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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Federalist Society, Parties, Pictures, R. Ted Cruz
ATL Party Crash: The Final Fed Soc Photos
Our series of photo posts from the Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention has been popular. The prior installments are available here, here, and here. Our camera is now emptied out. The last of our Fed Soc photos, after the jump. -
Non-Sequiturs
Some Midday Non-Sequiturs: 11.22.06
No, we’re not done for the day (even though you probably are, and hitting the road for Thanksgiving travel). We still have a few more posts on the way. For now, a quick collection of interesting links that pick up on stories that ATL has been following: * The lawyer representing the Romanian villagers in […] - Sponsored
How Generative AI Will Improve Legal Service Delivery
Learn how emerging tools will likely change and enhance the work of lawyers for years to come in this new report. -
Evan Caminker, Fashion, Football, Law School Deans, Peter Lattman, WSJ Law Blog
The Horror, The Horror: Hottest Law School Dean Seen Wearing a Sweatshirt!
We’re not huge fans of this photo of Dean Evan Caminker of the University of Michigan Law School, posted at the WSJ Law Blog: First, we don’t think it’s the most flattering picture of Dean Caminker. Compare it to the ones collected here (contestant #1). Based on the photo above, you wouldn’t guess that Dean […]
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Conspiracy Theories, Tax Law, Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes Is Still Looking for the Real Tax Cheat (in Namibia)
Ah, Wesley Snipes. Not only is he an alleged tax cheat, as well as a possible fugitive from justice; he’s also practically illiterate a rather poor writer. In an email to Scott Maxwell, a writer for the Orlando Sentinel (huh?), Snipes wrote: Hi Scott, guess you can imagine I’ve been a little busy. Wow this […] -
Federal Judges, Federalist Society, Patricia Wald, Politics, Senate Judiciary Committee, State Judges
From the Belly of the Beast: Eating Judicial Independence for Lunch
One highlight of this year’s Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention was the annual convention luncheon, held on Saturday, November 17. During the luncheon, a panel of distinguished judges addressed the very hot topic of judicial independence. The panelists: Judge Carlos T. Bea (Ninth Circuit),Chief Judge Danny J. Boggs (Sixth Circuit)Judge Timothy B. Dyk (Federal Circuit)Judge […] -
Britney Spears, Celebrities, Divorce Train Wrecks, Family Law, Sex, Videos
Sorry, Folks -- You'll Have To Settle for That Video of Britney Belching
After details of Britney Spears’s “airtight” prenuptial agreement were disclosed, revealing that her soon-to-be ex-husband, Kevin Federline, wouldn’t get much in the divorce, we began hearing this rumor: Fed-Ex will be a hero to stragglers everywhere, moreso even than Kato, in his leveraging: [Britney] made an air-tight prenup; he made a videotape of his adventures […] -
Asians, Hotties, Pictures, Supreme Court
How To Get a Cute Girl To Sit in Your Lap
Become the Chief Justice of the United States! (Query: Where were the Supreme Court police officers when this fun photo was taken?) -
Borat, Movies, Plaintiffs Firms
Impoverished Romanian Village Gets Trial Lawyers Before Running Water, Electricity
The Borat litigation juggernaut rolls on. And Fox, the studio behind the hit movie, is fighting back: Fox attorneys filed a legal brief Monday slamming a request for a preliminary injunction against the hit comedy “Borat” as a “fatuous” attempt to thwart free speech, even as the studio’s legal battle spread to a second front. […] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Advertising, Fashion, Gender, Sex
The Jiwani Ad: Hot or Rot?
Controversy has erupted up in Boston over whether it was appropriate for the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly to run this racy advertisement, for Jiwani, a maker of custom-tailored suits: Advertisements like this are a dime a dozen in Details and GQ. But in the more staid pages of a legal news publication, it drew a slew […] -
Celebrities, Movies, Rank Stupidity, Tax Law, Wesley Snipes, White-Collar Crime
Non-Sequiturs: 11.21.06
* Woo-hoo!!! Good news for online rumor-mongerers like ourselves. [Volokh Conspiracy; Instapundit] * And a bit of bad news, too. [Concurring Opinions] * We weren’t the only ones who had fun at Federalistapalooza. [Southern Appeal] * “Conservative civil war”: Not just at the Federalist Society. [Andrew Sullivan; Instapundit; Ryan Sager] * When the subject of […] -
ACLU, Anal Sex / Butt Sex, Federalist Society, Gay, Gay Marriage, Lunacy, Rudeness, Vicious Infighting, William Eskridge
An ATL Public Service Announcement: 'The Wages of Sin Is Death!' (Romans 6:23)
Apperances can be deceiving. The smiling woman above looks like a sweet old lady (or perhaps she’s middle-aged). But don’t be fooled. This pleasant-looking woman opened a can of whoop-ass at the final panel discussion of the Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention. She rained hellfire and brimstone upon the audience, and placed at least two […] -
9th Circuit, Fashion, Food, Law Professors
In Las Vegas Parks, Feed the Pigeons, Not the Bloggers
At right: Homeless — or just fashion-impaired? Back in April, in Jones v. City of Los Angeles (PDF), the Ninth Circuit ruled that “a City of Los Angeles ordinance that criminalizes sitting, lying, or sleeping on public streets and sidewalks” violated the Eighth Amendment (specifically, its prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment). The ruling struck […] -
7th Circuit, Benchslaps, Richard Posner, Tax Law
Benchslapped: Judge Posner Gets Medieval on the IRS
Few things make us happier than when judges administer benchslaps to either colleagues or litigants. When the judicial power of the United States is deployed to diss, the result is fun for the whole family. Heck, bench-slaps can even make tax law enjoyable! If you doubt this proposition, check out Judge Posner’s recent opinion in […]
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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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How Generative AI Will Improve Legal Service Delivery
Learn how emerging tools will likely change and enhance the work of lawyers for years to come in this new report.
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.
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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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Arlen Specter, Federal Judges, Federalist Society, Judicial Nominations, Politics, Senate Judiciary Committee, Supreme Court
From the Belly of the Beast: Senator Arlen Specter
Last week we briefly discussed the appearance at the Federalist Society convention of Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), outgoing chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. We also described our exchange with him during the question-and-answer session. We now provide you with a somewhat more detailed account of Senator Specter’s remarks. We found them surprisingly funny; but […] -
Bad Ideas, Book Deals, Books, Crime, Media and Journalism, O.J. Simpson, Violence
If We Did It... We'd Like To Undo It
The most infamous case of the last century has turned into one of the biggest P.R. disasters of this one. After nearly universal criticism, from both within and outside the company, the News Corp. has pulled its plans to publish a book by O.J. Simpson — and to air a television interview with him — […] -
Federalist Society, Paul Clement, Solicitor General's Office
From the Belly of the Beast: Paul Clement
Throughout the Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention, which we attended last week, various members and leaders of the group revelled in its reputation for being part of the “vast right-wing conspiracy” (in the immortal words of Senatrix Hillary Rodham Clinton). We’re going to play along. We have a few write-ups of conference events that we’ll […] -
Biglaw, Bonuses, Money, Partner Profits, Skaddenfreude
Morning Docket: 11.21.06
* Houston, we have a rehearing en banc. [How Appealing] * Probation for 89-year-old who killed 10 driving through California farmer’s market; judge says he’s too sick to go to jail, even though he deserves to. [CNN] * Grunting weightlifter may sue Planet Fitness for being lunk bigots. [WSJ Law Blog] * Federal judge has […] -
Anthony Kennedy, Merrick Garland, SCOTUS Potential
There She Is, Miss Ames Moot Court Finalist
At the risk of seeming Harvard-centric — yesterday we wrote about Larry Tribe’s dog — we bring you this brief report on the Ames Moot Court finals, held last week at Harvard Law School. From the Boston Globe: Every year, the Ames Moot Court finals at Harvard Law School are a pretty amazing affair, bringing […] -
Federalist Society, Parties, Pictures
ATL Party Crash: Wherein the Harvard Federalists Throw a Bitchin' After Party
The Federalist Society Annual Dinner is basically one huge party. And no party would be complete without a rockin’ after party. The Oscars have the Vanity Fair after-party; the Fed Soc dinner has the Harvard Law School after-party. And it’s supremely convenient. Unlike many after parties, which are held in obscure venues like underground bars […] -
Anderson Kill, Bad Ideas, Bar Exams, Brian Valery, Emily Pataki, Lawyer of the Day, Paralegals
Lawyer Paralegal of the Day: Brian T. Valery
Brian T. Valery is our hero. He figured out a way to save $100K on a legal education — namely, by not getting one. From Law.com: Brian Valery is under fire for his pro hac vice appearance in a 2005 complex litigation case heard in Stamford, Conn. His motion to appear, which went unopposed, was […]