Apparently our IP address is insufficiently prestigious to access their website, gsbarristers.com:
Messrs. Gallion & Spielvogel, we have a message for you. You style yourselves “barristers,” even though you went to U.S. law schools — Georgetown (Gallion) and U. Penn (Spielvogel) — and have no apparent barristers’ qualifications. Your lengthy and self-aggrandizing bios disclose no Inn of Court training nor pupillage experience. This is highly dubious (and questionable as a form of lawyer advertising).
So here’s what we have to say to you:
Gentlemen, we went to law school with barristers. We have blogged alongside barristers. Barristers are our friends. And you, gentlemen, are no barristers.
Remember that root canal we had? It’s time for us to go in for a follow-up.
Hence this lunchtime open thread. Please post pay raise news in the comments. Since it’s Friday afternoon, we expect at least some news to break.
Before we leave, here are some items we’ve recently verified:
1. From a confirmed Linklaters source, we hear that “Linklaters has reinforced its commitment to be a top player in NYC market.”
We interpret this as: “We’re on the $160K scale. Yippee!”
2. From a confirmed source at Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal:
Our NY office is matching the New York pay raise, and our Chicago office is going to match Sidley’s 145K raise to Chicago 1st years. We expect that all Chicago firms will go to 145K, and some may feel compelled to go higher (Kirkland?) to compete with Skadden.
We only announced the 1st year rates. We have not set the upper level associate structure, which is somewhat more compressed than at certain other firms.
3. Finally, Brown Rudnick has matched. Their memo appears after the jump.
We’ll review your comments, and resume salary coverage, when we get back. Thanks. Earlier: Previous announcements of law firm associate salary increases (scroll down through “Skaddenfreude” archives)
Check out Aaron Charney’s updated bio on the Sullivan & Cromwell website:
We noticed this last night. We promptly emailed Aaron Charney:
“Are you still technically employed by S&C? You’re no longer on the website, fwiw.”
We haven’t heard back from Charney yet, even though he’s usually very prompt in responding to our emails.
We will keep you posted. If he’s no longer enjoying a (recently raised) S&C salary, we will let you know. Aaron Charney bio [Sullivan & Cromwell]
Not surprisingly, we loved The Devil Wears Prada (both the movie and the book). In the film, we ate up every last crumb of Meryl Streep’s delicious performance.
But it wasn’t perfect. For example, we hated the scene in the Paris hotel room when Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), looking dreadful in a bathrobe and without her make-up, breaks down in front of her assistant, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway). Miranda starts sobbing about her impending divorce and how it will affect “the twins.”
Meryl Streep is a great actress, so she was able to pull it off (barely). But anyone else would have made us cringe. Please, Hollywood: in your next movie about a great diva, spare us the obligatory “let’s humanize the bitch-on-wheels” scene.
Okay, enough preliminaries. We have some more news about the Justice Department’s Shanetta Cutlar (at right), Section Chief of the Special Litigation Section.
If true, it’s deeply troubling. Read all about it, after the jump.
A quick update to yesterday’s post about Supreme Court clerk hiring for October Term 2007. Here are two more hires we’ve just learned about:
1. Chief Justice John Roberts has hired Joshua Hawley (Yale 2006 / McConnell).
From The Journal’s Journal (an email newsletter for Yale Law Journal members):
Congratulations to Volume 115 Articles Editor Josh Hawley, who will be clerking for Chief Justice John Roberts in OT ‘07. He joins Editor-in-Chief C.J. Mahoney (Kennedy OT ‘07) and Notes Editor Marah Stith (Thomas OT ‘09) as 115 Board Members who will be clerking for the Supreme Court.
2. Justice Ruth “But I’m a Cheerleader” Ginsburg has hired Ruthanne Deutsch (Georgetown 2004 / Dyk (Fed. Cir.)). Deutsch is currently an associate at Sidley Austin in DC.
Once again, we reprint an updated tally of October Term 2007 clerks, reflecting these two additions (and the correct spelling of Zach Tripp’s last name), after the jump.
The rumor that Wachtell Lipton has raised starting salaries to $200,000 for first-years is not true.
From a source at our former home (where we kept a pair of Ritz-Carlton hotel slippers under our desk, for walking around on late nights and weekends):
Not only is the $200K rumor false, but we just got our monthly paychecks, and they’re still at the old rates. So if we do raise, it won’t be effective until March 1.
That settles it. You’ll have to wait until December — or at least the summer or fall, if WLRK does midyear bonuses again — to start feeling envy towards your classmates who went there.
This is the morning open thread. Please add your compensation comments here. If you can verify any of the memos that have been recently posted in the comments, please email us (from either a work account or a non-work account bearing your real name).
If you’re afraid of getting in trouble, make your message cryptic (e.g., completely blank, except for a subject line reading “Yes” or “Confirmed”). We will figure out what you’re talking about. Thanks.
P.S. On the subject of gargantuan bonuses, can someone tell us a little more about Susman Godfrey and their compensation scheme? Why don’t we hear about them as much as Wachtell, considering how well they pay their associates?
* More details constantly emerging from the Scooter Libby trial [CNN]
* That Boston duo is out of custody for ATHF ads that caused a bomb scare. They gave a bizarre press conference, insisting on speaking only about ’70s haircuts. One reporter asked, “[Lawyer], are you disappointed by your client’s behavior?” to which the attorney responded, “My client is a performance artist.” [CNN]
* Yesterday an article discussed the NFL’s IP enforcement. Today, they enforce. [SI]
* Of course, “Dodgeball” is also subject to IP enforcement. [Hollywood Reporter Esq.]
* When fantasy football meets “legal prowess,” you get the WSJ Law Blog Football Hall of Fame. [WSJ Law Blog]
Have a great Super Sunday, Big Game weekend, lawyers! All billing stops at 6:25 EST.
Yes, it’s true. Charney v. Sullivan & Cromwell has claimed its first victim.
So who is it? Has the allegedly uncouth Eric Krautheimer been admitted to “rehab”? Has the divine Alexandra Korry been shipped off to Paris, as some of you speculated? Has plaintiff Aaron Charney (at right), nominally kept on the S&C payroll since filing his lawsuit, finally been discharged?
None of the above. The news is actually far more exciting:
John Scheich has resigned as President of LeGal!!!
If this leaves you scratching your head, here’s a little background. Jack Scheich was recently elected president of a prominent gay bar association, the Lesbian and Gay Law Association of New York (LeGal). Shortly after Charney v. S&C was filed, he was contacted for comment by ABC News. In his interview, he came out swinging in favor of S&C, and sniffed dismissively at Charney’s case — even though he had done no investigation of the allegations.
Scheich’s interview generated bad publicity for LeGal. It looked like the organization was prejudging the merits of a lawsuit claiming anti-gay discrimination, without knowing all the facts, simply because S&C throws money at them has been supportive of LeGal over the years.
LeGal received numerous angry letters from gay law students and lawyers. The organization eventually repudiated Scheich’s remarks, in a statement posted on its website. Despite this distancing, LeGal and Scheich were roundly criticized by gay law student groups from NYU and Columbia, in a strongly worded opinion piece for the New York Blade.
Well, that wasn’t the end of it. A few hours ago, as of 5 PM Eastern time, Jack Scheich resigned as president of LeGal.
You can check out his statement at the organization’s website. Money quote:
[I]t is the time for me to make this apology to the plaintiff and to the entire interested LGBT legal community. I trust that it will be received with the same sincerity as it is made.
It sure will, Jack.
The firestorm surrounding this issue has hurt LeGaL, (an organization of which I have been a member for almost 30 years) and will continue to hurt LeGaL if I remain as President. Accordingly, I hereby tender my resignation, as President, to the Secretary of LeGaL to become effective upon this statement being posted on the LeGaL web site.
This is probably all for the best. Jack, it’s been fun.
In the interest of full disclosure, we’re not big fans of Jack Scheich. But he doesn’t like us either — and he’s made that abundantly clear. As victims of his snark, we’re entitled to snark back.
What do we mean by all this? Learn the details after the jump.
* His world may have collapsed, but his lung won’t. [MSN]
* They probably weren’t staying together for the kids. [Judicial Reports (third item)]
* Some African-American college students are, in fact, just African. Another way to summarize this “finding” is that “Not All [insert color here] People Are the Same” (or, as many a clever columnist would no doubt call it, the “Barack Theory”). [Althouse]
* I’m not sure what constitutes innovation in law practice management, but I wouldn’t nominate Sullivan & Cromwell. [Adam Smith, Esq]
* No need for a state-funded “Inner Change Program.” After they get stabbed by a pick fashioned out of a bed spring and gang-raped in the shower, inmates usually turn to God of their own will. [ACSBlog]
* Be careful when deciding what to call your party on Sunday night. [Overlawyered]
A pretty boring day in terms of law firm associate compensation news. We haven’t heard anything new about Latham & Watkins, Wachtell Lipton, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, or any of the other firms that people have asked about in comments.
Of course, if we’re missing the boat on something, please email us.
Friday will probably be more interesting, since it will mark the end of the week. And if news is disappointing, or at least not positive — e.g., not upping the market, but just matching — then Friday afternoon is the best time to release it.
Okay, comment time. Reenact the cost-of-living debate for the ten millionth time, after the jump.
Some of you disagree, but we consider the Justice Department’s Shanetta Y. Cutlar to be a great diva. Based on the term’s origin in the world of opera, we define a “diva” as a woman of tremendous talent, whose ability is matched only by her difficult temperament.
By this standard, Shanetta Cutlar qualifies. In terms of talent, SYC has risen to a position of great power and prestige within the DOJ. She has been highly successful and effective in that post, efficiently moving a huge caseload, and advancing the federal government’s civil rights agenda.
As for her temperament — well, we don’t need to remind you about that. We’ve filled many pages with tales of how SYC runs the Justice Department’s Special Litigation Section (“SPL”). These stories have come from former employees, both lawyers and staff members, who have worked under Ms. Cutlar.
The more we post about Shanetta Cutlar, the more tips flow in from disgruntled ex-employees. One recent email provided a lengthy enumeration of SYC’s alleged foibles as a manager.
We took the substance of that list and reworked it, transforming it into SYC’s Ten Tips for Aspiring Divas — the kind of thing you might see as a sidebar in Cosmo. You can check it out after the jump.
We feel a bit like Senator Joe Biden must feel right now, after his ill-advisedcomments about Senator Barack Obama. In case you haven’t heard, Sen. Biden paid Sen. Obama’s presidential candidacy some backhanded compliments:
“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”
Take foot (or, in our case, keyboard). Insert into mouth. Then push, as far as it will go.
Yesterday we published a post about a recent plane trip made by Judge Marsha Berzon, of the Ninth Circuit, and her family. It was supposed to come across as playfully irreverent (and yes, slightly snarky). But instead, it turned out to be rather mean-spirited, at least in the eyes of some readers — such as Judge Alex Kozinski.
In a later post, we will explain various aspects of that original post (and vigorously defend the decision to publish in the first instance). But for now, we would like to point out that the timing of our post could not have been worse.
The following email is representative of others we’ve received. It’s from a former clerk of Judge Berzon (who, by the way, thinks very highly of her and enjoyed the clerkship):
Judge Berzon’s brother passed away Tuesday quite suddenly and unexpectedly. So, whereas I would be bothered by such a post about someone I so thoroughly revere as a general matter, I wouldn’t normally object to its very existence — I’d just fight back. Given current circumstances, however, I do think it is in especially poor taste this week, a point you might want to consider as you post further on the subject.
Point well-taken. Obviously we had no idea of the passing of Judge Berzon’s brother at the time we published our post. It was a story we had on hand for a while — non-time-sensitive stuff, or what we in the biz call “evergreen” material — and we didn’t get the chance to write it up until yesterday. So it was pure (and unfortunate) coincidence that it appeared at such a terrible time for the Berzon family.
We send our sincerest condolences to Judge Berzon on the passing of her brother. And we apologize if we have in any way made such a difficult time for her family even more trying. Update: Some interesting comments here. Please be sure to read our clarification of the point of this post. Thanks. Earlier: Flying the Friendly, Federal Judicial Skies: An Open Letter from Judge Alex Kozinski Flying the Friendly, Federal Judicial Skies
Watch to find out what some of our subscribers received in their May box!
The proper hair styling product might just be the only thing standing between you and your dream job. And the best way to find what works for you is to try the best stuff on the market. Join Birchbox Man for $20 a month and you’ll get customized shipments of the best grooming and lifestyle gear on the market every month—everything from haircare and shaving supplies to style accessories and tech gadgets.
As the leading discovery commerce platform, Birchbox is redefining the retail process by offering consumers a unique and personalized way to discover, learn about, and shop the best grooming and lifestyle products out there. It’s a full 360-degree process: try, learn, buy. Once you sign up and fill out your profile, head over to Birchbox Man’s online magazine to find article and video tutorials on how to get the most out your monthly box products. Pick up full-size versions of anything you like in the Birchbox Shop and earn points for every purchase.
We currently have a number of active openings for associate roles at US and UK firms in HK / China, Singapore and two new in-house openings. As always, please feel free to reach out to us at asia@kinneyrecruiting.com in order to get details of current openings in Asia, as well as to discuss the Asia markets in general and what we expect for openings later this year. Our Evan Jowers and Robert Kinney will be in Beijing the week of March 25 and Evan Jowers will be in Hong Kong the week of April 1, if you would like to meet them in person.
The US associate openings we have in law firms are in the usual areas of M&A, cap markets, FCPA / white collar litigation, finance, and project finance. The most urgent of our top tier (top 15 US or magic circle) law firm openings in Asia (among many other firm openings that we have in Asia) are as follows:
• 2nd to 5th year mandarin fluent M&A associates needed in Beijing and Hong Kong at several firms;
• Korean fluent 2nd to 4th year cap markets associate needed in Hong Kong;
• 2nd to 5th year Japanese fluent M&A associates needed in Tokyo;
• 4th to 6th year mandarin fluent cap markets associate needed in Hong Kong;
• 2nd to 4th year M&A / cap markets mix associate needed in Singapore.
The last time I flapped my wings your way, I tried to make at least enough noise about your mobile phone to make you more than a little bit uncomfortable. I hope I did. If enough of us become anxious enough about the known and unknown unknowns and knowns in our mobile phones, then we can start making wise decisions about how to manage that information and its resultant investigations.
Today, I’d like to put a finer point on the last installment’s topic by asking a question that seemed to catch most attendees off-guard at a conference panel that I moderated last week: is there discoverable personal information in a mobile app? Our panelists’ answer was a uniform “yes” with one stating that, if he had to choose only one type of data that he could discover from a mobile phone, he’d choose app data. Why? Because there’s simply so much of it and because almost all of it is objective – not just user-created like an email – but machine-tracked like GPS, usage duration, log in and log out times, browsed web addresses, browsed actual addresses. Also, most of us seem to have the idea that data doesn’t actually “stick” to our mobile devices the way it “sticks” to our hard drives. Maybe there’s a disconnect based on the fact that our phones are mobile so we assume the data is mobile to?
The traditional job application and interview process can be impersonal, and applicants often struggle to present themselves as more than just the sum of their GPAs, alma maters, and previous work history. ATL has partnered with ViewYou to help job seekers overcome this challenge. ViewYou NOW Profiles offer a unique way for job seekers to make a personal, memorable connection with prospective employers: introduction videos. These videos allow job candidates to display their personalities, interpersonal skills, and professional interests, creating an eDossier to brand themselves to potential employers all over the world. Check it out today!
