Dubious Conferences

Update: Some Panelists Won’t Participate in Revised Panel for Lady Lawyers

By

Ally McBeal female lawyer woman attorney Calista Flockhart.jpgLast 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 on “the strengths and weaknesses of women in the areas of communication, negotiation, mediation, arbitration, organization, and women’s overall management of their legal work.”
After some negative reactions, including calls for a boycott, the NYSBA revised the panel title and description. We noted this in an update to our post (added on Friday at 6 PM before the holiday weekend, so some of you may have missed it).
The revised panel, according to the NYSBA, will feature both women and men. The new description of the event led Professor Bridget Crawford to rescind her call for a boycott.
But at least two “distinguished gentlemen” will not be participating in the new and improved panel. Details — plus a READER POLL, and highlighted comments from our last post — after the jump.

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Update: Some Panelists Won’t Participate in Revised Panel for Lady Lawyers”

Sign up for the Above the Law newsletter

Subscribe to our free daily email and get breaking news, commentary, and opinions on law firms, lawyers, law schools, lawsuits, judges, and more.

Hey, Lady Lawyers: Have We Got a Conference for You….

By

Ally McBeal female lawyer woman attorney Calista Flockhart.jpgEd. 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 York State Bar Association has changed the title and description of the panel in question. Details after the jump.
Women in the law: you’ve come a long way, babies. Many of you are partners, even managing partners, at top law firms. Some of you are professors, even deans, at leading law schools. One if you is the Solicitrix General; two of you sit on the Supreme Court.
But maybe you still need some advice for navigating the mean, cutthroat, male-dominated world of the legal profession. Ideally these tips should come from, you know…. MEN.
At the upcoming annual meeting of the New York State Bar Association, the Committee on Women in the Law is sponsoring a program called “Weathering Tough Times: Strategic Planning for Your Practice.” It includes this panel:
NYSBA conference panel Their Point of View Tips from the Other Side.jpg
So, how do you think women lawyers reacted to the prospect of enlightenment from a “distinguished panel of gentlemen”?

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Hey, Lady Lawyers: Have We Got a Conference for You….”

ATL Public Service Announcement: Wearing A Backpack May Be Hazardous To Your Health

By

backpack awareness day Georgetown University Law Center AboveTheLaw.jpgYou don’t have to take our word for it. Just attend “Backpack Awareness Day” at Georgetown:

Backpack Awareness Day
Join us in the Chapel Area
1:30-3:30 p.m.
September 20th

Tips to Prevent Back Problems:

- Wear both straps to distribute the weight evenly

- Wear the backpack resting evenly over the middle of the back. The backpack should not extend below the low back

- Adjust the straps so they are not too loose but still allow for free arm movement and ease in putting on and taking off the backpack

- Carry only those items needed for the day with the heaviest items closest to the back

- When selecting a backpack, choose one with

- A padded back
- Hip and chest belts
- Multiple compartments
- Reflective material to enhance visibility at night

Who knew that wearing a backpack could be so hard?
As weird Georgetown Law events go, Backpack Awareness Day isn’t as much fun as GULC’s yearly 1L moustache contest. That competition, which “renders the male 1L population even more unattractive than usual during finals period,” features “a dog show-style competition, kegs, professors judging, drunk spectators, 2L interlopers, and a Burt Reynolds commemorative plate for winner.”
But if you’re desperate for a way to procrastinate, perhaps Backpack Awareness Day will do the trick.
Moustache Law [official website]

A Primer for Partners: How To Screw Associates Out of Pay Raises

By

100 dollar bill Above the Law Above the Law law firm salary legal blog legal tabloid Above the Law.JPGGreedy law firm associates view ATL as a helpful resource. But what about Biglaw partners? They’re greedy too, y’know.
Well, here’s something for all you partners out there. A tipster alerted us to this audio conference, taking place later this month:

*************************************************
IOMA AUDIO CONFERENCES!

ASSOCIATE COMPENSATION:

STRATEGIES TO ATTACK PAY PLANS THAT DRAIN PARTNER PROFITS

September 20, 2007 * 2:00 – 3:30 PM

REGISTER TODAY!
*************************************************

The full conference description, plus commentary, after the jump.

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “A Primer for Partners: How To Screw Associates Out of Pay Raises”

Programming Note: Legal Writing Navel-Gazing Fiesta!

By

We’re up in New York right now for a symposium on legal writing at New York Law School. Topics to be covered include both legal academic writing, for student-run law reviews, as well as writing about legal affairs for a lay audience (e.g., through legal journalism and blogging).
The comfortable, well-lit classroom that we’re in right now has excellent wireless internet access. So we will be blogging, both about the conference and non-conference subjects, throughout the day.
P.S. We think this conference will be very worthwhile. We’re only applying the “Dubious Conferences” tag because we’re quite proud of it, and don’t get to use it enough.
Writing About the Law: From Bluebook to Blogs and Beyond [New York Law School]

The Law of Beer: U of O Symposium, or YLS Seminar?

By

beer Above the Law Blog alcohol drinking.jpgThe former, actually. But when it shows up in next year’s Yale Law School course catalog, don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Personally we find beer kinda gross — bitter and foul-tasting. But for those of you who enjoy this beverage, check out this conference, taking place later today at the University of Oregon law school:

It’s not all malt and hops – Oregon’s brewers face an array of legal issues from intellectual property law to fundamental constitutional questions.

The 2006 Law of Beer Symposium features panelists from Oregon’s Rogue Ales and the former director of Oregon Brewer’s Guild.

It takes place on Thursday, November 16 at 7:00 P.M. in Room 110, Knight Law Center, 1515 Agate Street in Eugene. The event is sponsored by the Law and Entrepreneurship Student Association.

The IP angle we can understand, but we’re not sure about the Con Law perspective. Granholm v. Heald was about the interstate shipment of wine, not beer. South Dakota v. Dole isn’t really about beer, but about the drinking age more generally (and the spending power). And we don’t think the wheat being grown in Wickard v. Fillburn was destined to be turned into hefeweizen.
But we haven’t thought a lot about this or researched the subject. Please feel free to enlighten us as to the “fundamental constitutional questions” implicated by chugging an ice-cold Heineken.
The Law of Beer [University of Oregon School of Law]
Beer Symposium Today at Oregon [TaxProf Blog]

Oy Vey: Is This A Superfluous Conference, or What?

By

alan dershowitz.jpgFor those of you in the New York area, here’s an event next month you might be interested in:

Sunday – Tuesday, October 22-24, 2006
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Three-day conference: “Jews and the Legal Profession”, at 55 Fifth Avenue at 12th Street.

Participants include Alan Dershowitz, Stuart Eizenstat, and many others. For more information and registration, please e-mail xxx@yahoo.com or call 212-xxx-xxxx.

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Oy Vey: Is This A Superfluous Conference, or What?”