Racism
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Crime, O.J. Simpson, Old People, Racism, Violence
F. Lee Bailey Has New Evidence That O.J. Was Innocent
Please note the headline says “new” evidence. It does not say “good” or “credible” or “definitive” evidence. That’s because the evidence doesn’t really fall into any of those categories. In fact, the headline could have read “F. Lee Bailey Evades Caretakers, Gets to Internet Before Somebody Stops Him.” But whatever, former Dream Team (and now […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Legal Ethics, Minority Issues, Racism, Rudeness
Indy Lawyers Need a Crash Course on Basic Ethics, ASAP
The problem of Hoosier lawyers misbehaving is reaching epic proportions. We’ve already told you about Olubunmi Okanlami, the Indiana law grad who allegedly suspected her boyfriend of cheating, attacked him as well as correctional officers, and wore two bras to prison so she could hide a weapon in between. We’ve already told you about Kirmille […] - 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… -
Constitutional Law, Immigration, Racism, Rank Stupidity
Born in the U.S.A. No Longer Good Enough for Republican Lawmakers
I’m not a constitutional scholar, and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night. But I really struggle to find the ambiguity in this line from the Fourteenth Amendment: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State […]
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Cars, Lawsuit of the Day, Minority Issues, Police, Racism, Violence
The Police Need to Learn That Tasers Don't Help Diabetics
As an overweight man, adult onset diabetes is one of the things that makes me consider dropping a few pounds. But I’m still so young, so invincible, that long-term health concerns aren’t really enough to stop me from having an extra helping of Christmas goose (not that I even know anybody who eats a freaking […] -
Bad Ideas, Food, Minority Issues, Racism
I Thought I Liked Fried Chicken Because It Is Delicious
Many of you know that the headline is the punchline to an awesome Dave Chappelle joke about black people and chicken. As far as I know, it is the only joke about black people and chicken (fried or otherwise) that is acceptable for white people to retell in 2010 America. I say again, it’s the […] -
Akin Gump, Gender, Labor / Employment, Minority Issues, Partner Issues, Racism, Women's Issues
Discrimination Lawsuit Potpourri: Reed Smith and Akin Gump
Pennsylvania legal circles are buzzing over a discrimination lawsuit filed yesterday in federal district court by a partner in the Pittsburgh office of Reed Smith. One source who informed us of the suit referred to “some really interesting allegations” against the firm. A corporate and energy law partner at Reed Smith, JoEllen Lyons Dillon, alleges […] -
Football, Harvard, Minority Issues, Parties, Racism
Racism Will Find You, Even at the Harvard-Yale Game
The Harvard-Yale Game was this weekend. I didn’t attend. I’m at that uncomfortable age where I’m too old to go to The Game and get black-out drunk at the keg, but too young to show up in a fur coat handing out glasses of Cristal (rhymes with “Mystal”) while my butler grills porterhouse steaks out […] -
Department of Justice, Minority Issues, Police, Racism
DOJ to Police: Racial Profiling Is Still Wrong and You Still Need to Stop Doing It
It seems like such a simple proposition: if a police officer stops you, he has to have a reason. He doesn’t have to have to be right. He doesn’t even need a particularly good reason. He just needs a legitimate reason. And the reason can’t be based on the color of a person’s skin. Why […] - Sponsored
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. -
Books, Education / Schools, Lawsuit of the Day, Minority Issues, Racism
Lawsuit of the Day: Parent Sues School for Teaching His Daughter About Slavery
There is nothing I hate more than people who try to use the law to change the facts of history or science. I hate when Creationists try to take their Sunday School teachings into science class. I hate when Confederates try to retell the “War of Northern Aggression” in a way that ignores the abject […] -
Biglaw, Labor / Employment, Lawsuit of the Day, Racism, Rudeness, Secretaries / Administrative Assistants, Sex, Sex Scandals
Lawsuit of the Day: Ex-Jones Day Secretary Alleges Racial Slurs, Sex Scandals, and More
UPDATE (7/25/2011): Please note that this case, making allegations that Jones Day describes as “baseless and inflammatory,” has been dismissed. Oh boy. Discrimination lawsuits filed by former employees against law firms can get pretty salacious. But we haven’t seen a complaint this juicy since Allgood v. Williams Mullen (aka the “cucumber incident”), or maybe Braude […] -
Cars, Judge of the Day, Minority Issues, Racism, State Judges
Judge Rejects Plea Deal as Something 'That Only Goes to White Boys'
If you spend any time around criminal defense lawyers, progressive lawyers, or people in a black barber shop, you’ll hear the claim that African-American criminal defendants receive harsher sentences than their white counterparts. People have done studies about this, people have written reports about this, people have held conferences about this institutional expression of discrimination. […] -
Law Schools, Minority Issues, Racism
On Duke Law School, Durham, and Perceptions of Racism
As I was putting together last Friday’s post about the challenges faced by Duke Law School in recruiting minorities, I had this Gchat conversation with former ATL editor and Duke alum, Kashmir Hill (paraphrased and annotated in various places): KASH: Good post. But one issue: there are actually a lot of black people living in […] -
Law Schools, Minority Issues, Racism
Duke Law School Asks: Why Do Black People Hate Us?
Duke Law School is known for a lot of things: its top 14 ranking, 100% employment rate, and crown as douchiest law school in the nation. It’s not known as a friendly school towards black people. Why? Well, that’s what Duke Law wants to find out. A tipster reports that Duke Law has been sending […]
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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.
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…
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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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Affirmative Action, Bad Ideas, Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Federal Judges, Minority Issues, Plaintiffs Firms, Racism, Securities Law
Racial Quotas? So Ordered! (Or, Judge of the Day: Harold Baer)
We’ve come a long way from the days when federal courts issued orders banning racial discrimination. Now federal judges hand down orders mandating, or at least encouraging, race-based discrimination. As reported in the American Lawyer, earlier this week Judge Harold Baer (S.D.N.Y.) issued an unusual order. On Monday, Judge Baer directed two firms serving as […] -
Alt Transport, Civil Rights, Minority Issues, Racism
Does Our Nation’s Transportation Policy Violate the Civil Rights Act?
“New York is a great city to live in if you can afford to get out of it,” wrote American author William Rossa Cole. The same thing works the other way around too. The wealthier you are, access to the city becomes easier. Manhattan (the city’s richest and whitest borough) is abundantly better connected to […] -
7th Circuit, Benchslaps, Cocaine / Crack, Crime, Diane Wood, Drugs, Judge of the Day, Racism, Sentencing Law
Judge of the Day: Rudolph Randa
It’s hard out here for an immigrant. Arizona has immigrants in the crosshairs, as we all know. Immigrants might also be unable to clerk for federal judges (or at least get paid for it). And when they commit crimes and get sentenced, immigrants are sometimes subjected to snide remarks by judges. The Seventh Circuit recently […] -
Eric Holder, Gender, Minority Issues, Racism, Yolanda Young
Yolanda Young Is Once Again in Covington's Face
If you are new to Above the Law, you might not remember Yolanda Young. She’s an African-American woman who used to work as a staff attorney at Covington & Burling. Some time ago, she sued the firm for racial and gender discrimination. You can read all about her claims here. Regular readers of this site […] -
Civil Rights, Food, Lawsuit of the Day, Minority Issues, Racism, Weirdness
Lawsuit of the Day: White Man Claims BBQ Joint Violates His Civil Rights
This one is going to get really weird, really quickly. See if you can spot the civil rights violation. Issue 1: City council of Alexandria, Virginia, approves a permit for a new barbecue restaurant. Issue 2: The restaurant will have an open-air, gas grille. Did you see the potential violation? No? Well, you’re just not […] -
Harvard Law Review, Law Reviews, Law Schools, Minority Issues, Racism, Women's Issues
Minorities and Women and Law Reviews, Oh My!
Earlier this month, roughly around the time that newly minted law review editors were hearing the good news, we raised the issue of how many minorities and women are being selected for law review. It’s not a new debate; whether underrepresented minorities (URMs) and women are adequately represented on the nation’s leading law journals has […] -
Harvard Law Review, Law Reviews, Law Schools, Minority Issues, Racism
Congratulations, New Law Review Editors!(And a question about minorities on law review.)
It’s early August. Law students are getting ready to go back to school. And some students — lucky or unlucky, you be the judge — are going back earlier than others, to work on their schools’ law reviews. Over the summer, rising 2Ls around the country received the rather important news: whether they made it […]