Recent Headlines from Above the Law
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Biglaw
Maryland Law Alum And Chief Diversity Officer Lynnette Espy-Williams On Honing Your Craft, Finding A Mentor, And Changing Cities
Her outstanding career arc has been much more the exception than the rule. -
Law Schools
Law Student Killed In Plane Crash On Christmas Eve
His wife and father-in-law were also killed in the tragic crash. -
Law Schools, Racism, Sexism, Women's Issues
A Playbook For Combating Implicit Bias
Recognizing implicit bias, while only one step, leads to the later steps of deconstructing stereotypes and rebuilding their subjects. -
Law Schools
Schools Touting Appearance In 'Best Law Schools' Sponsored Content Article
Are these law schools paying for accolades? -
Law Schools
2016 Law School Graduation Speaker Roundup
How cool is your law school? It depends on who you've snagged as a graduation speaker. -
Facebook, Law Schools, Racism
Law Student Says Something Insensitive On Facebook, Starts Firestorm
I'm not even sure what she said, but people are taking Facebook very seriously. -
Morning Docket: 08.12.15
* Michael Jordan was present during jury selection for his case against defunct supermarket Dominick’s, but potential jurors didn’t seem the least bit fazed. In fact, just a single one of them considered the basketball star their “personal hero or idol.” Ouch. [Chicago Tribune]
* Maryland Law will be offering a very topical “Law and ______” class this semester, entitled “Freddie Gray’s Baltimore: Past, Present and Moving Forward.” Students enrolled in the course will be asked to create fixes for social problems. This’ll be interesting. [WSJ Law Blog]
* According to the GC of Fannie Mae, Biglaw’s profit structure is broken, but the solution he proposes to the problem may not sit well with associates who are slaves to the billable hour — but only if they care about their hourly rates. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]
* Unlike most of his colleagues, Larry Sonsini of Wilson Sonsini didn’t immediately join a brand name Biglaw firm after he graduated from law school. Instead, he created his own brand name Biglaw firm, so that worked out well. Your own mileage may vary. [Forbes]
* It seems that New York City’s Responsible Banking Act is unconstitutional because it conflicts with existing state and federal banking laws. To be fair, between dueling mayoral policies, this law was completely FUBARed from the get go. [DealBook / New York Times]
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 07.28.15
* Despite the fact that the 25/75 percentile LSAT range for many law schools has dropped precipitously, some schools still care about LSAT scores — because they care about you (and their U.S. News rank). [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]
* Maryland Law and Baltimore Law are going to be teaming up to launch a solo practice incubator for their recent graduates, and BC, BU, and Northeastern will be doing the same thing in 2016. Full-time, long-term jobs where bar passage is required for all! [National Law Journal]
* The Dacheng Dentons merger has the potential to completely change the legal profession as we know it, or fall flat on its face and be remembered as a good idea that went wrong. It’s been six months, and we’re all still waiting to see what happens. [Financial Times]
* The criminal case against ex-Goldman Sachs programmer Sergey Aleynikov is like the Energizer bunny in that it keeps going, and going, and going, and going. Manhattan DA Cy Vance is appealing Aleynikov’s overturned conviction. [DealBook / New York Times]
* “The unfortunate scenario alleged in the complaint cries out for a legislative fix, not a judicial nix.” As expected, terminally ill civil rights attorney Christy McDonnell’s right-to-die lawsuit was dismissed by a California judge yesterday. How depressing. [AP]
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Law Schools
Civil Unrest In Baltimore, But Won't Someone Please Think Of The Law Students
There is civil unrest in Baltimore, but now for the really important question: how does this affect finals? -
Guns / Firearms, Law Schools, Ridiculousness, Screw-Ups
Law Student Accidentally Fails Out, Files Lawsuit To Enroll At Cooley
How does one go from attending a top 50 law school to applying to an unranked law school? -
Biglaw, Celebrities, Christopher Christie, Crime, LSAT, Morning Docket, Murder, New Jersey
Morning Docket: 04.15.14
* Gibson Dunn released the records for all interviews it conducted in order to clear Gov. Christie’s name in the Bridgegate scandal. They all said he was too busy working out to know. [New Jersey Star-Ledger]
* Maryland Law named Donald B. Tobin its new dean. We hope he’ll assist in not jumping the gun on mourning the death of civil rights leaders before they’ve actually died. [Baltimore Business Journal]
* “You understand that you can’t have two defenses?” The prosecution is accusing Oscar Pistorius of changing his testimony mid-trial, and it seems at this point he’s got no leg to stand on. [Bloomberg]
* If you’re still thinking about going to law school, you should probably brush up on the logical reasoning section of the LSAT… because you’re not very good at it now. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]
* If you feel like stepping out on your spouse, you might consider moving to New Hampshire. The state is about to repeal its adultery law which makes the act of cheating a Class B misdemeanor. [Post-Standard]
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2nd Circuit, Football, Non-Sequiturs, Rape, Shira Scheindlin, Supreme Court
Non-Sequiturs: 12.05.13
* Florida State QB Jameis Winston was not charged with sexual assault after a nearly year-long investigation (well, it happened a year ago… it sounds like no one did much investigating at that time). What comes next? I mean aside from FSU demolishing their next two opponents. [Sports Illustrated] * Sadly, former South African president and civil rights leader Nelson Mandela has passed away. University of Maryland Law School, go ahead and let the world know... [CNN] * America’s probably unstable, definitely troubled sweetheart Amanda Bynes is coming closer and closer to a plea deal over her infamous bong toss. [New York Post] * A lawyer-turned-candidate provides the optimist's guide to running for office. For the pessimist's guide see John McCain's, "Jesus, I Picked Who?" [Huffington Post] * Next week, the Court will hear argument on EPA v. EME Homer City Generation. This is why you should care. [Constitutional Accountability Center] * People are super mad about the NYPD’s new “Stop and Kiss” program. The program only exists in The Onion, but that doesn’t stop most people from making unsolicited, snap decisions that no one asked them to make. At press, the Second Circuit had already preemptively barred Judge Shira Scheindlin from hearing any case on the fictional program. [Gawker] * Speaking of the NYPD, Mayor-Elect Bill De Blasio, who ran on a platform of reforming the NYPD, has named a new police commissioner and selected… one of Giuliani’s old police commissioners. Way to go, champ! Seriously, there are law enforcement professionals out there capable of running the NYPD beyond the last couple guys who ran it. This is like buying a marquee NFL team and saying, “I hear Norv Turner is available.” [Salon] * Professor David E. Bernstein contributed an essay on the Lochner decision to the new book Toward an American Conservatism: Constitutional Conservatism during the Progressive Era (affiliate link). [The Volokh Conspiracy] * An interview with this Yale Law beatboxer. Did we mention he’s a bald Jewish kid? Well, he is. [JTA] * David and Elie talked to Bloomberg about bonuses. Video embedded after the jump… -
Antonin Scalia, Bloomberg, Career Alternatives, Constitutional Law, Harvard, Intellectual Property, Judicial Divas, Music, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Videos, YouTube
A Law School Graduate Who Makes Beautiful Music
Where did Derrick Wang come up with the idea for his "Scalia/Ginsburg" opera? -
Abortion, Alan Dershowitz, Blogging, Constitutional Law, Football, Guns / Firearms, Law Schools, Layoffs, Media and Journalism, SCOTUS, Sports, Supreme Court
Five Stories That Made This an Exhausting Week of Legal News
My this was a busy week. Here's a list of the big-ticket stories that struck my fancy this week. -
Deaths, Law School Deans, Law Schools
Nelson Mandela Did Not Die -- Someone Please Tell This Law School
Enjoy this obituary? Try our law school! -
Grade Reform, Law Professors, Law Schools
Can Law School Grading Be More Fair?
Is there a better way to grade law school exams? And if so, would professors be willing to do it? -
Election 2012, Politics, R. Ted Cruz, Regent University School of Law, UVA Law, Vanderbilt
The Return of the Lawyer-Politician
A review of the legal education and experience of the incoming freshman class of Congress -
Comment of the Day, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Comment of the Week: Your SCOTUS Comments Weren't In The Right Format
Comment of the Week comes from off the pace to steal SCOTUS thread's thunder... -
Law Reviews, Law Schools, Screw-Ups, Technology
How To Write Onto Law Review? Step 1: Follow The Instructions
Learn to follow instructions, or learn to do something else besides being a lawyer... -
Anthony Kennedy, Jeffrey Toobin, Orin Kerr, Rudy Giuliani, Supreme Court Clerks, Weddings
Legal Eagle Wedding Watch: The Conspiracy
This week, Legal Eagle Wedding Watch salutes some tender new lawyer marriages. Read on for all the juicy details on these newlyweds, plus a recap of all the recent legal-eagle nuptials….