Federal Government
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Career Alternatives, Department of Justice, Federal Government, Job Searches
News You Can Use: Federal Government Job OpportunitiesAnd Open Thread: DOJ Honors Interview Decisions
Or maybe news you could have used. Apologies for not reminding you, as we’ve done in past years, about the application deadline for the Department of Justice’s Honors Program. The application deadline for the 2010-2011 program fell on September 7, 2010. [FN1] (If you’re not already familiar with how the Honors Program works, read our […] -
Deaths, Department of Justice, Federal Government, Murder, Suicide, Townsend and Townsend and Crew
Two Suicides and a Murder
We really don’t like writing about murders, suicides, and murder suicides here on Above the Law. They are always sad, the loss of human life is always tragic, and it’s really hard to be funny/snarky/edgy when people have died. That said, we have to go where the news takes us, and so we press on […] - Sponsored
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… -
Biglaw, Clarence Thomas, Federal Government, Litigators, Litigatrix, Musical Chairs, Office of Legal Counsel, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks
Musical Chairs: From Supreme Court Clerk to Winston & Strawn Partner
A Supreme Court clerkship is, in the words of Adam Liptak of the New York Times, “the most coveted credential in American law.” When SCOTUS clerks leave their posts at the Court to join private law firms, they get signing bonuses of as much as $250,000 (on top of normal associate salaries and bonuses). But […]
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Clerkships, Federal Government, Federal Judges
Clerkship Application Season: Clarifications About Non-Citizen Clerks
In yesterday’s discussion of federal law clerk hiring, a process that is currently in full swing, we flagged an interesting issue regarding clerks who are not U.S. citizens. A recent change in the law appears to bar paying federal government salaries to non-U.S. citizens (subject to some narrow exceptions, such as holders of refugee or […] -
Biglaw, Blog Wars, Federal Government, Job Searches, Public Interest, Summer Associates
The World Hates Lawyers: Mainstream Media Manages to Criticize Biglaw Summers AND Public Sector Lawyers in the Same Breath
Earlier this week, Conor Friedersdorf, writing for The Atlantic, poured a big bottle of haterade all over the legal profession. More specifically, he criticized the way “Ivy League” lawyers are recruited, and the “palpable sense of entitlement” they exhibit even when they don’t take Biglaw bucks and instead work for the government. Here’s the set […] -
Federal Government, Minority Issues, Politics, Racism, Screw-Ups
Shirley Sherrod Is Coming After Andrew Breitbart
If you thought this whole Shirley Sherrod thing was just going to blow over, well, you’re not thinking like a lawyer interested in generating fees. Burned by Andrew Breitbart’s editing skills, Sherrod says she intends to sue. The New York Daily News reports: “I will definitely do it,” Sherrod said at the National Association of […] -
Department of Justice, Federal Government, Immigration
How's This for Symbolism: DOJ Files Against Arizona Immigration Law on Tuesday After Independence Day
The Obama administration has been utterly spineless when it comes to the gay marriage, but they seem to have found their voice on the culture war issue of 2010. The DOJ is filing suit today against the state of Arizona over the state’s controversial immigration law. AZ Central reports: The U.S. Justice Department is filing […] -
Cass Sunstein, Federal Government, Law Professors, Politics
Quote of the Day (Part 2): From the Ivory Tower to the White House
When I was an academic, I’d sometimes get a little feeling of excitement when I had an idea that was, I hoped, fresh…. [W]hether anyone should act on that idea is a very different question. — Cass Sunstein, the Harvard law professor now heading the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). - 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. -
Clerkships, Crime, Federal Government, Perverts
Law Clerk of the Day: Alleged Alaskan Bathroom Voyeur
Moving from sunny California to cold, rainy, snowy Anchorage might make a person a little crazy. A man who went to law school in San Diego might miss lying on the beach, walking the boardwalk, and seeing the city’s good-looking population in skimpy summer clothes. Such a man might find another way to see people […] -
Cass Sunstein, Federal Government, Law Professors, Politics
Quote of the Day (Part 1): Sassy Cass?
Who the f**k says my personality is not like Rahm Emanuel’s? — Cass Sunstein, the University of Chicago Harvard law professor now heading the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). -
Federal Government, Job Searches, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: Dream On
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. Dear ATL, What is your take on young associates taking pseudo-legal positions for the time being? I am strongly considering taking a job in DC (after all, it beat my current location, Chicago, in your brackets) with a federal agency. The position […] -
Federal Government, Quote of the Day, Tax Law
Quote of the Weekend: Thanks Obama!
Consider the tax burden on high earners once the Bush administration’s tax cuts expire next year. Add up the federal, state, city and sales taxes for a lawyer in New York City who earns $300,000 a year. Depending on the circumstances, this individual could be facing marginal tax rates in the range of 60 percent. […] -
Department of Justice, Federal Government, SCOTUS, Solicitor General's Office, Supreme Court
Congratulations to the Newest Class of Bristow Fellows
In our reader poll on possible Supreme Court nominees — which is still open, by the way — Solicitor General Elena Kagan is leading the pack, at least in terms of the predictive poll. At the current time, a majority of respondents believe that she will be nominated by President Obama to the seat of […]
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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…
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
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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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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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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.
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Alston & Bird, Department of Justice, Federal Government, Litigatrix, Shanetta Cutlar, Ty Clevenger
In Defense of Shanetta Cutlar
On Friday, we broke the news that Shanetta Cutlar will be stepping down as head of the Special Litigation Section (“SPL”), in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. This news was met with rejoicing in some quarters; Cutlar was not universally loved as a boss. Much of our past coverage of Shanetta […] -
Department of Justice, Federal Government, Litigatrix, Shanetta Cutlar, Ty Clevenger
A DOJ Diva's Final Bow? Shanetta Cutlar to Step Down from Justice Department Leadership Post
Here’s a brief update on Shanetta Cutlar, one of our favorite figures here at ATL. For those of you not familiar with Cutlar — who heads the Special Litigation Section in the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department, where she has presided over what her critics have described as a reign of terror — […] -
Career Alternatives, Federal Government, Job Searches, Law Schools
Applying for a Federal Government Job?Good Luck With That
Last fall, we wrote about the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program, which one reader of ours described as “a hidden, relatively-unexploited gem for graduating law students.” You can read the full post here. Some commenters, who already knew about the PMF program and the job opportunities it offers, were not happy with the exposure. A […] -
Disasters / Emergencies, Federal Government, Technology
Snow Day!!!
Yay. Snowpacolypse 2.0! Snowmageddon! The Snopture! (Wait, there’s more….) Dandruff 2010. The Winter of Our Snowcontent. Weekday of Marital Sex — 2010. Waiting for Snowdot. Entirely Seasonal Weather for February! (Okay, I’m finished.) Who has the day off? More to the point, does having a “snow day” even matter anymore? Telecommunication kills the snow day, […] -
Department of Justice, Federal Government, Job Searches, Lawyer Advertising, Rank Stupidity
Mentally Retarded? The Justice Department Wants YOU.
Many job seekers would love to work as lawyers for the federal government but haven’t had luck landing a position. Openings for attorneys on USAJOBS attract hundreds of applicants. In light of massive law-firm layoffs and the relative stability of government employment, high demand for federal jobs is unsurprising. You have to be a positively […] -
Biglaw, Department of Justice, Federal Government, Politics
WilmerHale's Warm Welcome -- for Conservatives
This week brought good news from WilmerHale. The firm’s profits per partner climbed by approximately 7 percent last year, from $1.08 million in 2008 to $1.16 million in 2009, according to the National Law Journal. The increase in PPP was driven, in part, by a dip in partner headcount (from about 330 in 2008 to […] -
Federal Government, Screw-Ups
F.B.I. Lawyer FAIL
Last year, government lawyers were crucified for their prosecution of former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. The DOJ prosecutors’ questionable handling of the case led to its dismissal and some problems for the DOJ’s public integrity unit. This week marks another big f***-up by government lawyers. But in a different building. The Washington Post reports that […]