NYU Law School

A “Devil Wears Prada” for the Law Clerk Set

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Chambermaid cover art Saira Rao Chambermaid Saira Rao.JPGSaira Rao, who wrote the New York Post article we discussed this morning, has a juicy debut novel coming out this summer. Check out the blurb for Chambermaid:

The devil holds a gavel in this wickedly entertaining debut novel about a young attorney’s eventful year clerking for a federal judge. Sheila Raj is a recent graduate of a top-ten law school with dreams of working for the ACLU, but law school did not prepare her for the power-hungry sociopath, Judge Helga Friedman, who greets her on her first day. While her beleaguered colleagues begin quitting their jobs, Sheila is assigned to a high-profile death penalty case and suddenly realizes that she has to survive the year as Friedman’s chambermaid — not just her sanity, but actual lives hang in the balance.

With Chambermaid, debut novelist Saira Rao breaks the code of silence surrounding the clerkship and boldly takes us into the mysterious world of the third branch of US government, where the leaders are not elected and can never be fired. With its biting wit and laugh-out-loud humor, this novel will change everything you think you know about how great lawyers, and great judges, are made.

Saira Rao is well-equipped to write about the world of the federal judiciary. She previously clerked on the Third Circuit for Judge Dolores Sloviter — who has been described as a “judicial diva” and a “tough cookie”.
After clerking for Judge Sloviter, Saira worked at Cleary Gottlieb. She’s a graduate of UVA and NYU Law School.
“Chambermaid” sounds delicious. We’re counting down the days until July 2007!
Chambermaid: A Novel [Amazon.com]
Saira Rao bio [Findlaw]
Saira Rao profile [Friendster]
Update (4:55 PM): The WSJ Law Blog has put up a post that also links to Saira Rao’s NYP article and the Amazon blurb for her forthcoming novel.
Earlier: Biglaw Associates: Take the Money and Run

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What Is Up With Law School Libraries These Days?

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Jesus freak Above the Law.jpgBreaking news: The Second Coming is almost here!
Don’t believe us? Check out the official press release:

[T]he disasters and plagues that are described in the Bible are about to happen. The immediate future will be difficult for everyone, but the result will be that people acknowledge the true Christian God and follow his commandments. The cities will be like Heaven on Earth and God Himself will come and live with us.

The first plague to happen in the immediate future will be a tsunami affecting the East Coast of America. Unfortunately, even Christians who are expecting these events seem unwilling to accept that they are about to happen. If this belief persists, the death toll for the East Coast will be extremely high.

A tsunami? We respectfully dissent.
When the first plague arrives, it will hit a law school library. Maybe locusts in the Am Jur volumes, or LLM students breaking out in boils.
Why? Strange things have been happening at law school libraries lately. Like the “mystery smell” at the NYU library. And now the “Jesus” freak at Emory Law School:

From: “Katherine Brokaw” [email address redacted]
Date: December 15, 2006 2:37:38 PM EST
To: [Emory Law School classes of 2007 - 2009]
Subject: [ELS 2008-announce] stranger in library last night
Last night a white male, approximately 40, was disruptive in the library. He was wearing a Jesus t-shirt, a black leather jacket, black cowboy hat with the word “perfect” in silver. We are told he claimed to be the attorney general of the United States.
If you see him in the library or in Gambrell, please notify Operations or Security, or the staff at the Circulaton Desk in the library who will call the appropriate people. Thank you — Dean Brokaw

So that’s what John Ashcroft has been up to lately.
(Besides appearing on The Daily Show — on which, by the way, he was surprisingly charming and funny.)
The Second Coming [press release, via Yahoo! Finance]
The Daily Show: John Ashcroft [TV.com]
Earlier: Breaking: Mystery Smell Hits NYU Law Library!!!

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ATL Week in Review — Bonus-Free Edition: December 11 – 15

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smell smelly NYU law library.jpgHere’s our recap of the past week in ATL, completely free of Biglaw or bonus news (which will be summarized in a separate “Week in Review” post).
The theme for this week’s news: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
* Hardworking lawyers are still unhappy with their sex lives.
* Celebrities still get in legal trouble (and so do state court judges).
* Borat-related lawsuits still keep getting filed.
* The Duke lacrosse team rape case is still FUBAR.
* Law school libraries are still foul-smelling at the height of final exams.
* Pro se litigants are STILL AWESOME.
* Senator Orrin Hatch is still on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
* Justice Breyer is still concerned about sectarian violence in the 17th century.
* Eumi Choi is still our idol.
* Working for the government still offers many young lawyers more interesting work, and greater responsibility, than Biglaw life (but without a five-figure bonus).
* Also, public interest work still attracts some of the most promising law school graduates.
Have a good weekend, everyone!

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Breaking: Mystery Smell Hits NYU Law Library!!!

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animated siren gif animated siren gif animated siren gif drudge report.GIFAnd at the peak of final exam studying, too! Our Greenwich Village correspondent reports:

I don’t know what it is, but it smells like the law library is in a dump. I gave up and left an hour ago. The whole basement of the library was EMPTY. But there were holdouts in the corners and the top floor in Vanderbilt.

We don’t know what the smell IS….

And from another NYU source:

People have been thanking me for confirming that they weren’t nuts. We’ve asked the librarians [about the mystery smell], but they have no answers.

From a commenter:

It smells like a Dumpster / port a potty combo, with an emphasis on the Dumpster. Think rotting trash in warm weather.

DEVELOPING…

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Legal Eagle Wedding Watch: December 3, 2006

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Legal Eagle Wedding Watch NYT wedding announcements Above the Law.jpgBecause of Bonusmania, we’ve fallen behind a little in Legal Eagle Wedding Watch. In this post, we discuss lawyer weddings from the weekend of December 2-3.
The most high-profile wedding that week was between media heiress Anne Hearst, sister of Patty Hearst, and novelist Jay McInerney (announcement here). But there were also three marriages involving attorneys:

1. Rebecca Benjamin, Joshua Rikon

2. Randi Harari, Jonathan Mason

3. Lisa Kaplan, Brad Sherman

Our scores and commentary, after the jump.

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Legal Eagle Wedding Watch: December 3, 2006″

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NYU 3L Hotties: The Winners!!!

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NYU law school hotties Noa Clark Marcos Arellano.GIFSome unidentified NYU Law School students held a contest to find the hottest male and female third-year law students. They came up with two slates of winners: ten hot men, and ten hot women.
Unfortunately, these NYU 3L hotties weren’t ranked. But we got a hold of their facebook photos and turned the proceedings over to you. You voted for the hottest woman and the hottest man in the NYU third-year class. And now, thousands of votes later, here are your winners:

NOA CLARK

and

MARCOS ARELLANO!!!

Congratulations to Noa and Marcos, both worthy of this high honor. Time to update your résumés, kids!
For Marcos, who overtook early leader Michael Okoye to win, consider this testimonial:

A Latin lover (1/2 Mexican) with southern charm and a southern accent (grew up in NC), how do you beat that? My vote goes to Marcos…

As for Noa, the proof is in the pudding. Just take a look at her photo. With her blonde locks, blindingly white smile, and model’s features, Ms. Clarke’s victory is not surprising. She prevailed over the second-place contestant, Rachael McCracken, with a double-digit margin.
We couldn’t have conducted this contest without a lot of help. We thank the voters in the original hotties contest, the tipsters who informed us of the results, and the individuals who provided us with the photos. You have our deepest gratitude.
For those of you who are curious, the complete results for both contests appear after the jump. Thanks to everyone who voted!

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “NYU 3L Hotties: The Winners!!!”

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ATL Week in Review: December 4 – 8

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Christmas tree.jpg* The holiday season is here, and you know what that means: year-end bonuses for law firm associates. On Friday, Milbank Tweed made the first big bonus announcement. And this time it wasn’t fake.
* They talk a lot about “due process” over at Yale Law School. But questions have been raised concerning the process by which Linda Greenhouse, SCOTUS reporter for the New York Times, was selected over Justice Samuel Alito for the school’s prestigious Award of Merit.
* If Greenhouse benefited from preferential treatment from YLS Dean Harold Koh, it wouldn’t have been the first time.
* Justices Antonin Scalia and Stephen Breyer: not just geniuses, but also an inspired comedic duo.
* Speaking of great legal minds, Professor Noah Feldman is leaving NYU for Harvard Law School.
* And speaking of NYU Law School, if you haven’t already voted in the 3L hotties contest, there’s still some time left. Polls close tomorrow at 3PM (Eastern time).
* Finally, we have a new little sibling. Please extend a warm welcome to Supermogul: The View From the Top.

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NYU Law Hotties: When the Polls Will Close

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New York University Law School NYU Law School Above the Law.JPGThe polls remain open in our latest hotties contest: NYU Law School third-year students. You can vote on the men by clicking here, and the women by clicking here.
A quick administrative announcement: voting will end on Monday, December 11, at 3 PM (Eastern time). If you’d like to do some campaigning, for yourself or for a friend, make good use of the weekend.
What are the current standings? The men’s race is very close: Michael Okoye leads with 20.9 percent of the vote, but Marcos Arellano is right behind him, with 20.0 percent. Okoye may be benefitting from an internet campaign, as well as a testimonial from his college roommate.
The women’s race, in contrast, isn’t looking terribly exciting. Apparently gentlemen prefer blondes: Noa Clark currently leads, with a third of all ballots. Rachael McCracken is running second, but with only half as many votes (17.4 percent to 33.3 percent).
Over three full days of voting, however, a lot can change. Consider the words of Justice Stephen Breyer, from his recent debate with Justice Antonin Scalia:

We don’t need activist judges; we need activist citizens. The Constitution sets up a democratic system, and it expects you to participate. And if you don’t participate, it doesn’t work.

So please, perform your civic duty. Vote for your favorite NYU 3L hottie by clicking here and here. Justice Breyer is counting on you!
Earlier: Above the Law Hotties: NYU Law School Third-Years (Female)
Above the Law Hotties: NYU Law School Third-Years (Male)

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Musical Chairs: Professor Noah Feldman Is Leaving NYU for Harvard!

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Noah Feldman Noah R Feldman Jeannie Suk Jeannie C Suk Above the Law.JPGProfessor Noah Feldman — the brilliant, gorgeous, legal academic superstar / public intellectual — is abandoning NYU Law School (its student body hotness notwithstanding). He’s heading up to Harvard Law School, where his similarly beautiful and brainy wife, Jeannie Suk, is already on the faculty.
(Most readers of ATL are probably familiar with this celebrity couple. But if you’re not — if you don’t know about their Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships, their D.C. Circuit and Supreme Court clerkships, their multiple published books, and their storybook-perfect life — we refer you to The Latest Triumphs of the Elect: It’s Good to Be Noah and Jeannie!)
From what we’ve heard, Noah Feldman’s move was a long time in coming. HLS apparently made an offer to him quite some time ago. The rumor that he might be decamping for Cambridge was circulating in legal academia for a while.
Noah Feldman Professor Noah Feldman Above the law.jpgAlthough the move makes sense, Professor Feldman had good reason to think carefully before leaving Gotham. NYU tried very, very hard to keep him. And here are three considerations that probably crossed his mind:
First, he has strong ties to the NYU law school community. It has been his academic home for the past few years, which have been very good to him, and he is worshiped around campus by students (who surround him like groupies to a rock star).
Second, being based in New York, the media capital of the country, was great for his career as a public intellectual. It facilitated his frequent contributions to the New York Times (both the magazine and the op-ed page), his regular appearances on major talk shows, and his efforts on the book publishing front (three books and counting).
Third, and perhaps most importantly, he and Jeannie have a FABULOUS apartment in the heart of Greenwich Village. And as every New Yorker knows, a good piece of real estate is very hard to find.
At the end of the day, though, Harvard Law School is still Harvard Law School. And when your wife is already on the faculty up there, it’s kinda hard to say no when HLS’s hot dean comes calling.
Congratulations, Professor Feldman, on your new post and the big move!
Noah Feldman to join Harvard Law faculty [Harvard Law School]
The Latest Triumphs of the Elect: It’s Good to Be Noah and Jeannie! [UTR]
Most Beautiful Brainiac: Noah Feldman [New York magazine]
Noah Feldman bio [New York University Law School]
Jeannie Suk bio [Harvard Law School]

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Above the Law Hotties: NYU Law School Third-Years (Male)

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Here they are: the then male winners of the recent contest to find NYU Law School’s hottest third-year law students. (For the women, click here.)
NYU law hotties male men Above the Law.GIF

Top row, left to right: Marcos Arellano, Adan Canizales, Steven Cephas, Seth Endo, Ahmed Ghappour.
Bottom row: Matthew Jackson, Michael Okoye, Arinze Onugha, Bryan Swiss, Manoj Viswanathan.
You’ve seen the goods on offer. Now, please cast your vote:

Make Free Online Polls

We incorporate by reference the explanatory comments from the women’s contest. Good luck to all!
Earlier: Above the Law Hotties: NYU Law School Third-Years (Female)
Your NYU Law School Hotties
NYU Law Students: Dorkily Desirable?

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