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A Changing Of The Guard At Above The Law

Change is necessary and good -- for institutions, individuals, and Above the Law.

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After more than eleven years in the role, dating back to the launch of this site in August 2006, I have decided to step down as managing editor of Above the Law. The site is currently thriving — last year set records in terms of both traffic and revenue, which this year will likely surpass — and times of success, as opposed to crisis, are the best times for transition.

Change is necessary and good, for both organizations and individuals. Any great organization that lasts more than a few years — a great law firm, law school, or legal news website — will by necessity have more than one leader. Each leader of a great organization will bring new talents and perspectives to the role, leaving the institution stronger than when she arrived.

At Above the Law, my longtime colleague Elie Mystal will assume the role of executive editor. You may have already noticed changes to the site made in connection with the transition, and in the weeks and months ahead, you will see more such changes. Elie and my other wonderful co-editors — Staci Zaretsky, Joe Patrice, and Kathryn Rubino — will preserve the special qualities that have made Above the Law one of the most widely read and influential legal websites in the world, while at the same time taking the site in new and exciting directions.

For those of you who like seeing my byline, who enjoy my writing, or who appreciate working with me, rest assured that I am not leaving the building. I will remain very much involved with Above the Law (and not just as a passive stakeholder in Breaking Media, owner of ATL).

Specifically, I will be assuming the role of editor at large at Above the Law, which will allow me to continue contributing to the pages of ATL. In my new role, I will return to the work that I love, the work that led me to leave my legal career for the media world: writing and reporting. I will work on long-form pieces, features, profiles, and other stories made possible by my unique knowledge of, and connections within, the legal profession. I will also work on selected business-side projects, including pitches, special projects, and custom content for Above the Law advertisers and partners. At the same time, I will no longer be involved in the day-to-day administrative work associated with running the nation’s largest single legal news site.

(So comments, compliments, and complaints about ATL should be sent to Elie Mystal, [email protected], or to the tips line that goes to the entire team here, [email protected], not to me personally — unless the comments in question relate to a story with my byline or a project with my personal involvement.)

Change is necessary and good for individuals as well as organizations — and for me, my change in professional position was also prompted by a major change in my personal life. On Tueday, October 10, my husband and I had a baby (a process I wrote about last year for Esquire magazine). As a parent and primary caregiver, I’d like to take a break from being “in the trenches” of daily journalism. As editor at large, I will be able to write on my own schedule, liberated from the demands of the (increasingly relentless) news cycle. I will also continue to do occasional freelance writing for publications outside the legal industry and to speak at law firms, law schools, and conferences.

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For the next few weeks, however, I do not plan on doing much at all, other than spending time with my baby boy. I will be on parental leave from now until mid-December 2017 or early January 2018. I will not be checking email or social media much during this time, so if you have something to share with Above the Law — a story idea, a compliment or complaint, a corrections request, a column pitch — please email [email protected], text 646-820-8477, or tweet at @ATLblog. (If you have a message intended for me personally — such as a freelance writing opportunity, a speaking invitation, or anything related to my book, Supreme Ambitions — then feel free to email me directly, but please understand that I might be slow to respond.)

I am excited about these new chapters — in my life, and the life of Above the Law — and I am grateful for the colleagues who are making them possible. In addition to my (superb) fellow editors and our (fantastic) columnists – who are, taken collectively, the most brilliant, hilarious, and hardworking team in all of legal media — I must thank John Lerner, our CEO here at Breaking Media, and Hsiaolei Miller, Group Publisher, for being so supportive of my move into a new role.

Finally, I am grateful to all of you — the readers, sources, and sponsors of Above the Law — who have made the site what it is today. I thank you for all of your support over the years, and I look forward to being back in touch later this year or early next.

DBL square headshotDavid Lat is editor at large and founding editor of Above the Law, as well as the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Newark, New Jersey; a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at [email protected].

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