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Facebook
DLA Piper Withdraws From Paul Ceglia's Facebook Lawsuit, And Now The Firm Looks Quite Foolish
We've devoted a lot of coverage to Paul Ceglia's lawsuit claiming an ownership stake in Facebook because it's kind of funny. And we keep covering Ceglia because it just keeps getting funnier. Ceglia just replaced his counsel, again, so we can say farewell to Biglaw firm DLA Piper's involvement. -
Facebook, Law Schools
John Marshall Law School Figures Out What 'A Facebook' Is
Oh, to be a newborn babe. A bright Cherub of innocence and hope who opens his eyes for the first time to look upon the world as if it were new. Oh, to be a administrator at John Marshall Law School in Atlanta and see a brave new world with such people in it. Yes […] - Sponsored
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. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.09.11
* An update to an item from yesterday’s Non-Sequiturs — or, “a domestic dispute version of Spy vs. Spy.” [Not-So Private Parts / Forbes] * And a response to yesterday’s controversial post about paralegals (and the educational credentials required for the position). [A Paralegal’s Life] * Are you a rising 3L looking for post-graduate employment […]
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Biglaw, Crime, Facebook, Social Networking Websites, Technology
Gibson Dunn Hopes To Take A Prisoner in the Facebook Case
When Facebook called Paul Ceglia, the man who claims to have a contract with Mark Zuckerberg for half of Facebook, an “inveterate scam artist,” Ceglia’s lawyers at DLA Piper replied that the company had no facts to back that claim up. “We are prepared to move the case forward into discovery and our client looks […] -
Biglaw, Facebook, Social Networking Websites, Technology
Gibson Dunn Goes Medieval on Facebook Plaintiff
Now that the Winklevoss twins have been sent packing by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski (with a kick in the ass on the way out the door from the rest of the Ninth Circuit), with a 0.00% chance of the Supreme Court taking their case, Facebook’s lawyers can focus on the latest “Actually, I Own Facebook” […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 05.27.11
* Drowning in loan debt? There’s a niche for that! A Connecticut lawyer is paying off his $160K of law school loans with a client base comprised of — you guessed it — lawyers. [Hartford Business Journal via ABA Journal] * In New York, new “while black” violations seem to pop up every few months. […]
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Bad Ideas, Crime, Facebook, Social Networking Websites, Technology
Do Your Facebook Pictures Prove You're A Criminal?
File this one under “Disappointing, but not really surprising.” According to a new study, it turns out that quite a few law students not only break the law, but also post the evidence on Facebook. We’ve already covered why this is a bad idea. For some reason I keep hoping Facebook has been around long […] -
Facebook, Legal Ethics, Rudeness, Social Networking Websites, Technology
I'm Suing You, So No, We Can't Be Facebook Friends
Lawyers love to talk about how technology always moves faster than the law. Nowhere is that tension more apparent (and sadistically fun to observe) than within the mean streets of Facebook. We’ve covered legal standards surrounding Facebook before — and it never gets old. This week, a defense attorney in a personal injury case learns […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Crime, Facebook, Privacy, Rape, Technology, United Kingdom / Great Britain
An Update on WikiLeaks and Its International Man of Mischief, Julian Assange
Although I’m no longer an editor here at Above the Law (*tear*), you know my byline occasionally still pops up to bring you news of lonely lawyers and goings-on in the world of privacy. This week, I asked Elie and Lat if they were interested in a lawsuit against a computer rental store accused of […] -
Facebook, Monica Goodling, Movies, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 05.05.11
* Kesha’s publicist really needs to talk to Kesha’s lawyers about filing lawsuits that make Kesha Ke$ha look lame. [Thomson Reuters] * You don’t really think you’re going to get a law school to roll over and pay $40 million to snookered students like a cooking school would? Crappy law schools might not be training […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 05.03.11
* This article details how the killing of Osama bin Laden was legal. That old honey badger Elie says he doesn’t give a s**t. [Christian Science Monitor] * Former Winston & Strawn partner Jonathan Bristol pleaded guilty to money laundering charges yesterday in connection with Kenneth Starr’s Ponzi scheme. You know what’s a cool word? […]
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Bad Ideas, Facebook, Health Care / Medicine, Privacy, Screw-Ups, Social Networking Websites, Technology
ER Doc Forgets Patient Info is Private, Gets Fired for Facebook Overshare
I’m done whining about Facebook privacy issues. Everyone should know by now that Facebook and privacy are basically mutually exclusive. But every once in a while, someone does something stupid relating to Facebook privacy in a new, exciting way — like stealing a computer and posting photos of yourself on the owner’s page, or uploading […] -
Facebook, Gay, Gay Marriage, Holidays and Seasons, Job Searches, King & Spalding, Non-Sequiturs, Paul Clement, Tax Law
Non-Sequiturs: 04.18.11
* House Speaker John Boehner and former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, now at King & Spalding, have joined forces to fight marriage equality by defending DOMA. Talk about two people who will not be taking their talents to South Beach. [The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times] * The tax returns of Barack Obama […]
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
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Biglaw, Facebook, Social Networking Websites, Technology
The Facebook Lawsuit That Wasn't In The Movie
Thanks to Ben Mezrich, David Fincher, and Aaron Sorkin, we all feel like we know the backstory of the creation of Facebook (shameless plug: please like the ATL Facebook page). It goes something like this: Mark Zuckerberg was a shady little brat, who screwed over his one friend while he was building what would become […] -
9th Circuit, Alex Kozinski, Benchslaps, Facebook, Movies, Social Networking Websites, Technology
Chief Judge Kozinski to the Winklevii: Please Go Away Now
If you enjoyed The Social Network, then perhaps you should be grateful to Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The lawsuit they filed against Facebook and Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, gave rise to excellent entertainment. The movie wouldn’t have been possible without it. But now the litigation is getting… old. And some people just want the Winklevoss […] -
Cellphones, Facebook, Google / Search Engines, Privacy, Technology
Are Tech Companies Becoming Unofficial Intelligence Agents?
The satirical Onion News Network recently reported on new government funding for that “massive online surveillance program run by the CIA,” known as Facebook — dreamed up by “secret C.I.A. agent Mark Zuckerberg.” The report made light of how much information we’re willing to make available to a third party — information that we would […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Murder, Small Law Firms, Trials
Mistrial After Judge Is 'Astonished' By Touro Grad's Incompetence
Look, Touro Law students and alumni, please don’t get mad at me. I’m just the messenger. The Washington Post is reporting that a D.C. Superior Court judge, William Jackson, declared a mistrial in a murder case on Friday so that the defendant could fire his lawyer. The attorney, Joseph Rakofsky, a 2009 graduate of Touro […] -
Facebook, Free Speech, Social Networking Websites, Technology
Insulting Your Boss Online Is Now Protected Speech
In 2009, a paramedic in Connecticut went home and complained about her boss on Facebook. Then she got fired. “Love how the company allows a 17 to be a supervisor,” 42-year-old Dawnmarie Souza wrote. A “17” is the code her company, the American Medical Response ambulance service, uses for a psychiatric patient. She also called […] -
Abortion, Barry Bonds, Baseball, Cars, Celebrities, Defamation, Facebook, Morning Docket, Rape, Sports, Trials, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 03.30.11
* A Libyan woman is being sued for slander over her rape allegations. Is this how the Libyan militiamen serve and protect their country? [Boston Globe] * Call this one a learning experience. Pictures of things we now know we can’t post on Facebook: placentas, dead girls. [CNN Justice] * Jay-Z is down to 98 […]
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Bad Ideas, Bar Exams, BARBRI, Facebook, Law Schools, Money, Student Loans, Temple University, James E. Beasley Law
Law Student Witch Sells Spells for Bar Exam Prep Course Money(And begs her classmates for cash, too.)
Law school is expensive. We get it. Preparing for the bar exam is expensive too. We know. What’s a law student to do? Taking out more loans is the obvious answer, but at a certain point, one cries out, “!No más!” Some have turned to, for lack of a better word, begging — like this […]