Last week, we brought you the story of an intrepid New York Law School graduate who started his own business. Think cupcakes on wheels.

Today, the proprietor of Cupcake Stop, Lev Ekster, stopped by our office with his delicious wares. Yumyumyumyumyum.

[Ed. note: For the record, I really hate donuts. I don't even particularly like sweets. I owe my girlish figure to (1) things that can be wrapped in bacon and (2) a zero tolerance policy when it comes to exercise.]

The most important part of the visit was the excellent food. Lev brought over his three best-selling creations: cookie dough, Oreo cookies 'n cream, and red velvet. I'd never had a cookie dough cupcake, but its gustatory greatness cannot be denied. Lat preferred the cookies and cream flavor, while Kash opted to continue looking beautiful.

After we finished stuffing our faces, we sat down to talk with Mr. Ekster. Our notes from the interview, plus pictures of the cupcake-y goodness, after the jump.

When students at New York Law School can't find work, sometimes they resort to tearing the clothes off of 1Ls. So we applaud Lev Ekster, an NYLS alumnus, for his non-violent approach to the economic crisis:

Recent law school grad Lev Ekster is going from court to cupcakes. When the New York Law School student realized he wouldn't land a law firm job this year, he turned to entrepreneurship. Inspiration struck after a disappointing trip to Magnolia Bakery, where he waited in an excruciatingly long line for what he deemed a "dry and tasteless" cupcake. "The experience reminded me of my parents' stories of waiting in line for bread," says the native Ukrainian.

Yes, this story reminded us of breadlines too.

The mobile cupcake service is called Cupcake Stop, and it should be rumbling by a street corner near you. If you're interested -- not just in cupcakes, but possible employment -- take note:

[A]ccording to their recent Twitter post, they're hiring:

Now hiring, part-time and full-time employees in NYC. Food prep license is preferred, not required. Fun job! email jobs@cupcakestop.com

Why shouldn't every NYLS student get in on the entrepreneurial act? We have additional details, after the jump.

Having your lawyering subjected to the scrutiny of Seventh Circuit Judge Richard Posner is a scary experience. He's known to be a harsh critic. In a 2001 New Yorker profile, Posner compared his personality to that of his cat: "cold, furtive, callous, snobbish, selfish, and playful, but with a streak of cruelty."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Juliet Sorensen got a taste of the cruelty in a recent opinion from the Seventh Circuit which dissected her "pattern of improper argumentation... that does no credit to the Justice Department." The court reversed a conviction for wire fraud and mislabeling food. (A Google search leads us to believe that Sorensen is daughter to legal heavyweight Ted Sorensen, adviser to JFK and a retired Paul Weiss senior partner.)

Juliet Sorensen prosecuted expiration-date entrepreneur Charles Farinella for buying 1.6 million bottles of Henri's Salad Dressing that were a month away from their "best when purchased by" date. Farinella then slapped on a new date, pushing it back by a year, and resold the dressing to dollar stores for a Tas-tee profit.

"Best when purchased by" is certainly a confusing concept. Posner explores it thoroughly, but admits to not being too hung up on eating foods after those dates run out. In his opinion, he says Sorensen misled the jury by equating the "best by" date with the expiration date, and referring to anything past the "best by" date as "foul, rancid food."

Posner objected mightily to describing the "shelf stable" Henri's Dressing in such demeaning terms. Posner then switched metaphors on us in his decision [PDF], saying "the omissions are more interesting than the scanty contents of the government's threadbare case." Given all the dressing talk, it seems like the government's case could have been described as runny, thin, or lacking in flavor... but we digress.

Posner gave Sorensen a thorough dressing-down in his opinion. See Posner's painful smackdown, after the jump.

The halcyon days of summer have passed. Gone are the epic lunches and frequent happy hours with eager summer associates. By the time September rolled around though, many were relieved to get back to work and not feel obligated to while away the hours talking to law students about the merits of firm life.

But now it's October. And law students will be entering your life again soon. It's interview season!

Which means more talk of firm merits, and more importantly, more lunches. During a recent online chat with Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema, one lawyer chimed in with a helpful hint for interviewers: Be sensitive to interviewees' diet limitations.

Washington, D.C.: Tom... I'm an attorney at a huge D.C. law firm... [T]his is interview season. My colleagues and I will be taking hundreds of potential associates out for fancy lunches this fall. And I'm always shocked to hear the places my colleagues sometimes venture for these lunches, and more shocked to see their jaw drop when they realize their choice might not have been welcomed by the interviewee. I adore Rasika [Ed. note: Up-scale Indian restaurant in D.C.], but I would never take a job candidate there. That's just unfair. Some people don't like spice; others might be thrown off their game by an ethnic menu. As a vegetarian, I am particularly sensitive to the issue (I remember interviewing at several law firms that took me to the Capital Grille [Ed. note: D.C. Steakhouse] where the only thing on the menu I could eat was the $7 green salad - and consequently half the interview discussion awkwardly revolved around my dietary preferences). I've also been tipped onto celiac disease - which a shockingly large number of my colleagues have. So basically, when taking someone on an interview lunch, I pick innocuous, unoffensive "standard" food.... So, to all you attorneys doing interview season right now, think a little about where you take the candidate!!

Tom Sietsema: Good advice re: business meals. Not everyone likes meat, or something foreign, or A Fancy Experience.

We disagree with the Washington, D.C. lawyer. Our thoughts:

We know you legal folk struggle with your weight. Nearly 70 percent of respondents to Justin's weighty April survey admitted to putting on the pounds since embarking on the legal track. Maybe it's because you're such deep thinkers!

Thinking makes you hungry, says Science Daily. A Canadian research team has found that intellectual work, that stuff lawyers do so much of, causes a substantial increase in caloric intake:

The research team, supervised by Dr. Angelo Tremblay, measured the spontaneous food intake of 14 students after each of three tasks: relaxing in a sitting position, reading and summarizing a text, and completing a series of memory, attention, and vigilance tests on the computer. After 45 minutes at each activity, participants were invited to eat as much as they wanted from a buffet.

The researchers had already shown that each session of intellectual work requires only three calories more than the rest period. However, despite the low energy cost of mental work, the students spontaneously consumed 203 more calories after summarizing a text and 253 more calories after the computer tests. This represents a 23.6% and 29.4 % increase, respectively, compared with the rest period.

Perhaps you can fight the bulge by thinking less hard. Another option is to get an in-work work-out with a treadmill desk -- Quinn Emanuel's Aaron Craig logs five to six miles a day at the office.

If resolved to keep the paunch, the intellectual fatties can at least take comfort in knowing that the thin lawyers are the dumb ones. [Ed. note: There was no substantial increase in caloric intake as a result of coming up with that bit of logic.]

Thinking People Eat Too Much: Intellectual Work Found To Induce Excessive Calorie Intake [Science Daily]

Stealing Swiss Miss from your law firm's kitchen is not a good idea. If you're a summer associate, it's a recipe for getting no-offered.

And stealing food from the law firm refrigerator is also unwise. See here (and note the "FYI" postscript).

Does anyone care to guess -- or actually know -- the law firm where this sign was posted?

Reasons Not To Steal Food From the Company Fridge [Midtown Lunch]

During Kash's brief foray into the world of corporate law at Covington & Burling, she was initially surprised by the party-hard culture at firm events. Once the majority of the partners left one Friday roof-deck happy hour, the event turned distinctly frat party-esque, with patio tables pushed together for rounds of beer pong.

A tipster sends word of a Proskauer Rose firm event turned Animal House scene. The summer associate class in the Boston office of Proskauer had no problem snagging offers this year -- and some Proskauer attorneys were willing to risk their coronary health to bring them on board.

The full tale, with photographic evidence, is available after the jump. It involves lots of drinking, a lot of beef, and excessive eating -- all the hallmarks of the summer associate experience.

[Ed. note: This post is by ALEX, one of the finalists in ATL Idol, the "reality blogging" competition that will determine ATL's next editor. It is marked with Alex's avatar (at right).]

Kevin and Marcia Hansen recently filed suit against the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain after Kevin found a big-ole clump of pubic hair hidden in his ribeye. Yes, pubic hair.

The lawsuit came after the restaurant's now infamous improvisational cook, Ryan Kropp (pictured below), pleaded guilty to a felony charge of placing foreign objects in edibles on June 19th.

According to the complaint, the Hansens were living the American Dream, eating steak at one of the chain's Wisconsin locations last February. Kevin Hansen's steak was a little overcooked, though.

When restaurant service manager Michael Liberatore stopped by the table, Hansen told him the steak was cooked medium, not medium rare.

Hansen declined an offer of a new steak, but Liberatore persisted and offered a new steak he could take home, the complaint said.

Encountering a teachable moment, the manager then took the half-eaten, overcooked steak and showed it to Kropp and another cook. Kropp, apparently inspired by the demonstration, endeavored to make Hansen's next steak real' special.

Kropp later told police he was angry because he believed Hansen was "just trying to get free stuff," so he cut a slit in the center of the steak and inserted his facial hairs, according to the criminal complaint.

But Ryan Hetzel, the Hansens' attorney, said Friday that another cook told police that Kropp was cleanshaven that day and said, "These are my pubes" before putting the hair into the steak.

Hansen discovered the pubic hair while he was choking down the big piece of meat on the following day. The complaint is silent on whether the steak was medium-rare.

Today's Lawsuit of the Day isn't particularly funny or salacious. It's just... strange. From the New York Times (scroll down to final item):

Three taste testers say they were injured as they sampled an experimental sweetener while working for Cadbury, the British candy maker.

The three testers, all women, sampled the substance during a stint as $10-an-hour testers at the East Hanover, N.J., research center of the company's United States subsidiary, Cadbury Adams, according to three lawsuits filed in Morris County, N.J. Their reactions were different, but each said the sweetener left a burning sensation that changed her ability to taste or eat certain foods, the lawsuits contend.

Katharine Beyer, spokeswoman for Cadbury Adams, said she could not comment on the litigation, but said that the substance, which she declined to name, was not on the market.

Thank God for that. Moral of the story, ready for insertion into a fortune cookie: "Do not swallow sweet-tasting mystery substances."

(In bed.)

Taste-Test Lawsuit [New York Times (last item)]

The latest post in our occasional series on career alternatives for attorneys -- i.e., things you can do with a law degree that don't involve working for a law firm as an associate or contract attorney -- is inspired by a profile in yesterday's Washington Post. The subject: Larry Feldman, "the Subway King of the Mid-Atlantic," who just opened his 1,019th sandwich shop in the region.

The economy may be grim, but Feldman's Subway franchises are doing swimmingly:

Business, says the 58-year-old, is excellent.

"In this economy, people can always withhold from the white-tablecloth restaurant, from the more expensive meal, and eat at Subway for $5," said Feldman, relaxing in a leather chair at one of his busiest stores, at the corner of L Street and Connecticut Avenue NW in downtown Washington. "It's an ideal time for our products. Average unit volume is up about 20 percent."

You're probably not going to Subway as a summer associate (Cosi, maybe). But most people don't have the luxury of being summer associates. So these are good times for Subway shop owners.

Here are some of the rewards for being a successful businessperson:

Feldman is the classic entrepreneur, a lawyer who found his niche in fast food. He came from Brooklyn and became a multimillionaire, gives generously to Democratic politicians and has a weakness for Bentleys. He has a primary home in Boca Raton, Fla., and spends summers at his residence in Vail, Colo. Feldman visits Washington for about a week every month to oversee his burgeoning empire.

Read more about this lawyer-turned-entrepreneur, after the jump.

Over the past few weeks, we've solicited recommendations for restaurants in various Biglaw cities. We've now compiled the lists of places where lawyers and summer associates like to wine and dine. We hope to help summer associates on lunch expense accounts find the hot spots. You'll find cities from coast to coast on the ATL lawyerly eats list, after the jump.

Sadly, we at ATL have not had the opportunity to visit all of these restaurants... yet. Next time we're in your town, we'd be happy to be taken out. Hint, hint.

ATL has been (virtually) touring and gathering suggestions for Biglaw eating from coast to coast. Soon, we'll have a round-up post with lawyers' and summer associates' favorite restaurants nationwide.

We hit all the geographical locations we wanted. This last surprise bonus thread is on KOSHER restaurants. We're looking out for observant attorneys around the country. Norman Schoenfeld, holla atcha goys.

This omnibus thread covers kosher restaurants nationwide. Please be sure to specify the city for which you're making recommendations.

Look out for our round-up post on all of your restaurant suggestions, coming soon. In the meanwhile, enjoy the summer eats!

Earlier: Summer Associate Lunch Suggestions in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Chicago; New York City; Boston; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; Texas; the Pacific Northwest; and Southern Living.

Did we say the Pacific Northwest was the last stop on the summer associate lunch tour? Our bad. [FN1]

We've been touring the country getting lunch suggestions for summer associates in various Biglaw cities. Given the heat wave that hit D.C. and the rest of the East Coast this weekend, we've been told it's actually cooler in the southern states right now. So we're (virtually) heading south.

For this SOUTHERN LIVING post, we're looking for restaurant recommendations for summer associates based in ATLANTA and CHARLOTTE. Yes, ATL is visiting ATL.

This is Creative Loafing's list of Atlanta's "Oral Pleasures." Attorneys in Hotlanta: where should SAs go for good food and fun times?

Charlotte folks: where do attorneys eat out in your town?

Please be sure to be explicit about which city you're writing about in the comments.

[FN1] Since Kash grew up in Florida and went to undergrad in the south (Go Duke), she felt especially guilty about leaving this part of the country off the tour.

Best of Atlanta 2007: Oral Pleasures [Creative Loafing via The Faculty Lounge]

Earlier: Summer Associate Lunch Suggestions in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Chicago; New York City; Boston; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; Texas; and the Pacific Northwest.

For the last two weeks, ATL has been touring the country to get suggestions from attorneys-in-the-know on where summer associates should be wining and dining. Well, folks, this is the last leg of our road trip. We're meandering up to the PACIFIC NORTHWEST.

This is an open thread for your suggestions on the best PORTLAND and SEATTLE restaurants for firm lunches. Be explicit about the city the restaurants are in, and feel free to include suggestions on places to avoid and places to go when the firm's not paying.

We'll do a round-up post next week with best-of lists for all the Biglaw cities we visited. If we didn't make it to your city -- we have to stop somewhere, and this is it [FN1] -- feel free to start up a conversation in the ATL Community.

[FN1] A special shout-out (and our apologies) to the readers who requested threads on restaurants in Cleveland and South Dakota.

Earlier: Summer Associate Lunch Suggestions in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Chicago; New York City; Boston; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; and Texas.

The summer associate lunch spot solicitation continues. We're traveling around the country to find out where summer associates should be going for their leisurely law firm lunches, and where they should be eating when they're footing the bill. We've been to many the Biglaw city and will be winding down soon. We'll do a round-up post at the end, but you can find a collection of the lunch suggestions posts here.

Today, we're doing a road trip through the Lone State, looking for restaurant suggestions in Houston, Dallas, and Austin. Please be explicit about the city for which you're making recommendations in the comments.

If this weren't a virtual road trip, we would want to stop by the District Court in Austin to meet Judge James Nowlin, who wrote this hilarious order (PDF) on the location of a deposition, as noted by the WSJ Law Blog:

The Court is sympathetic with the Defendant's argument. Surely Defendant's corporate representative, a resident of Arkansas, would feel great humiliation by being forced to enter the home state of the University of Texas, where the legendary Texas Longhorns have wrought havoc on the Arkansas Razorbacks with an impressive 55-21 all-time record.

On the other hand, the Court is sympathetic with Plaintiff's position. Plaintiffs might enter Arkansas with a bit of trepidation as many residents of Arkansas are still seeking retribution for the "Game of the Century" in which James Street and Darrell Royal stunned the Razorbacks by winning the 1969 National Championship.

Nowlin then orders that the deposition be held in the Texarkana Federal Building along the Texas and Arkansas statelines.

For those summer associates happy to be in Texas this summer, where do you like to go to be wined and dined? Texas attorneys, which restaurants are the hot spots, and which are the not-so-hot spots?

In Texas-Arkansas Spat, Judge Orders Parties to Midfield [WSJ Law Blog]

Earlier: Summer Associate Lunch Suggestions in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Chicago; New York City; Boston; Los Angeles; and Philadelphia.

We enjoy writing about food here at ATL. Justin Bernold has been running lunch-related surveys, while Kash has been collecting restaurant tips for summer associates. See all of our food coverage here.

During our recent stop in Los Angeles, we discovered via comments that L.A. restaurants may give non-"Movie Biz" folks the shaft, even senior partners.

So we're moving on to PHILADELPHIA, where we imagine attorneys get the mad respect they deserve.

When not chowing down on cheesesteaks, where do attorneys and summer associates dine out in Philly? This is Philadelphia Magazine's Best-of List. Which places make the lawyerly list?

Kash's gastronomical tour is winding down, with remaining stops in Texas and the Pacific Northwest. If you want ATL to stop in your city for restaurant suggestions, let us know in the tips.

Best of Philly 2007 [Philadelphia Magazine]

Earlier: Summer Associate Lunch Suggestions in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Chicago; New York City; Boston; and Los Angeles.

We show summer associates a lot of love here at ATL, with coverage of NYU Law's advice on how not to be a summer ass, and our summer associate of the day feature (just one so far this summer -- tarot-card wielding Divljan Shatterhand Steele.)

This is the fifth in a series of open threads on restaurant suggestions for summer associates. We hope you noted the following under "General Demeanor/Behavior" in NYU Law's advice memo for SAs:

B. Attend firm social events regularly. Summer associates may be expected to attend many social events while still completing assignments thoroughly and on time. Firms are more likely to extend permanent offers to summer associates who make a sincere effort to become socially integrated at the firm. Take the initiative to meet attorneys, especially those with whom you would like to work. Be yourself and make friends; summer classmates can provide reliable feedback and tips. However, attendance at firm events and summer lunches should not be at the expense of your work. Note that it is generally inappropriate to bring guests to firm events unless the firm specifically extends an invitation to guests.

NYU had the following under "Real World Examples of Career Limiting Behavior:"

GG. Summer associate uses lunch budget for personal grooming, including a manicure/pedicure.

HH. Summer associate extends disingenuous lunch invite to attorney in order to dine at an expensive restaurant.

We're not sure we quite understand HH. Isn't that how the game is played?

On this stop on the ATL gastronomical tour, we're looking for advice for SAs in LOS ANGELES who have the time for a leisurely lunch and aren't using their firm funds to head to the salon.

Which restaurants are stand-outs in L.A. for law firm lunches? And where should summer associates eat, drink, and play when they're footing the bill themselves?

Earlier: Summer Associate Lunch Suggestions in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Chicago; New York City; and Boston.

We've always had pleasant experiences with employees at Starbucks. But we only order simple drinks like iced coffee, so our interactions tend to be limited. After an extended encounter with a Starbucks manager, a Portland woman had a bit of a coffee tantrum. Prosecutors tried her for misdemeanor harassment, but she's been found not guilty.

From the Oregonian:

The prosecutor turned toward the woman on the witness stand and began her interrogation: Is it or is it not true that you flung the iced venti mocha with extra hazelnut and caramel at the defendant out of anger?

No, answered the woman.

And isn't it true that you also lobbed a capful of whipped cream toward another employee?

No, the woman insisted once again.

And so went the criminal trial of a Starbucks customer accused of throwing a $4 drink onto a manager during an argument last September.

Mocha, hazelnut, and caramel? That's getting a little crazy.

The trial of 38-year-old Latasha Curry included accusations of racism, a cover-up, and bad coffee. Kash must disclose that she is a Starbucks shareholder before admitting that the coffee is just too bitter sometimes. But it's the jet fuel that gets us through the day.

It all began last fall when Curry called a Starbucks in Southeast Portland to complain about the bitter taste of the iced mocha she had just bought there.

An employee on the other end of the line offered her a free replacement, and when Curry stopped by the store two days later to pick it up, a store manager accused her of running a scam. The manager stood soaking in caffeinated beverage moments later....

On Thursday, Starbucks released a statement after a spokeswoman declined to comment about the case: "Providing great customer service is part of (the company's) commitment and if a drink isn't perfect, we want customers to let us know and we'll make it right."

Or you can pour it on our employees.

Dispute over spilled Starbucks mocha ends up in Portland court [Oregonian]

ATL's gastronomical tour marches on. We're stopping at all the major Biglaw cities to get recommendations on restaurants for summer associates.

Dan Filler in the Faculty Lounge has paid homage to the ATL summer associate lunch tour by making a compilation of best-of lists. After we've finished touring, we promise to do a round-up post of our own.

Today we turn our open thread over to Bostonians. This is your chance to dish on the best local dishes and lawyerly restaurant haunts. The Faculty Lounge suggests Boston Magazine's Best of Boston list.

Boston has a bit of an insiders' vibe about it, with a law scene that's hard to break into for non-Bostonians. Attorneys: Where would you send the bright young things new to the area for the summer?

As we pointed out on the NYC thread, there's a new feature over at Eater, the Summer Associate's (Lunch) Diary. In their first entry, the SA reviews two of the NY restaurants suggested by ATL readers: Gramercy Tavern and Sparks.

For all you foodies out there, Eater says it's looking for restaurant reviewers for future editions. So extend the fun of your three-hour lunch, by tacking on two hours to dissect it!

Best of Boston [Boston Magazine]
Best Restaurants and Dining In America: A City By City Guide [Faculty Lounge]
Summer Associate's Diary: Week 1 at Gramercy, Patroon, Sparks [Eater]

Earlier: Summer Associate Lunch Suggestions in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Chicago; and New York City.

ATL is taking a gastronomical tour of the United States. We're stopping in different Biglaw cities to find out where lawyers go, and where summer associates should go, for the good eats. [FN1]

We've been to D.C. We've been to San Francisco. We've been to Chicago. We're going to Texas. We're going to Massachusetts. We're going to the Pacific Northwest. We're going to Pennsylvania... [Insert Howard Dean yeahhhhhhhh here.]

But right now, we're stopping to take a bite out of the Big Apple. Here is the eagerly anticipated open thread to discuss the many fine dining options in NEW YORK.

To aid the discussion, here are links to restaurants that have received four stars and three stars from the New York Times. And here is New York Magazine's list of best restaurants for 2008.

Attorneys: Where would you steer summer associates eating out? And where would you steer them away from?

Summer associates: Which places are the "hot tickets," the most coveted dining venues this year?

Update: Check out this cool new feature over at Eater, "Summer Associate's Diary."

Where To Eat 2008 [New York Magazine]
Four-Star Restaurants (NYC) [New York Times]
Three-Star Restaurants by Frank Bruni (NYC) [New York Times]

[FN1] This tour is more virtual than physical (which is a good thing for Lat, since he is publicly dieting).

Earlier: Summer Associate Lunch Suggestions in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; and Chicago