Billing Rates

* Bill Cosby switching his representation to some Biglaw big dogs. Wonder if it will help… [Law and More]

* Understanding the historical underpinnings of gun rights. [Slate]

* Trend Alert: Billing rates are increasing — noticeably. [Business of Law Blog]

* Yahoo! is terminally uncool. [Dealbreaker]

* To run a successful practice, don’t think [only] like a lawyer. [CodeX]

* The Reconstruction Era will never really end. [The Atlantic]

In a small firm, you have to use your judgment as to what's billable and what's not.

* Michael Jordan was present during jury selection for his case against defunct supermarket Dominick’s, but potential jurors didn’t seem the least bit fazed. In fact, just a single one of them considered the basketball star their “personal hero or idol.” Ouch. [Chicago Tribune]

* Maryland Law will be offering a very topical “Law and ______” class this semester, entitled “Freddie Gray’s Baltimore: Past, Present and Moving Forward.” Students enrolled in the course will be asked to create fixes for social problems. This’ll be interesting. [WSJ Law Blog]

* According to the GC of Fannie Mae, Biglaw’s profit structure is broken, but the solution he proposes to the problem may not sit well with associates who are slaves to the billable hour — but only if they care about their hourly rates. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

* Unlike most of his colleagues, Larry Sonsini of Wilson Sonsini didn’t immediately join a brand name Biglaw firm after he graduated from law school. Instead, he created his own brand name Biglaw firm, so that worked out well. Your own mileage may vary. [Forbes]

* It seems that New York City’s Responsible Banking Act is unconstitutional because it conflicts with existing state and federal banking laws. To be fair, between dueling mayoral policies, this law was completely FUBARed from the get go. [DealBook / New York Times]

Appearing before the high court involves high billing rates -- but that doesn't make those rates unreasonable.

If your law firm has to be compared to a car, a Cadillac Escalade isn't a bad way to go.

Some partners are getting closer and closer to a $2,000 per hour rate. Which firms do they come from?

Should the billable hour really be vilified as something that rewards inefficiency and incompetence, or is it a benchmark with which to judge performance, or is it both?

What trends can we see from looking at a recent survey of legal spending by corporate clients?

Some partners are edging closer and closer to a $2,000 per hour rate. Which firms do they hail from?

* While we’re celebrating recently anointed Biglaw partner classes, let’s take a minute to call out the firms that haven’t bestowed the honor upon a single woman this year. Cheers, jerks. [Am Law Daily]

* The results of the NLJ’s Law Firm Billing Survey are out, and lo and behold, one of the top partners in the country is pushing $2,000 an hour for his services. Congrats, Ted! [National Law Journal (sub. req.)]

* Everyone’s buzzing about the federal law clerk who’s been accused of attempted aggravated rape and solicitation of a minor under 13. Don’t let that legendary 4.0 GPA go to waste. (More on this later.) [Times-Picayune]

* Congratulations to Gerchen Keller Capital, the litigation finance firm founded by former SCOTUS clerks and hedge-fund alumni, on raising $260 million for its new fund. [DealBook / New York Times]

* Iowa is thinking about allowing law school grads to practice immediately instead of having to take and pass a bar exam. Paired with its recent tuition cuts, the Hawkeye State is looking better and better. [Des Moines Register]

* If you’re in the unfortunate situation of still having to look for a law job once OCI has ended, then you might want to start considering applying for some of the other law jobs that don’t want you. [Mashable]

* The incarceration of a blogger known for making salacious allegations against federal judges raises First Amendment concerns. [New York Times]

Anonymous Partner wonders: Is the Biglaw problem of padding bills getting worse, not better?

The clients in secondary markets are the same, but they expect a different kind of service.

Interesting tidbits from the Dallas and Boston offices of Weil Gotshal.

When billable work is scarce, who should get priority, partners or associates?

How did law firms of various sizes fare financially in 2012?

Can you believe the emails that went around internally at DLA Piper about this client's legal bill? Check them out -- along with news of lateral partner moves.

What can Biglaw firms learn from their corporate clients about managing and developing human resources? What improvements do in-house lawyers want to see from their outside counsel?

What criteria do in-house counsel use to determine if a firm is delivering value to their company? Why have clients drawn such a line in the sand when it comes to paying for associate time?

The Anonymous Partner speaks with an In-House Insider about the value of junior associates, work-life balance, and other issues.

Here's some encouraging news for large law firms and the lawyers who work in them. In-house readers, however, may be less enthused.