Gradenfreude: I Passed the Bar Exam, But I Still Mop the Floors at My Crappy Job
This recent law school graduate passed the bar exam. Has his life changed since he got the good news?
Sonia Sotomayor and Sesame Street (Part Deux): Be a Lawyer, Not a Princess!
Justice Sotomayor tells little girls that being a princess isn't a viable career option. But is being a lawyer a viable option these days?
AI Is Killing Legal’s Billable Hour. It’s Also Repeating Its Worst Mistake
Law firms and legal departments are writing the future of the profession in separate rooms. What happens when they actually work together?
Outgoing Law School Dean Tries To Slip In One Last Dumb Comment
Dear law deans, please use FACTS next time you want to make an argument...
Quote of the Day: Way to Broadcast This Girl’s Lack of Judgment to the Entire World!
Indiana Tech Law School admits its first student, and brags about it in a press release. This poor girl...
Gradenfreude: Networking For Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Law School Graduates
An underemployed law school grad tried to network at his law school to get a job and failed, but at least he met a hot chick in the process.
Rankings That Actually Matter: Law School Transparency Uses Employment Outcomes To Rate Schools
Finally, some law school rankings that actually matter! Check out Law School Transparency's employment-based metrics...
Schenck Price Competes Smarter With Lexis+ With Protégé
LexisNexis sat down with John Ursin, Managing Partner at Schenck Price, to learn how the firm is using legal AI to strengthen client service and daily legal work.
Washington Post Hops On The ‘Do Law Students Know How Stupid They Are’ Bandwagon
Going to a middling law school and paying full price is only for those who can't read...
House Rules: Happy Halloween
It's Halloween, and there are lots of things to be frightened about in the world of law.....
Quote of the Day: She Works Hard For The Money
Why work hard to get a low-paying public interest job when you could make big money in Biglaw instead?
Law Firm Associates and Prostitutes: A Comparative Analysis
You’re good-looking, you like people, you know how to bill by the hour -- you could totally do this. But is being a high-class escort really a better job than the one you've got now? It depends....
AI Is Reshaping Legal Practice—But Tools Aren’t The Real Differentiator.
Explore the mindset, cultural shifts, and training strategies that define the AI‑savvy lawyer, revealing why human judgment, standardized competence, and integrated learning—not technology alone—will shape the future of the profession.
Musical Chairs: Patrick Fitzgerald’s New Home
When Patrick Fitzgerald stepped down as U.S. Attorney in Chicago, he seemed to pooh-pooh the prospect of his becoming a defense lawyer. But now he has joined a Biglaw firm -- where he will presumably do some defense work. Where is he headed?
Morning Docket: 10.23.12
* “Whether or not the law is dictating it right now, the people are dictating it.” In light of First and Second Circuit DOMA decisions, in-house counsel are considering benefits for same-sex spouses and domestic partners. [Corporate Counsel] * “I’m a woman of integrity. My emotions got the best of me.” A Dish Network executive had to publicly apologize for accosting a Gibson Dunn litigation partner’s elderly father outside of a courtroom after the Cablevision trial. [Am Law Daily] * A potential farewell to the typical liberal bias in education: at the end of the day, Teresa Wagner’s political bias case against Iowa Law could alter hiring nationwide in higher education. [Iowa City Press-Citizen] * Not prepared for the bar exam, and currently without a law job? Let’s give that school a “B” rating. The results of this survey pretty much conclude that recent law school graduates are out of their minds. [WSJ Law Blog] * A soon-to-be high school graduate wants to know if he can “go into a creative career” with a law degree. You silly little boy, the law is where creativity goes to die. Hope that helps! [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]
Rejection Letter Potpourri: It’s Not You, It’s Me, And How Many Awesome People Want To Work For Me
Federal judges still know how to send rejection letters -- letters that say you are just not good enough...
Inside Straight: Lessons Learned From The Résumé Professionals
In-house columnist Mark Herrmann offers some tips about writing a résumé, along with reflections about the difference between preparing a résumé when you work at a law firm compared to preparing one when you work in-house.
Morning Docket: 10.18.12
* Conflict of interest? What conflict of interest? We didn’t have a conflict of interest! Covington & Burling is appealing its disqualification from representing Minnesota in a suit against former client 3M. [Capital Business / Washington Post] * “If I sent my résumé through the firm, I wouldn’t get looked at.” Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear is hiring so many awesome associates that the firm’s managing partner doesn’t even know if he’d stand a chance. [National Law Journal] * Doug Arntsen, the ex-Crowell associate who stole $10.7M in client funds and spent it at strip clubs, was sentenced to four-to-12 years in prison. [New York Law Journal] * Music to Benula Bensam’s ears? In a case of dueling sentencing memos, prosecutors want Rajat Gupta to spend 10 years in prison, but his own lawyers want him to be sent to Rwanda. [DealBook / New York Times] * Donald Polden, the dean of Santa Clara Law, will be stepping down at the end of this academic year. Hope they’ll be able to find a new dean, because every “influential” school needs one. [San Jose Mercury News]