Pro Se Litigants
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Biglaw, Jeremy Pitcock, Kasowitz Benson, Labor / Employment, Lawsuit of the Day, Litigators, Pro Se Litigants
Berry v. Kasowitz Benson: The Empire Strikes Back
Kasowitz Benson comes to bury Berry, not to praise him. The firm has moved to dismiss the $77 million lawsuit filed against it by Gregory S. Berry, the former first-year associate at Kasowitz who claimed that the firm wrongfully terminated his employment due to its inability to handle his "superior legal mind." The firm's brief is fairly straightforward, advancing the arguments you'd expect it to make. Let's have a look, shall we? -
Biglaw, Kasowitz Benson, Litigators, Music, Pro Se Litigants, Ridiculousness, Summer Associates
In Defense of Gregory Berry (Plus a few more funny stories.)
One of the most compelling characters to populate our pages lately is Gregory S. Berry. As you surely recall, Berry is the ex-associate at Kasowitz Benson who is now suing his former firm for a whopping $77 million. Thus far, reader sentiment doesn't seem favorable towards Berry, but now a source has contacted us to defend Berry -- and to criticize Berry's former employer, Kasowitz Benson.... - Sponsored
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Biglaw, California, Cars, Kasowitz Benson, Pro Se Litigants, Ridiculousness
Remembrances of Gregory Berry
Since we first wrote about Gregory Berry, the former Kasowitz Benson associate who is suing the firm for $77 million, Above the Law readers have been sharing their opinions about working with him. Let's take a look at their opinions....
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Biglaw, Kasowitz Benson, Lawsuit of the Day, Pro Se Litigants, Ridiculousness
Lawsuit of the Day: Ex-Kasowitz Associate With 'Superior Legal Mind' Sues the Firm for $77 Million
By now, you've probably heard about a lawsuit filed against litigation powerhouse Kasowitz Benson and two Kasowitz partners by Gregory S. Berry, a former first-year associate at the firm. Berry seeks a whopping $77 million in damages -- $2.55 million in estimated lost income, and $75 million in punitives. Let's have a look at his interesting allegations, plus hear from some tipsters.... -
Contests, Lawyer of the Day, Pro Se Litigants, Reader Polls, Trials
Lawyer of the Month: Lots Of Things Mistrials Can Win You
April’s Lawyer of the Month victor won in a landslide. He’s also the first person to win the contest for his practice of law (as opposed to his death or his desire to quit the practice of law). Yes, I think I speak for all legal bloggers out there by wishing April’s Lawyer of the […] -
Blog Wars, Blogging, Defamation, Gay, Hotties, Lawyer of the Day, Politics, Pro Se Litigants
Shirvell Won't Shrivel: Former Michigan Prosecutor Turns It Around on Chris Armstrong
Here’s a quick update on a past Lawsuit of the Day. Last month, Chris Armstrong, the openly gay ex-president of the University of Michigan student body, sued Andrew Shirvell, the former Michigan assistant attorney general and outspoken opponent of homosexuality. As you may recall, Shirvell criticized Armstrong in a blog called Chris Armstrong Watch, making […] -
Depositions, Lawyer of the Day, Nude Dancing, Pranks, Pro Se Litigants, Trials
Lawyer of the Month: April Reader Poll
We’re a little bit late with April’s lawyer of the month reader poll. First of all, we’ve been doing a lot of reader voting so far in this month. (There are still a few hours for you to vote in our Law Revue Video Contest.) The other reason why we’re a bit delinquent this month […] -
Drinking, Facebook, Pro Se Litigants, Quote of the Day
Facebook Status Update of the Day: Most. Embarrassing. Loss. Ever.
Still shocked that yesterday our attorney lost to a pro se litigant that was immediately taken into custody after the verdict for drinking in court, being drunk while in court and blowing a .13!!! — Facebook status update of a person who works for a tow truck company who watched something horrible happen. - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Bar Exams, Law Schools, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Pro Se Litigants, Traffic Accidents, Trials
Would-Be-Lawyer of the Day: Don't Put ☺ in a Court Filing
Here’s some good news for lawyers who enjoy blogging or instant-messenger services like Gchat. It’s right in the headline of this here National Law Journal story: Smiley face, snark, don’t render law grad unfit to practice. Many of us get snarky in our personal writing, and many of us employ emoticons in email messages or […] -
Jonathan Lee Riches, Lawsuit of the Day, Lunacy, Pro Se Litigants, Ridiculousness
Pro Se Filing of the Day: Jonathan Lee Riches v. Jared Lee Loughner
Over the past year, we haven’t covered a lot of the crazy lawsuits initiated by Jonathan Lee Riches. The man has sued everybody from Eliot Spitzer to Molly Ringwald. At some point, you get used to the drill. And there are always other crazy pro se litigants to write about. But the embarrassment of riches […] -
9th Circuit, Alex Kozinski, Bad Ideas, Federal Judges, Lunacy, Pro Se Litigants, Rudeness
Pro Se Litigant of the Day: Deborah Frisch, Ph.D.Practice pointer: don't refer to judges as 'frocked cowf**kers.'
For a long time, Jonathan Lee Riches reigned as Craziest Pro Se Litigant in America. But at a certain point, JLR jumped the proverbial shark. His handwritten complaints, making bizarre allegations against everyone from Michael Vick to Martha Stewart to the late Benazir Bhutto, were just too clever by half. And once he passed the […] -
Bad Ideas, Murder, Pro Se Litigants, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: You Just Suck. Don't Take It Personally.
You don’t know how to ask a question. You don’t know how to offer things into evidence. You keep making stupid speeches. You keep saying you are good at this. You are not. I do not say this to insult you. — Justice Carol Berkman to Robert Camarano, a pro se litigant representing himself in […] -
Lawyer of the Day, Prisons, Pro Se Litigants, Seth Waxman, Supreme Court
Jailhouse Lawyer of the Day: Shon Hopwood
“I used to be a bank robber.” That’s an attention-grabbing lede for a personal essay for a law school application. Or: “The Supreme Court granted my very first petition for cert. And then ruled in my favor unanimously.” Shon Hopwood, 34, could start his application with either one of those statements. Convicted of five robberies […]
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If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so…
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Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
Zach Warren from the Thomson Reuters Institute discusses the potential and the pitfalls.
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The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get…
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Admin, Announcements, Blogging, D. Marvin Jones, Defamation, Free Speech, Law Professors, Lawsuit of the Day, Media and Journalism, Pro Se Litigants
Breaking: Jones v. Minkin Dismissed!!!(Plaintiff voluntarily dismisses lawsuit against ATL.)
Yesterday’s Lawsuit of the Day — Jones v. Minkin, a $44 million lawsuit against yours truly, Above the Law publisher David Minkin, and Dead Horse Media (now known as Breaking Media) — has been voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff, University of Miami law professor Donald Jones. There was NO SETTLEMENT in this case. Above the […] -
Blogging, D. Marvin Jones, Defamation, Free Speech, Law Professors, Lawsuit of the Day, Media and Journalism, Pro Se Litigants
Lawsuit of the Day: Jones v. Minkin(Or: Above the Law gets sued!!!)
For the first time in over three years of operation, Above the Law has been sued. We feel the lawsuit has no merit, but we will not comment further on this ongoing litigation. To access the pro se complaint, coverage by other news outlets and blogs, and ATL’s prior posts about Professor Donald Jones, click […] -
James Colliton, Pro Se Litigants, Sex
Everyone's Favorite Cravath Alum Feeling Overtaxed by Sex Offenders Program
James Colliton — the ex-Cravath tax lawyer who, in the words of the AP, “paid a woman so he could have sex with her two underage daughters” — has served his time, and is now living in a motel “on Route 9.” Apparently, he’s getting too many visits from town police officers who stop by […] -
Jonathan Lee Riches, Pro Se Litigants
In Pro Se News: Comedy and Tragedy
We’ll start with the funny stuff. It’s been a few months since federal prisoner Jonathan Lee Riches has graced these pages. We welcome the wacky pro se litigant back as he joins the war against World of Warcraft. He’s filed a motion to intervene in video game lawsuit MDY v. Blizzard (WoW’s creator). Virtually Blind […] -
Jonathan Lee Riches, Pro Se Litigants
Update: Pro Se Litigant of the Day, Jonathan Lee Riches
We’re still in the great state of Georgia (which brought us today’s Judge of the Day). Now one of our favorite pro se litigants has been barred from further filing in the Northern District of Georgia. From the Fulton County Daily Report: The federal court filing spree launched by Jonathan Lee Riches, a pro se […] -
Lunacy, Pro Se Litigants, Rudeness
Pro Se Litigant of the Day: Julio Mora
What is it about Florida that causes its lawyers and litigants to misbehave so egregiously? Just last week, the Florida Supreme Court sanctioned colorful attorney Jack Thompson. And now they’ve expressed their displeasure (PDF) with pro se litigant Julio Mora. What did Mr. Mora do to upset the court? From its opinion: Mora has filed […] -
Jonathan Lee Riches, Pro Se Litigants, Ridiculousness
Pro Se Litigant of the Day: Jonathan Lee Riches
As many of you may recall, from our prior coverage of him, Jonathan Lee Riches is in a South Carolina prison until 2012 for wire fraud and conspiracy. He’s killing his time by filing a ridiculous number of ridiculous lawsuits in courts across the country, nicely summarized in this overview of his oeuvre, in the […]