American Bar Association
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Conferences / Symposia, Technology
The Circuit: Back To School
Technology columnist Monica Bay's monthly round-up of upcoming events -- with some decidedly cranky commentary. -
American Bar Association / ABA, Technology
This Week In Legal Tech: ABA Future Panel Calls For Broad Changes In Legal Services
Significant change is not just an option, but a necessity, and it will require innovative delivery models and technologies. - 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. -
American Bar Association / ABA, Sex, Technology
This Week In Legal Tech: Showdown At The ABA Over Free Law And Free Sex
Ignorance of the law excuses no one; is it fair, then, that citizens should have to pay for the law they are obliged to know?
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Legal Ethics, Technology
This Week In Legal Tech: Ethics And Technology Competence
If you're still in the technological dark ages, beware: You face not just obsolescence, but also ethical rebuke. -
Conferences / Symposia, Technology
The Circuit: Vegas, Baby!
Why is Las Vegas such a magnet for legal conferences? -
Drinking
Stat Of The Week: Lawyers More Hungover Than Surgeons
This just in: a new study finds that the legal profession has a drinking problem. -
Bar Exams, Law Schools
ABA House To Vote On Uniform Bar Exam
The ABA House of Delegates should encourage state bar examiners to join the 21st century by adopting the Uniform Bar Exam. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 01.29.16
* Five years later, and one of them enrolled at Yale Law, the kids of Tiger Mom, Amy Chua, plan to raise their own children the same way. [Today]
* Rome self-censors for a state visit from Iranian president Hassan Rouhani. How, exactly, was this a good idea? [Popehat]
* Should the ABA change accreditation standards to prevent students with little chance of actually passing the bar examination from attending law school in the first place? [TaxProf Blog]
* Missouri paid its executioners $250,000 in cash. That doesn’t seem shady AT ALL. [BuzzFeed]
* The whole Ammon Bundy debacle is teaching people damn the consequences. [Lawyers, Guns and Money]
* If you need to scale a courthouse in order to get a selfie with lady liberty, just don’t do it, you could wind up in jail. [KWTX]
* What does Rudy Giuliani really think about Preet Bharara? Plus why he loves being a lawyer. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=9yGt3MF4Sn4
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Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm. -
American Bar Association / ABA, Women's Issues
Why Is The ABA Backwards On Maternity Leave?
The American Bar Association is cutting maternity leave for some of its employees. -
1st Circuit, American Bar Association / ABA, Asians, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, California, Judicial Nominations, Jury Duty, Law Professors, Malpractice, Morning Docket, Politics, S.D.N.Y., Technology, Trials
Morning Docket: 05.06.14
* U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara wants to know more about why Governor Andrew Cuomo shut down an anticorruption commission. [New York Times]
* The ABA weighs in on the “unfinished business” controversy affecting bankrupt law firms, their lawyers, and their clients. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Better late than never: students and professors at UC Davis Law are pushing for the posthumous admission to the California bar of Hong Yeng Chang, who was denied a law license in 1890 solely because of his Chinese heritage. [Associated Press; South China Morning Post]
* Speaking of late, a robber sent to prison 13 years late because of a clerical error just got released. [ABA Journal]
* Drones could claim another victim: the First Circuit nomination of Harvard law professor David Barron. [How Appealing]
* Who still wants a landline phone? The jury foreman in the latest Apple-Samsung battle, who is sick and tired of cellphones after the month-long trial. [The Recorder (sub. req.)]
* Not such a Great Adventure: “Cadwalader To Pay $17M In Six Flags Malpractice Fight.” [Law360 (sub. req.)]
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American Bar Association / ABA, Antitrust, Biglaw, Copyright, Deaths, FDA, Federal Judges, John Edwards, Law Professors, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Military / Military Law, Morning Docket, Murder, Patton Boggs, Pornography, Public Interest, SCOTUS, Small Law Firms, Supreme Court, Violence
Morning Docket: 06.17.13
* With the Supreme Court’s term winding quickly to a close, it’s likely that conservative justices will write for the majority in some of the most closely watched and controversial cases. Uh oh. [Washington Post]
* Judge Edward Korman, the man who slapped around the FDA like it owed him money in a ruling over access to the morning-after pill, is actually a very soft-spoken, kind-hearted fellow. [New York Times]
* Wherein a Chicago Law professor and a Vedder Price partner argue that instead of cutting law school down to two years, financial aid should be given out like candy. Hey, whatever works. [Bloomberg]
* Brooklyn Law’s got a whole lot of drama these days: Their president is stepping down, their dean is apparently still a full-time partner at Patton Boggs, and a law professor is suing over alleged ABA violations. [New York Law Journal]
* That’s not the only New York-area law school awash in scandal. Chen Guangcheng has received the boot from NYU Law due to alleged harm done to the school’s relationship with China. [New York Times]
* When questioned about the need for his school, Indiana Tech’s dean says the lawyer oversupply and lack of jobs don’t matter. It’s about the quality of the graduate. Good luck with that! [Journal Gazette]
* This came too soon (that’s what she said). The alleged porn purveyors at Prenda Law will close up shop thanks to the costly litigation surrounding their copyright trolling. [Law & Disorder / Ars Technica]
* Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hassan won’t be allowed to use a “defense of others” strategy in his murder trial, because not only does it fail as a matter of law, but it’s also ridiculous. [Associated Press]
* Harvard Law grad Cate Edwards, daughter of disgraced pol John Edwards, took a dramatic step away from her father’s tabloid-esque pubic interests by opening her own public interest firm. [WJLA ABC 7]
* Judge Thomas Jackson, well-known for his antitrust ruling against Microsoft, RIP. [New York Times]
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American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Department of Justice, Job Searches, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Murder, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Trials, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 06.11.13
* A case of Supreme Court techciting gone wild: What happens when your book is cited in a SCOTUS opinion, but to express an opinion you’ve never endorsed before? A whole lot of irony. [New York Times]
* The Justice Department is dropping its appeal over a federal order that would allow promiscuous prosti-tots minors to access the morning-after pill. Hooray, over-the-counter emergency contraception for all! [CNN]
* The National Law Journal just released the most recent edition of the NLJ 350. As we saw in the Am Law 100 and 200, “economic wariness” was pervasive throughout Biglaw in 2012. [National Law Journal]
* More women are “bringing home the bacon,” but it’s the cheap store brand because they can’t afford better. It’s been 50 years since the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, and women are still earning less money than men. [ABC News]
* When it came time for the ABA to change the time frame for law schools to submit jobs data, it pushed the decision back till August. Adopting the wait-and-see method already, huh? [ABA Journal]
* Jury selection has begun in the Trayvon Martin murder trial, where the verdict will hinge upon George Zimmerman’s credibility. It’s like we’re learning about trials for the first time, you guys. [Bloomberg]
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American Bar Association / ABA, Law Schools
Federal Regulators Rubber Stamps ABA's Rubber Stamping Of Law Schools
The ABA's casual use of its authority comes from a higher power that also barely cares.
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
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American Bar Association / ABA, B for Beauty, Bar Exams, Cellphones, Department of Justice, Eric Holder, Federal Judges, Health Care / Medicine, Insider Trading, Job Searches, John Edwards, Kasowitz Benson, Kids, Morning Docket, Privacy
Morning Docket: 06.06.13
* AG Eric Holder sat down and had a little chat about what’s been going on at the Justice Department. He’s not impressed with his agency’s work, but he claims he’s not stepping down just yet. [NBC News]
* “Can you hear me now?” Oh, Verizon, what an apropos slogan you’ve got considering the latest government scandal. The NSA has been spying on you through your phone records since late April. [Guardian]
* Lawyers for Matthew Martoma still want more time to comb through millions upon millions of documents in their client’s insider trading case, but it seems rather pointless after a judge’s kiss of death. [Reuters]
* Looks like she got her wish: thanks to Judge Michael Baylson, a little girl with terminal cystic fibrosis may have a better chance at getting a longer lease on life in this donor lung transplant case. [CNN]
* Being a politician didn’t really work out so well for him, so John Edwards is going to try his hand at being a lawyer again. Just think of all of the lovely ladies he’ll be able to pick up as clients. [USA Today]
* Speaking of former public servants who are getting back into the law, Ken Salazar will be opening the Denver office of WilmerHale — and when it comes to pay, he’s got a “very good package.” [Denver Post]
* And not to be forgotten, famous flip-flopper Joe Lieberman will be taking his services to Kasowitz Benson. We certainly hope the firm will appreciate his superior legal mind. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* The ABA is considering law school job data collection 10 months after graduation, instead of nine, because bar exam results come out so late. Like that extra month will help… [National Law Journal]
* Erika Harold, a Harvard Law grad and ex-Sidley associate known for her reign as Miss America, is running for Congress in Illinois. What will she she do for the talent portion of the competition? [Politico]
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American Bar Association / ABA, Job Searches, Labor / Employment, Money, Pro Bono, Quote of the Day
By All Means, Allow Law Students and Grads to Work for Free
Should private law firms be able to use unpaid interns to staff their pro bono cases? The ABA thinks so. -
American Bar Association / ABA, Barack Obama, Biglaw, Commencement, Job Searches, Keker & Van Nest, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, Sports, Summer Associates, Tax Law, White House Counsel
Morning Docket: 05.20.13
* Obama might have found out about the IRS scandal “when it came out in the news,” but the Office of White House Counsel knew what was going on weeks ago. Hooray, a new reason for people to lose their sh*t. [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)]
* Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness through ridiculously expensive litigation: making up almost two percent of our GDP, our legal system is the most costly on earth, which isn’t exactly something we should be bragging about. [Corporate Counsel]
* “It’s no surprise these lawyers would want to get off this sinking ship.” It looks like things are going just swimmingly for Steven Donziger now that John Keker’s out as his defense attorney in the Chevron fraud case. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* “Fantasy sports is usually the first and last thing I’ll do each day.” Here’s some proof that there’s such a thing as work/life balance in Biglaw… which is only applicable if you’re a partner. [Am Law Daily]
* Law school enrollment is down, and so is tuition revenue, so the legal academy is now selling new degrees. It’s only a matter of time before they market employment timeshares. [National Law Journal]
* On the bright side, if you’re still looking for a job, our own David Lat has some advice on how to get one (and how NOT to get one). We miss summer associates’ misbehavior. [U.S. News & World Report]
* Congrats are in order for this weekend’s graduates, including the first graduates of LMU’s embattled law school — they won’t let a lack of ABA accreditation rain on their parade. [Knoxville News Sentinel]
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2nd Circuit, American Bar Association / ABA, Bail, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Copyright, Department of Justice, Enron, Google / Search Engines, Jeffrey Skilling, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 05.09.13
* Right about now, the Second Circuit is wondering why authors are suing Google and crying infringement over the Internet company’s e-book project, especially since digitization could benefit so many of them. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* This is the end of an era of legal battles: Jeffrey Skilling, Enron’s former chief executive officer, is getting a little shaved off the top of his 24-year prison sentence thanks to a deal with the Department of Justice. He’ll be out in 2017. [CNBC]
* Biglaw expected to have a slow start in 2013, but no one expected it to be this slow. The latest Citi report wasn’t exactly encouraging; on average, firms saw a 0.2% increase in revenue during the first quarter. [Am Law Daily]
* In the past decade, the American Bar Association has created six task forces to explore changing the face of legal education as we know it. Funny… nothing’s really changed. [National Law Journal]
* Bail for Ariel Castro, the accused Cleveland kidnapper, has been set at $8 million. “Just think of how many ribs and salsa albums could be bought with that, bro,” said Charles Ramsey. [Chicago Tribune]
* Casey Anthony had a bankruptcy hearing yesterday, but that news was overshadowed because everyone cared more about the girl who wasn’t going to get away with murder. [Orlando Sentinel]
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9th Circuit, American Bar Association / ABA, Gay, Gay Marriage, Law Professors, Law Schools, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 04.30.13
* Underneath this jurist’s robe you’ll find a sling. Justice Stephen Breyer had to have shoulder replacement surgery this weekend thanks to his latest bike accident, but he’s expected to make a full recovery. [Associated Press]
* A Ninth Circuit judge has ruled that an assistant federal public defender and her wife are entitled to federal health benefits. Take that, DOMA. [Courthouse News Service]
* Judy Clarke, one of the nation’s best capital defense lawyers, will be joining Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s legal team. She’s pretty good at keeping people alive, but we’ll see how this one goes for her. [Bloomberg]
* The ABA may do away with faculty tenure requirements for accreditation. No security of position? It looks like there’s a storm coming, law professors, so go get your bread and milk! [National Law Journal]
* Prospective law students are being counseled to take advantage of the smaller applicant pool, but it won’t look so small when they can’t get jobs. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]
* “Gay marriage? Hell no, let’s make all marriages civil unions.” Minnesota senators want to put couples on an even playing field — one that isn’t recognized by the government. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
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American Bar Association / ABA, Quote of the Day, Women's Issues
Work/Life Balance? LOL, You Think That's a Thing?
Is work/life balance just an illusion? -
American Bar Association / ABA, Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Crowell & Moring, Federal Government, Law Schools, LSAT, Money, Morning Docket, Texas
Morning Docket: 03.21.13
* The Senate approved a bill that will keep the government running through September, and it will likely pass in the House, but much of the sequester is still in place. I think we’re supposed to be excited about this. Uh… yay? [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)]
* Douglas Arnsten, the former Crowell & Moring associate who embezzled $10.7M in client funds and spent it at fancy restaurants and strip clubs, has been officially disbarred in New York. But he was just trying to support single moms. Sigh. [Am Law Daily]
* Sorry, folks, but you’re going to have to continue taking the LSAT in order to get into law school because the ABA says so. Drop that $118 into the burgeoning money pit that is law school, stat! [National Law Journal]
* For all of that work allegedly spent trying to protect their yield rate, UVA Law didn’t even make the Top 10 list of the most popular schools. You might be surprised at some of the schools here. [U.S. News & World Report]
* You must remember that time when the University of Texas Law School Foundation authorized $5.5M in forgivable loans to faculty. Well, now the regents are calling for a probe. Yikes! [San Antonio Express-News]