As litigators know all too well, there are two -- or more -- sides to every story. Unfortunately, in many controversies involving law firms, we never hear the firm's side (usually because they clam up -- we try to pressure them give them incentives them to talk, but we don't always succeed).

Earlier today, we reported on allegations made by a former associate at Bingham McCutchen in Boston. Michelle Moor claimed that (1) she was drugged at the firm holiday party; (2) a fellow Bingham associate told Moor that she had also been drugged -- and then raped -- by a Bingham employee the year before; and (3) a male employee at the firm "made 'a number of alarming sexually inappropriate comments' about 'roofies' and having sex with unconscious women." Along with Moor's allegations, we posted a brief statement from the firm.

Now we can bring you more of the firm's side of the story. Earlier this afternoon, Bingham McCutchen's general counsel, William Southard, sent out an internal email to all personnel. The email contains more specifics than the firm's prior statement.

We got our grubby paws on it, of course. Based on the email, it seems to us that Bingham has handled this difficult situation with sensitivity and "delicate handling" (as touted in its ubiquitous advertisements).

Of course, you're free to form your own opinion. Check out the email, after the jump.

Michelle Moor was a first-year associate at Bingham McCutchen, and a successful one judging from this Bingham press release on a case victory. She left the firm in February for the much smaller (and lower-paying) Kotin, Crabtree Strong, after allegedly being drugged at Bingham's holiday office party. She has filed a sex discrimination complaint against Bingham for not taking appropriate actions after she reported the incident.

From Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly:

The seven-page [Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination] complaint, which was sent to multiple newspapers yesterday evening, states that on Dec. 14, 2007, Moor attended the firm's annual holiday party for associates at Lucia, a North End restaurant. Allegedly, after her second glass of wine, she felt "dazed and extremely disoriented." At an emergency room that evening, the complaint says, a blood test revealed that she had ingested Tegretol, an anti-seizure medication that causes memory loss when taken with alcohol.

After the incident, another Bingham associate allegedly told Moor that she had been drugged and raped by a Bingham employee the year before, but that she had not reported the incident to the firm.

On Dec. 20, according to the complaint, Moor reported both incidents to the firm's human resources department and asked that the firm warn other female associates.

A month later, on Jan. 17, according to the complaint, Moor attended a dinner at a restaurant with fellow Bingham employees, one of whom, a litigation specialist who worked on the same floor as Moor, made "a number of alarming sexually inappropriate comments" about "roofies" and having sex with unconscious women. The employee's comments allegedly indicated to Moor that he "may have been the person who drugged her and may have intended to rape her while she was unconscious."

At what kind of firm dinner does an attorney feel comfortable talking about taking advantage of passed-out women?

The story is getting considerable media attention. It also appeared in the Boston Globe and the WSJ Law Blog.

We contacted Bingham for comment. Their statement, plus links to collected coverage, below the fold.

Associate Dean Walter J. Dickey, of the University of Wisconsin Law School, is no stranger to these pages. Back in 2006, ATL named him America's hottest law school dean (male, B-bracket).

Now he makes these pages for less positive reasons. From the Badger Herald:

The University of Wisconsin Law School canceled an event with controversial sexual content last Wednesday, and some students are calling the action a possible First Amendment violation.

The Wisconsin Law Students for Reproductive Justice had planned an event called “Sex Toys 101” to promote safe alternatives to sex, educate about sexual health and pleasure, and discuss law concerning sex toys, according to the group.

As long as you're outside Alabama, a Tupperware party for dildos should be just fine, right?

Well, maybe not. From a tipster:

[Dean Dickey] cancelled a sex toy party, sponsored by a pro-choice student group, because he found the sex-positive subject matter offensive. And he did it 2 hours before the event, without explanation. Then he hid behind adminstrative rules, then it became clear that he just didn’t like it. First Amendment violation, sex toys, Dean Dickey… You have to run this!

Dean Dickey's dictat displeased the students:

Members of the organization submitted a formal complaint to Law School Dean Ken Davis Friday, requesting a formal apology, refund of event expenses and clarification of student organization event rules.

In an interview Monday, Law School Associate Dean Walter Dickey said the event was canceled for content-neutral reasons, pointing to a Student Organization Office policy that prohibits the promotion or sale of commercial products by a private company.

Professor Marc Randazza's take: "That sure sounds reasonable, and it might be if it wasn’t bulls**t!"

Why does Professor Randazza view Dean Dickey's defense as BS? Find out, after the jump.

We bring you some news from the University of Virginia School of Law, which last year was voted America's Coolest Law School by the readers of Above the Law. UVA has a new dean: Professor Paul Mahoney. Congratulations, Dean-To-Be Mahoney!

Professor Mahoney, who will replace John C. Jeffries Jr. as dean when Jeffries steps down in July, has a glittering resume: MIT, Yale Law, clerkships for Judge Winter (2d Cir.) and Justice Marshall, and four years at S&C. He joined the UVA law faculty in 1990. Word on the street is that Paul Mahoney was "the internal favorite" and that "students [are] pleased" by his selection, which didn't come as a surprise:

[H]e was widely expected to be the guy. I'm sitting in his wife's class right now (she's a prof here too), and not even she [Professor Julia D. Mahoney] has said anything about it. Just prattling on about bailments...

Meanwhile, while we're training the spotlight on Charlottesville:

Journal tryouts are ongoing at UVA and presumably other law schools. This is the official Feb Club blog's take on journal tryouts...

It's an entertaining post, characterizing journal tryouts as "a Pyramid Scheme of misery"; check it out here. Elsewhere on the Feb Club blog, a group blog devoted to the monthlong cycle of parties at UVA Law, you can find delicious photos of shirtless studs and busty babes. Check out the main page by clicking here.

Update: In other UVA-related news, Professor Michael Klarman, who is beloved by students and faculty alike, is moving to Harvard Law School.

Paul G. Mahoney—Scholar, Teacher, and Corporate Law Expert—Named University of Virginia Law School Dean [University of Virginia School of Law]
Paul G. Mahoney bio [University of Virginia School of Law]
Journal Tryouts are the Biggest Scam in the Law School [Feb Club Is Why Daddy Left]
Michael Klarman to join HLS faculty [Harvard Law School]

Earliest: Congratulations to America's Coolest Law School: UVA!

For Monday's Lawyer of the Day, we faced an embarrassment of riches -- of embarrassment. So we nominated a quintet of contenders: a North Carolina lawyer caught reading Maxim in court, a former prosecutor who allegedly had sex with two teenage boys, an AUSA arrested on DUI charges, a Canadian lawyer/politician who allegedly overbilled an order of nuns, and a Chicago lawyer who keyed a Marine's car. Then we had you vote on who should take the honors.

Participation was enthusiastic, with almost 1,300 votes cast. Two contenders emerged early in the voting: Beth Modica, the allegedly predatory prosecutrix, and Jay Grodner, who pleaded guilty to keying the Marine's vehicle. Competition was fierce. But in the end, Mrs. Modica came out on top.

So congratulations, Beth Modica. You take the prize as Monday's Lawyer of the Day!

Read more about her alleged misadventures, after the jump.

Why was Cinderella stuck in the office doing document review, while her wicked stepsisters nibbled on caviar and danced the night away?

Maybe Cinderella worked at Kirkland & Ellis, and her sisters were of the Sapphic persuasion. From a K&E tipster:

The Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis hosted a "GLBT only" party last night. The email invitation is below.

It's illegal under Illinois law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in the workplace. But they shouldn't be expected to know that as attorneys, should they?

Here's the invite:

The GLBT Subcommittee of the Firmwide Diversity Committee cordially invites All Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Attorneys and Staff to a Winter Cocktail and Hors d’Ouevres Reception Today, Thursday, January 17, 2008 Sidebar Grille.

221 N. LaSalle
Chicago
5:00 P.M. — 7:00 P.M.

Truth be told, we aren't deeply troubled. Regardless of their technical status under the law, events for lawyers who share common interests happen all the time.

So lighten up, Mr. Tipster! You probably wouldn't have liked the music anyway -- or, for that matter, being ogled by those twinks from IT. And you definitely wouldn't have appreciated being hit upon by that bear from Duplicating.

As a certain ATL commenter might say, "Guys in my high school used to throw special gay parties all the time. They called it Drama Club. It was no big deal."

P.S. A more serious issue is presented by K&E's summer associate diversity fellowship, previously discussed by Professor David Bernstein over at the Volokh Conspiracy.

Diversity Fellowship Program [Kirkland & Ellis]
Illegal Fellowship at Kirkland & Ellis? [Volokh Conspiracy]

In our column for this week's New York Observer, we help you plan an imaginary dinner party. A dinner party, of course, is only as good as the guest list. So we review which colorful characters of the legal world, who made headlines in 2007, should be invited to your festivities.

Think of it as a "year in review" piece, aimed primarily at people who don't read ATL (since most of the names mentioned in the article will be familiar to regular visitors to this site). The potential guests under consideration: Charlene Morisseau, the sassy ex-associate who sued DLA Piper; Aaron Charney, who made S&C "bend over"; and internet celebrity Loyola 2L.

ATL bonus content: Due to space considerations, our write-up of Elana Glatt (née Elana Elbogen) wound up on the cutting room floor. But if you'd like to read it, we've reprinted it after the jump.

Culture of Complaint Spreads Through Law Firms [New York Observer]

If you're in Iowa, we're guessing you have plans tonight. But if you're in New York City, and looking for something to do from 8:30 p.m. onward, consider attending the Law Blogger Happy Hour:

Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008, 8:30-10:30PM

Fireplace Room within Library Bar at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers

811 7th Avenue (at 53rd Street)

It's bitterly cold in the Big Apple right now: 19 degrees (and it feels like 10). So come in from the cold, plant yourself in front of that roaring fire -- they don't call it the "Fireplace Room" for nothing -- and cozy up to some of your favorite law professor/bloggers.

The holiday season isn't that far behind us, so who knows... Maybe there will be egg nog!

Concurring Opinions--PrawfsBlawg Happy Hour at AALS [Concurring Opinions]
Happy New Year! [PrawfsBlawg]

We previously opined that it would be tough to top last year's holiday party at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. The Carnivale-themed festivities featured drag queens, dancers covered in silver make-up, and albino boa onstrictors.

But if the firm fails to equal that extravaganza, it won't be for lack of trying. Check out the "Schedule of Events" -- how lawyerly to have festivities on a schedule -- for this year's CWT holiday party, taking place tonight at the firm's offices in lower Manhattan. Be in the Empire Room by 7:45 PM sharp, or you'll miss the "Holiday Greeting by Bob Link"!

See also quesadillas. Mmmm, quesadillas...

P.S. We've been hearing all sorts of rumors about CWT lately. If you have some gossip to contribute, please drop us a line. Thanks.

Boogie, Counselor! Which Law Firm Gives Best Party? [New York Observer]

The Grinch stole... my Lincoln town car! This afternoon, the following email was sent to all personnel in the New York office of Dewey & LeBoeuf:

To: "DL All NY Personnel"

Sent: 12/11/2007, 12:42 PM

Subject: Holiday Party

As a reminder, the firm will be hosting a holiday party for the New York office this Monday, December 17. The party will be held at Del Frisco's from 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm, and will include a full bar, raw bar, carving stations and a DJ. We hope you join us and enjoy the event -- as we wind down an exciting year in our history, we certainly have a lot to celebrate.

Due to the increased number of attendees this year, we kindly ask that all attendees provide for their own transportation home. Furthermore, as we welcome all personnel from all three of our New York locations, we are unfortunately unable to accommodate spouses or guests at this year's party.

We thank you for all of your hard work and dedication in 2007 and look forward to seeing you at the holiday party next week.

------------------------------------------------------------
Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP
1301 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019

A law firm holiday party without a chauffeur to ferry you home? Heresy! One tipster opines:

This seems quite ludicrous. They're offering an open bar for four hours, and yet they're telling everyone to find their own transportation home. Aside from the potential liability issues this may raise, it seems ridiculous that a firm as big as Dewey would require everyone to find their own car rides home.

Ah, but maybe size is the problem. When two already large, New York-based firms merge with one another, is the resulting behemoth so ginormous that covering its holiday party would suck up every livery vehicle on the island of Manhattan?

(Then again, a question: Does Skadden provide transportation home for people from its holiday party?)

To well-paid associates who live in Manhattan, springing for a cab may not be a big deal. But this may be somewhat inconvenient to support staff who live farther way -- e.g., hipster paralegals from Brooklyn, secretaries from Staten Island. Perhaps they will leave the festivities earlier than usual this year and take mass transit.

Does your firm provide transportation home from your holiday party? Feel free to share in the comments.

Update: Yes, we did note the dis-inviting of plus-ones (as pointed out in the comments). But that's par for the course, or "market," for New York law firm holiday parties. We believe that of the six firms whose parties we described in this piece, only one -- Sullivan & Cromwell -- allows spouses or dates.

Earlier: 'Tis the Season: A Round-Up of New York Law Firm Holiday Parties
Do Plaintiffs Lawyers Throw the Best Parties?

That's the conclusion suggested by this Houston Chronicle article, about the most fabulous law firm holiday parties thrown in that city.

In New York, the biggest and best law firm parties tend to be thrown by the biggest and best law firms. But they do things differently down in Texas, Land of the Plaintiffs' Lawyers. From Mary Flood's quite interesting article:

A random survey of about 100 Houston lawyers showed these to be the six hottest legal party tickets this holiday season:

• litigation firm Susman Godfrey's art-studded office reception;
• plaintiffs lawyer Richard Mithoff's traditional classy soiree;
• plaintiffs lawyer Mark Lanier's family-friendly extravaganza;
• plaintiffs lawyer John O'Quinn's sparkling gala;
• Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels & Friend's crowded office open house;
• defense lawyer David Beck's high-quality in-home affair.

More excerpts and discussion, after the jump.

Our latest column for the New York Observer addresses a seasonal subject: law firm holiday parties. Here's the opening:

Law firm holiday parties aren’t what they used to be. In bygone days, the booze-fueled blasts yielded up tales of M&A lawyers making out with each other in darkened corners, partners dancing drunkenly with paralegals young enough to be their daughters and similarly dubious behavior.

In recent years, however, stories of scandal have become less common. Perhaps guests are more afraid of public embarrassment, now that cellphone photos of carousing legal eagles can be uploaded to the Internet in minutes....

But even if they’re not as wild and crazy as they used to be, law firm holiday parties still reflect, in ways large and small, the cultures and personalities of the firms throwing them. Let’s have a look, shall we?

You can read the rest of the column -- which describes the December festivities of Wachtell, Cravath, Sullivan & Cromwell, Skadden, Cadwalader, and Fried Frank -- by clicking here.

Boogie, Counselor! Which Law Firm Gives the Best Party? [New York Observer]

Wondering where to spend New Year's Eve this year? Well, if you're in New York City, do you have any friends over at Skadden? Surely you must. Considering that the firm recently passed the 2,000 attorney mark, everyone has friends at Skadden (if they don't work there themselves).

From an internal email by "New York office guru" Wally Schwartz, posted at the Skadden Insider blog:

Since our 4 Times Square office is located in such close proximity to New York City's New Year's Eve celebration many employees have rung in the New Year by viewing the festivities from our offices. For the most part these gatherings have been enjoyable and appropriate. However, during last year's celebration there were several problems caused by an excessive number of guests, and, in some cases, excessive drinking.

[T]he following policies are being implemented for this year's celebration:

Each employee is limited to inviting a maximum of three guests, each of whom must be registered with security....

Guests must be accompanied, or met, by their Skadden host in order to be admitted.

No alcohol will be permitted.

A New Year's Eve celebration without booze? That sucks.

Moral of the story: If you're spending New Year's Eve at SASMF, get royally trashed before showing up at Four Times Square.

No vodka in the Skadden lemonade [Skadden Insider]

The law firm of Seyfarth Shaw cordially invites its associates... to toast their own obsolescence. Check out the invite below, for "a cocktail reception to welcome the group of attorneys visiting from Manthan Services in Bangalore, India."

Our tipster wonders: "Why pay first-years $160,000 a year for legal research (or document review), when you can use a lawyer from India at a fraction of the cost?"

Earlier: Nationwide Worldwide Pay Raise Watch: Mumbai to $8,160?

At the Federalist Society festivities: Ryan Bounds, Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy; Deputy Associate Attorney General John O'Quinn; and Susanna Dokupil, Assistant Solicitor General for the Office of the Attorney General of Texas.

Last week, the Federalist Society celebrated its 25th anniversary, with a black-tie gala at Union Station. The official ATL report, by Laurie Lin, is available here; the account of the Washington Post appears here (via the WSJ Law Blog).

Since we were there also, we figured we might as well add our two cents. Some random tidbits about the evening, along with a few more photos, after the jump.

We now yield the floor to Laurie Lin. Who better to report on one of the year's biggest social events than the writer of Legal Eagle Wedding Watch? Over to you, Laurie.

****************
Ambition and Old Spice wafted sweetly through the air last night at the Federalist Society's 25th Anniversary Gala at Union Station -- a kind of right-wing Golden Globes. Nearly two thousand G-ed up conservative lawyers packed the main hall to hear President George W. Bush blast the Senate on judicial confirmations:

"Today, good men and women nominated to the federal bench are finding that inside the Beltway, too many interpret 'advise and consent' to mean 'search and destroy,'" Bush said.

Tickets to the black-tie affair were $250 -- actually $249, because there was a new $1 Madison coin at every place setting -- but that was a small price to pay to breathe the same oxygen as Ted Olson, Antonin Scalia, and Laura Ingraham.

More on the conservative legal fabulosity -- including pictures of the people who didn't hide when they saw us coming -- after the jump.

Paging laid-off (or about-to-be-laid-off) associates: Looking for a new career? If you're culturally literate, possessed of good taste, and great at slaving away for law-firm partners -- which, given your job experience, you probably are -- think about becoming a "personal manager."

From the New York Times:

Looking for someone to curate your life? Need a personal concierge whose expertise is not picking up dry-cleaning but helping chose your wardrobe, your tastes, your friends?

[Allison] Storr calls herself a personal manager, but her duties go far beyond that. Her clients, all of them men, pay monthly fees of $4,000 to $10,000 to have her be their personal decider in nearly all things lifestyle-related.

And there's a fun Biglaw blind item in the article:

A partner in a New York law firm, who agreed to be interviewed if he was not named to protect his privacy, said he has employed Ms. Storr for two and a half years. Last summer, Ms. Storr organized an ’80s theme party at the lawyer’s house in the Hamptons for about 200 of his friends, with a $5,000 budget. “It was honestly one of the most fun parties out there,” the lawyer said. “By now all my friends know that Allison works for me.”

He calls her an outsourced wife. “The nice thing is that when I ask her to do something, she gets it done and there’s no negative feelings.”

Putting together a summer party for 200, on a budget of just $5,000, is an impressive feat. Shouldn't a Biglaw partner cough up at least five figures for a fabulous fete?

Need a Life? She’ll Arrange One [New York Times]

Sometimes the partners don't like it if you gorge yourself on "their" candy. But yesterday was different. We hope you had a Happy Halloween!!! (And that you're not too hungover from last night's partying.)

How did your firm celebrate this spooky occasion? Seyfarth Shaw went all out:

Halloween treats were served in a mock coffin. The menu included blood-red cupcakes decorated with bleeding fangs and bats to be washed down with Jones soda in limited edition ghoulish flavors (Lemon Drop Dead, Strawberry Slime, and Gruesome Grape).

And you thought paying $145K was scary enough!

Please share amusing Halloween anecdotes -- partners in crazy costumes, conference rooms converted into haunted houses, etc. -- in the comments. Thanks.

P.S. For your reading pleasure, here's a Halloween-themed link, from yesterday's WSJ Law Blog: The Legal Implications of Throwing Eggs. Executive summary: think twice before TP'ing that partner's mailbox.

Update: The Department of Justice got into the Halloween spirit:

Despite the travails of the Department, our emergency response and preparedness staff are on the job. No, I'm not referring to providing assistance to wildfire-torn California. I'm talking about dressing your children in flame-retardant Halloween costumes and ensuring your home is well lit to " to prevent injuries to little ghosts and goblins." Our tax dollars at work! (See email sent out to DOJ employees below.)

The email appears after the jump.

Welcome. If you're at home, tune in to C-SPAN, which is rebroadcasting the recent book party for Justice Clarence Thomas. Justice Thomas's eagerly anticipated memoir, My Grandfather's Son, is now in bookstores -- and topping the bestseller charts (to the relief of his publisher, HarperCollins, which reportedly paid him a $1.5 million advance).

7:05: The party is being held at the elegant, red-brick Capitol Hill home of radio host and syndicated columnist Armstrong Williams. Expected to attend: 250 guests, including six Supreme Court justices, Vice President Dick Cheney, and several U.S. senators.

Armstrong Williams is interviewed. He explains that the party has been in the works since June. An overwhelming turnout is expected; more people were turned away than allowed to attend.

7:08: Justice Thomas climbs the stairs. When he enters the kitchen -- which is right at the top of the stairs, and thus (oddly) where everyone enters and exits -- he’s greeted by hearty applause.

Various guests hug him. One guest gushes over his 60 Minutes appearance. CT explains that CBS News made no promises about the nature of its coverage. Interesting. Considering how flattering that segment was, and how uncritical Steve Kroft was in his questioning of Justice Thomas, one might have suspected that Brangelina-type stipulations were in place.

More after the jump.

"Dear Jim: Thanks for the great job you do pushing the mail cart around the office. You truly are a special person!"

[Charlie Savage signs a copy of his book for Aaron Zitner, politics editor for the Los Angeles Times.]

Earlier this week, we attended a delightful book party for Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy, by Charlie Savage of the Boston Globe. Savage won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, based on his work on presidential signing statements.

Photos and discussion of the star-studded event -- after you win a Pulitzer, everyone is your friend! -- after the jump.