David Lat

2David 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

Sponsored

  • Non-Sequiturs: 08.19.18
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 08.19.18

    * Charles Glasser proposes replacing “Trump Derangement Syndrome” with “Trump Obsession Syndrome” — which might be more accurate, but isn’t nearly as fun. [Daily Caller]

    * Speaking of anti-Trump sentiment, here’s an interesting new ranking — from Adam Bonica, Adam Chilton, Kyle Rozema, and Maya Sen — showing just how liberal certain law schools are. [TaxProf Blog]

    * Trying to date in law school? You’re looking for love in all the wrong places, according to 3L Korey Johnson. [Black Girl Does Grad School]

    * Speaking of law school, here’s Kat Griffin’s roundup of the best blogs for women law students (with a shoutout to ATL; thanks, Kat!). [Corporette]

    * An “Abolish ICE” t-shirt might not be very fashionable — but it is constitutionally protected speech, as Eugene Volokh explains. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]

    * Joel Cohen wonders: should more states ban secret recording of conversations — and could the odious Omarosa be the catalyst for such change? [The Hill]

    * Neha Sampat discusses the problem of “imposter syndrome” — and what we can all do to address it. [Attorney At Work]

    * “Sex pigs halt traffic after laser attack on Pokémon teens.” Yeah, you know you wanna click…. [Instapundit]

    * Where does your law firm fall along the AI adoption spectrum? Jean O’Grady lays out the stages. [Dewey B Strategic]

    By  
  • Non-Sequiturs: 08.12.18
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 08.12.18

    * Thanks to the not-so-orphaned Kennedy clerks, this Term could see a record number of clerks at the Supreme Court, as Tony Mauro reports. [National Law Journal]

    * Speaking of clerks, I talk quite a bit about them and their role in this interview with Kaley Pillinger about my writing career (from Underneath Their Robes to Above the Law to Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link)). [The Politic]

    * Speaking of SCOTUS, and more specifically of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the high court, Ed Whelan responds to the arguments of Senate Democrats against — yes, against — the prompt provision of records from Kavanaugh’s years as White House counsel. [Bench Memos / National Review]

    * If Judge Kavanaugh becomes Justice Kavanaugh, how will that affect the Court’s business jurisprudence? Adam Feldman has this analysis. [Empirical SCOTUS]

    * The failure of Ryan Bounds’s Ninth Circuit nomination could be a “teachable moment” for Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), according to Will Folks. [FITSNews]

    * Speaking of disappointing failures to confirm, Paul Mirengoff shares my frustration over the inexcusable delays in Department of Justice confirmations. [Power Line]

    * It’s unfair to dismiss Seinfeld as “a show about nothing”; episodes offer insight into numerous legal issues — for example, the law of conspiracy. [Seinfeld Law]

    * Kal Raustiala and Christopher Jon Sprigman offer interesting reflections on how data-driven authorship might affect the way we think about creativity and copyright. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]

    * If you’re interested in litigation finance, there’s a conference coming up next month here in New York that you might want to check out. [LF Dealmakers Forum]

    By  
  • Non-Sequiturs: 08.05.18
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 08.05.18

    * Joel Cohen tackles a tricky issue: how far should a lawyer go when defending a controversial client — e.g., Bill Cosby — in the court of public opinion? [Law and Crime]

    * How much does being a conservative or libertarian hurt you when applying for a position as a law professor? James C. Phillips attempts to quantify the “rank gap.” [SSRN]

    * Some thoughts on the case involving 3D-printer gunmaking instructions, from Eugene Volokh — who, not surprisingly, has a take that’s a bit more nuanced than Elie Mystal’s. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]

    * Happy blogiversary to Artificial Lawyer — a great resource for anyone interested in the intersection of AI and the law. [Artificial Lawyer]

    * C. Boyden Gray, a former White House Counsel, offers a clear and persuasive explanation of why seeing all the documents that Brett Kavanaugh sent or received during his time as White House Staff Secretary isn’t going to aid in evaluation of his SCOTUS nomination. [The Hill]

    * From leading Supreme Court lawyer Lisa Blatt: “I’m a Liberal Feminist Lawyer. Here’s Why Democrats Should Support Judge Kavanaugh.” [Politico]

    * And here’s more support for the SCOTUS nominee, from Kathryn Cherry, a former Kavanaugh clerk (and an African-American woman — one of Judge Kavanaugh’s many female or minority clerks).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBjEJPdAOPo&feature=youtu.be

    By