Weirdness
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Cars, Lawyer Advertising, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners, Weirdness
Captain Lawyer to the Rescue
Parents wield an unbelievable amount of power in the naming of their children. And as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility. Bizarre names can ensure that your child sits alone and friendless in the cafeteria for the better part of his formative years. Great names can spur children on to greatness. Naming […] -
Crime, Judge of the Day, Legal Ethics, Perverts, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Weirdness
Every Judge Gets a Nut: No Discipline for Isaac Stoltzfus, of Acorn Condom Fame
Remember Isaac H. Stoltzfus from Intercourse, Pennsylvania? After handing out condom-stuffed acorns to women on the street outside the Statehouse in Harrisburg, Stoltzfus became our Judge of the Day back in September 2010. In the spirit of res ipsa loquitur, we kept our coverage short and sweet. We now know that Stoltzfus was cited with […] - 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… -
Biglaw, Crime, Gay, Money, Partner Issues, Partner Profits, Real Estate, Tax Law, Weirdness, White-Collar Crime
Ex-Sullivan & Cromwell Partner Failed To Pay Taxes on Millions
Remember John J. O'Brien? Back in April 2009, we wrote about his mysterious departure from Sullivan & Cromwell, where he was a well-regarded and well-liked partner in the M&A department. Yesterday brought news that O'Brien was hit with federal tax-related charges....
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Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Kids, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Nude Dancing, Weirdness
Trou-Dropping Tom Might Lose His Law License
Earlier this year, we told you the strange tale of Thomas Walkley. A lawyer in Ohio, Walkley founded and runs Cafe 41:11, a coffeeshop for at-risk youth. Back in January, Walkley was accused of exposing himself to two teenage boys who applied to work at the cafe. Walkley admitted showing his junk to the teens, […] -
Harvard, Law Schools, SCOTUS, Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court, Weirdness
Voulez Vous Coucher Avec Stephen Breyer?
Oh that wacky Justice Breyer. He's going up to Harvard Law School to deliver a speech... entirely in French! -
Biglaw, Crime, Partner Issues, Tax Law, Weirdness, White-Collar Crime
Mystery Departure Solved: Ex-Kirkland Partner Hit With Federal Criminal Charges
Last fall, we wrote about prominent bankruptcy lawyer Ted Freedman's unexplained departure from Kirkland & Ellis. Now we learn that he has been indicted on federal tax-fraud charges, for allegedly hiding millions in income. -
Drinking, In-House Counsel, Job Searches, Parties, Weirdness
If It Was Supposed To Be Fun, They Wouldn't Call It Work
Are you looking for an in-house counsel job? Working for this freewheeling company sounds like it could be fun - but maybe not if you're the lawyer who has to put the kibosh on all the high-jinks. -
Crime, Kids, Lunacy, Murder, Trials, Weirdness
Voicemail of the Day
As many of you already know, if you don’t want to use email, you can send tips to Above the Law by text message. The number to use is 646-820-TIPS (or 646-820-8477). That number, which is hooked up to our Google Voice account, also accepts voice mails. We strongly prefer text-based tips, via email or […] - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Andrew Sullivan, California, Health Care / Medicine, Jews, Kids, Politics, Religion, Weirdness
Circumcision, Anti-Semitism, and You
The phone’s been ringing off the hook here at the Circumcision Law Desk all weekend, so I apologize in advance if this post comes off sounding a bit distracted. Oftentimes, the intersection of foreskin and law is a lonely corridor filled with nothing but shattered dreams and crying babies. A screaming anti-semitism comes across the […] -
Biglaw, Citigroup, Dissolution, Howrey LLP, Weirdness
Dead Firm Billing: Howrey Going to Keep Doing Business?
Although it officially passed away back in March, when its partners voted for dissolution, the law firm of Howrey LLP continues to twitch in its grave — or maybe even step out of its grave and walk around a bit, like a zombie from a horror flick. Howrey continues to have a presence on Twitter, […] -
Celebrities, Fabulosity, Letter from London, Magic Circle, Politics, United Kingdom / Great Britain, Weddings, Weirdness
The Royal Wedding: A Legal Look (Part 3)
Ed. note This is the final installment in London-based journalist Alex Aldridge’s series of stories for Above the Law about the royal wedding of HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton. You can read the prior posts here and here. Well, they got married. Best man Prince Harry remembered the ring. None of Wills’ disgruntled exes […] -
Allen & Overy, Celebrities, Fabulosity, Letter from London, Magic Circle, United Kingdom / Great Britain, Weirdness
The Royal Wedding: A Legal Look (Part 2)
Ed. note This is the second in a series of posts that Alex Aldridge, a London-based journalist who covers legal affairs, will be writing for Above the Law about the upcoming royal wedding of HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton. You can read the first post here. In Britain, middle-class people who don’t know what […] -
Animal Law, Email Scandals, Law Schools, listserv, Pets, Violence, Weirdness
Sicko Mass-Emails Animal Death Fantasy To Law School Classmates
Yesterday, there was a wonderful story coming out of Kansas Law School (gavel bang: @VaultLaw). A student there is starting the first animal cruelty prosecution clinic in the country. That’s what the scholars call “awesome.” There are simply not enough lawyers who are even familiar with animal cruelty laws. If more people know how to […]
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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…
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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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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
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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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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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Law Schools, Libraries / Librarians, Weirdness
Law Library Misplaces Tortured Clown
I was explaining to new Above the Law helper Natasha Lydon how things work in the ATL, and I said: “Basically, from now until finals, we’ll be able to run a ‘stupid law student story’ every day. The kids are stressed, and it’s starting to show.” On cue, I received an email from a law […] -
Small Law Firms, Weirdness
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: The Perfect Font ... To Show You Don’t Care
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Small Firms, Big Lawyers, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. If you want to send a message that you really don’t care what your document looks like, or that you never really gave it any thought, then this is the font for you. […] -
Email Scandals, Partner Issues, Small Law Firms, Weirdness
Founding Partner Warns: 'Get Your Ass To Work'
Did you show up to work on time this morning? Did you? You better show up to work on time, every day, or else Gary K. Shipman will come and get you. Don’t know who Gary Shipman is? Well, you are about to. He has his own small law firm in North Carolina, and he […] -
Biglaw, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues, Weirdness
Musical Chairs: A Cahill Gordon Partner's Mysterious Departure
Recent news about Cahill Gordon has been very positive. In December, the firm announced year-end bonuses that made Cravth’s widely-adopted year-end bonus scale look paltry by comparison. Cahill can afford to be generous: last month, Am Law reported that the firm enjoyed record profits and revenue in 2010, with profits per partner last year of […] -
Biglaw, Career Alternatives, Money, Public Interest, Student Loans, Travel / Vacation, Weirdness
The Skadden Associate Who Picked Up and Moved to Nepal: An Update
On Wednesday we wrote about the great departure email sent out by Brian Emeott, a former corporate associate at Skadden in Chicago. Emeott, a 2004 graduate of Harvard College and 2008 graduate of Harvard Law School, picked up and moved to Kathmandu, Nepal. Brian’s wife, Claudine Emeott, resigned from her own job in December and […] -
Biglaw, Career Alternatives, Email Scandals, Travel / Vacation, Weirdness
Another Great Departure Memo: Skadden Associate Trades Chicago for... Nepal?
Young lawyers of Chicago: What the heck is going on with you people? You seem to be losing it. Has the brutal Chicago winter driven you crazy? Do we need to put The People’s Therapist on the next plane to O’Hare? Let’s look at the evidence. You’re quitting prestigious and lucrative law firm jobs to […] -
Minority Issues, Racism, Trials, Weirdness
Idaho's Main Exports: Potatoes and Racism?
I don’t think Idaho gets enough credit for being positively weird. Sure, Napoleon Dynamite did a good job of highlighting that state’s peculiar relationship with llamas and quesadillas. But what of the insane racial animus that resides in the Potato State? (I don’t know if Idaho is the potato state. It should be, right? We’ll […]