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
-
Celebrities, Divorce Train Wrecks, Family Law
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe: Splitting Up, Lawyering Up
After enduring copious coverage of Heather Mills’s and Sara Evans’s marital woes, we finally get to read about an A-lister’s split. From TMZ.com: Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe have separated. The couple’s rep released a statement to TMZ Monday morning that says “We are saddened to announce that Reese & Ryan have decided to formally […] -
Canada, Immigration, Perverts, Sentencing Law, Sex
Canada to U.S.: Please Send Your Pervs to Mexico
Okay, they didn’t quite say that. But they might as well have. A quick update on a story we previously wrote about: An American schoolteacher sentenced to three years’ probation — to be served in Canada — [was] detained at the border, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day has confirmed. Malcolm Watson, who was convicted of […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Biglaw, Intellectual Property, Musical Chairs
Musical Chairs: 10.30.06
Lateral Moves: Both of today’s moves are in the field of intellectual property law: * Patent litigator Sandra Bresnick, to Sidley Austin, from Weil, Gotshal & Manges. * IP transactional lawyer Warren Nachlis, to Jones Day (NY), from Shearman & Sterling. (Interesting to leave so soon — Nachlis made partner at Shearman only just last […]
-
Ann Althouse, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, David Souter, Glenn Reynolds, John Paul Stevens, John Roberts, Reader Polls, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Samuel Alito, SCOTUS, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court
ATL Poll Results: Your LEAST Favorite Supreme Court Justice
After finding out your Favorite Supreme Court Justice (answer: Justice Scalia), we asked about your LEAST Favorite Supreme Court justice. And the result was surprising, at least to us. Voter turnout was massive, with over 6,000 votes cast. Maybe everyone’s in a voting frame of mind, with Election Day so close. Here’s how you voted: […] -
Eliot Spitzer, Lawyerly Lairs, Money, Nauseating Things, Politics, Real Estate
Lawyerly Lairs: Eliot Spitzer's Sugar Daddy
New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, soon to be crowned the state’s next governor, has a very wealthy — and very generous — father. Bernard Spitzer, a real estate mogul worth some $500 million, provides his 47-year-old son with free housing. In Manhattan. On the Upper East Side. On Fifth Avenue. From TaxProf Blog: Spitzer […] -
Courtroom of Style, D.C. Circuit, Fabulosity, Fashion, Hair, Racism, Reader Polls, SCOTUS Potential
The Courtroom of Style: Judge Janice Rogers Brown
Last week we asked for your input on the most flattering hairstyle for Judge Janice Rogers Brown, of the exceedingly prestigious D.C. Circuit. Judge Brown, a high-powered and conservative jurist, may someday be the first African-American woman to sit on the Supreme Court. We offered you a choice of two looks: “Bangs Janice” and “Perm […] -
Department of Justice, Eyes of the Law, R. Alexander Acosta, Samuel Alito, U.S. Attorneys Offices
The Eyes of the Law: Justice Alito Hits South Beach
Well, we’re not sure about that part — nor can we confirm or deny whether the justice was sighted in a “banana hammock.” But we can report that Justice Alito was recently in MIami, where he swore in Alex Acosta (at right), one of his former clerks, as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of […] -
Antonin Scalia, Biglaw, Celebrities, Dewey Ballantine, English Grammar and Usage, Gay Marriage, Hair, Janice Rogers Brown, Law Firm Mergers, Money, Paralegals, Reader Polls, Ted Olson, Weddings, Week in Review
ATL Week in Review: October 23-27
* Gay marriages legally-cognizable-relationships-that-will-probably-get-called-civil-unions are coming to New Jersey. * Superstar lawyer Ted Olson, who is not gay, got married — to a lovely lady named Lady. And ATL has the exclusive photos to prove it. * Law firms are tying the knot too. The latest to head for the altar: Dewey Ballantine and Orrick. […] - 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… -
Clarence Thomas, SCOTUS, Sexual Harassment, Supreme Court
Justice Thomas: He's Just Not That Into... Your Argument
For a while there, Justice Clarence Thomas was in the lead in our Least Favorite Supreme Court Justice poll. But then Instapundit linked to the poll, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg zoomed ahead. We’ll leave that poll open for a while, since we’re still getting incoming links and votes for it. As for Justice Thomas, […] -
Breasts, Nude Dancing, Rank Stupidity
Stripper's Remorse: That Cat Is Way Out of the Bag
Look, if you’re going to be an exhibitionist, you need to OWN THAT S**T. No regrets; no looking back. And absolutely no lawsuits: Once again, second thoughts prove unavailing after modesty is cast to the winds: “A magazine that published a photograph of a woman baring her breasts at a pig roast for motorcycle enthusiasts […] -
Email Scandals, Enron, Jeffrey Skilling, Non-Sequiturs, Politics, Ridiculousness, Sentencing Law, Sex Scandals, White-Collar Crime
Supplemental Non-Sequiturs: 10.27.06
Delightful links, hand-picked with loving care by Stella Q, will appear later today. For now, here a few other quick links that caught our eye recently: * Curious about how many Americans share your full name? Now you can find out. [TaxProf Blog] * “Zagat’s for prisons.” Good stuff. [WSJ Law Blog] * Professor Dimino […] -
Celebrities, Lawsuit of the Day, New York Times, Television
Lawsuit of the Day: Pauley v. New York Times
Television broadcaster Jane Pauley is suing the New York Times. Pauley v. New York Times may not go down in history like New York Times v. Sullivan; but it’s still a case worth noting. The Wall Street Journal reports: Former “Today” show co-host Jane Pauley sued New York Times Co., alleging the publisher helped deceive […] -
Boring Stuff, Document Review, Due Diligence, India, Magic Circle, Outsourcing
In the Future, All Document Review Will Be Done By Dell Customer Support Reps
Not sure how we feel about this development: For years, outsourcing has been a dirty word inside the world of white-shoe law firms…. A number of large law firms, though, are starting to tiptoe onto far-flung shores. The latest is Clifford Chance, one of the largest law firms in the world with 29 offices in […]
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…
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
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
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.
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
-
Fabulosity, Fashion, Hair, Janice Rogers Brown, Reader Polls, SCOTUS Potential
A Random Friday Poll: The Hairstyles of Judge Janice Rogers Brown
On Fridays, we administer random reader polls here at Above the Law. Last week, for example, we asked you to vote for your Favorite Supreme Court Justice. (That poll is now closed — and Justice Scalia won, in case you’re wondering. But we’re still taking votes in our poll for LEAST Favorite Supreme Court Justice.) […] -
Bad Ideas, Crime, Lawyer of the Day, Money, Tax Law, White-Collar Crime
Lawyer of the Day: Robert Wayne Hallock
You’re a partner at the Chicago powerhouse law firm of Kirkland & Ellis, which generally ranks as the most profitable non-New York Biglaw firm in the country. But you decide that a six- to seven-figure income isn’t enough for your needs. So you do this: 1. Sell fraudulent certificates of deposit for $1.8 million.2. Set […] -
Biglaw, Money, Paralegals, Skaddenfreude
Skaddenfreude: A Peek at Paralegal Pay
Associates, curious about how much your paralegal handmaidens earn? Paralegals, curious about how much your colleagues around the country make? We’ve collected some data points for you. We asked you for information about paralegal salaries. We received these responses (all class years are undergraduate rather than law school years): (1) intellectual property manager (“essentially a […] -
Celebrities, Divorce Train Wrecks, Family Law, Vicious Infighting
Wherein We Break Down and Write About Sara Evans
Some things are too trashy even for us. Neither publication is The Economist; but there IS a difference between what US Weekly will cover and what Hello! will stoop to. This reader email has been sitting in our inbox for, like, a week: I know it’s not highbrow legal world information like who the most […] -
Biglaw, King & Spalding, Magic Circle, Money, Musical Chairs, Partner Profits, S.D.N.Y., U.S. Attorneys Offices
Musical Chairs: 10.26.06
New Partners: * Sullivan & Cromwell: Jeffrey Chapman, Michael Escue, Hydee Feldstein, Stacey Friedman, Brian Hamilton, Julia Jordan, Eric Kadel, Jr. and Juan Rodriguez. The partnership promotions will be effective January 1, 2007. Congratulations, kids! Like many other top New York firms, Sullivan still has a single-tier partnership structure. All partners are equity partners. And […] -
Bush v. Gore, Diarmuid O'Scannlain, Fabulosity, Fashion, Parties, Pictures, Robert Bork, Sandra Day O'Connor, Ted Olson, Weddings, White People
Lady and Ted's Excellent Adventure: Wedding Photos That Rock
“Okay, Judge Bork. Smile and say ‘The Original Understanding’!!!” (Also: Is that Harvard Law prof Laurence Tribe standing behind Robert Bork, or just someone who looks a lot like him?) Earlier this week, we gave you a detailed report about the fabulous nuptials of Ted Olson — the winning lawyer in Bush v. Gore, former […] -
Canada, English Grammar and Usage, Money, Screw-Ups
Comma Comma Comma Comma Comma Chameleon
The lawyers among you should know: Little things matter a lot. Earlier this month, we told you about the missing “L” that cost a county $40,000. But $40K is chump change compared to the million dollars that turns upon an allegedly misplaced comma: [A] dispute between Rogers Communications of Toronto, Canada’s largest cable television provider, […]