Screw-Ups
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Cars, Elena Kagan, Politics, SCOTUS, Screw-Ups, Supreme Court
Finally, an Elena Kagan Scandal: A Hit-and-Run Car Accident!
The Senate confirmation vote on Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court has been pushed back one week, to July 20. This gives the Republicans more time to try and persuade a few Democrats to vote against Lady Kaga. As they try to win over Democrats, the Senate Republicans have some new fodder: a Kagan-related […] -
Biglaw, Screw-Ups, Summer Associates
Welcome, Summer Associates! We're Glad You're Here, But Clients Aren't.
It’s summer time! A lucky few are being paid to warm seats in law firms across the land. (Very few — thanks to the minimal numbers of offers extended to law students in Recession Land.) Some firms are very excited about their summer associates, to the point of issuing press releases about them. Firms are […] - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Contracts, Screw-Ups
Cornell Contracts Exam Should Fail for Ambiguity, Vagueness
With all the students just dying to get into Cornell Law School, I figured I’d give you guys a taste of what exams will be like for the few of you lucky enough to get in. A contracts exam there turned into something so complicated that you need to be an expert in statutory interpretation […]
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Law Schools, Rankings, Screw-Ups, U.S. News
Open Thread: 2011 U.S. News Law School Rankings (Fourth Tier)
This is the end Beautiful friend This is the end My only friend, the end We’ve come to the end of the U.S. News Law School Rankings. The Fourth Tier. The schools that are friends to those who will do anything in order to go to law school. Here is an open thread to discuss […] -
Andrew Cuomo, Real Estate, Screw-Ups, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan
Stroock Strikes Back? The Firm's Client Sues Andrew Cuomo in Federal Court
We’ve previously covered a sticky situation involving an alleged drafting error by real estate lawyers at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan. The dispute pits the buyers of luxury condos at the Rushmore, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, against the development company Extell, Stroock’s client. (Our prior coverage appears here, here, and here.) When we last […] -
Fashion, In-House Counsel, Lawyer of the Day, Screw-Ups
In-House (and Inactive) Lawyer of the Day: Jonathan Moss
Gucci wants g’s for the use of its big G. Gucci sued Guess Inc. in 2009 for trademark infringement, for allegedly selling knock-offs of its designs and for using the interlocking “GG” pattern. Guess may be the company making knock-offs, but Gucci’s the company with fake lawyers. Gucci recently fired in-house lawyer Jonathan Moss because […] -
Email Scandals, Partner Issues, Partner Profits, Screw-Ups, Tax Law
Here's One Way To Reveal Your Firm's Non-Equity Partners
It’s one of the few things still shrouded in secrecy at most firms: which partners have equity in the firm and which don’t. Actual partners, of course, get a share in the firm’s profits, and are part of the PPP calculations reported by Am Law. Non-equity partners get the partner honorific, but in actuality they’re […] -
Law Schools, Screw-Ups
Cooley Law Dropout Learns a Lesson in Res Judicata
Whenever we write about Thomas M. Cooley Law School, commenters cannot resist reminding us of Cooley’s business model. The school admits a large number of 1Ls. If they can’t hack it, they are dismissed. So what happens to the kids who couldn’t hack it at Cooley? Well, sometimes they sue the school for discrimination. But, […] - 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. -
Law Professors, Law Schools, Screw-Ups, William and Mary School of Law
Hey, Teacher ... Give Those Kids Their Grades!Grades delayed at W&M, UT - Austin... anywhere else?
How long should students have to wait for fall semester grades? Two weeks? A month? Some students at William and Mary School of Law are still waiting for fall semester grades — and they might not be alone. I understand that law professors would rather drink wine straight from the box than grade a paper. […] -
11th Circuit, Death Penalty, Pro Bono, Screw-Ups
Sullivan & Cromwell's Life-or-Death Mistake?Leading law firm blows deadline in death penalty case.
More than a decade ago, Cory Maples of Alabama murdered two people. After an evening of heavy drinking, playing pool, and riding around in a friend’s car, Maples killed two friends, shooting them execution-style. According to court documents, he signed a confession, “stating that he: (1) shot both victims around midnight; (2) had drunk six […] -
9/11, Crime, Screw-Ups
Sidley Austin Rescinds Brian Schroeder's Job Offer
We wrote earlier today about Brian Schroeder’s Halloween misadventures. On the morning of October 31, the Harvard Law ’09 grad set fire to a chapel housing the remains of unidentified 9/11 victims. He turned himself in that evening. Sidley Austin has responded to our inquiry regarding Schroeder, who had summered with the firm in 2008. […] -
Blackberry-Crackberry, Email Scandals, Reader Polls, Screw-Ups
Quinn Emanuel Believes in 'C.B.A.' (Check BlackBerry Always)
Ed. note: This post has been updated from the original version. Please see below. The only thing worse than being tied to your BlackBerry at all hours is missing something important because you were not tied to your BlackBerry the hour you were needed. Wait, this just in. There is something worse than missing a […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bankruptcy, Benchslaps, Biglaw, Harvey Miller, Intellectual Property, Legal Ethics, Litigators, Partner Issues, Screw-Ups
$40 Million Benchslap for Weil Gotshal
Don’t get too comfortable with that shiny new #6 Vault ranking, Weil Gotshal. The firm just got served, Texas-style. The ABA Journal reports: The Texas judge who ordered Microsoft to pay $290 million for infringing a patent included a $40 million enhancement that he said was partly justified because of alleged trial misconduct by a […]
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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.
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get…
Sponsored
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so…
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Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
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Real Estate, Screw-Ups, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan
A Very Expensive Typo? Stroock Isn't Sweating It
Earlier this week, we wrote about a serious drafting mistake by Stroock & Stroock & Lavan — maybe a typo, maybe not — that could cost Stroock’s client millions. Could Stroock look to its malpractice insurer for help? Maybe not, according to the New York Post: The gaffe exposes Stroock to the real possibility of […] -
Real Estate, Screw-Ups, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan
A Very Expensive Typo?
We realize that we make our fair share of typographical errors here at ATL. But this is just a blog, not a document being sent to a client or filed with a court, and we’re more focused on substance than style, due to the speed of the news cycle and our desire to be… FIRST! […] -
Email Scandals, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Screw-Ups
The Perils of 'Reply All'Villanova Law Dean: 'The internet really is a type of hell!'
Last week, we wrote about Villanova University School of Law running out of work-study funds. Over the weekend, we received several copies of an interesting follow-up email — one that went to every 1L and 2L at Villanova, as well as every dean. Some background, from a tipster: This email is sent as-is, with typos […] -
Barack Obama, Cass Sunstein, Hillary Clinton, Politics, Rudeness, Samantha Power, Screw-Ups
'Hillary Clinton's a monster.'
That statement was made by Samantha Power, a top foreign policy adviser to Barack Obama and new-ish love interest of Professor Cass Sunstein. Sunstein recently accepted a position at Harvard Law, leaving behind in Chicago his ex, philosopher Martha Nussbaum. Bossman David Lat posted all the gossip about the academic love triangle here. Power, pictured, […] -
Biglaw, Email Scandals, Screw-Ups, Sheila Birnbaum
An Email Oopsie, By A Legendary Litigatrix
It’s not just Pepper Hamilton. Email screw-ups are committed by even the most renowned lawyers — like longtime Skadden Arps partner Sheila Birnbaum, a living legend of the product liability defense bar. As we previously wrote, “Birnbaum, who heads Skadden’s Complex Mass Tort and Insurance Group, has a nickname reflecting her expertise: ‘The Queen of […] -
2nd Circuit, Pro Bono, Screw-Ups, Torture, War on Terror
Arar v. Ashcroft: An ATL Interview with Josh Sohn of DLA Piper
Last Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit heard oral argument in Arar v. Ashcroft, a high-profile lawsuit arising out of the U.S. government’s rendition of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen, to Syria. We interviewed DLA Piper partner Joshua Sohn (at right), co-counsel to Mr. Arar along with the Center for Constitutional […] -
Biglaw, Blogging, Boutique Law Firms, Email Scandals, Screw-Ups
Our Favorite Skadden Associate Moves On
Remember Jonas Blank? He was the fellow who, while working at Skadden Arps as a summer associate in 2003, sent out this infamous email: “I’m busy doing jack shit. Went to a nice 2hr sushi lunch today at Sushi Zen. Nice place. Spent the rest of the day typing emails and bullshitting with people. Unfortunately, […]