Bullying
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9th Circuit, Gay Marriage, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Patents
* Congratulations to Tony West on his new gig as General Counsel of PepsiCo. It sounds like an exciting and challenging opportunity. Plus, you know, free Mountain Dew. [Politico]
* What the hell? The feds stole a woman’s identity and made it into a Facebook page. Well, now she’s found out and she’s suing. Identity theft was one thing, but the way the DEA Agent kept spamming the woman’s friends to play Candy Crush Saga was just unacceptable. [Buzzfeed]
* Time for some court news: Ninth Circuit joined the chorus in striking down gay marriage bans in Idaho and Nevada. [Ninth Circuit]
* It’s Nobel Prize time, and one of the winners for Physics has a personal story about how important it is to hire a good lawyer. In fact, it was about $180 million important. [Slate]
* We constantly beat the drum of how law schools need to adjust to reality and stop duping students into terrible financial decisions. But here’s the PR secret that’s kept law schools from, by and large, collapsing: they sell the experience. [Law and More]
* An open letter begging Amal Alamuddin not to quit her day job now that she’s married to some acting guy. [The Careerist]
* New York City paid $50K to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a child who killed herself after school officials allegedly did nothing despite several warnings that the girl was being brutally bullied. There’s a lot of “in my day…” types who read this site who may not care about bullying, but this is more a question of irresponsibility. If your job is to provide a safe learning environment and you fail, you pay. [DNA Info]
* At oral argument, the Court seemed generally supportive of the Muslim inmate hoping to grow a beard. If this intuition is right, soon individual people may have the same religious rights as corporations! [Supreme Court Brief]
* Finally, thanks to the Rutgers-Newark Law School chapter of the American Constitution Society for hosting a great event today where Elie and I previewed the upcoming SCOTUS Term. My personal highlight was watching Elie’s head explode while talking about Young v. UPS.
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Stop Bullying The Partners You Work For
The amount of people whining about being bullied reaches epidemic proportions.
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INNOVATION IN ENTRY LEVEL RECRUITING
We’ve all heard how dysfunctional entry-level legal recruiting is: Inordinate expense, decisions made on the briefest of subjective impressions with opacity all around, and what do firms reap for all their efforts? Shocking attrition rates among junior associates. It’s time for a conference on what could work better, and this is it.
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Biglaw, Health Care / Medicine, Intellectual Property, Non-Sequiturs, Religion, Sex, Women's Issues
* Judge Brian Cogan has ruled that a group of New York Catholic institutions doesn’t have to provide health insurance plans that include birth control coverage to its employees because… insurance policies with provisions that other people may or may not ever invoke is a religious thing. Too bad no one told the Catholic Church in New York, which already pays for insurance that provides birth control coverage and has for years. [Jezebel]
* Judge Richard Leon’s decision ruling the NSA metadata gathering program unconstitutional makes a lot of good points, but perhaps the best is that even if you think there’s a compelling counter-terrorism concern that trumps constitutional safeguards, the NSA just can’t point to it. Of course we’ll all be singing another tune when the Moldovans take over. [Lawyers, Guns & Money]
* Here’s a tale of dealing with a Biglaw bully. I don’t get the concept — being locked in a locker is way better than spending the whole night conforming edits. [Big Law Rebel]
* Elie appeared on the Lawyer 2 Lawyer podcast to discuss drones. [Lawyer 2 Lawyer]
* Eyewitness testimony is often disastrously wrong. Suddenly that “Eyewitness News” title your awful local news channel uses seems really appropriate. [Slate]
* A guide for tech startups and software developers dealing with contracts. I’m looking in your direction, Winklevoss twins. [Alleywatch]
* An IP lawyer makes a rap video. His record may affirm that he knows IP, but I don’t think Death Row is going to be calling any time soon. Video embedded below…
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Does The Law Have to Protect Wusses?
Should the NFL be subject to the same laws as any other business given its unique character?
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Jonathan Martin, Future Gunner
Guess the lawyers will sort out whatever happened between Richie Ingonito and Jonathan Martin.
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Education / Schools, Football, Kids, Sports, Texas
Anti-Bullying Laws Invoked Because One Football Team Can’t Stop Another Football Team
Parent accuses 91-0 high school football victors of “bullying.”
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Biglaw, Death Penalty, Non-Sequiturs, pls hndle thx, Rape, Richard Epstein
* Saudi Arabia may soon end beheadings because they’re running out of swordsmen. Poor Ned Stark… if he’d just held out a little longer. [Lowering the Bar]
* Professor Richard Epstein held an AMA (“Ask Me Anything” if you’re behind on the modern lingo of the Interwebs) on Reddit this morning. Mercifully, “Boxers of Briefs?” wasn’t asked. [Reddit]
* It may have taken awhile for Steubenville, Ohio to get its priorities straight, but Attorney General Mike DeWine is finally saying the right things, “Let me be clear. Threatening a teenage rape victim will not be tolerated. If anyone makes a threat verbally or via the Internet, we will take it seriously, we will find you, and we will arrest you.” [Jezebel]
* Is the legal industry ready to seize the future? [Adam Smith, Esq.]
* If you have any questions you’d like to see addressed by our crack advice team at Pls Hndle Thx, send them to advice@abovethelaw.com. [Above the Law]
* David Bernstein posted this clever video about Passover to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody over at Volokh Conspiracy. You can watch it after the jump….
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Books, Quote of the Day, Television, Videos
Emily Bazelon Makes Stephen Colbert Cry
Emily Bazelon thinks Stephen Colbert just might be a bully.
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Copyright, Intellectual Property, Law Professors, Trademarks
* DC Comics didn’t take kindly to a garage selling replica Batmobiles without permission. A federal court agreed. But if we outlaw Batmobiles, only outlaws will have Batmobiles! [Comic Book Resources]
* Mistrial in Philadelphia after the witness lost (part of) his head on the witness stand. [Philly.com]
* Taser or Lightsaber? I never thought that would be a serious question. [Legal Juice]
* A quick refresher from that “Law and the Vatican” course you took as a 3L. [WSJ Law Blog]
* A compilation of some bad courtroom (and quasi-courtroom) behavior including our friend from last week, Penelope Soto. [LOL and Smile]
* The Bratz case is so totally over. The result? A whole lot of nothing — much like the Bratz movie. [The Recorder]
* Shorter version of this article: Morpheus explaining, “But when you’re inside, you look around, what do you see?…The very minds of the [nice legal academics] we are trying to save. But until we do, these [law professors] are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy.” [Inside the Law School Scam]
* New Mexico is considering a new law against bullying — but does it go too far? Does it? Answer me, you little wuss! [Volokh Conspiracy]
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Job of the Week: Better Hours, Better Culture, Better Future
Are you a junior to mid-level corporate/finance associate who has been contemplating a move to (or within) Washington, DC? In response to increased deal activity requiring “NY (or like-kind) trained” corporate associates, the Washington, DC corporate/finance market is experiencing an unusually high demand for your skills. Read more, and check out www.g-s.com.
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Antonin Scalia, Department of Justice, Education / Schools, Movies, Non-Sequiturs, Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. News
* George Washington University has been stripped of its U.S. News college ranking. The law school appears safe. [Tax Prof Blog]
* Now students can get in trouble for bullying their teachers. Teachers, people! TEACHERS CAN’T STAND UP TO THE MEAN SCHOOL KIDS WITHOUT A LAWSUIT. [The Volokh Conspiracy]
* Just to be clear, Antonin Scalia would not be on the side of the secessionists. [New York Personal Injury Law Blog]
* So the accuser of Kevin Clash, voice of Elmo, recanted and said that he was a consenting adult when he was with Clash. It’s great to know that Elmo is getting barely legal ass. [Huffington Post]
* FCPA! Guidance! This is WAY MORE INTERESTING than Petraeus and the Kelley sisters. [WSJ Law Blog]
* For those of you who saw Capturing the Friedmans, here’s an update on the ongoing proceedings. [WiseLawNY]
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8th Circuit, Education / Schools
Bullying Is Now What Happens Whenever Teachers Can’t Keep Control Of Their Classrooms
Bullying is what happens when teachers lose control…
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Bar Exams, Clerkships, Football, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Partner Issues, Sports, Supreme Court Clerks
* Are associates or partners more maniacally stressed out? Science helps us answer the age-old question. [The Careerist]
* What does it take to land a Supreme Court clerkship? Luck, reputation, and a helluva lot of patience. [ABA Journal and Supreme Ambitions]
* And what should SCOTUS clerks do after they finish at One First Street if they want to make the most money? The answer may surprise you. [Breaking Views]
* As the NFL faces all those concussion lawsuits, America’s other professional football league (yes, the United Football League does exist) is getting sued… for not paying its players. [Forbes]
* An HLS student pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. What is it with all the Harvard Law folks allegedly causing trouble this week? Next thing you know, some Harvard Law grad is going to threaten to murder Big Bird. [Harvard Crimson]
* A veteran is suing the government over his frostbitten penis, which had to be “partially amputated.” Not only is that the second-worst thing I’ve ever heard, it doesn’t even really make sense. [ABC15]
* An ex-law student explains why she quit just a few weeks into the semester. Why? Bullying and backstabbing. Hmmm. That sounds familiar. [A Nerd Girl’s Perspective]
* Delaware Bar Exam results are out. Congratulations to everyone who passed! [Delaware State Courts]
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Fat People, Media and Journalism, Rudeness, Television, Women's Issues
Overweight TV Anchor Takes Lawyer To Task On The Air; Lawyer Doesn’t Give A Damn
As it turns out, the man who critiqued the Wisconsin TV anchor’s appearance was a lawyer. What does that say about lawyers, in general?
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Labor / Employment, Rank Stupidity, Rudeness
Is a Day of Reckoning on the Horizon for Workplace Bullies?
States consider legislation restricting workplace bullying. It might not be a bad idea….
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Education / Schools, Facebook, Free Speech, Kids, Social Media, Social Networking Websites, Technology
Federal Court Rules: ‘We Don’t Need No Facebook Control; Hey Teacher, Leave Them Kids Alone!’
A federal court hands down a ruling restricting how schools can use social media against students.
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Christopher Christie, Quote of the Day, Rudeness, U.S. Attorneys Offices
Quote of the Day: You Think Chris Christie Is a Bully, But He Thinks You’re an Idiot, So There
Is Chris Christie a bully? If so, is it because he used to be a U.S. Attorney?
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Crime, Gay, New Jersey, Sentencing Law
Dharun Ravi just got sentenced. What did he get?
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Biglaw, Blogging, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Drinking, Facebook, Football, JPMorgan Chase, Law Schools, LSAT, Non-Sequiturs
* Andrew Sweat claims fear of concussions made him hang ‘em up and go to law school. I’m not saying he shouldn’t be scared of football, I’m saying he should be worried about law school, too. [Deadspin]
* Studying for the LSAT helps your brain. No really. It can even make you smart enough to avoid law school all together. [LSAT Blog: Ace the LSAT]
* Looks like Jamie Dimon decided to send in The Wolf. [Dealbreaker]
* How famous do I have to be before weight loss companies compete to make me take their diets for free (plus hire me a personal trainer) so they can say their weight loss program “works”? Surely, I’m fat enough. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Instead of making laws against bullying, parents could also be less lazy and just learn how to use Facebook. [Orlando Sentinel]
* Lawyer on lawyer name-calling. [Legal Newsline]
* Hey, you’re going to be able to buy liquor on Sundays in Connecticut. Cool. Good to see that laws based entirely on weird, religious tradition are being found to be stupid. [WTNH]
* This is a fun time to think about law firm branding, don’t you think? Sorry, let me make that a little more clear: Dewey think this is a fun time to think about law firm branding? [Law and More]
* Looking ahead to the Facebook IPO in Blawg Review, which is also posted on Facebook this week. [Preaching to the Perverted via Blawg Review]
Sponsored Content
KINNEY’S EVAN JOWERS IN HONG KONG TODAY THROUGH MARCH 4
Kinney’s head of Asia recruiting, Evan Jowers, is in Hong Kong today through March 4 and has some slots still available for meetings on this trip. Please feel free to reach out to us at asia@kinneyrecruiting.com if you would like to set up a meeting with Evan. His next trip to Hong Kong will be in late March.
Sponsored Content
National Institute for New Partners
If you are a new partner or are on the cusp of becoming a new partner, register today for the ABA’s National Institute on New Partners. Full day program on April 17, 2015 (in bold) in Washington, DC and includes 1.50 General CLE Credit Hours, 2.75 Ethics/Professionalism CLE Credit Hours.
