Federal Judges
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Ask the Experts, Career Center, Career Files, Clerkships, Federal Judges, Law Students
From The Career Files: Understanding The History Of The Clerkship Timing Issue
Debra M. Strauss, Associate Professor of Business Law at Fairfield University, offers helpful tips for landing a judicial clerkship. -
Clerkships, Fabulosity, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks
Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: The Early Word On October Term 2014
Supreme Court clerkships for October Term 2014 are going fast; see any names you know? - Sponsored
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2nd Circuit, Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Minority Issues
Judge Scheindlin Appeals Her Benchslapping From The Second Circuit
Stop-and-frisk trial judge argues that the Second Circuit denied her due process.
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Biglaw, Federal Judges, Judicial Nominations, Money, Partner Issues, Partner Profits
A Peek At Partner Pay: Baker Botts, Covington & Burling
How much are partners taking home at these two top firms? An aspiring judge's financial disclosure contains clues. -
2nd Circuit, Antitrust, Antonin Scalia, Biglaw, Department of Justice, Drugs, Federal Judges, Labor / Employment, Morning Docket, Politics, Religion, SCOTUS, Shira Scheindlin, Supreme Court, Trials
Morning Docket: 11.07.13
* “What about devil worshippers?” Justice Scalia may think Satan’s gotten “wilier,” but that doesn’t mean his supporters don’t deserve religious representation in their public meetings. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Speaker of the House John Boehner says that if the Employment Non-Discrimination Act passes, tons of lawsuits will be filed — except that hasn’t happened in states with similar laws. Oopsie… [Reuters]
* Judge Shira Scheindlin isn’t going to just sit there and allow herself to be kicked off the stop and frisk case. In a rare move, she asked the Second Circuit to reverse its ruling and reinstate her. Go girl! [Reuters]
* Quinn Emanuel is welcoming a frequent firm-hopper (from Sidley to Clifford Chance to Cleary Gottlieb) into its ranks in D.C. to join Weil defectors Mike Lyle and Eric Lyttle. Best of luck! [Am Law Daily]
* Gibson Dunn scooped up Scott Hammond, a longtime leaders of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. Query just how large the dangling carrot at the end of the firm’s stick was. [Blog of Legal Times]
* Till death or criminal charges do we part: troubled lawyer Kent Easter claims he didn’t have the backbone to stand up to his wife. He blames the entire drug-planting scandal on her. [L.A. Now / Los Angeles Times]
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Clerkships, Fabulosity, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Law Schools, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks
Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: The Updated Official List For October Term 2013, And A Request for Tips
Which law schools and feeder judges produced the most Supreme Court clerks for October Term 2013? -
Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Pro Se Litigants, Screw-Ups
Federal Judge Issues Sick Burn, Compares Lawyer's Filings To Those Of Pro Se Litigant
What could this attorney have done to anger the judge so terribly? -
Clerkships, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Job Searches, Law Schools
Clerkship-Seeking 2Ls, Start Your Engines
What do you think of the latest change to the law clerk hiring process? - Sponsored
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2nd Circuit, Federal Judges, Quote of the Day, Shira Scheindlin
Ouch! So What Does That Make Magistrate Judges?
A federal district judge offers his thoughts on judicial hierarchy -- and criticizes the Second Circuit. -
2nd Circuit, 7th Circuit, American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Drugs, Federal Judges, Gay, Health Care / Medicine, Job Searches, Marijuana, Morning Docket, Richard Posner, Shira Scheindlin, Unemployment
Morning Docket: 11.04.13
* Judge Richard Posner is the latest judge to have admitted to making a possible error (which he later endlessly recanted), but hey, if he was wrong, at least he was wrong in a “responsible, informed, and fair-minded way.” [National Law Journal]
* After being unceremoniously tossed off New York’s stop and frisk case by the Second Circuit for her supposed “partiality,” Judge Shira Scheindlin has been replaced by Judge Analisa Torres. Best of luck — you might need it. [New York Law Journal]
* Will Judge Scheindlin’s removal have a chilling effect on judicial speech? Lat thinks it would cause judges to “hide underneath their robes” even more than they already do. [Room for Debate / New York Times]
* The Biglaw gay gross-up marches on: it’s funny that the most conservative industry is outpacing others in terms of progressive benefits for LGBT employees and families. [Capital Business / Washington Post]
* “The U.S. is facing a paradox surrounding access to justice,” says ABA President James Silkenat, who is trying to kill two birds with one stone by pairing unemployed lawyers with poor clients. [Am Law Daily]
* Bernie Goetz (aka the New York subway vigilante) was arrested on pot charges after allegedly offering to get an undercover cop high. We’ve got a feeling his new nickname will be “Burnie.” [New York Daily News]
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7th Circuit, Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Insurance, Quote of the Day, Richard Posner
A Biglaw Firm's 'Shenanigans' Result In An Even Bigger Benchslap
Judge Posner just ripped this firm a new one. -
7th Circuit, Federal Judges, Quote of the Day, Richard Posner
With All Due Respect, Your Honor, Math Is Really Hard
Lawyer math: 1 + 1 = 3. -
Art, Baseball, Biglaw, D.C. Circuit, Elena Kagan, Federal Judges, Holland & Knight, Judicial Nominations, LSAT, Morning Docket, Perks / Fringe Benefits, Pregnancy / Paternity, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sandra Day O'Connor, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court, You Go Girl
Morning Docket: 10.29.13
* The four female Supremes gathered last night (and kept RBG up past her bedtime) to celebrate the unveiling of a lifelike painting of themselves that’ll be on display for years. You go girls! [Reliable Source / Washington Post]
* Now that cloture’s been filed on a would-be D.C. Circuit judge, these judicial nominations are getting exciting. You should probably get ready for a battle royal on Patricia Millett’s qualifications later this week. [Blog of Legal Times]
* The women over at Holland & Knight must be pregnant with glee now that the firm is offering incredibly attractive paid maternity and adoption leave packages in the hope of retaining its lady lawyers. [Daily Business Review]
* People want to know if they should take the LSAT in December or February. Are they serious? Take it in December so you can retake it if you screw up. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]
* Aww, Barry Bonds wants the Ninth Circuit to rehear his obstruction of justice conviction with 11 judges instead of three. Perhaps he thinks that more judges will equal more sympathy. [San Jose Mercury News]
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Antitrust, Bar Exams, Biglaw, Books, Federal Judges, Job Searches, Law Firm Mergers, Law Schools, Locke Lord, Morning Docket, Murder, Patton Boggs, Sports
Morning Docket: 10.28.13
* Hot on the heels of news about Pillsbury’s talks with Orrick, we’ve got the scoop on yet another possible law firm merger. Patton Boggs has the urge to merge, and Locke Lord seems pretty receptive. [Reuters]
* Three people who were optimistic about law school graduated with three very different results. One has a job, one is unemployed, and one failed the bar. Sadly, this seems pretty standard. [National Law Journal]
* Lat’s going to be on vacation this week (lucky him), but while he’s gone you can check out his review of a new novel set in a law firm, The Partner Track (affiliate link) by Helen Wan. Enjoy! [Wall Street Journal]
* A judge denied the NCAA’s motion to dismiss Ed O’Bannon’s antitrust lawsuit, noting everyone could “suck her dicta” concerning the Supreme Court’s notion that players cannot be compensated. [ESPN]
* Jodi Arias wants to fire Kirk Nurmi, her lead attorney, claiming in a 12-page handwritten motion that he has an “utter poverty of people skills.” Her words hurt as much as her stab wounds. 🙁 [Arizona Republic]
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9th Circuit, Biglaw, Fabulosity, Federal Judges, Judicial Nominations, Money, Munger Tolles & Olson, Partner Issues, Partner Profits, Rankings
For Whom The Munger Tolles: A Peek At Partner Pay
How much do Munger Tolles partners earn? Financial disclosure filings for two judicial nominees provide hints. -
Federal Judges, Media and Journalism, Politics, Quote of the Day, S.D.N.Y., U.S. Attorneys Offices
Sadly, Members Of The Public Aren't Smart Enough To Understand The Law
This deputy U.S. attorney has little faith in laypeople's intelligence. -
Attorney Misconduct, Biglaw, Billable Hours, Crime, Fashion, Federal Judges, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, Murder, Patton Boggs, Politics, Religion, Shoes, Texas, Trademarks
Morning Docket: 10.16.13
* Stop bullying the judges on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. They don’t cave to just any government data request — they make changes to about 25 percent of them. But uh… they don’t like to talk about the other 75 percent. [Bloomberg] * Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the number of Biglaw firms with […]
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Abortion, Banking Law, Biglaw, Books, Education / Schools, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, SCOTUS, Sports, Supreme Court, Williams & Connolly
Morning Docket: 10.14.13
Ed. note: In honor of Columbus Day (and Canadian Thanksgiving), Above the Law will be on a reduced publication schedule today. We will be back in full force tomorrow.
* Justice stops for no one, not even a broken Congress. With the end of days approaching quickly for federal courts in terms of funding (or the lack thereof), many judges are lashing out and declaring all their employees essential. [National Law Journal]
* Legal expenses can be especially “painful,” even for the biggest of banks, but sadist firms like Sullivan & Cromwell, Paul Weiss, and WilmerHale are really getting their rocks off on Jamie Dimon’s suffering. [DealBook / New York Times]
* DLA Piper’s future’s so bright it’s got to wear shades — and appoint a new co-managing partner in New York City, its largest office. Congratulations to Richard Hans, you’ve co-made it! [New York Law Journal]
* “It’s not just about me.” Jim Tanner, a Williams & Connolly partner who represents Jeremy Lin, is leaving the firm to start his own sports management business, and he’s taking people with him. [Bloomberg]
* “I have no apologies to make about anything I did.” Steven Donziger of Chevron/Ecuador infamy will be defending himself in court this week in what’s being called a legal cage match. [Wall Street Journal]
* “Touro is asking a judge to declare the school a diploma mill.” Irony alert: Touro wants Novus University Law School, a school supposedly conferring “worthless law degrees,” to be stopped. [New York Post]
* If you think SCOTUS abused its discretion in the early abortion cases, you’re going to love this book (affiliate link), a “cautionary tale” about consequences of decisions like Roe v. Wade. [Wall Street Journal]
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Career Center, Career Files, Clerkships, Federal Judges, Job Searches, Law Students
From the Career Files: The Perfect Federal Clerkship - The Inside Scoop
Sunny Choi of Ms. JD interviews a judicial clerkship veteran with some helpful advice for law students who need guidance through the clerkship application process. -
Anthony Kennedy, Biglaw, Christopher Christie, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Gay Marriage, Law Reviews, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, New Jersey, SCOTUS, State Judges, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 10.11.13
* Justice Anthony Kennedy doesn’t think that law school should be shortened to two years, but he does think that the “cost factor has to be addressed.” Somebody really ought to listen to this man and give his words some credence. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* Let’s give Lady Justice a big round of applause, because the federal judiciary announced that it’s got enough cash on hand to keep things running until October 17, two whole days more than originally planned. Cherish the small things. [Blog of Legal Times]
* If Biglaw firms don’t adapt to the changing times, they may soon go the way of the dodo — or, to be a little more relevant to large law firms, they may soon go the way of the Dewey. Scary. [American Lawyer]
* Gov. Chris Christie’s administration appealed a judge’s denial of a stay on a ruling allowing gay marriages to be performed within the state. Please try to stay Jersey Strong and fabulous through this. [USA Today]
* Law review? More like flaw review, amirite? Apparently there’s a big problem with law review articles, and it’s not just that they’re incredibly boring and wind up in books that are never read. [National Law Journal]