At birth. — Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, explaining when he begins recruiting law clerks. (Chief Judge Kozinski is quoted in a very interesting New York Times article on the chaotic state of the clerkship application process, which we’ll have more to say about later.) UPDATE […]
We have been tracking which leading law firms offer the perk we've nicknamed the gay gross-up. If you're inclined towards formality, you can call it the "tax offset for domestic partner health benefits." For an explanation of what this perk is all about, read this prior post. Since our last round-up, additional prominent law firms have adopted this policy. Let's check out the latest list....
Law firms and legal departments are writing the future of the profession in separate rooms. What happens when they actually work together?
Our research shows that inner work life has a profound impact on workers’ creativity, productivity, commitment and collegiality. Employees are far more likely to have new ideas on days when they feel happier. Conventional wisdom suggests that pressure enhances performance; our real-time data, however, shows that workers perform better when they are happily engaged in […]
[A] rush to open the practice of law to unschooled, unregulated nonlawyers is not the solution [to the justice gap]. This would cause grave harm to clients. Even matters that appear simple, such as uncontested divorces, involve myriad legal rights and responsibilities. If the case is not handled by a professional with appropriate legal training, […]
Everyone loves a wedding, but everyone loves a lawyer wedding even more -- especially when Columbia Law has apparently taken over.This is a summer mega-LEWW, with five finalists and a loooooong list of also-rans at the end. Read on for a virtual nuptial feast....
Mr. Vance performed well. The collateral damage to the career of Mr. Strauss-Kahn, who resigned in disgrace from the I.M.F., was clearly unfair, but that was caused largely by his sensational arrest, which Mr. Vance had no choice about effecting…. Given the attention paid to Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s arrest, Mr. Vance deserves enormous credit for pulling […]
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.
State bar associations could help address [low-income Americans’ need for legal services] by requiring lawyers to report their pro bono service — such disclosure would likely increase many lawyers’ service to the recommended 3 percent to 5 percent of their paid work. Another step is to allow nonlawyers into the mix. The American Bar Association […]
* Interesting historical perspective from Professor Dave Hoffman on the current debate over legal education. One critic wrote that “there are too many lawyers in this country,” “many of them are not busy,” and “many of them are on the margin of starvation” — back in 1932. [Concurring Opinions] * And some thoughts on the […]
THINGS I KNOW: Your name is Katherine (or Catherine). You are a lawyer. You live in my building, on either the 9th or 11th floor. We have talked only once, but have been in the elevator together 2 times THINGS I DO NOT KNOW: How I can get to know you better — from a […]
Are you thinking about taking some branding advice from Fancy Nancy? Maybe you shouldn't. Small firm columnist Valerie Katz advises that you go call yourself a 'trial lawyer' as opposed to a 'litigator'....
Legal work isn’t slowing down, and the firms that win won’t be the ones working harder — they’ll be the ones working smarter.
Does legal education need to be reformed? If so, how? The New York Times solicited views from a panel of experts (including Above the Law's own David Lat).
In the wake of the latest New York Times exposé on law schools, deans and administrators are spinning, spinning, spinning.
The New York Times does another exposé on law schools, finding fault with some schools and their administrators. But what about the students who choose to go to these places?
In these materials and in our conversations with students and applicants, we explicitly tell them that most graduates find work in small to medium firms at salaries between $35,000 and $75,000. — Richard Matasar, outgoing dean of New York Law School, quoted in a lengthy New York Times article entitled Law School Economics: Ka-Ching! (We’ll […]
We are in July -- peek wedding season. Take a look at these three newlywed couples and marvel at their credentials and overall fabulous qualities.