Washington D.C.
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Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, David Boies, Defamation, Lawsuit of the Day, Litigators, Small Law Firms, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Lawsuit of the Day: 3M v. Lanny Davis
D.C. power broker Lanny Davis has been hit with a federal lawsuit by, oddly enough, one of America's largest corporations: 3M, the Fortune 100 company and Dow Jones Industrial Average component that's famous for such products as Post-it Notes and Scotch tape. When you see a large corporation suing a prominent attorney like Davis, you might expect a malpractice claim. But that's not the case here.... -
American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Judicial Divas, Kids, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, State Judges, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 08.29.11
* You call that a raise? After 12 years of stagnant salaries for state judges, New York’s Commission on Judicial Compensation sure has a funny way of “correcting injustice.” [New York Times] * Hope you had some D.C. firms on your bid list for OCI, because they seem to be on a hiring spree. Is […]
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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… -
American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Cardozo Law School, Disasters / Emergencies, Fat People, Holy Crap, Law Schools, UVA Law
The Aftermath of the East Coast Earthquake of 2011
In the wake of the east coast earthquake of 2011, the legal world seems to be back to its regularly scheduled programming. Courts are back in session, law firms have reopened, and government agencies are fully functioning. We received a lot of tips from our readers about their earthquake experiences, but more importantly, we have the final results from our reader poll. We now know who we can blame for moving the earth and disrupting our day. And no, it wasn't Obama's Fault....
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Disasters / Emergencies, Holy Crap, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, UVA Law
The D.C. Earthquake of 2011!
Yesterday, a 5.9 earthquake hit Washington, D.C., and tremors were felt from the Carolinas all the way up to Maine. The White House was evacuated, courts closed, and law firms stopped operating. This thing literally rocked the legal world. Where were you when the east coast earthquake of 2011 hit? -
Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Politics, Quote of the Day, Rank Stupidity, Screw-Ups
Benchslap of the Day: Judge Rebukes Birther Queen for Abortive Attempt at Redaction
Lawyer and dentist Orly Taitz, popularly known as "Queen of the Birthers," needs to work on her redaction skills, according to a federal judge. -
Small Law Firms
Size Matters: Small Firm Travels Great Distances
This weekend I watched the three-part Moroccan adventure on Real Housewives of New York. Each moment was more awkward than the next as I watched the worst clichés about Americans acted out on screen. I could not imagine a more inappropriate set up other than if Bravo had sent a group of small-firm lawyers to […] -
Courtship Connection, Politics, Reader Polls, Romance and Dating
Courtship Connection: City Voting and Opposites Attracting
Anyone who has spent a swampy June/July/August in D.C. knows that it’s not the ideal setting for a sizzling summer romance. So it is time to shift locations for the Courtship Connection, Above the Law’s dating service for legal eagles. Given my miserable less-than-perfect matchmaking track record, I was surprised by the number of emails […] -
Courtship Connection, Romance and Dating
Two Courtship Connections, Zero Chemistry
In an ideal world, every Courtship Connection would start with tequila shots and end with tongue-twisting. But given that we’re working with careful and risk-averse lawyer types, historically our participants have tended to put a damper on the sparks. And not just the romantic kind. If there’s no chemistry, the next best option is brutal […] - 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… -
Bar Exams, BARBRI, Courtship Connection, Drinking, Romance and Dating
Courtship Connection: Very Public Displays of Affection
I spent last week with a bunch of journos working from a beach house in the Outer Banks. I set my computer up in the house’s crow nest, blogging with a view of the ocean and a cool sea breeze. “Lunch hour” was spent playing in the waves. At night, we would make frozen drinks […] -
Barack Obama, Department of Justice, Fabulosity, Fashion, Hotties, Litigatrix, Musical Chairs, Shoes, White House Counsel
Musical Chairs: Bob Bauer Out and Kathy Ruemmler In as White House Counsel
Big news out of Washington today: Bob Bauer is stepping down as White House counsel. He’s returning to his former firm, Perkins Coie, where he will represent Barack Obama as his personal lawyer and serve as general counsel to President Obama’s re-election campaign. Bauer is being replaced by his top deputy, leading litigatrix Kathryn Ruemmler. […] -
Courtship Connection, Romance and Dating
Courtship Connection: Is Prestige an Aphrodisiac?
The Courtship Connection has been on hiatus since the infamous night of the melon-baller. We are back with a vengeance now. We’re doing a last sweep of D.C.’s single lawyers and then moving on to a new town. We’ll let you vote on which lucky city and its lawyers get to be subjected to my […] -
Free Speech, Police, Politics
More People Arrested For Dancing, In The Jefferson Memorial, On Memorial Day Weekend
As Walter Sobchak might say: Lady, I’ve got buddies who died face down in the muck so that I could enjoy the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Over Memorial Day Weekend, the police arrested people for dancing in the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Can you believe it? On the very weekend we are supposed to honor the sacrifices […] -
Bad Ideas, Benchslaps, Document Review, Federal Judges, Screw-Ups, Technology
D.C. Lawyers Screw Up E-discovery So Badly, It’s 'Literally Unheard Of'
If you read a lot of e-discovery articles — and I know y’all do — you know that judges are quickly losing any patience for attorneys who don’t have their act together during e-discovery (or even regular old discovery). I know that nothing about the process is simple or easy. I know e-discovery is expensive […]
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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.
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The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
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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
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
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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Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Constitutional Law, Gay, Gay Marriage, King & Spalding, Paul Clement, Quote of the Day, Seth Waxman, Viet Dinh
Quote of the Day: Classy Clement
I think it’s important for lawyers on the other side of the political divide from Paul, who’s a very fine lawyer, to reaffirm what Paul wrote [in his resignation letter from King & Spalding]. Paul is entirely correct that our adversary system depends on vigorous advocates being willing to take on even very unpopular positions. […] -
Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Constitutional Law, Gay, Gay Marriage, King & Spalding, Paul Clement, Politics, Small Law Firms, Viet Dinh
Paul Clement Quits King & Spalding After K&S Moves to Drop DOMA Defense
The leading law firm of King & Spalding, which came under fire from LGBT rights groups after its defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) became public last week, has moved to withdraw from the litigation. The firm cited problems with the vetting process applied to the engagement. And Paul Clement, the former U.S. […] -
Federal Government, Federal Judges, Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Federal Government Shutdown: Open Thread
Although this could change, right now it looks like the federal government is about to shut down (for the first time in 15 years). Here’s an open thread for discussion. Speaking of shutting down, we’re done for the day. To learn about how the courts and the Department of Justice will (or won’t) be affected […] -
Courtship Connection, Drinking, Romance and Dating
Courtship Connection: If Your Date's Bringing a Cantaloupe...
I’ve only been on one blind date in my life. Arranged by a journo friend, it was actually more like a sneak-peek date, since the suitor and I Facebook-friended and g-chatted prior to getting drinks for the first time. My Courtship Connection participants are not so lucky. Their dates are completely blind — they don’t […] -
Courtship Connection, Food, Romance and Dating
Courtship Connection: Likes - Cooking; Dislikes - Kissing
What’s more hopeless than sending two lawyers out on a blind date and hoping they hit it off? Answer: Sending thirty-something lawyers out on a blind date and hoping they hit off. It’s safe to assume that a person (and especially a woman) still single in their 30s is a picky type. As Elie recently […] -
Antonin Scalia, Cars, Federal Judges, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
The Wheels of Justice (Scalia): Will Nino Fight His Traffic Ticket?
In my earlier story about Justice Antonin Scalia’s fender-bender on the George Washington Parkway, I tossed out a question: What kind of car does Justice Scalia drive? A few years ago, Justice Scalia drove a BMW. Is Nino still partial to Bimmers, or has he switched his automotive allegiances? Now we know the answer — […] -
Antonin Scalia, Cars, Federal Judges, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Justice Scalia Gets Caught in a Fender-Bender
The wheels of justice might have taken a wrong turn today. It seems that Justice Antonin Scalia had some minimum contacts — with another vehicle, on a highway outside D.C. According to a Supreme Court spokesperson, Justice Scalia was involved in a minor car accident this morning, while heading in to One First Street to […]