Bad Ideas
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Bad Ideas, War on Terror, Weirdness
Weeping Over Wedgies?
We can’t wait for the 1983 action. From the Associated Press: The principal of Park High School returned to school Tuesday after a six-day suspension for giving a student a “wedgie.” The Livingston School District Board held a special meeting Monday and approved Superintendent Hannibal Anderson’s recommendation that Principal Eric Messerli be allowed to return […] -
Allen & Overy, Bad Ideas, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Milberg Weiss, Patricia Hynes, Plaintiffs Firms
Musical Chairs: Parachuting Onto a Sinking Ship?
We’re vaguely troubled by the title of this WSJ Law Blog post (’cause it makes us think of this). But it does report on a notable move within the legal profession, so we will plow ahead. From the aforementioned post: Matthew Gluck is joining Milberg Weiss Bershad & Schulman as a senior partner, marking a […] - Sponsored
AI’s Impact On Law Firms Of Every Size
How solo lawyers, midsize firms, and global large law firms have an opportunity to adjust the way they work. -
Bad Ideas, Barack Obama, Drinking, Morning Docket, Politics, Violence
Morning Docket: 10.23.06
* “I’m not as think as you guilty I am, occifer.” [Kansas City Star via How Appealing; New York Times] * If she’s caffeine, I’ll be having decaf with my French Toast Fantasy this morning. [WSJ Law Blog] * I’m not necessarily saying that taking a bus to a college town, pitching a tent, and […]
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Bad Ideas, Jack Thompson, Lunacy, Practice Pointers, State Judges, Violence
ATL Practice Pointers: How to Deal With Defeat
Here at Above the Law, we’re not all about silliness. We have a serious and more practical side, too. Last month, in honor of fall recruiting season, we shared with you our Top Ten Interview Tips. This is what’s known in the trade as “service journalism,” or what U.S. News and World Report calls “news […] -
Bad Ideas, Immigration, Masturbation, Stupid Lawyer Tricks, White-Collar Crime
Stupid Lawyer Tricks: Abusing the Autopen
Okay, so he’s actually a law student (as a number of you nitpickers would surely point out). Anyway, here’s the story: A 26-year-old law school standout was arrested for pretending to be a New Jersey congressman, so he could obtain visas for relatives and others in his native Cameroon, said a federal prosecutor. Njock Eyong […] -
Anna Nicole Smith, Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Laura Appleman, Legal Ethics
Fun With Legal Ethics: The Anna Nicole Smith - Howard K. Stern Case
Professor Laura Appleman, who teaches at Willamette University College of Law and blogs at Legal Ethics Forum, has just written a fascinating and fun piece about the Anna Nicole Smith saga. Appleman examines the relationship between Smith and her attorney-cum-paramour, Howard K. Stern, from a legal ethics perspective. Even those of you whose recollections of […] -
Bad Ideas, Non-Sequiturs, Parties, Racism
Non-Sequiturs: 10.13.06
* Does fat = lazy or lazy = fat? Becker and Posner discuss the “Fat Law” and causation, but do not explain why there are so many fat people at Disneyland and on the Jerry Springer show. [Becker-Posner Blog (Posner); Becker-Posner Blog (Becker)] * If we’ve committed genocide, you’ve committed genocide. French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Nude Dancing, Orin Kerr, Scott Blauvelt
If We Ever Get Arrested, Our One Phone Call Will Be to Orin Kerr
We’ve blogged a fair amount about Scott Blauvelt, the Ohio prosecutor charged with public indecency for walking around his office in the nude. His lawyer, Michael Gmoser, seems to be laying the groundwork for an insanity defense. In a statement issued yesterday, Gmoser said that his client was seriously injured in a 2005 car accident, […] - Sponsored
Diving Into Generative AI: A Practical Guide For Law Firms Starting From Scratch
NetDocuments’ Michelle Spencer on where to start, what to ask, and considerations for implementing generative AI tools in your organization. -
Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Nude Dancing, Scott Blauvelt
The Case of the Naked Prosecutor, and A Brief Note on Owning It
Earlier today — at 7:30 this morning, actually — we wrote about Scott Blauvelt, the Ohio prosecutor who faces criminal charges of public indecency “for walking around the Government Services Center after business hours without clothing.” Now we learn, via CNN, the explanation he’s offering for his conduct: Blauvelt’s lawyer, Michael Gmoser, said in a […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Nude Dancing, Scott Blauvelt
Scott Blauvelt Needs a New Office Chair
When you’re spending long hours at work, you want to be as comfortable as possible. Late at night or on weekends, we used to pad about our law firm office in socks. Eventually we brought in a pair of white fuzzy slippers, courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago, for this purpose.* But this may be […] -
Bad Ideas, Blackberry-Crackberry, Food, Insider Trading, Pictures, Scott Black, Securities and Exchange Commission, White-Collar Crime
Law Firm Associates: How Not To Deal with the Late-Night Munchies
“No,” Daddy tried to explain, “it’s not THAT kind of blackberry…” Photograph provided courtesy of a former Wachtell Lipton colleague of ours, Scott L. Black (whom we identify here with his permission; our default rule is anonymity for tipsters). Meet the absolutely adorable Shoshana Black, daughter of Scott and Marnie Black, a high-powered exec at […] -
Admin, Announcements, Bad Ideas, Boring Stuff, Cheapness, Jews, Shameless Plugs, Ted Frank
Guest-blogger checking in
Good morning. David Lat is in Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand for the weekend for what has been euphemistically called “elective surgery.” Rest assured, D-Lat will return Monday, safe, sound, and happy to blog, if having to sit on a comfy pillow to do so, and we should all be supportive of the very […] -
Ann Baskins, Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, HP, Larry Sonsini, Oy, Rank Stupidity
The HP Debacle: Babies, Candy, Etc.
We are guilty of dereliction of duty. We’ve neglected to write about the Hewlett-Packard leak investigation scandal, now unfolding in all of its glory before Congress. (Yes, that Congress: a body that knows all about unethical behavior, illegal conduct, and mind-blowing stupidity.) We’ve been avoiding this scandal for two main reasons. First, it’s a story […]
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Bad Ideas, Judge of the Day, Pornography, R. Fred Lewis, Sexual Harassment, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Judge of the Day: Brandt C. Downey III
Okay, maybe he should be “Judge of Yesterday,” since this was in yesterday’s paper (and was picked up by How Appealing yesterday too). But it’s Saturday, and we’re still working hard to entertain you, so stop your quibbling. A judge who repeatedly viewed pornography on the computer in his chambers apologized Friday after receiving a […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Biglaw, Interview Stories, Job Searches
Interview Horror Stories: Sports Night
Our series of interview anecdotes, which we kicked off yesterday, continues. And today’s tale illustrates that sometimes the rudeness comes not from the interview candidate, but from her hosts: As a law student applying for summer associate jobs, I had a post-interview lunch at [a large New York law firm] with a young male associate. […] -
Bad Ideas, Biglaw, Food, Interview Stories, Job Searches
Interview Horror Stories: The Roll Recycler
The evening air is turning crisp. The kids are back in school. You’re starting to think about where to spend Thanksgiving. That’s right, everyone: Autumn is here. (Official start of fall this year: Saturday, September 23.) In the legal world, everyone knows what fall means: job interviews. Second- and third-year law students are interviewing for […] -
Bad Ideas, Biglaw, Gay
How Not To Come Out to the Partners At Your Firm
The anecdote we’re about to share with you is on the vulgar side. So if you’d rather not be exposed to such crudeness, just skip this post. (Mom and Dad, this means you.) We heard this story recently over drinks — but we have the permission of the storyteller to publish it. So if you […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, John Marshall Law School, Sex, Sex Scandals
This Sex Scandal Is Finger-Lickin' Good
Above the Law bills itself as “a legal tabloid.” And no tabloid would be complete without a sex scandal. Our scandale du jour emanates from the Windy City, home of John Marshall Law School. The Chicago Sun-Times reports: When students returned to John Marshall Law School this month, everyone was talking about the lawsuit against […] -
Bad Ideas, Prostitution, Sex
Not Another Teen Movie Summer Associate Story
But it might as well be one. A tipster sent us this anecdote, following up on our Cristina Schultz coverage: Towards the end of my first year at the University of Texas School of Law, one of the first-years stopped showing up to class. But then she showed up at an end-of-year party for her […] -
Bad Ideas, Drinking, Sexual Harassment, Summer Associates
Summer Associate Stories: SA Makes Drunken Fool of Himself; Sun Rises in East
Sadly, today’s summer associate story isn’t as exciting as the misadventures of the amateur stripper. Rather, it’s an all-too-familiar tale: summer associate goes to firm event; summer associate gets rip-roaringly drunk; summer associate acts crazy. But hey, we’ve got to make do with what we’ve been given. And lately you guys have been somewhat delinquent […]