Law Schools
-
9th Circuit, Affirmative Action, Biglaw, Blank Rome, Gay, Job Searches, Jury Duty, Law Schools, Minority Issues, Morning Docket, Pornography, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Morning Docket: 01.23.14
* The Supreme Court isn’t sure how to address restitution in this child pornography case, but the justices agreed that they didn’t like the “50 percent fudge factor” offered by a government attorney. [New York Times]
* No, stupid, you can’t strike a juror just because he’s gay. By expanding juror protections to sexual orientation, the Ninth Circuit recently added a new notch on the gay rights bedpost. Progress! [Los Angeles Times]
* The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board says the NSA’s domestic surveillance program is illegal and should be stopped. Sorry, Edward Snowden beat you to the punch on that one. [New York Times]
* While Blank Rome was busy denying a possible merger with Nixon Peabody, it picked up 21 attorneys from two small firms in California to open a San Francisco office. Sneaky. [Philadelphia Business Journal]
* Dennis T. O’Riordan, the ex-Paul Hastings partner who faked his credentials, was disbarred — not in New York, where he claimed he was admitted, but across the pond in the United Kingdom. [Am Law Daily]
* The ABA Journal wants to know if your law firm considers law school pedigree during its hiring process. Please consider the law schools your firm shuts out from OCI, and respond accordingly. [ABA Journal]
* Word on the street is UALR School of Law is trying to push an affirmative action program that’s “likely unconstitutional.” It might also be insulting to prospective minority students, so there’s that. [Daily Caller]
-
Law Schools, Student Loans
Law School Offers Free Tuition To 50 Applicants
Law schools take baby steps toward reform. - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
California, Celebrities, Entertainment Law, Fabulosity, Law Schools, Music
From Rock Star To Law School: Meet William Tell
William Tell went from being a rock guitarist to a law student -- and fiancé of television personality turned entrepreneur Lauren Conrad.
-
Hillary Clinton, Law Professors, Law Schools, Politics, Weirdness
A Law Professor Announces For Vice President?
Which prominent law professor has declared himself "Ready For Hillary" -- to be his 2016 running mate? -
9th Circuit, American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Blogging, Celebrities, Free Speech, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Perks / Fringe Benefits, Pregnancy / Paternity, Suicide, Texas
Morning Docket: 01.21.14
* For the first time, a federal appeals court extended First Amendment protections reserved for trained journalists at traditional news entities to bloggers. Yippee, thanks Ninth Circuit! [L.A. Now / Los Angeles Times]
* If you want a Biglaw firm with a really generous 401(k) plan, look no further than Sullivan & Cromwell. It’s the most generous law firm plan in the country, with O’Melveny & Myers in second place. [BenefitsPro]
* A brain-dead patient in Texas is being used as an incubator because a state law requires hospitals to continue life support for pregnant women. Calling this the “cruelest pregnancy” is much too kind. [New York Times]
* Here are some depressing facts: not only are lawyers 3.6 times more likely to be depressed than non-lawyers, but they also rank in fourth place in terms of suicides per profession. Call someone if you need help. [CNN]
* Florida A&M must be absolutely thrilled that the ABA canceled the school’s show-cause hearing. It appears that the law school will be able to keep its accreditation, for now. [Tallahassee Democrat]
* If you’re a parent considering going to law school with a young child at home, congrats, because you must be rich to be toying with an idea like that. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]
* Playboy is suing Harper’s Bazaar for using its pictures of Kate Moss without permission. The men’s mag wants $150K per picture posted on the luxury mag’s website — that’s one lavish lapin. [Independent]
-
Drinking, Law Schools
Wherein Law Students Try To Bar Crawl Like College Students
This bar crawl shows maturity, if you look really carefully. -
Biglaw, Celebrities, Christopher Christie, Gay, Gay Marriage, Law Schools, Morning Docket, New Jersey, Twittering, Utah
Morning Docket: 01.17.14
* Parties in Utah’s gay marriage case are boosting their legal backbones. Utah picked up Gene Schaerr, of Winston & Strawn, who is leaving the firm to serve as lead outside counsel. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called upon Randy Mastro of Gibson Dunn to assist with Bridgegate’s fallout. Because messing with people’s commutes into New York City is that big of a deal. [Am Law Daily]
* Come next year, Yale Law School will be joining the majority of law schools located on this planet by holding its fall finals before winter break. They’ll still be studying anyway… just for fun! [Yale Daily News]
* “Being in Portland … is hard to facilitate when you are based in Eugene.” Oregon Law, sadly unable to master the fine art of teleportation, will allow students to take their 3L classes in Portland as soon as in 2015. [National Law Journal]
* Courtney Love was in court this week testifying in the first “Twibel” (Twitter + libel) trial in the nation. Oh, that’s so interesting, but what America really wants to know is what she was wearing. [Businessweek]
-
Advertising, Blogging, Events, Floyd Abrams, Free Speech, Gender, Law Schools, Racism, Shameless Plugs, Technology, This Is an Ad
Join Us March 14 For The Attorney@Blog Conference
The ATL Attorney@Blog conference will be a first-of-its-kind, one-day convocation of the leading legal bloggers, on Friday, March 14th, at the Yale Club of NYC. - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Crime, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Insurance, Job Searches, Law Schools, Michael Jackson, Morning Docket, Partner Issues
Morning Docket: 01.16.14
* Dewey think you should’ve signed up for the partnership contribution plan? That probably would’ve been wise. One of Dewey & LeBoeuf’s ex-service partners has been forced into Chapter 7 bankruptcy thanks to a clawback suit. [Am Law Daily]
* As long as the job market for new attorneys remains laughable, law schools will continue to make moves when it comes to deep tuition cuts. Say hello to a $30K drop in sticker price, Roger Williams University Law students. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* Syracuse Law’s class sizes keep getting smaller, but it was “strategically managed” — just like the new law building was financially strategically managed on the backs of alumni and their tuition. [Daily Orange]
* A trial date was set for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s friends who allegedly tried to cover up his role in the Boston bombings. No word yet on whether any stupid girls have set up fan clubs for them. [National Law Journal]
* The curtains are finally closing on the King of Pop’s life: Lloyd’s of London settled its insurance suit with Michael Jackson’s estate, and Conrad Murray’s involuntary manslaughter conviction was upheld. [AP]
-
Gender, Law Schools, listserv, Women's Issues
1L Clinics At Yale Hate Women, Maybe?
Sexism at Yale, or just really poor planning? -
Blogging, Job Searches, Law Schools, Quote of the Day, Videos, YouTube
'Dont Tase Me, Bro!' Guy Gets His First Job Out Of Law School
Remember this guy? What's he up to now that he's out of law school? -
Clerkships, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Job Searches, Law Schools
Should 1Ls Start Applying For Clerkships?
Who are the winners and losers from clerkship chaos? -
Biglaw, Confirmations, Crime, D.C. Circuit, Drinking, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, Pro Bono
Morning Docket: 01.14.14
* Robert Wilkins was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit yesterday, which is significant because it marks the first time in decades that the court hasn’t had any judicial vacancies. Congrats! [Blog of Legal Times]
* Biglaw firms should be happy to hear about what the Citi Private Bank’s Law Firm Group has seen in its crystal ball: law firm profits are expected to grow by about 5 percent this year. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Unlike its stinky burger fiasco, Steptoe & Johnson managed to quietly converse with “three or four” firms about a possible merger, but the firm’s chairman refuses to kiss and tell. [National Law Journal]
* Take criminal disclosures on your law school apps seriously — after all, someone needs to worry about whether you’ll be able to pass C&F, and it won’t be your school if they just want your money. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]
* Recent law grads working at the Chicago Justice Entrepreneurs Project might not be “rolling in money,” but they’re learning how be successful lawyers, and experience like that is worth millions. [Businessweek]
* The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, “a regulator that protects its industry from rules it deems unfair,” wants a list of all alcohol, everywhere. Treasury Department party! [DealBook / New York Times]
* Nadya Suleman, she of the clown car uterus, was charged with welfare fraud for failure to report income from her strip club appearances and porn videos. She’s the Octomother of the year. [CBS Los Angeles]
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
-
A. Raymond Randolph, Clerkships, D.C. Circuit, David Sentelle, Douglas Ginsburg, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Harvard, Hedge Funds / Private Equity, Insider Trading, Law Schools, S.D.N.Y., U.S. Attorneys Offices, Wall Street, White-Collar Crime
Harvard Law Students Are The Best -- At Making Up Fake Transcripts
Which D.C. Circuit judges almost hired Mathew Martoma, defendant in the biggest insider trading case ever, back when he was a Harvard law student? -
Bar Exams, Law Schools, Student Loans
What's More Expensive: 3 Years of Law School or 6 Weeks of Bar Prep?
Eliminating the bar isn't the cost cutting maneuver people are looking for. -
Bar Exams, Biglaw, Billable Hours, Clerkships, Crime, Gender, Job Searches, Kids, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, Rape, Ted Olson, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 01.13.14
* While we’re celebrating recently anointed Biglaw partner classes, let’s take a minute to call out the firms that haven’t bestowed the honor upon a single woman this year. Cheers, jerks. [Am Law Daily]
* The results of the NLJ’s Law Firm Billing Survey are out, and lo and behold, one of the top partners in the country is pushing $2,000 an hour for his services. Congrats, Ted! [National Law Journal (sub. req.)]
* Everyone’s buzzing about the federal law clerk who’s been accused of attempted aggravated rape and solicitation of a minor under 13. Don’t let that legendary 4.0 GPA go to waste. (More on this later.) [Times-Picayune]
* Congratulations to Gerchen Keller Capital, the litigation finance firm founded by former SCOTUS clerks and hedge-fund alumni, on raising $260 million for its new fund. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Iowa is thinking about allowing law school grads to practice immediately instead of having to take and pass a bar exam. Paired with its recent tuition cuts, the Hawkeye State is looking better and better. [Des Moines Register]
* If you’re in the unfortunate situation of still having to look for a law job once OCI has ended, then you might want to start considering applying for some of the other law jobs that don’t want you. [Mashable]
* The incarceration of a blogger known for making salacious allegations against federal judges raises First Amendment concerns. [New York Times]
-
Ave Maria School of Law, Cardozo Law School, Jews, Law Schools, Rankings, Religion
'Religious' Law School Rankings: Does Your Law School Make Jesus Happy?
Which law schools are the best for the faithful? Or is that the dumbest question you've heard today? -
Disability Law, Law Professors, Law Schools
Law Prof Seeks ADA Accommodation To Continue Yelling At Students
I thought Asperger Syndrome was a qualification for law professors, not a liability. -
B for Beauty, Biglaw, Christopher Christie, Health Care / Medicine, Law Schools, Money, New Jersey, Partner Issues, Religion, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 01.10.14
* The Supreme Court has been “surprising[ly] silent” when it comes to how to apply Obamacare’s contraception mandate to religious non-profits. We imagine at least one justice will raise hell about it during their first judicial conference of 2014. [Los Angeles Times] * Contrary to what was apparently popular belief by some, Justice Sonia Sotomayor doesn’t wear dentures. She was very candid about her oral hygiene at a recent speaking event — her teeth are so great because she’s had a lot of work done on them. [Washington Post] * In your face, Cravath! James Woolery is movin’ on up to officially taking the rein at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft. Fun fact: Chuck Woolery of “Love Connection” is his distant cousin. [Am Law Daily] * The U.S. Attorney’s office Chris Christie used to be in charge of will investigate Bridgegate. Word on the street is that the governor had just finished reading War and Peace when he heard the news. [Bloomberg] * Sumner Redstone donated $10 million to Harvard Law School so that its graduates can pursue public interest careers — because otherwise they’d be too poor to “build a better world.” [National Law Journal] -
Law Schools, Texas
Law Grads Want Diplomas Re-Issued To Reflect Enhanced Prestige
Retroactively upgrade your law degree with this fun petition.