Washington D.C.
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Bar Exams, Quote of the Day, Texas, Twittering
Quote of the Day: Bar Takers Are A Jumpy Bunch(Texas and D.C. are here; New York is coming soon.)
Bar takers turn to Twitter with anxiety, as New York prepares to release results... -
Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, BuckleySandler, Department of Justice, Lateral Moves, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms, Musical Chairs, Wells Fargo
Musical Chairs: A Pair of Capital Moves
News of two notable partner moves, from Washington, D.C. - 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. -
Biglaw, Clarence Thomas, Department of Justice, Federal Government, Job Searches, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Patents, Pro Bono, Public Interest, Rankings, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks, Technology
Morning Docket: 09.24.12
* Hey, “regular students” with “regular backgrounds,” you may be able to get a job as a SCOTUS clerk, because Justice Clarence Thomas is the Supreme Court’s honey badger in that he doesn’t give a sh*t about rankings. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
* Because $1.05 bill wasn’t quite enough, Apple is asking for additional damages in its patent war lawsuit against Samsung. Ohh, come on, Judge Koh, it’s just an extra $535 million. Everyone else is doing it, come on. Just give us the money. [Bloomberg]
* The D.C. Circuit suit about White House visitor logs is kind of like a recurring issue we see with law schools, in that transparency here means “[w]e will disclose what records we want you to see.” [National Law Journal]
* Skadden is teaming up with local legal aid groups to start a pro bono initiative in D.C. We hear they’ll be handing out gift cards as a show of appreciation to those who sign up. [Capital Business / Washington Post]
* Sumner Redstone recently donated $18M to BU Law. Will his successor be as charitable? From Columbia Law to Shearman & Sterling to media mogul: meet Philippe Dauman, CEO of Viacom. [New York Times]
* “The employment statistics really are the collective impact of individual choices.” And one of them was attending law school anyway, despite all of the negative media attention they’ve received. [Cincinnati Enquirer]
* Remember the Harvard Law student who ran for Student Government President and pledged to resign after rewriting the organization’s constitution? Well, he graduated, but at least he got a draft in. [Harvard Crimson]
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Drinking, Lawyer of the Day, Violence
Lawyer of the Day: Assaulted By Red Bull And Vodka?
Were Red Bull and vodka indirectly responsible for a lawyer's loss of his finger? -
9th Circuit, Alex Kozinski, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Breasts, Dewey & LeBoeuf, H. Rodgin Cohen, Morning Docket, Pictures, Privacy, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Morning Docket: 09.17.12
* Come on, people, Dewey really think that it’s fair that these proposed partnership clawback settlements blame only us for the firm’s implosion? The Steves and ex-CFO Joel Sanders don’t think so. [Bloomberg]
* “[E]ven if partners’ capital contributions were used to repay Dewey’s indebtedness—so what?” Well, that’s certainly one way to defend a suit alleging Citibank’s participation in a Ponzi-like scheme. [Am Law Daily]
* A $280K bonus sure seems nice, but do all Supreme Court clerks choose life in Biglaw once they’ve completed their stints at the high court? As it turns out, the answer is no — some view the money as “golden handcuffs.” [Wall Street Journal]
* Because nobody can ogle these crown jewels except Prince William: the royals’ potential suit against Closer magazine over topless pics of Kate Middleton has turned into full-blown privacy proceeding. [New York Times]
* If you’re struggling in law school, it may be wise to take some advice from those who’ve been there before you, like SullCrom’s Rodge Cohen, the Ninth Circuit’s Chief Judge Alex Kozinski. [National Law Journal]
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Bankruptcy, Clerkships, Crime, Drugs, Election 2012, Federal Judges, Guns / Firearms, Job Searches, Law Schools, Layoffs, Money, Morning Docket, Politics, Pro Se Litigants, Romance and Dating, S.D.N.Y., Sam Sparks, State Judges, Student Loans, Texas, Unemployment
Morning Docket: 08.13.12
* In case you’ve been sleeping under a rock, Mitt Romney picked Rep. Paul Ryan as his Vice Presidential running mate. Putting politics aside, this is a great pick, if only because Ryan is so handsome. Seriously, he’s a total stud. [Wall Street Journal]
* “How can I be the one guy with a good degree who is going to be chronically unemployed?” Sadly, many lawyers are still looking for jobs after (multiple) layoffs, but thanks to a lack of positions, employment is just “not in the cards” for them. [New York Times]
* Deadliest clerkship? The Washington, D.C. judge who presided over one of the most violent mass shooting cases in the nation’s capital was reportedly held up at gunpoint last week, with her law clerk in tow. [Fox DC]
* Something is rotten in the state of Denmark Texas. Judge Sam Sparks “know[s] the smell of bad fish,” and now wants to know why the USADA waited so long to bring charges against Lance Armstrong. [Bloomberg]
* After reversing a bankruptcy court’s decision that loan repayment would be an “undue hardship” for a law-school debtor, a judge took the time to rip law schools a new one over escalating tuition. [Oregonian]
* Match.com class-action plaintiffs found no love in court after a federal judge ruled that the dating website hadn’t breached its user agreement. Much like their love lives, their claims aren’t getting any action. [Reuters]
* A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client: 23% of all cases filed in the federal court for the S.D.N.Y. are brought by pro-se litigants, and the vast majority of them seem to have lost their minds. [New York Post]
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Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Career Alternatives, Drinking, In-House Counsel
D.C. Attorney Gives Up Law for Her True Passion: Booze
An attorney is putting her legal career aside to follow something she’s been passionate about since her college days: wine. -
Lawyerly Lairs, Real Estate, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
Lawyerly Lairs: Justice Sotomayor Está En La Casa
The Wise Latina recently purchased a condo in D.C.'s trendy U Street corridor. How much did she pay, and what does the place look like? - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
American Constitution Society (ACS), Bar Exams, Football, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.12.12
* What price can you put on freedom (or lack thereof)? Jeffrey Deskovic, who served 16 years in prison for a rape and murder he did not commit, sued a whole host of defendants after his exoneration — and won more than $5 million. [Cruel and Unusual] * One way of dealing with opposing counsel is to grope them and expose yourself to them. I didn’t say it was a “good” was to deal with opposing counsel. [New York Personal Injury Law Blog] * George Zimmerman’s wife was arrested for perjury. Good thing she wasn’t wearing a hoodie while she allegedly lied, ’cause you know how that goes. [Orlando Sentinel] * When studying for the bar, you have to at least pretend that there’s going to be a job afterwards. Don’t torture yourself with reality. [Law Riot] * As a boy with a girl’s name, I’m always worried that something like this will happen to me. Trust me, my son will not have this problem. I’ll call the kid Mars Glock The Penismightier Mystal or something. [The Daily Dolt] * Is the NFL going to end up like Big Tobacco? [Forbes] * I’ll be moderating a panel at this year’s American Constitution Society National Convention. That means I’m coming to D.C.! If you want to hang out, I’ll be drinking with Marin at Off the Record — which is downstairs at the Hay-Adams — starting at about 8:30 tomorrow night. [American Constitution Society] -
ACLU, Biglaw, Bonuses, Clarence Thomas, Copyright, Department of Justice, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Gay Marriage, John Edwards, Lambda Legal, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Trials
Morning Docket: 05.31.12
* “Our assets went home every night, until one night, they went home and never came back.” Aww, Dewey shed a tear for this bankrupt law firm? Nah. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* It looks like SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas decided to kiss and make up with his alma mater, Yale Law School. He’ll be the keynote speaker at an alumni dinner in D.C. this summer. [Reuters]
* And the marriage equality battle has finally arrived in Obama’s former stomping grounds. Lambda Legal and the ACLU are challenging the ban on gay marriage in Illinois. [Associated Press]
* The biggest news out of the John Edwards trial yesterday was that Judge Eagles told the alternate jurors they didn’t have to show up anymore. OMG, boring. Give us a verdict already. [ABC News]
* Kim Dotcom and his company’s defense against the DOJ’s charges is coming together piece by piece. If only Megaupload were a torrent site, this would be a much better nerd joke. [Media Decoder / New York Times]
* The ABA Journal wants to know if you curse in the workplace, and if so, in what situations. We bet that a fair share of Biglaw associates were dropping f-bombs left and right over this year’s bonuses. [ABA Journal]
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Crime, SCOTUS, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer Stolen From... Again!
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has been robbed twice in the past four months. What happened this time? -
Attorney Misconduct, Biglaw, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Facebook, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, John Edwards, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Shoes, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court, Tax Law, Trials, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 05.18.12
* Rob me once, shame on you; rob me twice, shame on me? Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer was robbed for a second time, but this time as the victim of a burglary on May 4. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* Dewey know when this ship is finally going to capsize (so we can stop making these puns)? Two of D&L’s Hong Kong partners have decided to defect to DLA Piper, and more may be joining them soon. [Asian Lawyer]
* He might’ve been a “bad husband,” but that doesn’t mean he’s guilty. The jury in John Edwards’s campaign finance trial will begin deliberating today. Let’s see if they convict him of being more than an adulterer. [CNN]
* After his citizenship stunt, Eduardo Saverin can look forward to being defriended by the United States — not like that’s a bad thing, because to be honest, the movie version of him is much cuter. [New York Daily News]
* And this is why lawyers shouldn’t try to be funny. Safeway’s General Counsel, Robert Gordon, is being branded a sexist for telling a recycled joke about pigs and D.C.’s most powerful women. [Corporate Counsel]
* A three month suspension has been recommended for a former Treasury Department attorney who attempted to steal ties from Nordstrom. What, he couldn’t spring for a Neiman’s run? [National Law Journal]
* If you bought those stupid ass Skechers Shape-Up shoes in the hope that your booty would look like Kim Kardashian’s, you can get a piece of the $40M settlement. Not bitter, not at all. [Los Angeles Times]
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Election 2012, Fabulosity, Howrey LLP, Lawyerly Lairs, Partner Issues, Politics, Real Estate
Lawyerly Lairs: Capital Homes in the Capital
Lawyers in D.C. do well for themselves. Check out these attorneys' million-dollar mansions....
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
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Biglaw, Dewey & LeBoeuf, King & Spalding, Lateral Moves, Litigators, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Dewey Know Where the Firm Leaders Are Going? Heads of Departments Head for the Exits
Two of Dewey & LeBoeuf's leaders, both members of the Office of the Chairman, are abandoning ship. Where are they going? -
Biglaw, Drinking, Patton Boggs, Sexual Harassment, Violence
Former D.C. Biglaw Staffer Sues, Alleging Nasty Combination of Drinking and Choking at Work
A former Biglaw employee sues over a work-sponsored happy hour that wasn't so happy… -
California, Law Schools, Reader Polls, Texas
The Decision: Georgetown v. Texas v. UCLA -- An ATL Debate
As we move deeper into spring, more aspiring law students will have to make up their minds about matriculation destinations. Today we’ll look at the case of a student who’s choosing between a trio of very fine schools. Where should this person go? -
Lawyerly Lairs, Money, Real Estate
Lawyerly Lairs: What Does $500K Buy You in D.C.?
What kind of apartment can you get in Washington, D.C., if you have half a million dollars to spend? Check out this pad, currently owned by a lawyer and a law student. -
Biglaw, Canada, Cars, Guns / Firearms, Kids, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Twittering
Non-Sequiturs: 02.23.12
* Apparently attorneys at a “prestigious firm” in Washington, D.C. are fans of hobo hunting. What the hell does that mean? Well, there’s an app for that (one that Apple has rejected three times for its outrageous offensiveness). [VICE] * “I want to (blank) Michelle Bachmann in her (blank) with a Vietnam era machete.” First […] -
Biglaw, Federal Government, Lawyerly Lairs, Money, Partner Issues, Pictures, Politics, Real Estate, Williams & Connolly
Lawyerly Lairs: The Real Homeowners of D.C.
Are we too New York-centric in Lawyerly Lairs, our inside look at the homes (and occasionally offices) of lawyers and law students? Perhaps. It makes sense that we focus on Gotham, since Above the Law is headquartered here. But we realize that other cities and states boast great real estate too. Today we'll check out a few Lawyerly Lairs down in my former home of Washington, D.C. -- including the expensive residences of various partners at prominent law firms.... -
Crime, Law Schools, Money, Student Loans
Fraud Alert: When It Comes to Loans, Law Students Really Aren't That Bright
There comes a time when we've got to stop defending law students when they make incredibly irresponsible financial decisions. Sometimes, we've really got to wonder: how can people be so dense? Simply put, it's because they're law students. Case in point: kids at a D.C. metro-area school recently fell victim to a scam that wasn't perpetrated by their law school, but instead, by an alleged law student whose sob story sounded just like a Sally Struthers commercial....