Birthdays

* Another year, another survey that shows prospective law students care more about the U.S. News Law School Rankings than anything else when applying to law school. In fact, it’s the exact same number from 2010. Kids are dumb. [Kaplan] * Everybody is worried about what will happen when computers replace attorneys. I’m much more interested in what will happen when computers replace hookers. [The Atlantic] * If watching our Congress ask idiot questions of Jamie Dimon doesn’t make you feel like we need vastly more intelligent Congresspeople, maybe watching them fawn over Jamie Dimon will do the trick. [Dealbreaker] * I really hadn’t thought of this — in addition to your huge educational debts, your parents are most likely out there spending your inheritance. I swear, if I ever spend money on more education, it’s going to be on a post-apocalyptic survivalist class. [Law and More] * Former TSA lady gropes current TSA lady after inappropriate groping from TSA. [Threat Level / Wired] * In real life, unlike Monopoly, a bank error is never really in your favor. [Legal Blog Watch] * Do the Republicans have an abortion problem? [New Yorker] * Happy Birthday, Lat! Check out the very cool gift (affiliate link) that he received in the mail today — signed by one of the authors. [Twitpic via Twitter]

I’m one this week! Happy birthday to me! Though it feels like only yesterday, I published my first column at Above the Law on November 18, 2010. I’ve published two posts every week since then (except when Monday holidays excused my labors), so I’ve cranked out about 100 of these little ditties over the last […]

Above the Law launched five years ago today, on August 30, 2006. If you like, you can take a trip down memory lane and read my letter from the editor, introducing ATL to the world. Reaching this milestone is no small feat. If you think of Above the Law as a blog, this is a […]

* To be clear, hiring a legal secretary who doubles as a personal prostitute is not okay. Yes, we finally have a punishment for Samir Zia Chowhan’s “adult gigs” legal secretary ad. [Legal Profession Blog] * Is it time to start getting civilly disobedient with the TSA? [WSJ Law Blog] * It’s possible that the […]

* On my birthday, I think I’ll take this advice and forgive all who have oppressed me. Not forever, just for today. [Underdog] * Here’s a list of law school commencement speakers. Sadly, I’m not on it. [Tax Prof Blog] * Cell phones need to collect more data from us about as much as Lat […]

* The town of Sedgwick, Maine, has declared “food sovereignty,” giving its citizens the right “to produce, process, sell, purchase, and consume local foods of their choosing,” without regard to state or federal law. Preemption? The Supremacy Clause? Eat it. [Food Renegade] * Speaking of chaos, Wisconsin law professor Ann Althouse wonders: “Who will win […]

Think back, if you can, to August 30, 2006. It was a very different time: George W. Bush was still president, the economy was still booming (even if some of that prosperity was illusory), and the starting salary for most associates in large New York law firms stood at $145,000. It was on this date […]

Three years ago yesterday, on August 30, 2006, Above the Law was born. Read the letter from the editor that started it all. (If you find this site occasionally immature, cut us some slack; we’re three years old.) Reaching the three-year mark is a notable milestone for a blog. According to Jim Beck and Mark […]

It seems that a few of you are reading today — but not many. No surprise there; it’s a holiday. Happy Labor Day! Here’s a bit about the holiday, from the Department of Labor: Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and […]

* Happy Birthday, Mrs. President! Scott Shrake conducts an astrological analysis of Hillary Clinton. [Huffington Post] * Speaking of witch, is Stephen Colbert “the best-scripted candidate this side of Hillary Clinton”? [Radar Online] * “‘Terrorism,’ Censored Legal Briefs & The Blogosphere: Awesome Together.” [Fishbowl NY] * Lawsuit of the Day: Mom of “Let’s Go Crazy” […]

It’s the Friday afternoon before Labor Day, and we’re ready to pack it in. We might put up another post or two — e.g., Legal Eagle Wedding Watch — but basically we are done for the day. (Our colleagues over at DealBreaker checked out hours ago.) Before we sign off, we’d like to point out […]

Some helpful tipsters reminded us: today is the birthday of [swing] Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. Happy Birthday, Justice Kennedy! We asked one reader, aspiring lawyer Andrew Cohen,* for thoughts on writing up a short post. His response: “You don’t. You write a ridiculously long post that both praises and denigrates him, pretending to come out […]

[Ed. note: ATL will be on a pretty laid-back publication schedule today. It’s Good Friday, the markets are closed, and many folks are probably traveling for the holiday weekend. We will be posting, but not at our regular pace.] * Stevens’s key role. [USA Today via How Appealing] * Surveillance laws outdated? He’s probably referring […]

* A hilarious read if you’ve been there, even if I tell you that the punchline is that this 70-year-old rich lawyer dude with 40-year-old sheets now has a 22-year-old Russian girlfriend. [New York Times] * I think I heard a colleague at one of my first jobs say he wanted to f*&k me like […]

We’re a day late; Justice Antonin Scalia turned 71 yesterday, on March 11. But better late than never. Does anyone know how Nino celebrated this august occasion? On the subject of Justice Scalia’s age, here’s an interesting squib from Jan Crawford Greenburg’s most excellent new book, Supreme Conflict, describing how Justice Scalia edged out Judge […]

* Another day, another deepening of the doo-doo over at HP. Now the plot is taking on a “made-for-television-movie” feel: “[D]etectives tried to plant software on at least one journalist’s computer that would enable messages to be traced.” [New York Times] * National security adviser Stephen Hadley indicates that the White House is trying to […]