Books
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Books, Federal Judges, Reader Polls
An Afternoon With Judge Frederic Block, Author of 'Disrobed'
Above the Law speaks with Judge Frederic Block (E.D.N.Y.) about his new memoir and about his life and career in the law. -
Books, Boutique Law Firms, Labor / Employment, Lawsuit of the Day, Plaintiffs Firms, Sex, Sex Scandals, Small Law Firms, Student Loans, Vanderbilt, Women's Issues
Lawsuit of the Day: A Super-Salacious Suit Against A 'Legend' of the Bar
If these allegations are true, this is a very sad and ugly story. - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Adoption, Books, Copyright, D.C. Circuit, Environment / Environmental Law, Kids, Lindsay Lohan, Non-Sequiturs, Sandra Day O'Connor
Non-Sequiturs: 03.01.13
* Court rules that overlapping elements between romance novels do not amount to infringement. I mean, there’s only so many ways to phrase “throbbing member.” [Courthouse News Service] * Pinellas County, Florida (Tampa Bay area) returns to using fluoridated water after a governmental sea change brought on by the issue. Don’t they understand the Communist plot to sap and impurify our precious bodily fluids? [Tampa Bay Times] * In fairness, I think pro se litigants generally have a pretty good ineffective assistance claim. [Lowering the Bar] * The D.C. Circuit managed to irritate both environmentalists and industry by affirming Fish and Wildlife’s designation of polar bears as “threatened.” It’s a nice middle ground. You know who else would appreciate some middle ground? A polar bear clinging to a shrinking ice floe. [Volokh Conspiracy] * Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor thinks kids need a healthier respect for the American democratic process. It would be unfortunate if the will of a democratic majority could get hijacked by five partisan hacks. [Courthouse News Service] * Following up on yesterday’s profile of Lindsay Lohan’s attorney Mark Heller, the judge declared him “incompetent.” Fair enough. [TMZ] * Oh, but trust him, he’s a doctor (of law). [The Economist] * To quote the inimitable Spencer Hall, “Fine, here, cry.” [New York Times]
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Books, Career Alternatives, Food, Jews, Law Schools, Oy, Quote of the Day
The Georgetown University Law Center for Bagels and Lox?
With a law degree from Georgetown, you can be a famous... bagel shop owner? L'chaim! -
Books, Quote of the Day, Television, Videos
Emily Bazelon Makes Stephen Colbert Cry
Emily Bazelon thinks Stephen Colbert just might be a bully. -
Ask the Experts, Biglaw, Books, Libraries / Librarians, Media and Journalism, Movies, Partner Issues
The ATL Interrogatories: 10 Questions with Theodore Boutrous of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Star litigator Ted Boutrous, co-chair of Gibson Dunn's Appellate and Constitutional Law Group, speaks with Above the Law about how the legal profession has changed over the years. -
Biglaw, Books, Fabulosity, Parties, Partner Issues, Partner Profits, Shameless Plugs
Calling All Law Firm Partners: The Future of Big Law Reception
Law firm partners in NYC: Are you free a week from tonight, Tuesday, February 26? -
Ask the Experts, Biglaw, Books, Movies, Partner Issues
The ATL Interrogatories: 10 Questions with Peter Kalis of K&L Gates
K&L Gates managing partner Peter Kalis shares insights and experiences about the legal profession and careers in law, as well as about himself. - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Books, Celebrities, Fabulosity, Federal Judges, Lawyerly Lairs, Real Estate, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
It's Justice Sotomayor's Beloved World; The Rest Of Us Are Just Living In It (Plus Tales From Her Honor's Neighbors)
So what's Justice Sotomayor like as a neighbor? Fellow residents of her condo have the 411. -
Blogging, Books, Canada, Continuing Legal Education / CLE, Law Professors, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Richard Posner, Sports, Videos, Wall Street
Non-Sequiturs: 02.04.13
* Dear professors, please try to understand that most people who experience normal, human emotions are more concerned with the future of American law students than they are with whether or not American law schools can survive by bilking the hell out of foreigners. [PrawfsBlawg] * In Canada, they raided somebody’s Super Bowl party to bust up an illegal gambling ring. They never would have done this during the Grey Cup. [CTV News] * Apparently some kind of law something happened on Downton Abbey last night? I missed it, because staring at a dark stadium is literally more interesting than that freaking show. [Law and More] * Thomson Reuters is getting out of the academic book publishing business. If only law professors would do the same thing. [TaxProf Blog] * Is Washington & Lee’s “experiential” curriculum working? [The Volokh Conspiracy] * Just to be clear, torturing people only works in the movies and television. [Politics USA] * Cleary might become an ATL feeder firm. [Legal Cheek] * Here’s an excerpt from a fun interview with David Lat, in which he talks about asking Richard Posner out on a date. [California Lawyer] And there’s video, which you can watch for CLE credit, after the jump…. Lat participated in Legally Speaking, a series of in-depth interviews with prominent lawyers, judges, and academics, co-produced by California Lawyer and UC Hastings College of the Law. You can watch Lat’s interview with Professor Evan Lee via the embed below. You can check out earlier interviews — with luminaries like Justice Stephen Breyer, Professor Alan Dershowitz, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Professor Harold Koh, Professor Larry Lessig, and novelist Scott Turow — over here. California CLE credit is available for watching each video. -
Biglaw, Blank Rome, Books, California, Confirmations, Defamation, Lateral Moves, Lindsay Lohan, Morning Docket, Musical Chairs, New York Times, Partner Issues, Privacy, Prostitution, SCOTUS, Secretaries / Administrative Assistants, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 01.30.13
* Justice Sotomayor’s memoir made the NYT’s best-seller list, and in terms of sales, she’s officially beating the pants off other Supreme Court justices who’ve released books of a similar nature. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* In case you were sleeping under a rock yesterday when this happened, John Kerry was confirmed by the Senate as secretary of state. Don’t think we’ll be getting a Texts From John Tumblr, though. [New York Times]
* Despite having a “pretty spectacular” year, Blank Rome’s legal secretaries may soon find themselves blankly roaming in search of new employment. Better hurry up, the buyout offer expires on Friday! [Legal Intelligencer]
* Straight up now tell me, do you really wanna sue me forever? Corey Clark once claimed he had an affair with American Idol judge Paula Abdul, and now he claims MoFo and Gibson Dunn defamed him. [Am Law Daily]
* In this round of musical chairs, we learn that Orrick hoovered up three energy and project finance partners from Bingham, one of whom will co-chair the firm’s U.S. energy group. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* Remember the Zumba prostitution ring? Now we know you can’t be prosecuted for secretly filming Johns in the act in Maine, because there’s no expectation of privacy in “bordellos, whorehouses, and the like.”[Wired]
* Energy drink makers are facing class action suits over claims made about their products. Fine, Red Bull may not give you wings, but it tastes like piss, and that’s gotta count for something, dammit. [National Law Journal]
* Much like herpes, Lindsay Lohan’s legal drama is the gift that just keeps on giving. Her longtime lawyer Shawn Holley wants out, and her new lawyer, Mark Heller, isn’t even licensed to practice in California. [CNN]
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7th Circuit, Books, Clarence Thomas, Gay, Gay Marriage, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Social Media, Social Networking Websites, Student Loans, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 01.24.13
* The revised transcript from the day Justice Thomas spoke during oral arguments has arrived, and it seems his record for not having asked a single question from the bench is still intact. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* The Seventh Circuit ruled on Indiana’s social media ban for sex offenders, and the internet’s filth will be pleased to know they can tweet about underage girls to their heart’s content. [National Law Journal]
* Propaganda from the dean of a state law school: lawyers from private schools are forcing taxpayers to bear the brunt of their higher debt loads with higher fees associated with their services. [Spokesman-Review]
* Rhode Island is now the only state in New England where same-sex couples can’t get married, but that may change as soon as the state Senate gets its act together, sooo… we may be waiting a while. [New York Times]
* It’ll be hard to document every suit filed against Lance Armstrong, but this one was amusing. Now people want their money back after buying his autobiography because they say it’s a work of fiction. [Bloomberg]
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2nd Circuit, Abortion, Bar Exams, Barack Obama, Biglaw, Books, Crime, Disasters / Emergencies, Holland & Knight, Job Searches, Joe Biden, John Roberts, Law Professors, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Parties, Politics, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Student Loans, Supreme Court, War on Terror
Morning Docket: 01.22.13
* “Given health care, I don’t care if he speaks in tongues.” Chief Justice John Roberts botched Barack Obama’s presidential oath at his first inauguration, but this time he managed to get it right. [New York Times]
* What was more important to Justice Sonia Sotomayor than swearing in Joe Biden as VP at noon on Sunday? Signing books at Barnes & Noble in New York City. Not-so wise Latina. [Los Angeles Times]
* D.C. Biglaw firms — like Holland & Knight, Covington, K&L Gates, and Jones Day — allowed others to bask in their prestige at their swanky inauguration parties. [Capital Business / Washington Post]
* It’s been 40 years since SCOTUS made its ruling in Roe v. Wade, and this is what we’ve got to show for it: a deep moral divide over women being able to do what they want with their own bodies. [Huffington Post]
* The latest weapon in the fight against terrorism is the legal system. The Second Circuit recently issued a major blow to those seeking to finance militant attacks in secret. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* “Firms don’t just hire a body anymore.” The 2012 BLS jobs data is in, and if you thought employment in the legal sector was going to magically bounce back to pre-recession levels, you were delusional. [Am Law Daily]
* Three months have come and gone since Hurricane Sandy rocked law firm life as we know it in Manhattan, but firms like Fragomen and Gordon & Rees are still stuck in temporary offices. [New York Law Journal]
* This seems like it may be too good to be true, but it looks like New York’s chief judge may be on board to grant law students bar eligibility after the completion of only two years of law school. [National Law Journal]
* Law professors may soon be in for a nasty surprise when it comes to their salaries if their schools follow Vermont Law’s lead and remove them as salaried employees, paying only on a part-time basis. [Valley News]
* Resorting to a life of crime in order to pay off your law school debt is never a good thing — unless you’re doing it while waring a Bucky Badger hat. We’ll probably have more on this later. [Wisconsin State Journal]
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
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Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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Biglaw, Blogging, Bloomberg, Book Deals, Books, Career Alternatives, Videos, Willkie Farr, YouTube
Career Alternatives for Attorneys: Novelist and Blogger
Scratch a lawyer and you'll find an aspiring writer beneath the surface. Trying to make the jump from practicing law to a full-time writing career? Here's a case study. -
Ask the Experts, Benchslaps, Books, Career Center, Career Files, Lawyers, Legal Ethics, Rudeness
From the Career Files: The Perils of Advocacy
A member of the ATL Career Center's team of expert contributors offers a look at lawyers' ethical breaches and their consequences. -
Blogging, Books, Fabulosity, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: The Justice League Can Actually Help You Learn About Justice!
What can you learn about the law from your favorite comic book superheroes? A lot! -
Asians, Books, Federal Judges, Jews, Judicial Nominations, Nancy Grace, New Jersey, S.D.N.Y., State Judges, Tax Law, Videos, YouTube
Non-Sequiturs: 12.13.12
* How much could going over the fiscal cliff cost midlevel to senior associates whose bonuses get paid in January? Here’s an estimate. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight] * Congratulations to the newest member of the S.D.N.Y. bench: former Debevoise partner Lorna Schofield, the first person of Filipino descent to be confirmed as an Article III judge. [AABANY] * Judges in my home state of New Jersey are always so fair-minded. Here’s a great recusal motion, directed at Judge Carol Higbee in the New Jersey Accutane mass tort case. [Reed Smith via Drug and Device Law.] * Make sure you don’t murder any babies before signing up to meet Nancy Grace. [Charity Buzz] * If you’re looking for a stocking stuffer (affiliate link) for a young lawyer in your life, look no further; Dan Hull has a great recommendation. [What About Clients?] If you’re interested in Judaism, Supreme Court clerks, or both, there’s a video for you after the jump…. I find Orthodox Jews who are boxers or professional basketball players more impressive than Orthodox Jews who clerked for the Supreme Court (shocking, I know). In case you’re curious as to who is the first Orthodox Jewish woman to clerk for the Supreme Court, watch this video.... -
Bloomberg, Books, Career Alternatives, Food, Google / Search Engines, Videos, YouTube
Career Alternatives for Attorneys: Restaurant Reviewer Surveyor
Learn about how two lawyers built a nine-figure business. -
Books, Copyright, Pornography, Sex, Trademarks
Because No One Saw This Coming: A Copyright Suit Over 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Porn
“I’m completely shocked that there’s Fifty Shades of Grey-inspired porn,” said no one ever. Let's get to the bottom of this copyright suit. -
Benchslaps, Books, Federal Judges, Quote of the Day, Social Media, Social Networking Websites
Tweet of the Day: Ask Your Co-Author, Justice Scalia; He's an Expert on Benchslaps!
Should "benchslap" be included in Black's Law Dictionary? And where did this delightful term originate?