Position Description: A privately-held holding company, whose businesses collectively generate approximately $1.5 billion in annual revenues, is seeking a Senior Counsel to join the nine-lawyer (seventeen-person) legal department. Position reports to Vice President/Deputy General Counsel.
* News you can use: “Latin phrases law students should know, but likely don’t.” [Volokh Conspiracy]
* Two angry pharmacists walk into a bar. [Concurring Opinions; NY Personal Injury Law Blog]
* Methinks Senator Craig doth protest too much. [Blogonaut]
* And what about his daughter? She may have been a bad girl too. [Washington Wire and The Smoking Gun (both via Blogonaut)]
* A consumer law firm resorts to product placement. Is this better or worse than having a theme song? [National Law Journal (now registration free, thanks to yours truly)]
* Miranda Priestly at the MoMA? That’s all. [Althouse (last photo)]
* And did she mention that it’s NOT a beauty pageant? [WSJ Law Blog]
In the wake of the Nixon Peabody theme song controversy, several of you emailed us about the recruiting video prepared by the ill-fated, now-defunct law firm of Jenkens & Gilchrist. One reader drew this interesting connection:
A few years ago, the now defunct law firm of Jenkins & Gilchrest made a recruitment video that made the rounds because it was very ridiculous. Here is a link to the video and a story about it.
The interesting thing is that apparently after Jenkins folded, a number of its lawyers started the Chicago office of Nixon Peabody. See here.
Probably just a coincidence (since the Jenkins tape was definitely made in Austin), but it does appear that corny promotional videos follow these people around. And it does give us another opportunity to laugh at bad law firm recruiting videos.
Correction: As noted in the comments, and confirmed by this article from the American Lawyer, the video wasn’t a recruiting tool per se. Rather, it was the firm’s (winning) submission for a “Most Spirited Company” video competition, sponsored by the Austin Business Journal.
As we previously observed, the video is “mortifying.” But we don’t think it’s as bad as the painfully earnest Nixon Peabody song, since the Jenkens video is arguably tongue-in-cheek.
That’s just our opinion. Check it out for yourself:
If the Nixon Peabody song were lawyer advertising — which, of course, it is not — it would be the best lawyer advertisement ever.
And this, which a helpful reader emailed to us, would be second best:
In case you can’t read the fine print at the bottom — which offers some helpful tips on staying out of trouble with the law, but which should NOT be construed as legal advice — here’s a close up:
Right now you’re probably thinking: This CANNOT be for real.
But it is, dear readers, it is. We confirmed the authenticity of this advertisement with Mr. Peter John himself.
You can check out our short interview with him, after the jump.
Each week we highlight an exciting job opportunity available through Lateral Link, ATL’s career partner.
Here’s the latest listing. No word on whether or not they have a theme song. But for two-fifty large, we think you can live without one. Position: Counsel Employer: Multi-Billion Dollar Hedge Fund Description: Large, prominent hedge fund based in Manhattan seeks a lawyer with 3-5 years of experience to work closely with a senior attorney and new General Counsel. Ideal candidate will have excellent academic credentials and come from a large law firm. Responsibilities include working on private equity deals, PIPE transactions, bond offerings, drafting and negotiating various agreements including subscription documents, organizational documents, vendor contracts, etc. Will interface extensively with senior management and outside counsel. Extremely collegial environment and varied and interesting work. Compensation: Pay is $250,000 – $300,000 with bonus.
To apply for this position, please visit laterallink.com.
We’ve been in touch with representatives of the Nixon Peabody law firm about the musical composition that we posted (mp3) and wrote about this morning. First they sent us a statement by email:
“This song was put together in celebration of Nixon Peabody’s Fortune100 ‘Best Places to Work’ recognition. Nixon Peabody aims to be the best law firm to work with and the best law firm to work for. Fun is not prohibited here.”
Fair enough. But then we spoke with two firm spokespersons by telephone. They called us.
It wasn’t a very “[f]un” conversation. They weren’t happy campers. Even if they may be winners, since “everyone’s a winner at Nixon Peabody.”
They emphasized that the song was internal to the firm and is protected by copyright. They also insisted that it is NOT a “theme song” — in any way, shape or form.
They demanded to know who sent the song to us. We informed them that we don’t reveal our sources, unless served with a subpoena (and maybe not even then — a Judy Miller-style jail stint might be good publicity for ATL).
They asserted copyright over the song and asked us to take it down, from our site and from YouTube. We stated our view that posting and commenting on the song constitutes fair use. It also falls within our newsgathering mission as a media organization.
We explained that our site is all about law firms and the legal profession. They said: “We know what you’re about.”
They claimed the person who leaked this song is “in a fight” with Nixon Peabody, and menacingly stated that they (meaning NP) “don’t intend to let this thing lie.” We informed them that we have no desire to get involved in the firm’s purported dispute with this unnamed individual. And that’s where we left things.
The horror! The horror! Multiple sources have forwarded us the MP3 of the frightening Nixon Peabody “theme song,” which is now making the rounds by email.
We didn’t receive it directly from a source at the firm, so it’s theoretically possible that it’s fake. We have contacted Nixon Peabody for comment and will let you know if and when we hear back from them. But in the meantime, we’re inclined to agree with this tipster:
“I wanted to believe it wasn’t real, but it’s so professional. Hard to believe that this wasn’t the product of a misguided recruiting effort and wasted bonus dollars.”
Update (12:05 PM): We’ve been in touch with a Nixon Peabody spokesperson about the song (which is real). We’ll be posting a statement from the firm shortly.
On the musical merits, the song itself is just as horrific as the idea of a law firm theme song. Yes, we miss the eighties, but not this much. The lyrics include such gems as “Everyone’s a winner at Nixon Peabody” (the chorus) and “It’s all about the team, it’s all about respect, it all revolves around integri-tee yeah.”
Check it out for yourself below. But we’re warning you: even though the Nixon Peabody anthem is dreadful, it’s as catchy as HPV. If that “everyone’s a winner” chorus gets stuck in your head for the rest of today, don’t blame us.
But if you’re a plaintiff’s lawyer who wants to file a class action against Nixon Peabody, on behalf of all listeners who do get earworm from this song, please include us in the plaintiff class. Thank you.
(The reason the screen says “Digital Media Converter Trial Version — Please Download” is because we converted the mp3 file to video using a free trial of this file conversion program.) Update / Correction (2:55 PM): This song is NOT a “theme song.” It was prepared for internal use only, and it was sent to us without the firm’s prior knowledge or consent. The firm objects to all non-internal use of the song. More details here. Further Update: The YouTube link below is now dead, but you can access the MP3 by clicking here. Or better yet, check out this awesome video.
* Barry Ostrager of Simpson Thacher bills out at $1,000 an hour? Well, just keep him away from your bathroom. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Eager to soak the rich (hedge fund kings)? Good luck with that. [DealBreaker]
* Remember the wacky Stephen Dunne, who blames the gays for his bar failure? Not being admitted may be the least of his problems. [Keeping Up With Jonas]
* A funny parody? Or a disturbingly accurate account of how the law review submission process works? [Concurring Opinions]
* Truth in advertising? This was probably well-intentioned, but ultimately unwise. [copyranter]
* Voting irregularities: not limited to “coolest law school” contests. [Machinist]
[Ed. note: This is basically a repost of a prior posting. But the deadline has been extended until 5 p.m. today, so if you missed out last week, here's your chance.]
As some of you already know, Above the Law offers a daily newsletter, via email. We encourage you to subscribe.
You can sign up by entering your email address in the “Daily Newsletter” box, which appears in the grey box on the lefthand column of ATL, and clicking “Subscribe.” In case you’re wondering, we won’t sell your email address to a third party, spam you, etc.; it’s just the newsletter.
As a special thanks, if you subscribe today (before 5 p.m. Eastern time), you’ll receive a promotional code that’s good for a free month of Sunday Silver. In case you’re not familiar with it, Sunday provides you with the services of a personal assistant — which we think the overworked Biglaw lawyers among you will appreciate.
More details about the service, including the fine print for this offer, after the jump.
Each week we highlight an exciting job opportunity available through Lateral Link, ATL’s career partner. Company: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. Position: Counsel, Business & Legal Affairs Responsibilities include:
(1) Review and analyze clearance issues/approvals , including music, for special features, including featurettes, DVD menus, audio commentaries, bloopers, etc.
(2) Negotiate and draft talent approval letters and releases.
(3) Negotiate and draft marketing and promotion agreements.
(4) Negotiate and draft clip licenses and other clearance documents.
(5) Coordinate with internal guild counsel regarding guild requirements/claims.
(6) Provide legal services and advice to creative, marketing, operations and sales clients.
(7) Attend internal department meetings.
(8) Review and advise on promotional materials.
(9) The lawyer will report to the Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs with status reports and on issues or questions.
Ideal candidate will have 3 to 6 years experience in corporate law.
To apply for this position, please visit laterallink.com.
Watch to find out what some of our subscribers received in their May box!
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We currently have a number of active openings for associate roles at US and UK firms in HK / China, Singapore and two new in-house openings. As always, please feel free to reach out to us at asia@kinneyrecruiting.com in order to get details of current openings in Asia, as well as to discuss the Asia markets in general and what we expect for openings later this year. Our Evan Jowers and Robert Kinney will be in Beijing the week of March 25 and Evan Jowers will be in Hong Kong the week of April 1, if you would like to meet them in person.
The US associate openings we have in law firms are in the usual areas of M&A, cap markets, FCPA / white collar litigation, finance, and project finance. The most urgent of our top tier (top 15 US or magic circle) law firm openings in Asia (among many other firm openings that we have in Asia) are as follows:
• 2nd to 5th year mandarin fluent M&A associates needed in Beijing and Hong Kong at several firms;
• Korean fluent 2nd to 4th year cap markets associate needed in Hong Kong;
• 2nd to 5th year Japanese fluent M&A associates needed in Tokyo;
• 4th to 6th year mandarin fluent cap markets associate needed in Hong Kong;
• 2nd to 4th year M&A / cap markets mix associate needed in Singapore.
The last time I flapped my wings your way, I tried to make at least enough noise about your mobile phone to make you more than a little bit uncomfortable. I hope I did. If enough of us become anxious enough about the known and unknown unknowns and knowns in our mobile phones, then we can start making wise decisions about how to manage that information and its resultant investigations.
Today, I’d like to put a finer point on the last installment’s topic by asking a question that seemed to catch most attendees off-guard at a conference panel that I moderated last week: is there discoverable personal information in a mobile app? Our panelists’ answer was a uniform “yes” with one stating that, if he had to choose only one type of data that he could discover from a mobile phone, he’d choose app data. Why? Because there’s simply so much of it and because almost all of it is objective – not just user-created like an email – but machine-tracked like GPS, usage duration, log in and log out times, browsed web addresses, browsed actual addresses. Also, most of us seem to have the idea that data doesn’t actually “stick” to our mobile devices the way it “sticks” to our hard drives. Maybe there’s a disconnect based on the fact that our phones are mobile so we assume the data is mobile to?
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