We are not easily offended, nor are we very politically correct. Sometimes we write things that upset or antagonize people (sometimes intentionally, and sometimes not).
But this discussion of women lawyers, while certainly provocative, is a bit too inflammatory for our taste. We won’t post excerpts here (because finding a portion that isn’t offensive is difficult).
It’s generating discussion and making the rounds by email, however, and people have brought it to our attention. We’re passing it along for your consideration, so you can see what all the fuss is about. But please keep in mind that we agree with Jeff Jarvis’s linking philosophy: “A link is not necessarily an endorsement, but a way to say ‘you go judge for yourself.’”
What A Girl’s Job Tells You [Roissy in DC]
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What was looking likely has come to pass. From today’s Washington Post:
Roy L. Pearson Jr., the administrative law judge who lost his $54 million lawsuit against a Northeast Washington dry cleaner, lost his job yesterday and was ordered to vacate his office, sources said.
Pearson, 57, who had served as a judge for two years, was up for a 10-year term at the Office of Administrative Hearings, but a judicial committee last week voted against reappointing him.
The panel had a seven-page letter hand-delivered to Pearson about 3:30 p.m., directing him to leave his office by 5 p.m. Pearson’s term ended in May, at the height of his battle with the dry cleaners. Since then, he has remained on the payroll, making $100,000 a year as an attorney adviser.
So what’s next for ex-judge Roy Pearson? A book deal for a memoir, tentatively entitled Diary of a Mad Black ALJ? A reality television show, in which Judge Pearson files dubious lawsuits and sees if any of them go anywhere?
Judge Who Lost Pant Suit Loses Job [Washington Post]
Earlier: Nationwide Layoff Watch: Roy Pearson
We’re bored (and so are you). We’re just passing time until another major law firm announces year-end bonuses, in the wake of Monday’s Cravath announcement.
In today’s New York Times, Ellen Rosen has this interesting article on law firm bonuses:
Cravath, Swaine & Moore has raised the salary bar for law firm associates in Manhattan.
The firm has announced that it will award a special one-time bonus for associates in addition to the traditional year-end bonus that the firm, like most others, already pays. All but the newest associates will receive $10,000 to $50,000, depending on seniority, which was first reported by Abovethelaw.com.
Thanks for the shout-out, Ellen!
What about other law firms? Read more, after the jump.
Continue reading “Associate Bonus Watch: The Natives Are Getting Restless”
Emergency kits, like the ones doled out by Davis Polk, are nice. But billable-hour credit during an emergency is even nicer.
From a curious correspondent:
Here’s a question you may want to pose to your readers: How has your law firm dealt billable hour requirements when the office if officially closed due to an emergency / disaster?
I ask this question in connection with the recent southern California wildfires. I’ve heard that many law firms in So Cal had to close shop for the entire week last week due to the wild-fires. I’ve also heard that many of these shops are giving associates billable hours credit for the days the office was closed.
I’m curious how often firms do this sort of thing. What did law firms do after 9/11? Or Katrina? Or any of the major CA earthquakes? It wouldn’t seem right for a firm to tell attorneys not to come in for a week and then hold them accountable for that week at the end of the year.
But what about telecommuting? Is the ability to work from home a double-edged sword? Now that everyone has a laptop and a Blackberry, can attorneys be expected to fiddle (with merger agreements), while California burns?
More after the jump.
Continue reading “Biglaw Perk Watch: Billable Hour Credit During Emergencies or Disasters?”
- Anthony Ciolli, AutoAdmit / Xoxohth, Defamation, Free Speech, Law Schools, Rudeness, Sexism, Technology
What the Heck Is Going on with Doe v. Ciolli?
By David LatRemember the lawsuit filed by two female Yale Law School students over various allegedly defamatory and threatening comments posted about them on AutoAdmit.com? The plaintiffs are in the process of amending their complaint, and they’ve sought extra time in which to do so. From a tipster:
[T]he third motion for an extension of time was requested October 4, and it asked for 30 days. I can’t imagine them going to a fourth motion, so the deadline should be fast approaching around this weekend.
That said… it appears from the first couple of motions they didn’t have any real leads and were still investigating, and now they may have a real lead.
Interesting. We’ll keep you posted.
Doe 1 et al v. Ciolli et al [Justia]
Earlier: Has AutoAdmit Been Pwn3d?
- Email Scandals, Lawsuit of the Day, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms, Romance and Dating, Sex Scandals
Lawsuit of the Day: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
By David LatAh, the perils of office romance. This was passed along to us by a tipster, who wrote: “This new lawsuit involving one of Connecticut’s largest and oldest firms caught my eye this morning.”
Stephanie Ancillai; Thomas Diascro v. Michael Lamoureux
10/29/2007 HHD-CV07-5014300-S
Intentional infliction of emotional distress. Plaintiff Ancillai broke off relationship with defendant, who in turn sent emails to plaintiff and co-plaintiff’s superiors at Shipman and Goodwin exposing their romantic relationship. As a result of the emails, both plaintiff and co-plaintiff lost their jobs in the marketing department of the law firm.
Sounds interesting. If you get your hands on the Complaint, please feel free to send it our way.
* Family to sue NYC over staph death. [CNN]
* Nader sues DNC for trying to win 2004 Presidential election conspiring against him in 2004. [AP via Breitbart]
* Should law school be more like business school? [WSJ Law Blog]
* Georgia to $336,000 in child support! [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
* Yep, de facto moratorium. [New York Times]
A law firm for which we have special affection here at ATL, Nixon Peabody, has raised starting salaries to $160,000 in its Washington office. Cue the theme song!
Oddly enough, this change isn’t reflected in the firm’s NALP form, which lists them at $145,000. But Nixon Peabody is advising recruits that it now pays $160K in DC (and perhaps it has raised in other offices, although we’ve only heard about Washington).
In case you’re curious, the firm’s email to recruits appears after the jump.
Continue reading “Nationwide Pay Raise Watch: Everyone’s A Winner at One Hundred Sixty”
We have to step away for a bit. If any firm makes a bonus announcement while we’re gone, please note it in the comments, and we’ll investigate when we return. Thanks.
* In response to Professor Art Leonard’s question about the Charney settlement — “Will Aaron Charney ever have to work again”? — Professor Scott Moss writes: “Yes, unless Charney wants to experience his ‘early retirement’ in a rural trailer park.” [PrawfsBlawg]
* “A young and uneducated criminal defendant serving 30-to-life in a maximum security prison isn’t likely to be a specialist in appellate practice.” Unless his name is Jonathan Lee Riches. [Volokh Conspiracy]
* “Blogging is hard. Hard. The law is a jealous mistress. So is blogging… We’ve each written books, and law review articles, and supreme court briefs. This is harder. Much, much harder.” (Oh, and Happy Birthday!) [Drug and Device Law]
* Another transatlantic law firm merger: Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge swallows up Kendall Freeman of London. [TheLawyer.com]
* Do you enjoy your job? Take this test. [What About Clients?]
* YLS battle royal? Kate Stith lays the smackdown on Jed Rubenfeld. [New York Times]
We are waiting not-so-patiently for news of another major New York law firm matching Cravath’s just-announced bonus schedule. C’mon, S&C, Simpson, Davis… What are you people waiting for?
(If one of these firms HAS announced, you haven’t told us about it. For shame! To learn about how to send bonus announcements to ATL, on a confidential basis, please see here.)
Anyhoo, while we wait, let’s imagine what it’s like to be a lawyer in Oklahoma. From the Journal Record:
Oklahoma City attorneys receive starting salaries of about 88 percent of the national average, compared with 92 percent for their Tulsa counterparts, according to an analysis of salary figures in the 2008 Robert Half Legal Salary Guide.
This places projected salaries for first-year associates at Tulsa-area large law firms within a range of $102,810-$126,040, and from $98,340-$120,560 in Oklahoma City.
We’ve never lived in (or visited) Oklahoma City or Tulsa, but we’re guessing these salaries allow for a pretty nice standard of living out there. Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’!
Starting pay for lawyers in state lower than national average [Journal Record]
We don’t watch the show, although we’ve heard good things. But we’re guessing that those of you who are fans of How I Met Your Mother appreciated the shout-out to fall recruiting in last night’s episode.
Here’s a capsule description, from Wikipedia:
“I’m Not That Guy”
When a corporate law firm courts Marshall, lawyer Jeff Coatsworth wins him over, forcing him to let go of his dream of saving the earth in favor of the almighty dollar. Guest star John Cho.
And a more detailed account, from a reader:
The 3L (I guess) character wanted to work for a nonprofit, but took an interview with a BigLaw. He was wined and dined (on Kobe-beef fed lobster!), then slept at the apartment of the recruiter (played by John Cho), doing the “walk of shame” the next morning.
He wasn’t going to take the job, but then he was “dragged off” to “Tuckahoe Funland” – I’m guessing it’s a Coney Island ripoff – for more playtime, where he’s given the sales pitch again, and told he will represent only the amusement park and protect it from overzealous developers. On the ferris wheel, he finally takes the offer.
Take 22 minutes and go over to CBS.com. It’s probably up on the web for viewing.
How I Met Your Mother [official website]
List of How I Met Your Mother episodes [Wikipedia]
We don’t know anything about sports. Who just played in the World Series?
Thankfully, some of you are more informed. From a reader:
Scott Boras should be featured on ATL today, perhaps as “lawyer of the day” or whatever. [T]his story is hot, and should start a comment clusterf**k for you.
Baseball players’ agent Scott Boras has balls. Boras sent an email to the Associated Press on Sunday night announcing that his client, Alex Rodriguez, has opted out of the final three years of his contract with the Yankees and will become a free agent.
Rodriguez’s decision, announced by agent Scott Boras during Game 4 of the World Series, makes him eligible to become a free agent.
According to the terms of his $252 Million contract with the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez has ten days to opt out of the final three years and would lose approximately $72 Million of his contract.
According to Sports Illustrated, which broke the story, Boras said he attempted to notify Yankees general manager Brian Cashman of the decision Sunday but couldn’t reach him, so he left a voice mail.
See also this commentary by Murray Chass, in today’s New York Times. Chass doesn’t seem to be a fan of Mr. Boras.
A little more commentary, plus lots of links, after the jump.
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