David Lat
Posts by David Lat
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Courts
Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: Two Firsts At One First Street
Congratulations to all of these amazing young lawyers! -
Courts
Bye-Bye To Blue Slips
The demise of blue slips is good news for the federal judiciary -- and the American people. - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Technology
How Is Artificial Intelligence Affecting The Legal Profession?
Check out our multipart, multimedia series about AI, presented by Thomson Reuters.
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 05.13.18
* An interesting (although depressing) factoid, courtesy of Ed Whelan: this former SCOTUS clerk and prominent Florida litigator has been nominated to the federal bench by three different presidents, but has yet to serve as a judge. [Bench Memos / National Review]
* If you’re an older lawyer and “in transition,” you need to get yourself a “temporary identity,” as Jane Genova explains. [Law and More]
* If you’re interested in the intersection of artificial intelligence and the law, Complex/vLex Canada’s CEO, Colin Lachance, provides a framework for understanding the world of legal AI. [3 Geeks and a Law Blog]
* Jonathan Bernstein offers a rebuttal to my recent New York Times op-ed celebrating the demise of blue slips. [Bloomberg]
* When can creators depict real people without risking liability? The ambiguity of the law on this question poses significant problems, according to Jennifer Rothman, author of a new book (affiliate link) about the right of publicity. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]
* Noted media lawyer Charles Glasser wonders: when it comes to covering President Trump, are news editors “confusing the public interest with what is merely of interest to the public”? [Daily Caller]
* Thomson Reuters gets in on the blockchain action, bringing a blockchain-based legal arbitration platform, Kleros, into its Incubator Labs start-up program. [Artificial Lawyer]
* Final reminder: please support the Jersey City Free Public Library — and enjoy some delicious Filipino food by celebrity chef Dale Talde — by joining me on Thursday, May 17, for what should be a great evening! [Jersey City Free Public Library]
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Supreme Court, Trivia Question of the Day
The Most Inquiring Minds On The Supreme Court
Which three justices are supremely inquisitive from the bench? -
Intellectual Property, Litigators
Perspectives From In-House Counsel: Patent Rights -- Who Decides?
Domestic or foreign law, district court or the Patent and Trademark Office, judge or jury? These questions matter. -
Biglaw
Lawyerly Lairs: A Pioneering Cravath Partner's $8 Million Aerie
Christine Beshar was Cravath's first woman partner -- and also very, very rich. -
In-House Counsel
Perspectives From In-House Counsel: Answers To 5 FAQs From Outside Counsel
Useful advice for outside counsel looking to gain -- and retain -- corporate clients. - 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… -
Sponsored Content, Technology
The Future Of AI: What Do You Know?
Are you up to speed? Take our quiz here. -
Government
A Wachtell Lipton Lawyer Who Speaks His Mind
Even if it involves tweeting critically about his wife's current boss, President Donald Trump. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 05.06.18
* Congratulations to Quinn Emanuel partner Alex Spiro and Jose Baez, of Casey Anthony fame, on a big win: a full acquittal in the securities-fraud trial of David Demos. [Bloomberg]
* Do you feel that the Supreme Court is taking its sweet time in releasing opinions this Term? Adam Feldman confirms that it’s not your imagination. [Empirical SCOTUS]
* Consovoy McCarthy Park, the elite litigation boutique led by a group of conservative former SCOTUS clerks, welcomes its newest partner: Jeffrey Harris, former associate administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and former law clerk to Chief Justice Roberts. [National Law Journal]
* Are law school graduates getting “good” jobs? Professor Derek Muller has a novel idea: why don’t we ask them? [PrawfsBlawg]
* The Colorado congressional race featuring two NYU Law alumnae, incumbent Diana DeGette and challenger Saira Rao, reflects a divide in the Democratic Party more broadly. [NBC News]
* Criminal defense lawyer Joel Cohen argues against reading too much into an individual’s invocation of the Fifth Amendment — even if the individual happens to be Donald Trump or someone connected to him. [The Hill]
* Criminal defense lawyer Elizabeth Kelley interviews Stanford law professor Paul Goldstein about his biting and funny law school satire, Legal Asylum (affiliate link). [AuthorChats]
* Speaking of books, if you’d like to support the Jersey City Free Public Library — and enjoy some delicious Filipino food by celebrity chef Dale Talde — please join me this Thursday, May 17, for what should be a great evening! [Jersey City Free Public Library]
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Courts
More Judicial Nominations From President Trump -- And More Judicial Emergencies
April brought not one but two waves of new nominees from the White House. -
Announcements, Law Schools, Sponsored Content, Technology
Cognifying Legal Education: Artificial Intelligence Goes To Law School
Can AI and other emerging technologies be leveraged to prepare students for an evolving job market?
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
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Announcements, Sponsored Content, Technology
Welcome To Law2020: Artificial Intelligence And The Legal Profession
What do AI, machine learning, and other cutting-edge technologies mean for lawyers and the legal world? -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 04.29.18
* Kirkland & Ellis raiding Cravath is now officially “a thing”; it’s been covered in the newspaper of record. [New York Times]
* Extension requests: not just for law school papers, but for cert petitions too (and there’s no shame in seeking them; they’re often requested by prominent practitioners). [Empirical SCOTUS]
* Want to talk intelligently about the Michael Cohen
messcase with your friends? Start by reading this primer on “privileged” versus “confidential” client communications, by Joel Cohen (no relation) and Dale Degenshein. [Law and Crime]* Boycotts have a venerable history in terms of the law and the First Amendment — but they might be losing their effectiveness in the digital age, as noted media lawyer Charles Glasser explains. [Daily Caller]
* Eugene Volokh flags this interesting issue (and opinion): under what circumstances does denying a felon the right to own a gun violate the Second Amendment? [Reason / Volokh Conspiracy]
* Has the whole “emotional support animal” phenomenon gone too far at Yale? [Yale Daily News via Instapundit]
David Lat is editor at large and founding editor of Above the Law, as well as the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Newark, New Jersey; a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at dlat@abovethelaw.com.
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Technology
Congratulations To The Winners Of The Global Legal Hackathon!
See you at the Evolve Law Summit on May 2! -
Books, Constitutional Law
The Lives Of The Constitution: An Interview With Joseph Tartakovsky
It's the story of our founding document, told through profiles of ten great individuals who shaped it. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 04.22.18
* Joel Cohen makes the case for appointing a special master to review the attorney-client privilege claims in the case of Michael Cohen (no relation). [Law and Crime]
* A fun profile of Judge Kimba M. Wood (S.D.N.Y.), who’s presiding over the Cohen case — and who “doesn’t need to eat the whole barrel to know it’s not a pickle.” [Politico]
* Circuit judges can play it safe, in the hopes of making it to the Supreme Court someday, or they can be bold (which might help their SCOTUS chances, or might hurt them); Judge James Ho is going for the second approach. [U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit]
* Professor Eugene Volokh: “What is this, Mean Girls: Supreme Court Edition?” [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]
* Still on SCOTUS, which leading appellate lawyers (according to Chambers & Partners) have the most active practices before the high court? [Empirical SCOTUS]
* What’s the best new legal-information product out there, and what’s the best new product feature or function? Survey says…. [Dewey B Strategic]
* Because having a law school named after him wasn’t enough, Philadelphia trial lawyer Thomas R. Kline is now honored by a giant marble statue. [Philly.com]
* The Wisconsin Supreme Court will decide an important case about academic freedom (and Above the Law gets cited in the amicus brief of the National Association of Scholars — see footnote 29). [Badger Pundit]
* Congratulations to former Miss America winner Deidre Downs Gunn and attorney and writer Abbott Jones on their recent nuptials! [People]
* And congratulations to the recipients of 2018’s Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 Awards! [LGBT Bar]
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Crime, Law Schools
The Dan Markel Case: A Billionaire Speaks Out In Defense Of Wendi Adelson
Wendi Adelson 'had nothing to do with this tragic event,' he claims. -
Technology
Around The World In 40 Days: Leaving Biglaw To Travel The World
Nineteen destinations in 15 countries on six continents -- sounds way more fun than doc review, doesn't it?