law girlfriend is awesome. Dontcha love it when a piece of man meat has respect for the T-14? [Daily Mail]

* Are you gambling in Vegas attending the ILTA conference today? Come Hear Legal Bytes play favorites of the legal industry like Old Technology Blues and Lawyers Love Lexis. [Business of Law Blog]

* Just in time for OCI season — what should you do if your Biglaw dreams go pop? [Underdawg Law]

* You’re not alone feeling the Biglaw burnout after a few years, but maybe technology can help? [Bloomberg BNA]

* Greeeeeaaaat… Now employers can deny employees birth control for non-religious reasons. [Think Progress]

* Opening lines to opinions can really set the tone. Take a look at this forceful start from an old Ninth Circuit decision. [Volokh Conspiracy]

* Podcast with the curmudgeon of the legal profession, Mark Herrmann. [Hsu Untied]

One defense lawyer has an extraordinary record -- just not the kind that anyone with a capital conviction or charge against them wants to see.

Joe talks to Jared Correia, Assistant Director and Senior Law Practice Advisor at LOMAP and host of Legal Talk Network’s Legal Toolkit and Lunch Hour Legal Marketing.

A regulatory maze leaves CBD in legal limbo.

If you need another reason to support Planned Parenthood, here it is.

Key life advice: “Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn't have the power to say yes.”

Insane law review article prompts professor's resignation... but how did he get hired in the first place?

Moving a statue is pretty much exactly like nuclear war.

If you get into legal trouble as a result of work you perform at a law firm, shouldn't that firm cover the cost of defending you?

An oversight in an earlier article gives rise to some more troubling observations.

It takes some gall to turn in a timesheet like this.

A few things to look out for if you're considering taking an in-house job, according to Biglaw partner turned senior in-house lawyer Mark Herrmann.

Conservative columnist Tamara Tabo's take on Adam Liptak's recent (and controversial) article about Justice Clarence Thomas.

It may not be foolproof, but a good contract goes a long way toward protecting your company when the Chinese economy slows.

* Good news if you’ve made it to midlevel associate — survey says you’re happier than ever. [American Lawyer]

* Amal Clooney lost a case in Egypt, her client was one of three Al-Jazeera journalists sentenced to prison for their coverage of the 2013 uprising. Clooney warned the sentence sends a “dangerous message.” [People]

* More and more Pennsylvania firms are getting on-board with the $160k pay scale. [Legal Intelligencer]

* Chalk another victory up for the Amazing Schneiderman — that’s New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. This time, retail giant Gap Inc. has fallen in line. [Fashionista]

* A happy ending for David Powers, whose admission to St. John’s Law was revoked after officials there found out about a drug conviction. He’s starting at Pace Law today. [New York Times]

* When a client announces a new general counsel, law firms should consider that a wake-up call — or get fired. [Corporate Counsel]

* In truly horrific news, two Indian sisters were sentenced to be gang raped as punishment for their brother eloping with a woman of a different caste. The (hopefully) good news is the women have appealed to the Indian Supreme Court for protection. [Jezebel]

* What do in-house counsel need to know about the recent NLRB decision expanding the concept of joint-employers? [Law360]

How should candidates respond when subjected to offensive behavior during the recruiting process?

* Curious about what Ant-Man has to say about Civ Pro? And while you’re there vote for ATL fav Legal Geeks for best podcast in The Geekie Awards. [Legal Geeks]

* Speaking of podcasts, here’s a great one about the movement to abolish the death penalty, with a particular focus on the recent spate of botched executions. [Punishment Podcast]

* Update from the wide world of organized labor — yes, that’s still a thing — there is a major steelworkers lockout with employers advertising on Craigslist to get scabs to work 84 hours a week of hard labor. See this is EXACTLY why we need unions. [Lawyers Guns and Money]

* The latest in James Woods’s suit to reveal the anonymous Twitter user that called him names: Twitter sends the actor a harshly worded letter. [The Hollywood Reporter]

* Should the Supreme Court take up a case to have the remains of Jim Thorpe moved from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma? [The Hill]

* Was the latest decision on protesting in SCOTUS plaza motivated by personal factors? [Fix the Court]

* Today’s the 60th anniversary of the murder of Emmett Till, whose death was a catalyst in the civil rights movement. [Time]

Hey Jeb Bush, this is not cool, okay?

On Thinking Like A Lawyer, we explore the vagaries of professional fashion and temperature.