Texas
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Law Professors, Politics, R. Ted Cruz, Ridiculousness, Texas
Ted Cruz Doubles Down On Idiotic, Incorrect Statement About Harvard Law
Ted Cruz is sticking to his guns about Commies at Harvard Law. -
Abortion, Kids, Pregnancy / Paternity, Quote of the Day, Texas
Papa Don't Preach, She's Keeping the Baby
Because choice goes both ways under Roe v. Wade. - Sponsored
The Ethical use of Generative AI
What’s the key to empowering your legal team with the efficiency and insight of AI while protecting the integrity of their work? Read this article… -
Biglaw, Defamation, Education / Schools, Gender, Job Searches, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Murder, Partner Issues, Partner Profits, Ridiculousness, SCOTUS, Sexism, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court, Texas, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 02.04.13
* Aside from writing powerful opinions that will last the ages, being a mentor “is the most valuable thing” this Supreme Court justice can do. Sonia Sotomayor: motivational speaker? [New York Times]
* Aww, poor Biglaw partners. You want bigger cuts of your firm’s profits, but according to the latest Peer Monitor report, expectations like that are incredibly “unrealistic.” [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* This actually isn’t something women like to shop for: the $200 million class action suit over the Greenberg Traurig “boys club” is currently being held up in two federal courts by arbitration and forum shopping issues. [Am Law Daily]
* With news that the legal industry is shedding jobs faster than the ABA can accredit more unnecessary law schools, career services officers must be hanging their heads in shame. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* Dear law schools, your crappy business model is making us take a look at all crappy higher education business models, and we don’t like what we’re seeing here. Pls hndle thx. XOXO, Moody’s. [Washington Post]
* This is justice, Texas style: District Attorney Mike McLelland says the reward fund for tips in the brutal slaying of ADA Mark Hasse will grow to an “astronomical amount” until the killers are found. [Dallas Morning News]
* This lawyer allegedly had a fling with his sister-in-law out of the goodness of his heart, and in return, she accused him of sexual assault. Now he’s suing her for $7 million. You can’t make this sh*t up. [New York Post]
* In trying to get $700 in tickets dismissed, this lawyer says the U.S. Postal Service is immune from state and local traffic regulations. Other USPS immunities include not losing my mail on a regular basis. [USA Today]
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Federal Judges, Judge of the Day, Labor / Employment, Minority Issues, Racism, Religion, Texas
Judge of the Day: Lynn Hughes Strikes Again
Judge Hughes is at it again, according to a new recusal motion. -
Crime, Deaths, Guns / Firearms, Murder, Texas, Violence
Prosecutor Shot and Killed Near Courthouse
The situation is still developing; it's not clear why the prosecutor was targeted. -
Cars, Facebook, Football, Quote of the Day, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Texas
Quote of the Day: Johnny Football's Speeding Ticket Is Totally Real... Trust Us
A municipal judge knocks a Heisman trophy winner down a peg or two by outing him as the recipient of a speeding ticket. -
Animal Law, Crime, Guns / Firearms, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Sports, Texas
Non-Sequiturs: 01.17.13
* A Charleston School of Law student leader was arrested for stalking. I’m not sure how else Charleston Law students are supposed to get jobs. [Fitsnews] * I think this is a very poor reading of the history of the Second Amendment that is making the rounds. Sure, having weapons really helped slaveholders, but that’s not “the reason” the Second Amendment was ratified. The founders had better reasons… reasons that have nothing at all to do with the time we live in, but that’s a different story. [Truthout] * By the way, you saw that Obama nominated a black lawyer for something, right? Since the Republicans in Congress are so concerned about Obama’s record on diverse appointments, I’m sure Todd Jones will be confirmed super quickly. [Daily Beast] * Should pet owners be allowed to recover for “sentimental value”? A Texas case might answer that question. I’m looking forward to the companion case in Arkansas where pet owners try to recover from loss of consortium. [Adjunct Law Prof Blog] * I’d be shocked if this Manti Te’o thing doesn’t end up with somebody suing someone for something. [New York Daily News] * There’s going to be a law and robots conference at Stanford in April. Because we all know how much robots love law. [The Volokh Conspiracy] -
Crime, Drugs, Sports, Texas
Lance Armstrong: Straight From The Horse's Mouth
Straight from the glue factory, a special guest makes an appearance to discuss all of the lawsuits Lance Armstrong is currently facing. - Sponsored
Attention Buyer: Not All Legal AI Models Are Created Equal
Legal Gen AI – Uncover the best solution for your firm. -
Law School Deans, Law Schools, Texas
Dean's Ouster Inspires Outrage From Trustees, Joy From Students
I think an ousted law dean got stomped by an elephant in the room. -
Adam Liptak, American Bar Association / ABA, B for Beauty, Biglaw, Deaths, Law Professors, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Mergers and Acquisitions, Money, Morning Docket, Reality TV, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Suicide, Supreme Court, Technology, Television, Texas, You Go Girl
Morning Docket: 01.14.13
* “I’m a New Yorker, and I jaywalk with the best of them.” Don’t be fooled by the rocks job that she’s got — she’s still, she’s still Jenny Sonia from the block. The Supreme Court’s very own wise Latina, author of a new memoir (affiliate link), is proud of her city. [New York Times; 60 Minutes]
* If you’re looking for an M&A adviser, you’d be wise to seek out counsel from Skadden Arps. The firm sweeped three separate rankings lists based on the total value of its clients’ 2012 M&A transactions. [Am Law Daily]
* Only in the world of legal education could the dean of a law school that isn’t even numerically ranked by U.S. News have the highest salary of all law deans nationwide. (We’ll likely have more on this later.) [Boston Globe]
* Arizona schools will allow 3Ls to take the bar exam, but New York schools may soon do away with 3L year altogether. Of course, the ABA will find a way to muck it up, but still, hooray for progress! [National Law Journal]
* Remember “Made in Jersey,” the show about a stereotypical Jersey girl who made the jump to Biglaw? Yeah, neither does anyone else. Hopefully “Staten Island Law” won’t face the same fate. [New York Daily News]
* “Sexiness is all about being a woman of character.” Our congratulations go out to DaNae Couch, the Texas Tech law student who advanced to the Top 10 of the Miss America competition. You go girl! [Lubbock Online]
* Aaron Swartz — Reddit co-founder, friend of Larry Lessig, felony hacking defendant — RIP. [New York Times]
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Bloomberg, Gay, Gay Marriage, Gender, Job Searches, Law Firm Mergers, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Texas, Women's Issues
Non-Sequiturs: 01.11.13
* Go to BuzzFeed to see pictures of cute animals, or go to BuzzFeed to see some quality journalism — like Chris Geidner’s profile of Edith Windsor, plaintiff in one of the landmark gay-marriage cases before the Supreme Court. [BuzzFeed] * “A python is fairly dangerous. There’s definitely a turn-on about hunting something carnivorous that could, in theory, eat you,” says the NYU law student heading to Florida to hunt pythons for prize money. [Bloomberg] * Looking for work? It’s time to head south, before everyone else does. Word is starting to get out about Texas, which boasts a low cost of living, no state income tax, and jobs — yes, actual freaking jobs. [Instapundit] * But there’s no shortage of jobs in the housewife sector. If that’s what you want to do, then be fruitful, multiply, and remove your résumé from consideration at the jobs you’ve unwillingly applied to. [The Careerist] * Although a reference from this century would’ve been appreciated, both Lat and Elie agree that I’m pretty damn great at “mak[ing] everything be okay.” Where’s a cute hat to toss when you need one? [Law and More] * Lat sometimes dabbles in Biglaw predictions (despite the risks of being wrong). If you’re interested in seeing more, watch him in this interview with Lee Pacchia of Bloomberg Law…. -
Associate Salaries, Biglaw, Bonuses, Boutique Law Firms, Fabulosity, Litigators, Money, Small Law Firms, Texas
The $160K-Plus Club Welcomes A New Member
How would you like to work at a firm that pays first-year associates the equivalent of $414,000 in New York City? -
Associate Salaries, Biglaw, Money, NALP, National Association for Law Placement (NALP), Texas
Which Cities Give Young Lawyers the Biggest Bang for Their Buck?
Where can you get the biggest bang for your buck as a Biglaw associate?
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Attention Buyer: Not All Legal AI Models Are Created Equal
The Ethical use of Generative AI
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Mitigating M&A Cyber Risk: Pre- & Post-Acquisition Due Diligence
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Admin, Announcements, Attorney Misconduct, Barack Obama, Biglaw, Cardozo Law School, Contests, Cozen O'Connor, Crime, Depositions, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Drinking, Email Scandals, Federal Judges, Health Care / Medicine, Jed Rakoff, John Roberts, Kids, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Partner Issues, Pregnancy / Paternity, Reader Polls, Rudeness, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Texas
Above the Law's 2012 Lawyer of the Year Competition: The Finalists!
Who should be Above the Law's Lawyer of the Year for 2012? Please vote in our poll! -
American Bar Association / ABA, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Crime, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Divorce Train Wrecks, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Sentencing Law, Texas, UVA Law
Morning Docket: 12.20.12
* “As a lawyer, this is very sad for me.” Al Togut, the prominent attorney pulling all of the strings behind the curtain of the Dewey & LeBoeuf bankruptcy filings, wishes that there was some way that the firm could’ve been saved. [Am Law Daily]
* Guys at my law school used to break into the registrar’s office to steal transcript paper all the time; it was no big deal. No really, as far as sentencing goes, apparently doing such a thing isn’t that big of a deal in Virginia. [Daily Progress]
* That’s some nice lipstick you’ve got there, pig: Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law is still trying to get ABA accreditation by changing everything it can, including its lax admissions standards. [Knoxville News Sentinel]
* Even though Peter Madoff’s supporters showered the court with with letters filled with compliments ahead of his sentencing, the Ponzi victims aren’t exactly showing him the same kind of love. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* This law firm in Texas is trying to make getting divorced a more pleasurable experience, so they invented something called the “Divorce Resort” — because there’s nothing like a four-star train wreck. [Huffington Post]
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Bar Exams, Biglaw, Constitutional Law, D.C. Circuit, Drugs, Gender, Job Searches, Law Professors, Law Schools, Marijuana, Money, Morning Docket, Police, Politics, Summer Associates, Texas, Unemployment, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 12.06.12
* “Why drag us into it?” Constitutional or not, it seems that not even the D.C. Circuit wants to deal with the political hot mess that’s been caused by President Barack Obama’s recess appointments. [National Law Journal]
* There’s something (allegedly) rotten in the state of Texas: Bickel & Brewer was booted from a multi-million dollar lawsuit due to accusations that the firm paid top dollar for insider information. [Dallas Morning News (sub. req.)]
* There are many more women in the legal profession these days than there were 40 years ago, but — surprise, surprise, here’s a shocker — they’re still getting paid less than their male counterparts. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* And here’s today’s opportunity to beat the horse that just won’t die. This law professor says he pities those who buy into the media’s law school scam narrative, while in reality, most would pity the many unemployed graduates of his law school. [Huffington Post]
* Here’s a protip for the February bar: don’t fake a disability to get extra time. Even if you end up passing, the bar examiners will find out and pretty much ruin your life. Just ask this UC Hastings Law grad. [Am Law Daily]
* “Also, you probably shouldn’t bring pot with you to the federal courthouse (or any other federal property).” Umm, come on, were the Washington police officers who created this marijuana guidebook high? [CNN]
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Benchslaps, Facebook, Federal Judges, Judge of the Day, Texas
Benchslap of the Day: Keep It Short, Sweet, and Humiliating
This Texan judge served up a rather embarrassing benchslap. Check it out! -
Lunacy, Quote of the Day, Texas
Quote of the Day: What He Meant to Say Was, 'That Sh*t Cray'
Because you should totally be able to practice law when you've been committed to a mental hospital... right? -
Family Law, Non-Sequiturs, Rankings, Sports, Texas
Non-Sequiturs: 11.16.12
* Dear New York City, you can take my caffeine when you want to become “the city that sleeps sometimes and charges rents that can be earned while working only eight hours a day.” Not a moment before. [Reason] * They want to put Lenny Dykstra in jail, but the Wilpons get to run around free. [Dealbreaker] * Fracking might never have developed without our unique “subsurface” property rights. In a different life, understanding this stuff is why I thought it’d be good to go to law school. Studying law > Practicing law > Paying for your legal studies. [Volokh Conspiracy] * Okay, hear me out. How about every owner who won’t make their building wheelchair accessible for “aesthetic” reasons has to contribute every year to help fund research in the design of a wheelchair that can also climbs steps. Then they have to contribute to the fund that will get these new “chairsteppers” out to all the people who need them. Think about it, disabled people would get a better product, and ramps would be a thing of the past. Don’t tell me the tech is beyond us, if we can make amphibious attack vehicles/tour buses, we can make a wheelchair that climbs steps. [Simple Justice] * Do it yourself divorces now coming to Texas for indigent clients with no children. So, to recap, when gay people want to get married in Texas, it’s an affront to God and traditional America. But when childless heterosexuals want to get divorced, it’s just a simple legal matter that shouldn’t require a lawyer. [Tex Parte Blog] * Thanks to Cision Blog for including us in their rankings. [Cision Blog] -
Election Law, Lawsuit of the Day, Minority Issues, Racism, Texas
Lawsuit of the Day: Texas Lawyer Argues That Minorities Were Too Stupid To Understand Ballot Initiative They Just Passed
A lawyer claims minorities in Austin are too stupid to have their votes count...