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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John Conyers, Old People, Outsourcing, Politics
Meet Your New House Judiciary Committee Chair
Right now all everyone can talk about is the prospect — or specter, depending on your point of view — of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But for those who follow the legal profession, the Democratic takeover of the House has other important implications. Meet the incoming chair of the House Judiciary Committee: Rep. John Conyers […] -
Bad Ideas, Celebrities, Drinking, Music, Shakira, Tort Reform
Lawsuit of the Day: Let Me See You Sue Like You Come from Colombia
If we were counsel to MTV, we’d advise them to include a warning each time they play the mesmerizing music video for “Hips Don’t Lie.” As Shakira’s hips undulate hypnotically to the beat, a warning should scroll across the bottom of the screen: “Don’t try this at home.” Why? A failure to warn could subject […] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Bonuses, Money, Nauseating Things
Bonus Envy: Behold the Banker Bucks
We’re getting close to that time of year again: bonus season. And here at Above the Law, we’ll be following associate bonus news very closely. Please share all your bonus news and rumors with us, by email (tips AT abovethelaw DOT com). But before you get all excited about the extra $25,000 that might be […]
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Biglaw, McCarter & English, Musical Chairs, Real Estate
More Musical Chairs: 11.07.06
Hey, did you hear? Britney Spears is getting divorced! Oh yes, notable promotions and moves within the legal profession. In addition to the new Wachtell Lipton partners, here are some other items worth noting: Lateral Moves: * Litigator Eugene Bannigan, litigator Dominick DeChiara, and private equity lawyer Bradley Vaiana, to Nixon Peabody. Bannigan came from […] -
Britney Spears, Celebrities, Divorce Train Wrecks, Family Law, Holy Crap, Laura Wasser, Litigatrix
Breaking: Britney Spears Files for Divorce!!!
Midterm elections, consider yourselves upstaged. Pop princess Britney Spiers is divorcing her wastrel husband, Kevin Federline. More details, from TMZ (which broke the story, and has a copy of the divorce petition (PDF)): [T]he legal papers, filed today in Los Angeles County Superior Court, [cite] “irreconcilable differences.” In her petition, Spears asks for both legal […] -
Biglaw, Fabulosity, Martin Lipton, Money, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues, Partner Profits
Musical Chairs: Wachtell Lipton's New Partners
Wachtell Lipton, the obscenely profitable and dazzlingly prestigious New York law firm, just elected three lawyers to its millionaires’ club partnership. By firm tradition, the partnership vote takes place on Election Day each year. Expect an official announcement tomorrow; we bring you the news today. The three lucky, talented, and hardworking new partners are: — […] -
Lori Alvino, Matthew McGill, Weddings
Your October 2006 Couple of the Month
Last week, we opened the polls in our October 2006 Couple of the Month competition. And today — Election Day, natch — we closed ’em. It was an exciting race. Lori Alvino and Matthew McGill took an early lead, which they held through the weekend. But Katherine Dowling and Marc Axelbaum started gaining on them […] -
Drugs, Fast Food, Food, Lawsuit of the Day, Marijuana, Police
Lawsuit of the Day: "Have It Your Way," Indeed
Back when we worked at McDonald’s, customers would ask us if we sold onion rings. We would tell them, with suppressed exasperation, that no, sorry, we don’t. If you want onion rings, try Burger King. And if you want your food laced with pot, try Burger King, too. From the AP: Two police officers sued […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Department of Justice, Election Law, Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, White House Counsel
An Election Day Special Request: A Democratic Dream Team
An ATL Public Service Announcement: Today is Election Day. Don’t forget to vote! (That little PSA entitles us to, like, three posts of scurrilous gossip with no redeeming social value.) The Democrats are expected take control of the House of Representatives in today’s midterm elections. A takeover of the Senate is not out of the […] -
9/11, Interview Stories, War on Terror
Interview Horror Stories: September 11 Has 24 Billable Hours
Neither rain, nor snow, nor the largest terrorist attack in U.S. history will keep certain lawyers from their work. Here is our next interview anecdote: I was a 2L at a western law school in the 2001-2002 school year. September was, of course, prime interviewing season, and there were usually 5-10 firms interviewing at the […] -
Celebrities, Jury Duty, Shameless Plugs
Nothing Is Certain But Death, Taxes -- and Jury Duty
For those of you who dread receiving that jury duty summons, some bad news: Jury duty is getting harder to avoid. From USA Today: No one keeps national figures on jury duty no-shows, but the American Judicature Society considers the problem an epidemic in some communities, especially large urban areas such as Miami, Houston and […] -
Andrew Gardner, Biglaw, Deaths, Rape, Sex
Fried Frank Partner, Accused of Rape, Found Dead
One of you drew our attention to this item, which is gossipy and engrossing, but not terribly humorous. Suicide and rape (or allegations thereof) don’t lend themselves well to laughs. From New York Magazine: “It’s bizarre, unfortunate,” Steve Coleman, an Atlanta police officer, was saying about New York attorney Andrew Gardner (at right). Gardner, 39, […] -
Celebrities, Crime, Movies, Tax Law, Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes Still in Tax Trouble, Still a C-List Movie Star
That’ll teach us to rely upon the mainstream media. Last week we passed along the news, reported by Variety, that movie star Wesley Snipes had cut a deal with the Internal Revenue Service. Snipes stands accused of engaging in massive tax fraud. According to Variety, Snipes negotiated a deal under which he wouldn’t serve any […]
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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…
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
Sponsored
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…
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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.
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Biglaw, Fashion, Interview Stories
Interview Horror Stories: How Do We Interview While Our Beds Are Burning?
This next interview horror story isn’t a true “horror” story. It starts off like a horror story, but then — well, just read it yourself: I had an on-campus interview at 10 AM on Monday for a well-known litigation firm in Orange County. At 10 PM on Sunday evening, my apartment building caught on fire, […] -
Fast Food, Food, Ted Frank, Tort Reform
Tort Reform, the Ancient Babylonian Way
This is one sure way to cut down on frivolous litigation. The Code of Hammurabi could be pretty badass. And how would the Code treat unjustified lawsuits alleging overly hot coffee? Here’s our guess: If any one bring an accusation of negligence against makers of hot coffee, and does not prove what he has charged, […] -
Blog Wars, Blogging, Correspondence, Cyberlaw
Blogospheric Identity Theft: The Case of Crescat Sententia
Here’s the most important part of this post: If you’re a reader of the most excellent Crescat Sententia, please note that IT HAS MOVED. The new, correct address is http://www.crescatsententia.net/. If you go to the old address, you’ll see what looks exactly like the old blog. But that is NOT the Crescat Sententia blog. Here’s […] -
Alston & Bird, Biglaw, Dewey Ballantine, King & Spalding, Law Professors, Musical Chairs, Tax Law
Musical Chairs: 11.06.06
A few moves within the legal profession worth noting: Legal Academia: * Tax law professor Neil Buchanan, to GW, from Rutgers-Newark, effective January 2007. (Gavel Bang: TaxProf Blog.) Lateral Law Firm Moves: * Corporate lawyer Carey Schreiber, to Winston & Strawn, from Dewey Ballantine. * Corporate lawyer Jeffrey Katz, to Dechert (as a partner), from […] -
Bad Ideas, Biglaw, Interview Stories, Rudeness
Interview Horror Story: The Perils of Palaver
This next interview story has something for everyone. Both the interviewer and the interviewee can be made fun of. Here you go: A friend of mine was interviewing at a big law firm. As a 1L who basically went straight through from undergrad, his résumé is not terribly long, though it has some interesting tidbits […] -
Eyes of the Law, Fashion, John Roberts, Music, Parties
The Eyes of the Law: The Chief Justice at the Opera
Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg are the most famous opera aficionados on the Supreme Court. But it appears that they’re not the only ones. Check out our latest judicial sightation: It appears that the ranks of the opera-attending justices is swelling. My wife and I spotted the Chief Justice and Mrs. Roberts […] -
Bad Ideas, Email Scandals, Romance and Dating, SCOTUS Clerks Are Fair Game, Supreme Court Clerks
The Messy Love Lives of Supreme Court Clerks
Normally we might think twice about posting an e-mail like this, since it’s somewhat personal in nature. But it has been making its way around the D.C. law firm email circuit, and we’ve received it from multiple sources. By now, dozens of Biglaw associates in Washington have a copy of this email in their inbox. […]