Bad Ideas
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Bad Ideas, Hotties, Reality TV, Television
Reality Television Can Be Good For Your Career, Says Apprentice Loser
In our last few reality TV stories, we have highlighted the perils of putting your life on camera — publicly flunking out of law school, having the world know you’ve failed the bar exam twice, and exposing an ego surgically enhanced to the size of Texas. One former reality TV star emailed us to protest. […] -
Bad Ideas, Law Schools, Texas
How to Sell a Law School to Texans
In Morning Docket we mentioned that the new public law school at UMass is off to a flying start. Let’s check back in with those students in three years when they are in massive debt and have no job prospects. We’ve slammed UMass Law quite a bit. But there are other university systems that are […] - 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. -
Ann Althouse, Bad Ideas, Law Schools, Rank Stupidity, Student Loans
College Grad Exposes Everything That's Wrong With 0Ls
We spend a lot of time telling prospective law students to carefully consider the decision to go to law school. And still they come. We tell prospective law students that law school is expensive and the job market is weak. But still they come, in record numbers. What makes them come? NPR did a story […]
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Bad Ideas, Law Professors, Law Schools, LSAT, Media and Journalism, Rankings, U.S. News
Law Profs Want Schools to Stop Reporting LSAT Scores to U.S. News
From the files of “things that will never freaking happen,” the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) is telling law schools to discontinue divulging LSAT scores to U.S. News for the publication’s annual rankings. SALT should duck before that flying pig smacks it upside its head. The National Law Journal reports: [SALT] has urged law […] -
Bad Ideas, Lawyer of the Day
A Diabolical Defense Strategy
An attorney representing a man in a Virginia Circuit Court came up with a creative defense strategy for one of his clients. Attorney George Freeman was representing a man who had pleaded guilty to fraud. Due to nine prior convictions, Rodney Newsome was facing serious jail time. But Freeman got him off with no sentence […] -
Bad Ideas, Murder, Pro Se Litigants, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: You Just Suck. Don't Take It Personally.
You don’t know how to ask a question. You don’t know how to offer things into evidence. You keep making stupid speeches. You keep saying you are good at this. You are not. I do not say this to insult you. — Justice Carol Berkman to Robert Camarano, a pro se litigant representing himself in […] -
Bad Ideas, Law Schools, Ridiculousness
Michigan Law Secret Society Openly Mocked
It’s been a while since we’ve had a good, hard laugh at the expense of Michigan law students. As the recession took hold, Michigan students stopped stealing sandwiches and cell phones. So maybe the latest spate of on-campus douchebaggery at Michigan is a sign that economy is picking back up? Or maybe it’s simply another […] -
Bad Ideas, Pornography, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Because Law School Is About Learning How to Screw People
I was trying to engage my class, moving about the room, and I saw a student watching a graphic porn video on his laptop. Really? And this guy hopes to be a practicing lawyer in nine months? — An unidentified law professor, complaining about student laptop misuse in class. - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Bad Ideas, Intellectual Property, Law Schools
Did Cornell Law School Violate IP Law with its 'Nard Dog' Ad?
Cornell’s use of Andy “The Nard Dog” Bernard to promote its law school was a questionable decision. Alumni are saying it makes their toolish reputation even worse, and some are calling for someone at the law school to be fired. After news outlets like TMZ and Entertainment Weekly picked up our story, the school rethought […] -
Bad Ideas, Boalt Hall, Lunacy
Crazy Spammer Maligns San Francisco Law Firm and Berkeley 3L
Attorneys and law students across the country have been on the receiving end of emails from a rabid activist named Leslie Brodie this month. Brodie is waging a crusade to “end racism/sexism in U.S. law firms” by starting a petition. In a mass email about the petition, she directed her attack specifically at one firm, […] -
Bad Ideas, In-House Counsel
Dear In-House Counsel for Macy's: Buy a Shredder. HTH.
In October, we mentioned that the giant department store, Macy’s, was having some trouble disposing of its sensitive documents. Reports surfaced that internal documents, some of which included the Social Security numbers of Macy’s customers, were being disposed of on the streets of St. Louis, in lidless containers. Now, months after the initial, embarrassing incident, […] -
Bad Ideas, Disasters / Emergencies, LSAT
Snowpocalypse LSAT at Georgetown
We were beset by technical difficulties here at ATL yesterday (as we explained in our Twitter feed). We apologize for the site outages; hopefully the situation will be better next week. At least we didn’t have to go out in the snow. Our brethren in D.C. were not as fortunate. The Washington Post reports: The […] -
Bad Ideas
Hard-Hitting Term Paper Exposé Costs Appellate Law Clerk His Job
In November, we told you about Damian Bonazzoli, who was — at that time — a senior staff attorney for the Massachusetts Appeals Court. He decided to make some money on the side by responding to a Craigslist ad seeking someone to write a term paper. The Boston College law grad sent along his résumé […]
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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.
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
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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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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Bad Ideas, Celebrities, Commencement, Law Schools, Television
Wisconsin Law School Seeks to Import Jersey Shore to the Great Lakes
As a denizen of New York City, I find that I have to deal with people who could be cast members on The Jersey Shore all the time. They clog up my 4 train when the Yankees are playing. They bounce at bars and clubs. Here in the city, you can even see them in […] -
Bad Ideas, Conferences / Symposia, Dubious Conferences, Feminism, Gender, Reader Polls
Update: Some Panelists Won't Participate in Revised Panel for Lady Lawyers
Last week we wrote about an upcoming panel discussion, sponsored by the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Women in the Law, that generated some controversy. The panel, entitled “Their Point of View: Tips from the Other Side,” was going to feature “[a] distinguished panel of gentlemen from the legal field,” who would opine […] -
Bad Ideas, Conferences / Symposia, Dubious Conferences, Feminism, Gender
Hey, Lady Lawyers: Have We Got a Conference for You....
Ed. note: Above the Law is a bit estrogen-deprived this week, with both Kash and Marin on vacation. So your above-signed writer, who is more in touch with his feminine side than Elie, was called up for duty. He apologizes for not being able to do justice to this subject. UPDATE (6 PM): The New […] -
Bad Ideas, Harvard, Law Schools, Money, Student Loans
Debt: The Silent Killer
I graduated law school in 2003, owing Harvard University just under $150,000. At the time, I had no idea what starting my professional career $150K in the hole would do to my life. I figured I’d work hard, make money, and pay my loans out of my general non-disposable income funds — kind of like […] -
Bad Ideas, Caption Contests, Contests, Nauseating Things, Pictures
ATL Caption Contest: Study Stall
We know how you love caption contests. Just like our last one, which was holiday-themed, this one is also timely. It goes out to law students in the midst of studying for or taking final exams. Here’s the pic: Same rules as always: Submit possible captions in the comments. We’ll choose our favorites — with […] -
Bad Ideas, Bankruptcy, Bar Exams, Law Schools, Old People, Rank Stupidity, Student Loans
Discharging Law School Debt in Bankruptcy Doesn't Get Any Easier When You Are Old
I spent all day yesterday trying to summon the rage, trying to figure out a way to trumpet the cause of a sixty-something, recent law school graduate who is still having trouble discharging her student loans in a bankruptcy proceeding. The National Law Journal has the tear-jerking story: When she graduated four years ago with […] -
Bad Ideas
Balloon Boy Parents to Plead Guilty
Our long, national, helium induced nightmare is almost over. CNN is reporting that Richard and Mayumi Heene — parents of Falcon “Balloon Boy” Heene — will plead guilty tomorrow: The Larimer County district attorney’s office Thursday said Richard Heene has been charged with one count of attempting to influence a public servant, a felony, and […]