October 2007

We have to hit the road; we’re going out of town. So this is the last you’ll hear from us in a little while. If you have new bonus announcements to pass along, please email us, or note them in the comments to this post. We will follow up when we return. But there’s no […]

We’ve been having technical difficulties, perhaps due to heavy site traffic. We are going to lunch. But before we leave, here’s the bonus announcement of Debevoise & Plimpton. Its authenticity has been confirmed by multiple sources. In a nutshell, the firm has adopted Cravath’s bifurcated bonus model, with year-end and “special” bonuses. The numbers are […]

We almost forgot. Happy Halloween!!! If you’re here in Washington, DC. and looking for a way to celebrate, here’s an event at Georgetown University Law Center that might interest you: Halloween with Judge Kozinski! Join us for a special debate: “Property Rights After Kelo” Alex Kozinski, Judge, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vs. Chip Mellor, […]

We are not easily offended, nor are we very politically correct. Sometimes we write things that upset or antagonize people (sometimes intentionally, and sometimes not). But this discussion of women lawyers, while certainly provocative, is a bit too inflammatory for our taste. We won’t post excerpts here (because finding a portion that isn’t offensive is […]

What was looking likely has come to pass. From today’s Washington Post: Roy L. Pearson Jr., the administrative law judge who lost his $54 million lawsuit against a Northeast Washington dry cleaner, lost his job yesterday and was ordered to vacate his office, sources said. Pearson, 57, who had served as a judge for two […]

We’re bored (and so are you). We’re just passing time until another major law firm announces year-end bonuses, in the wake of Monday’s Cravath announcement. In today’s New York Times, Ellen Rosen has this interesting article on law firm bonuses: Cravath, Swaine & Moore has raised the salary bar for law firm associates in Manhattan. […]

Emergency kits, like the ones doled out by Davis Polk, are nice. But billable-hour credit during an emergency is even nicer. From a curious correspondent: Here’s a question you may want to pose to your readers: How has your law firm dealt billable hour requirements when the office if officially closed due to an emergency […]

Remember the lawsuit filed by two female Yale Law School students over various allegedly defamatory and threatening comments posted about them on AutoAdmit.com? The plaintiffs are in the process of amending their complaint, and they’ve sought extra time in which to do so. From a tipster: [T]he third motion for an extension of time was […]

Ah, the perils of office romance. This was passed along to us by a tipster, who wrote: “This new lawsuit involving one of Connecticut’s largest and oldest firms caught my eye this morning.” Stephanie Ancillai; Thomas Diascro v. Michael Lamoureux 10/29/2007 HHD-CV07-5014300-S Intentional infliction of emotional distress. Plaintiff Ancillai broke off relationship with defendant, who […]

* Family to sue NYC over staph death. [CNN] * Nader sues DNC for trying to win 2004 Presidential election conspiring against him in 2004. [AP via Breitbart] * Should law school be more like business school? [WSJ Law Blog] * Georgia to $336,000 in child support! [Atlanta Journal-Constitution] * Yep, de facto moratorium. [New […]

A law firm for which we have special affection here at ATL, Nixon Peabody, has raised starting salaries to $160,000 in its Washington office. Cue the theme song! Oddly enough, this change isn’t reflected in the firm’s NALP form, which lists them at $145,000. But Nixon Peabody is advising recruits that it now pays $160K […]

We have to step away for a bit. If any firm makes a bonus announcement while we’re gone, please note it in the comments, and we’ll investigate when we return. Thanks. * In response to Professor Art Leonard’s question about the Charney settlement — “Will Aaron Charney ever have to work again”? — Professor Scott […]

We are waiting not-so-patiently for news of another major New York law firm matching Cravath’s just-announced bonus schedule. C’mon, S&C, Simpson, Davis… What are you people waiting for? (If one of these firms HAS announced, you haven’t told us about it. For shame! To learn about how to send bonus announcements to ATL, on a […]

We don’t watch the show, although we’ve heard good things. But we’re guessing that those of you who are fans of How I Met Your Mother appreciated the shout-out to fall recruiting in last night’s episode. Here’s a capsule description, from Wikipedia: “I’m Not That Guy” When a corporate law firm courts Marshall, lawyer Jeff […]

We don’t know anything about sports. Who just played in the World Series? Thankfully, some of you are more informed. From a reader: Scott Boras should be featured on ATL today, perhaps as “lawyer of the day” or whatever. [T]his story is hot, and should start a comment clusterf**k for you. Baseball players’ agent Scott […]

People, you’ve been holding out on us. We’ve been hearing rumors about more Supreme Court law clerk hiring taking place for the next Term (October Term 2008). For example, there’s gossip going around that Justice Samuel Alito has hired a clerk from Judge Harris Hartz (10th Cir.). We’ve also heard a rumor to the effect […]

Prior to the Cravath bonus announcement, McDermott Will & Emery said it would be announcing bonuses later than usual this year. But now that Biglaw bonus season has been kicked off early, will they stick to their previously announced timetable? For those of you who are interested, the MWE announcement — which was made on […]

As we first reported, Cravath, Swaine & Moore has kicked off the 2007 bonus season, with yesterday’s announcement of “special” and year-end bonuses for its associates. Here’s coverage from the New York Law Journal and the WSJ Law Blog, who actually got Cravath to talk to them. (CSM declined ATL’s request for comment.) Both sources […]

Nor does he want to raise your taxes, at least if you’re a member of the middle class (which many Biglaw lawyers are, at least if “middle class” is broadly defined). He actually wants to bring the middle class tax relief. Since you all felt so strongly about it, judging from the hundreds of comments, […]

What the heck is going on? Is someone slipping Prozac into the Swiss Miss? Why are Biglaw associates so darn happy these days? Is it the robust base salaries and generous bonuses, or is something else at work? Over at the WSJ Law Blog, Nathan Koppel has this report: Newsflash: Law-firm associates are happy! … […]