Federal Government
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American Bar Association / ABA, Bankruptcy, Bernie Madoff, Biglaw, Billable Hours, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Federal Government, Gay, Gay Marriage, Law Professors, Law Schools, Lunacy, Money, Morning Docket, Small Law Firms, War on Terror
Morning Docket: 08.12.13
* Dewey know which Biglaw firms and ex-partners were sued by the failed firm’s bankruptcy estate? Sadly, they must all be asking, “Howrey going to survive now that Allan Diamond is on the case?” [Am Law Daily]
* You’d probably love to work as an associate on a 9-5 schedule with billable requirements so low you’d get canned anywhere else. There’s just one catch: You’d have a “proportionately lower salary.” [Daily Report]
* “Law professors and law deans are paid too much,” so the ABA is reducing tenure requirements for law school accreditation, which will make it easier for them to be laid off. [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)]
* The ABA also decided to cut law schools some slack in terms of graduates’ employment data, and it’s likely due to the U.S. News rankings reckoning. Say hello to the 10-months-after graduation jobs statistic. [National Law Journal]
* Following the Windsor ruling, the Social Security Administration is paying claims for married gay couples living in states where same-sex marriage is recognized. As for the rest, better luck next time. [BuzzFeed]
* Would-be senator Cory Booker has taken annual payouts from his former firm, Trenk DiPasquale, since he left. You may remember that firm’s name from the C&D letter seen around the world. [New York Post]
* Author John Grisham was so pissed his books were banned at Guantánamo Bay that he took up the cause of prisoners wrongfully accused, detained for years, and released without apology. [New York Times]
* Almost as if to add insult to injury, Bernie Madoff was allegedly involved in a love triangle with one of his employees who’s about to go to trial. Apparently having dirty money is a desirable trait in a man. [Reuters]
* Amanda Bynes is still in the psych ward on a 5150, and her mother was granted a temporary conservatorship over her cray cray kid’s financial affairs. Way to follow in Britney Spears’s footsteps. [CNN]
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9th Circuit, Banking Law, Bar Exams, Biglaw, Books, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Racism, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, SCOTUS, Sentencing Law, Sports, Student Loans, Supreme Court, United Kingdom / Great Britain, Video games
Morning Docket: 08.01.13
Ed. note: We are having an Above the Law retreat this afternoon, so we may be less prolific than usual today. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.
* “I think I am now the hardest-working justice. I wasn’t until David Souter left us.” Justice Ginsburg celebrates her twentieth year on the high bench in true diva style. [USA Today]
* Sorry, EA, the Ninth Circuit thought your First Amendment free expression defense to allegedly stealing college sports players’ likenesses was a load of hooey. [Wall Street Journal]
* “It’s a decision that clearly favors the merchants.” A federal judge gave the Fed a spanking in a ruling on its cap for debit card fees earned by banks after consumer swipes. [DealBook / New York Times]
* “What makes this discriminatory? I don’t think there’s anything in Title 7 that says an employer has to be consistent.” Ropes & Gray’s “token black associate” had his day in court. [National Law Journal]
* The firm that outed J.K. Rowling as author of “The Cuckoo’s Calling” will make a charitable donation as an apology — getting the book to the bestseller’s list wasn’t charitable enough. [New York Times]
* As the bar exam draws to a close today, here’s something to consider: 12,250 people signed up to take the test in New York alone. Are there jobs out there for them? Best of luck! [New York Law Journal]
* The feds want to make a better return on their investment on law student loans. Perhaps it’s time for those good old gainful employment regulations. [Student Loan Ranger / U.S. News & World Report]
* Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro is expected to speak at his sentencing hearing today, where a judge will decide if a term of life in prison plus 1,000 years is appropriate punishment for him. [CBS News]
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Biglaw, Crime, Death Penalty, Department of Justice, Eric Holder, Federal Government, General Counsel, Google / Search Engines, In-House Counsel, Jury Duty, Law Professors, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Politics, Small Law Firms, Technology, Wall Street
Morning Docket: 07.29.13
* When it comes to the U.S. Congress — especially the current one, said to be the least productive and least popular in history — and federal lawmaking, “action isn’t the same as accomplishment.” [Boston Globe]
* The Department of Justice won’t seek the death penalty against Edward Snowden, but only because the crime he’s charged with doesn’t carry that kind of punishment as an option. But oh, Eric Holder can wish. [CNN]
* Sorry to burst your bubble, but Biglaw as we know it is on a respirator, so be prepared to recite its last rites. The New Republic’s Noam Scheiber responds to the critics of last week’s hard-hitting piece. [New Republic]
* The grass isn’t greener on the other side right now. Revenue per lawyer rose at Biglaw firms in 2012 (up 8.5 percent), but small firms struggled (with RPL down 8.1 percent). Ouch. [National Law Journal]
* Let me Google that for you: Hot new technology startups have been looking to lawyers who hail from the innovative internet company’s ranks when staffing their own legal departments. [The Recorder]
* If you’re wondering why more financial crimes haven’t been prosecuted since the Wall Street meltdown of 2008, it’s probably because they’re too just difficult for most juries to understand. Comforting. [NPR]
* In a recent interview having to do with all of the problems that law schools are currently facing, from shrinkage to joblessness, Professor Paul Campos sat down to politely say, “Told ya so.” [Denver Post]
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Bloomberg, Career Alternatives, Federal Government, Food, Videos, YouTube
Just Desserts For A Federal Government Lawyer
Who doesn't love ice cream? One lawyer turned ice-cream maker comes up with delicious, creative flavors. -
Biglaw, Federal Government, Money, Old People, Perks / Fringe Benefits
The Feds Step In to Take Over Yet Another Underfunded Biglaw Pension Plan
Which law firm turned to the government for help this time, and how underfunded was its pension plan? -
Bloomberg, Career Alternatives, Federal Government, Food, Litigators, Videos, YouTube
Law School Graduates: Let Them Bake Cake
Do you have a talent for baking? Here's an inspiring story for you. -
Federal Government, Gay, Gay Marriage, Lesbians, Money, Quote of the Day, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Tax Law
Good News For Divorce Lawyers, Bad News For Tax Lawyers?
How will the Supreme Court's DOMA decision affect married gay couples? Let us count the ways.... -
California, Crime, Federal Government, Gay, Gay Marriage, Health Care / Medicine, Immigration, John Roberts, Law Professors, Law Schools, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Texas, Violence
Morning Docket: 06.28.13
* Do you think Chief Justice Roberts is the Supreme Court’s “peacemaker”? To be fair, at least he does a better job of tempering all of his judicial rage than his colleagues. [Politico] * According to Prof. John Eastman of Chapman Law, the SCOTUS decision striking down DOMA means Prop 8 is good law in California. Try and wrap your mind around that one. [OC Weekly] * The Senate approved a bipartisan immigration reform plan with a 68-32 vote, and now it’s up to House representatives to take the bill and summarily wipe their asses with it. [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)] * The good folks at Hobby Lobby quilted for hours yesterday to celebrate the Tenth Circuit’s reversal of a lower court’s denial of an injunction blocking the ACA’s contraceptives mandate. [The Oklahoman] * Texas A&M still hopes to acquire Texas Weslyan’s law school; they’re just waiting for the ABA to look over the paperwork. Welcome, Texas A&M Law, since the takeover will obviously be approved. [WTAW] * Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been indicted on 30 counts of violence and weapons-related charges. Right now, he’s looking at a possibility of life in prison or the death penalty. [CNN] - Sponsored
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Biglaw, Federal Government, Lateral Moves, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues
Musical Chairs: Notable New Names at Davis Polk, Paul Hastings, and Orrick
Davis Polk lands a big-name lateral with major government experience, while Paul Hastings and Orrick raid rivals for talent. -
Constitutional Law, Federal Government, Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
The Hidden Blessings of the NSA's Spying
There's a silver lining to the NSA spying cloud, as columnist Tamara Tabo explains. -
Federal Government, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Money, Politics, Student Loans
Federal Government Profiting Handsomely Off Your Debt
And yet the government seems unwilling or unable to remedy the situation. -
Department of Justice, Eric Holder, Federal Government, Quote of the Day
Like the Energizer Bunny, Eric Holder Will Keep Going, and Going, and Going...
Reading 80,000 Verizon text messages every day can really wear you down, but Eric Holder is staying strong. -
Clerkships, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Jed Rakoff, Law Schools, S.D.N.Y.
A Quick Update on Law Clerk Hiring
The Southern District of New York provides a model for other courts to follow.
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Federal Government, Rudeness
Federal Regulators Don't Even Know How To Blow Their Noses
Has the federal government been deprived of tissue boxes? -
Barack Obama, Department of Justice, Eric Holder, Federal Government, Minority Issues, Politics
Will Obama Abandon Eric Holder Like All His Other Black Friends?
Have African-Americans in leadership positions not named "Barack Obama" benefited from this whole "black president" thing? -
Clerkships, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Law Schools, S.D.N.Y.
What's the Latest News in Law Clerk Hiring?
Some S.D.N.Y. judges have made a sensible tweak to (what remains of) the Law Clerk Hiring Plan. -
Accounting / Accountants, Federal Government, Politics, Tax Law
On The IRS Mess And What It Means To Be A Lawyer
The IRS scandal sheds light on what it means to be a lawyer -- what it means to others, and what it means to us. -
Biglaw, Books, Federal Government, In-House Counsel, Lateral Moves, Litigators, Partner Issues, Shameless Plugs
Inside Straight: Don't They Love You When You're Walking In the Door?
Do law firms value people who have not been at the firm that long more highly than people who have been at the firm for many years? -
Akin Gump, Biglaw, Billable Hours, Canada, Environment / Environmental Law, Federal Government, Guns / Firearms, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Murder, Patton Boggs, Texas
Morning Docket: 04.18.13
* “[T]hese senators decided to do nothing. Shame on them” Yesterday, the Senate blocked gun-control legislation that could have saved lives, and Gabrielle Giffords, a victim of gun violence, wrote a powerful op-ed in reaction. [New York Times]
* DLA Piper won’t be churning that bill anymore because the firm managed to settle its fee dispute with Adam Victor, but it’s certain that the firm’s embarrassment over the overbilling incident will know no limits. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Ahh, best-laid plans: Kim Koopersmith, the first woman to serve as Akin Gump’s chair, never thought that she’d be working in a law firm. In law school, she wanted to work in public interest. [Bloomberg]
* You’ll never guess which firm has the best brand in Canada according to the latest Acritas survey, but that’s probably because you don’t care. Come on, it’s Canada. Fine, it’s Norton Rose. [Am Law Daily]
* Oopsie! Burford Capital claims that it would never have funded plaintiffs’ representation by Patton Boggs in the Chevron case if it weren’t for a partner’s “false and misleading” statements. [CNN Money]
* The wife of a former justice of the peace has been charged with capital murder after she confessed to her involvement in the slayings of Texas prosecutors Mike McLelland and Mark Hasse. [Reuters]
* Baltimore Law has a beautiful new building that cost $112 million. Just a thought: perhaps more of that money should’ve been spent putting the class of 2012 to work as lawyers. [National Law Journal]
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Clerkships, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Law Schools
Clerkship Hiring Is Getting Earlier and Earlier
So how early can law students apply for clerkships under the just revised Law Clerk Hiring Plan? Pretty darn early....