Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

When it comes to pay raises (and coverage thereof), better late than never.

Who are the latest lawyers to leave?

Tumbling profits, partner departures, staff layoffs -- can't Bingham get a break?

Which law firm prevailed in our 2013 holiday card contest?

Which of these law firm holiday cards is the best of 2013? Cast your vote!

Which law firm prevailed as the winner of our annual holiday card contest? Find out here!

Here are the finalists for our fourth annual holiday card contest. Please vote for your favorite!

A lawyer thought he had found a way to escape the daily grind -- until he got stopped by some pesky rules.

* What do Tiger Woods’s sexts, Anthony Weiner’s wiener, and the newsworthiness exception to copyright infringement have in common? They’re all in this colorful Ninth Circuit dissent. [National Law Journal]

* Dewey have any idea when this “clawback” deadline will stop being extended? Partners have again been granted another extension to sign on the dotted line, but this time for only 48 hours. [WSJ Law Blog]

* If your reason for resigning from your position as a congressman has to do with “increasing parenting challenges,” becoming the managing director of Biglaw practice group likely isn’t a wise choice. [POLITICO]

* A shareholder suit filed against Goldman Sachs over mortgage-backed securities and early TARP repayment was dismissed. I didn’t watch the Daily Show last night, but I’m sure Jon Stewart had a great joke. [Reuters]

* Musical deans? Hot on the heels of Jeremy Paul’s announcement that he was leaving for Northeastern, Professor Willajeanne McLean has been appointed as interim dean at UConn Law. [Connecticut Law Tribune]

* Law school didn’t build that: as it turns out, a juris doctor isn’t as versatile a degree as it’s made out to be. Just because you managed to get a good non-law job, it doesn’t mean a J.D. helped you. [Am Law Daily]

* Jaynie Mae Baker, the Millionaire Madam’s sidekick, has struck a plea deal with the DA. She won’t be going to jail for her adventures in high-class hooking, and might walk away without a criminal record. [New York Post]

How can women close the gender gap in equity partnerships at Biglaw firms?

Many law firms send out rather lame holiday cards, cards that marketing guru Ross Fishman would describe as “boring pieces of crap.” Thankfully that wasn’t the case for the eleven finalists in our third annual law firm holiday card contest. Some of these cards were clever, some were beautiful, and some were funny. All of […]

The field of contenders for our third annual law firm holiday card contest was more impressive than ever. It's not too late to vote for your favorite -- you have until January 3. Let's look at this year's finalists, and get to the voting....

* Remember the “kindergarten party” that Judge Sam Sparks (W.D. Tex.) was planning to hold? His Honor has canceled the festivities. [WSJ Law Blog] * John Althouse Cohen — yes, son of La Althouse — discusses one way in which Texas might be emulating… Europe? [Jaltcoh] * Professor Paul Campos opens up a can of […]

Above the Law’s second annual holiday card contest was a great success. Thanks to everyone who responded to our call for nominations, thanks to the finalists who created such great holiday cards, and thanks to all the voters. The campaigning was vigorous. And the final winner actually wasn’t one of the two firms that was […]

Last year we held our first annual contest for law firm holiday cards. It was a fun feature, as well as a big hit with Above the Law readers. The winner, in a landslide, was Akin Gump. Check out their delightful card, which is still online, over here. (The clever 2010 holiday card of Manatt, […]

The performance of litigation as a Biglaw business line during the Great Recession has been widely viewed as disappointing. But at least one type of litigation seems to be picking up. From the New York Times: A diamond is forever? Prove it. Companies that were once content to fight in grocery-store aisles and on television […]

Here we are. The end of the Vault 100. To be on the Vault 100 is to be a well-known firm. Sure, maybe not well-known to law students or junior associates who can’t see past the mountain of doc review boxes in their windowless conference rooms. But known to partners … and clients. Look down […]

As we follow the sun through its appointed circuit, we’ve learned that additional layoffs have occurred today out west. Manatt, Phelps has laid off 25 people today: 17 lawyers and 8 staff. Here’s the statement the firm provided to Above the Law: The broad economic slowdown continues to present challenges to businesses in every industry. […]

We hope you enjoyed the Labor Day holiday and long weekend. Alas, now it’s back to work — for you and for us. We’re still digging ourselves out from an email avalanche, as well as trying to figure out what’s going in the world (and what we should write about today). This may take us […]

It’s the Friday before a major holiday — and firms are scrambling to get their pay raise announcements out the door. It’s a nice way to send your bedraggled and overworked hardworking associates into a three-day weekend (assuming they don’t need to come in on Monday). We’re about to sign off for the weekend, and […]