That’s the latest rumor. We’re checking with our Paul Weiss sources (and waiting for a memo). Update (1:12 PM): This is looking pretty solid. No memo yet, and one of our Paul Weiss sources reports not hearing anything yet. But two other Paul Weiss sources confirm that the firm has matched. One of the two confirming sources explains why our first source might not have heard anything:
They have a junior partner on each floor come around and tell you, to make it “more personal.”
So this might explain why associates are getting the news at different times. It all depends upon when your particular junior partner gets around to dropping by your office. Update (3:28 PM): Officially CONFIRMED, by Madelaine Miller, Paul Weiss’s communications manager. And we have the memo, too. Click here. Paul Weiss matches… [Infirmation / Greedy NY]
A recent meme of the legal blogosphere: neckties.
We find this subject hard to resist, since it lies at the intersection of two of our favorite topics: fashion and law. Because of the staid fashion standards of the legal profession — dark suits, white or blue shirts, black shoes (or brown if you’re wild ‘n crazy) — one of the few ways male lawyers can express themselves sartorially is through their ties.
Here are a few quick links and thoughts:
* One of the more random things we’ve heard of ex-practicing-lawyers going into. But it’s probably more fun than document review, or two-hour conference calls in which nothing is accomplished. [WSJ Law Blog]
* An excellent taxonomy of neckwear, from Raffi Melkonian of Crescat (who, as we know from his food-related posts, knows how to live the good life). [Crescat Sententia]
We agree with Raffi’s endorsement of Zegna ties (and own about half a dozen ourselves). But we also have a weakness for the Hermès school of ties in fun patterns — and would add Ferragamo to this grouping.
One of our favorite ties is a red Ferragamo, with a zany print of dancing Asian coolies (pictured at right). Back in our law firm days, when we sometimes felt like a highly-paid coolie, we’d wear this necktie as a form of silent protest. A $120 tie, emblazoned with dancing coolie workers, was the perfect embodiment of the Biglaw predicament.
* Finally, here are some necktie thoughts from Professor Glenn Reynolds. Brooks Brothers makes some nice ties, but they can be a little unexciting. So the Instapundit wisely balances these out with printed ties from museum shops. [Instapundit]
P.S. The best personal necktie collection we know of is owned by the Justice Department’s Office of Sartorial Counsel (aka Ryan Bounds, Chief of Staff for the Office of Legal Policy).
After driving her SUV the wrong way down a freeway, famine victim reality TV star Nicole Richie was arrested yesterday for driving under the influence (Vicodin and pot, allegedly). Perhaps she’s gearing up for “The Simple Life: Behind Bars”?
Seriously, though, we doubt Richie will do any prison time. She’s in the capable hands of Howard L. Weitzman, a prominent criminal defense lawyer who has represented oodles of celebrities over the years (e.g., John De Lorean, Michael Jackson, Ozzy Osbourne, and even O.J. Simpson (briefly)).
And this cloud has a silver lining. Now that she has a DUI arrest on her record, Nicole Richie is eligible for a state court judgeship.
Speaking of state judges and DUI arrests, our reader poll is now over. We asked you:
Who acted more stupidly? Judge Patrick Young, for driving under the influence, with a senior colleague as a passenger? Or Chief Judge Jan Fiss, for getting into the car with an inebriated colleague, and then trying to empty his tinnie by the side of the road?
* A unanimous Supreme Court overturns a Ninth Circuit ruling in a criminal (habeas) case. In other news, this morning the sun rose from the east. [New York Times; Washington Post]
* Enron’s Jeff Skilling may get to pass “Go” on his way to jail after all. [WSJ Law Blog]
* BCS vs. the Electoral College: Is the controversy over Florida or Michigan playing Ohio State the college football version of Bush v. Gore? Or perhaps that was the LSU/USC split of 2003-04? [National Journal via MSNBC]
* “Float driver in S.C. Christmas parade charged with drunken driving.” [AP]
* Christmas trees are back up in the Sea-Tac airport. Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky has said he won’t file a lawsuit. But if somebody else does, the Seattle airport authorities will have to throw in a menorah, a Kikombe cha Umoja, and a snowman. [Seattle Times]
A quirky and fun story in the Saturday New York Times (which nobody reads except us) describes the legal crusade of one John Lagana. He’d like to ride his WaveRunner around the shores of East Hampton, but can’t, thanks to the wealthy beach town’s ban on water scooters.
So like any good American, Lagana is taking the matter to court. And he has an interesting historical argument:
The case is now pending in state appellate court, where a panel of judges must decide if an obscure 17th century charter known as the Dongan Patent does indeed protect a man’s right to buzz around the waterways on a machine its signers could hardly have imagined.
When King James II deeded the eastern tip of the South Fork — which now includes East Hampton, Amagansett and Montauk — to a group of settlers in 1686, the governor in chief of the province of New York, Thomas Dongan, drew up the patent, granting “freeholders and inhabitants” of the area the right to “enjoy without hindrance” recreational activities like “fishing, hawking, hunting and fowling.”
The legal power of such deeding documents, which exist throughout Long Island and in other early-settled places, has been upheld by courts including the United States Supreme Court.
Lagana buttresses this with constitutional contentions:
Among Mr. Lagana’s arguments is that a passage in the federal Constitution prohibiting the creation of “any law impairing the obligation of contracts,” and a provision in the original New York State Constitution protecting “grants of land made by the authority of the king,” gives Dongan power in perpetuity. “If you’re going to ignore the Dongan Patent, you might as well throw out the Constitution,” he said.
The tony town has several counterarguments. Their main point is that “the patent is too vague and out of date to govern a modern municipality.” But they also have historical contentions of their own:
[Gary] Weintraub, the town’s lawyer, pointed out that if East Hampton were to live by the centuries-old patent, it would have other obligations, including the annual tax to the king of “the Sum of one Lamb Yearly and fourty shillings, curant money.”
Assuming East Hampton was not in arrears at the time of the American Revolution, that would amount to 230 lambs and 9,200 shillings the town owes, payable to Queen Elizabeth.
* I think I may be the only New Yorker who regularly watches local channel NY1 — I just can’t get enough of Pat Kiernan’s deadpan delivery, especially of the more frivolous items. What would he say (and too bad he can’t) about this doctored photo of his colleague “BBB”? [New York Post via Gothamist]
* Because monkeys are people too. [AP via Yahoo! News]
* The lesson learned is to move if you live near a dam. (I am amazed at my restraint in the face of such a punnable word, but hey, this is pretty serious.) [New Orleans City Business via Ernie the Attorney]
* Anyone who hasn’t been ripped on in cyberspace is either in a coma or hasn’t come out of his Y2K bomb shelter. I bet these guys would love to be able to claim a cause of action. [Findlaw]
We have a dinner to attend, so we’re stepping away from the computer for a few hours.
There has been quite a bit of bonus news today, including announcements from Cravath and Cadwalader. And it’s possible that more news might emerge tonight (although we think it’s unlikely, given that it’s after the close of business on the East Coast).
But if any interesting bonus news happens to come in while we’re gone, please mention it in the comments to this post (and provide a link to your source, if any). We will investigate when we return.
And feel free to offer any other bonus-related rumors or rants. Thanks!
Consider Cadwalder CONFIRMED. We just got off the phone with Claudia Freeman, director of communications for CWT, who verified the accuracy and authenticity of the memo that we emailed to her.
In addition, in case you doubt our Cravath coverage — as well as that of the WSJ Law Blog, which reported the news shortly after we did — then we have some more proof for you.
Check out a scanned version of the original Cravath memo, after the jump.
As predicted, Cravath announced its bonus structure today. They’re paying the same bonuses as they did last year. In other words, they’re matching this year’s Milbank bonuses — except for the most senior classes, whom they’re paying $5,000 less. C’mon, Cravath partners, can’t you cough up another $5K for your most senior drones?
Here are the numbers, from a source within Cravath:
2006 — $30,000 (pro-rated)
2005 — $35,000
2004 — $40,000
2003 — $45,000
2002 — $50,000
2001 — $55,000
2000 — $60,000
1999 — $60,000 Update (4:30 PM): The WSJ Law Blog has also reported on Cravath’s 2006 bonuses. The firm declined comment.
In addition, rumor has it that Cadwalader has announced and matched Milbank. Update (5:07 PM): Cadwalader is CONFIRMED. Details here.
We reprint the purported verified CWT bonus memo, as well as the Cravath bonus memo, after the jump.
Some 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!
As we mentioned lastweek, on Friday we were delighted to attend “On Liberty: A conversation between Justice Stephen Breyer and Professor Charles Fried,” of Harvard Law School.
We were invited to this event by Georgetown Law Professor Neal Katyal, a legal academic celebrity (and former Breyer clerk). Professor Katyal did an excellent job as moderator of the discussion.
A more detailed report will follow in short order. For now, check out our pretty blurry pictures — after the jump.
A 12-step program for Blackberry addicts strikes us as an exercise in futility. When we worked at a law firm, we took our Blackberry with us everywhere. Once we Blackberried a paralegal from the dentist’s chair — while waiting for the anesthesia to wear off, after having four wisdom teeth removed.
In fact, establishing “Blackberry-free” time periods could end up getting you in trouble. Under certain circumstances, it might constitute malpractice. We agree with commenter Willie:
This all sounds swell in theory, but until clients agree to obey the same rules, it will be difficult to observe these common sensical boundaries.
As for the so-called “BlackBerry orphans,” kids who feel neglected by their Blackberry-obsessed parents, the solution is simple. Follow Arianna Huffington’s example: get your child a Blackberry of her own. Then she’ll spend all her time emailing with her friends, instead of bothering you while you’re trying to get work done.
It’s never too early to give your kid a Blackberry. Even babies can appreciate them: BlackBerry Orphans [Wall Street Journal] BlackBerry Addicts: A 12-Step Program [WSJ Law Blog] Earlier: Law Firm Associates: How Not To Deal with the Late-Night Munchies
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?
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That’s the latest rumor. We’re checking with our Paul Weiss sources (and waiting for a memo).
