Generally, it is not cool to make fun of people who don't pass the New York Bar Exam.

Generally.

However, Elizabeth Wurtzel puts us in a difficult position. A) She's a public figure, B) She really doesn't seem to care. When the New York Observer approached her with the news that Gawker alerted the world that she failed the bar, Wurtzel responded:

"Wow, really? I had no idea. I didn't even see that. That's interesting," Ms. Wurtzel said of the report, with an awkward half-smile.

Well, what was she supposed to say?

I'm so ashamed and embarrassed, and Gawker has compounded my misery. I wish I could cry but I have no more tears left. I wish the public would just leave me alone so I can hang myself in the privacy of my own bathroom.

Why give the haters any opening? Going quietly into the night is a fine option.

So, why isn't ATL just leaving her alone? After the jump.

[Ed. note: Happy Columbus Day. And to the Canadians, happy Thanksgiving. Our publisher Breaking Media has encouraged us to embrace the holiday spirit on this second Monday of October, so we will not be publishing today. We'll see you tomorrow.]

* "Experts call 5 ongoing probes of federal jurists unprecedented." [Houston Chronicle]

* Arizona bar exam results are out. [Supreme Court of Arizona (PDF)]

*Citigroup may have gracefully walked away from the battle with Wells Fargo over Wachovia, but it's not walking away from its lawsuit for $60 billion in damages. [New York Law Journal]

* Sidley and Austin: breeding ground for terrorists? [Talking Points Memo]

* The Troopergate report was released on Friday. Sarah Palin found to have abused executive power. [Washington Post]

* Elizabeth Wurtzel in the house at Boies Schiller. [WSJ Law Blog]

When we previously wrote about author-turned-lawyer Elizabeth Wurtzel, whom we honored as a Summer Associate of the Day, you had some strong reactions. Now Ms. Wurtzel, a Yale Law School student who summered at WilmerHale, is in the news once again. We expect no shortage of reader opinions.

Wurtzel is the subject of a generally flattering profile in the Sunday Styles section of the New York Times. It's quite interesting; read it in full here. This struck us as the money quote (quite literally):

Although Ms. Wurtzel received a $500,000 advance for her second book, “Bitch” (and half of that for “More, Now, Again”), she took out loans to pay for her education. Yale’s law school tuition this year is $43,750.

“I’m badly in debt,” she said. “It’s got to be in the six figures.” Ms. Wurtzel has until Nov. 15 to take up WilmerHale’s job offer. She also has an essay collection in the works but no publisher yet.

We realize cocaine is expensive, but we still don't understand how authors can blow (haha) through six-figure advances so quickly. What next? Will Jessica Cutler, who recently declared bankruptcy, matriculate at Harvard Law School?

Discussion resumes after the jump.

We reiterate last year's request for funny or interesting stories about summer associates. We'll use them for our new feature, Summer Associate of the Day. Like ATL's Lawyer of the Day and Judge of the Day columns -- which may be somewhat misnamed, since they don't appear daily, but whatever -- we're most interested in people making damn fools of themselves.

For today's Summer Associate of the Day, though, we're going for "notable" rather than "embarrassing." From a source:

Judging from your recent post on Shane Chase, it appears you may have a soft spot for interesting or controversial summer hires.

How's this? The New York office of WilmerHale has hired Elizabeth Wurtzel as a summer associate. You may remember her as the controversial author of Prozac Nation and Bitch, as well as a former music critic/wild card for The New Yorker and New York Magazine. She's also a looker -- see here. She's at Yale, almost 40 now, and still looks as good.

Who knows, maybe she'll use Wilmer for fodder for another article/book!

Indeed. Prozac Law Firm, anyone? It seems that commenter WilmerNY could use some antidepressants.

Or maybe Wurtzel could pen a sequel to her 1998 book, Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women? The world of Biglaw should provide ample fodder.

Elizabeth Wurtzel [Wikipedia]

Earlier: Low-Hanging Fruit: Summer Associate Stories, Please