David Lat
David Lat, the founding editor of Above the Law, is a lawyer turned writer and speaker. You can read his latest writing about law and the legal profession by subscribing to Original Jurisdiction, his newsletter on the Substack platform. David's book, Supreme Ambitions: A Novel (2014), was described by the New York Times as "the most buzzed-about novel of the year" among legal elites. David previously worked as a federal prosecutor, a litigation associate at Wachtell Lipton, and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. You can learn more about David on his personal website; you can connect with him on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at davidlat@substack.com.
Posts by David Lat
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Charles Fried, Neal Katyal, Pictures, SCOTUS, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court
The Breyer-Fried Discussion: A Photo Essay
As we mentioned last week, on Friday we were delighted to attend “On Liberty: A conversation between Justice Stephen Breyer and Professor Charles Fried,” of Harvard Law School. We were invited to this event by Georgetown Law Professor Neal Katyal, a legal academic celebrity (and former Breyer clerk). Professor Katyal did an excellent job as […] -
Biglaw, Blackberry-Crackberry, Kids, Pictures
Accept the Things You Cannot Change: Blackberry Addiction
A 12-step program for Blackberry addicts strikes us as an exercise in futility. When we worked at a law firm, we took our Blackberry with us everywhere. Once we Blackberried a paralegal from the dentist’s chair — while waiting for the anesthesia to wear off, after having four wisdom teeth removed. In fact, establishing “Blackberry-free” […] - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Biglaw, Drinking, Law Schools
Some Exam-Time Encouragement for Law Students
Finding it hard to buckle down for final exams? Check out this motivational poster, from a 2L at Fordham Law School: That’s the “stick” approach: fail your classes, lose the lucrative Biglaw gig. From UVA Law School, TJ offers up a “carrot”: recipes for fun legal-themed drinks. Treat yourself to a delicious Rule 12(b)(6) — […]
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Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Has Cravath Announced?
That’s the latest rumor over at Infirmation/Greedy NY. As for numbers, they are said to be the same as last year’s Cravath bonuses. Caveat: This is UNCONFIRMED. If you can confirm or have a memo, please email us (tips AT abovethelaw DOT com). We’re contacting our own Cravath sources and will get back to you […] -
Bad Ideas, Cars, Crime, Drinking, Judge of the Day, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Judges of the Day: Patrick Young and Jan Fiss
Judges don’t have enough fun. Overly concerned with “judicial decorum,” they don’t let down their hair very often. They try to hide the reality that, beneath their robes, they’re ordinary people just like the rest of us. Perhaps they fear that this truth might undermine their legitimacy. But a pair of Illinois state court judges […] -
Biglaw, Dewey Ballantine, Federal Judges, Old People
When You're Sitting in Court in Adult Diapers, Something Is Wrong
From a recent NYT piece about mandatory retirement policies at law firms: Unlike corporate America, which, for the most part, dropped mandatory retirement ages decades ago, many big law firm partnerships are keeping up the practice of pushing out older lawyers to make room for new blood. In a survey last year of 46 law […] -
Admin, Announcements, Antonin Scalia, Biglaw, Bonuses, Contests, Harold Koh, Hotties, Linda Greenhouse, Money, New York Times, Reader Polls, Samuel Alito, Stephen Breyer, Week in Review
ATL Week in Review: December 4 - 8
* The holiday season is here, and you know what that means: year-end bonuses for law firm associates. On Friday, Milbank Tweed made the first big bonus announcement. And this time it wasn’t fake. * They talk a lot about “due process” over at Yale Law School. But questions have been raised concerning the process […] -
Biglaw, Bonuses, Money, Skaddenfreude
Associate Bonus Watch: A Real Milbank Bonus Announcement
We’re away from the internet for a few hours — to attend a friend’s art opening, followed by drinks and dinner — and lo and behold, the first big bonus announcement comes in. That’s what we get for stepping away from our computer on a Friday night. We had a feeling that today might be […] - Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm. -
Charles Fried, Free Speech, Neal Katyal, Stephen Breyer, Television
A Quick Note on the Breyer-Fried Discussion
We just got back from the very interesting discussion between Justice Stephen Breyer and Harvard Law School Professor Charles Fried, held at Georgetown Law School, and moderated by Professor Neal Katyal. We’ll post a full report — and photos — in the near future. For now, though — we’re running out the door again — […] -
Admin, Charles Fried
Programming Note: More Quality Time With Justice Breyer
It’s only a matter of time before Justice Stephen Breyer takes out — or maybe grants himself? — a temporary restraining order against us. We are just following the poor man around. We were present when Jeffrey Toobin interviewed Justice Breyer, at the New Yorker Festival. We caught SGB again on Tuesday night, when he […] -
Ben Wittes, Books, Federal Judges, Judicial Nominations, Shameless Plugs, Washington Post
Legal Writers Who Lunch
Hey, guess what? In our best impression of Howard Bashman, we’re going to tell you all about a recent lunch of ours. On Tuesday, we had an absolutely delightful lunch with Benjamin Wittes. He’s an editorial writer for the Washington Post, specializing in legal affairs, and the author of a new book about the judicial […] -
Ann Althouse, Glenn Reynolds, Harold Koh, Linda Greenhouse, Media and Journalism, New York Times, Samuel Alito, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Washington Post
Harold and Linda, Sittin' in a Tree...
We’re delighted that our scoop about Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh pushing Linda Greenhouse over Justice Samuel Alito for the YLS Award of Merit has been picked up so widely. It even made the pages of the Holy Trinity of the Right-of-Center Blawgosphere: Instapundit, Volokh Conspiracy (Jonathan Adler), and Althouse. As noted, our transcript […] -
Asians, Fashion, Fashion Victims Unit, Law Professors, Viet Dinh
Viet Dinh: A Dissenting Opinion
Some of you think that we list a bit too much to the right around here — that we rave about prominent legal conservatives, while mocking the liberals. We’ve heard your complaints. For the record, we regularly poke fun at conservatives, while raving about liberals. In terms of garnering raves, as long as you’re a […]
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
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Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get…
Sponsored
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
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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…
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Biglaw, Bonuses, Goldman Sachs, Money, Nauseating Things, Wall Street
Associate Bonus Watch: Keeping Things in Perspective
Once again, no news. But something might happen today, if the first mover tries to lowball the market. Friday afternoons are the optimal time for breaking bad news. We never tire of saying this: As soon as you learn of a bonus announcement, even if completely uncorroborated, please email us. We will then go investigate. […] -
Admin, Announcements, Contests, Hotties, Law Schools, Reader Polls, Shameless Plugs, Stephen Breyer
NYU Law Hotties: When the Polls Will Close
The polls remain open in our latest hotties contest: NYU Law School third-year students. You can vote on the men by clicking here, and the women by clicking here. A quick administrative announcement: voting will end on Monday, December 11, at 3 PM (Eastern time). If you’d like to do some campaigning, for yourself or […] -
Britney Spears, Camille Paglia, Celebrities, Fashion, Lindsay Lohan, Pamela Ann Rymer
When Camille Paglia Calls You A Slut, You Know You've Gone Too Far
One of our favorite cultural critics, the super-opinionated and hilarious Camille Paglia, recently weighed in on the trend of female celebrities “flashing their goodies for the camera,” in the words of US Weekly. Despite her general “pro-sex” bent, Paglia disapproves of the practice: These girls are lowering themselves to the level of backstreet floozies. It […] -
Andrew Sullivan, Antonin Scalia, Constitutional Law, Dahlia Lithwick, John Roberts, Media and Journalism, SCOTUS, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court
The Nino-Breyer Smackdown (Part 4)
We agree with Andrew Sullivan: Dahlia Lithwick did a superb job in her write-up of the Scalia-Breyer debate, which took place Tuesday night at the Capital Hilton. We attended as guests of the ACS, whom we thank for their hospitality. For our fourth and final post about the evening — prior posts here, here, and […] -
Biglaw, Canada, In-House Counsel, Musical Chairs, White House Counsel
Musical Chairs: 12.07.06
At the White House: * On the heels of Christopher Oprison and Cheryl Stanton, former Wilmer Hale partner Paul Eckert joins the White House Counsel’s Office. Lateral Moves: * Nicholas H. Politan, to Gibson Dunn & Crutcher (NY), from Bingham McCutchen, where he served as co-head of the project and structured finance group. (Wild guess: […] -
Clarence Thomas, Harold Koh, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Linda Greenhouse, Politics, Samuel Alito
Attention, Concerned Alumni of Yale: Justice Alito Gets (Green)housed
Christmas is less than three weeks away. Are you stumped about what to get for your liberal lawyer friends? Assuming they’re okay with Christmas gifts — maybe they object to even personal celebration of the holiday — have we got an idea for you: Harold Hongju Koh Bobblehead Dolls!!! Harold Koh is the dean of […] -
Asians, Eavesdropping / Wiretapping, Food, HP, Larry Sonsini, Law Professors, Supreme Court Clerks, Viet Dinh
Viet Dinh Is One Hungry Guy
Remember Professor Viet Dinh? If not, here’s what we previously wrote about him: Dinh represents venture capitalist god Thomas Perkins, in Perkins’s (rather tense) dealings with HP’s board and lawyers [concerning the HP spying controversy]. Dinh, for those of you visiting from other planets, is one of the highest-flying legal eagles in the country. He’s […]