May 2009

[Ed. note: Above the Law has teamed up with Law Shucks. Law Shucks has done excellent work translating all of the layoff news into user-friendly charts and graphs: the Layoff Tracker.] Alright, this is getting ridiculous. Last week, no real layoffs until Ropes & Gray got busted doing stealth layoffs at 11:00 on Friday morning. […]

Last week, we brought you the story of an intrepid New York Law School graduate who started his own business. Think cupcakes on wheels. Today, the proprietor of Cupcake Stop, Lev Ekster, stopped by our office with his delicious wares. Yumyumyumyumyum. Ed. note: For the record, I really hate donuts. I don’t even particularly like […]

* I actually saw Tamron Hall interview the Men-in-Power guy, yesterday. She totally ripped him a new one on live television. [Jane Genova] * On the other hand, Tom Goldstein went on MSNBC and dominated. [SCOTUSblog] * A DNA database brings us one step closer to an Orwellian universe run by CSI. [True/Slant] * Here’s […]

Last month, we mentioned the plans of Chambers and Partners, the U.K.-based publisher of law firm guides, to launch an online guide to U.S. law firms called Chambers Associate. Already well-known for its rankings of top firms in different practice areas — which firms love to tout in their PR materials, since they’re always good […]

Working at a firm that gets high profile work doesn’t make you immune to the ravages of the tanking economy. Above the Law can now confirm that Weil Gotshal has laid off 79 staffers. We received the following statement from a Weil spokesperson: Effective today, the Firm has eliminated 79 administrative positions across its US […]

We’ve been following the lawsuit filed by former Covington & Burling staff attorney Yolanda Young against Covington. She alleged that various incidents of racial discrimination derailed her Covington career. Covington denied those claims. Today, we have a judgment. Attorneys from Akin Gump — which represents Covington in this matter — sent out the following press […]

Before we discuss this week’s finalists, here’s a peek at some of the weddings we can’t feature due to space constraints: a former Kirkland & Ellis partner marrying the youngest-looking 62-year-old we’ve ever seen, the creator of the Anonymous Lawyer blog marrying an anonymous doctor, and a Rhodes Scholar marrying an ordinary person. The fact […]

You wouldn’t think it would be hard to find a group of unemployed Chicago lawyers these days. There are a lot of them lying around. But can they overcome the collective action problem to join together for an epic bender? Let’s turn to Craigslist to find out. Here’s the text from an ad that went […]

McDermott Will & Emery is still on the $160K scale for first year associates. Summer associates arriving at MWE might have expected to be paid on the same scale throughout the summer. But they would have been wrong. Above the Law has been able to confirm that McDermott summers are being paid on a $135K […]

* The “Naked Cowboy,” who went after M&Ms for using his likeness, is now being sued by Gameloft. The video game maker wants a declaration that a character in its game is only “reminiscent” of the Cowboy. Perhaps Gameloft should spend its time improving its game, “New York Nights,” described as “simulat[ing] life in New […]

Last night, Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance announced that Mark Kirsch, the firm’s U.S. litigation leader, is leaving the firm’s New York office. It’s unclear where he will be going next or if this is part of the trimming of the partnership ranks that Clifford Chance warned about back in February. Given his departure, a […]

Your ATL editors kicked off the Memorial Day weekend with a trip to the East 13th Street Theater in Manhattan, where we saw A More Perfect Union, presented by the Epic Theater Ensemble. The play, by Canadian playwright Vern Thiessen, is about two members of The Elect — i.e., two Supreme Court clerks, who fall […]

* Right now, I’m Terrence Howard in Crash. Roland Burris is Ludacris. It’s too bad because I hate Terrence Howard in that movie. [FOX News] * Who the hell is Charles Whittaker? [CQ Politics] * Some help for Mayer Brown summer associates. [Copyranter] * Wait, am I the only dude that actually kidnaps white women […]

Not all firms are cutting back on the perks. The Memphis Commercial Appeal has an enthused article today about the perks to be had at the small Tennessee firm of Burch, Porter & Johnson. The article, “Legal firm helps its employees find essential balance,” talks about the firm’s AMAZING perks: Something refreshing for body and […]

If you are of a certain age, your first experience with Delaware was probably this: But then you went to law school. And at some point, you learned this: But now we are in the 21st century. And it’s not your father’s Delaware, not anymore. After the jump, Delaware gets ready for football season.

In March, we reported that Skadden was essentially canceling its staff attorney program. We reported: Only staff attorneys that were “integral” to ongoing matters have been kept on. And there is no word on whether those people will have any job security after their matters wrap up. It appears that Covington & Burling is also […]

The new ATLCareer Center, powered by Lateral Link, is a useful resource for learning about law firms. Last week, we brought you information about partnership prospects at different firms. This week, let’s talk about working on the weekend. Working on the occasional weekend is part of the experience at every big firm, but at some […]

Congratulations Am Law 200 firms. You have weathered all the disparaging comments about your cities, your practice, the quality of lawyers that work at your firms. And now, as we stare into the sewage drain of the American legal economy, the Am Law 200 firms are coming out smelling like roses: Reports of their demise, […]

Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to [email protected]. Dear ATL — I’ve been unemployed for almost a year. I have good academic credentials, but lost my job as a junior-associate in Biglaw before I could develop a highly valuable set of skills. At first, finding interviews for available positions was […]

Maybe work is booming at Schulte Roth & Zabel? The firm is changing its vacation policy to make it more stringent. Could it be that the firm wants all hands on deck? A tipster reports the major changes: * Personal days are now limited to 5 per year (there was previously no limit). Any days […]