From J.D. to Food Stamps: The Personal Cost of Going to Law School
A recent grad qualifies for food stamps, and the other costs of going to law school...
The ‘It Gets Worse’ Project
Do you regret going to law school? Here's an idea for you.
Opus 2 Steps Up Its AI Game With Acquisition Of A Legal Tech Startup
With the addition of Uncover’s technology, the litigation software is delivering rapid innovation.
Quote of the Day: Hey, At Least He’s at a ‘T14’ Law School
You shouldn't go to law school, right? Well, here's a counterargument: what else are you going to do with yourself? Class of 2011 college graduates are suffering massive unemployment.
You Need This Job, You Will Never Be in the Top One Percent
Here's a job available only to those who hate the 99 percent.
Facebook Status Update of the Day: In Whine There Is Truth
This quote is funny because it's all too true....
The Lament of a Thirty-Something
It occurs to Elie Mystal that, once again, he's in much better shape for this new phase of consequences -- getting older -- than he would be if he were still at a Biglaw firm. Because while Mystal needs to refine and hone his skills in his mid and late thirties, associates at top law firms need to gun it. They need to take their suddenly aging bodies and turn every morsel of ATP into billable hours if they want to make partner. And they need to do it now....
The New Way Litigators Handle Depositions Applies AI Every Step Of The Way
Depositions by Filevine help with scheduling, tracking goals, and trial prep.
Fall into the Gap
A generation gap has opened in the legal world. On one side there are lawyers over 50, for whom law still looks like a safe, reliable ladder to the upper-middle-class. From the other side — where their kids are perched — law more closely resembles un ascenseur pour l’échafaud…
Associate Killed in Dramatic Drunken Car Crash
Last night, a dramatic scene unfolded in the parking lot of a movie theater. A suspected drunk driver allegedly took off without his headlights on, hit two police cruisers, terrified several witnesses, and then slammed his car into a tree, killing himself. The driver was a graduate of a top law school and an associate at a law firm....
Quote of the Day: In Five Years, Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You
Take it from those of us on the frontline of economic distress in America. This could very well be the next debt bomb for the U.S. economy. — William E. Brewer Jr., president of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, commenting on a new national survey of 860 bankruptcy lawyers. Surveyed lawyers expressed […]
Not Even Bankruptcy Will Make Your Student Loans Go Away
More and more law school graduates are trying to seek bankruptcy protection from their mountains of student loan debt. Now, we know that reading comprehension is tested on the LSAT, but apparently, once students complete the law school entrance exam, that skill goes right out the window. How do we know? Because law school graduates, who freely signed up for student loans as law students, are now trying to shirk their repayment responsibilities....
Legal Is Changing. And NeoSummit Is Where The Future Is Being Built.
Legal and operational leaders are gathering May 6–7 in Fort Lauderdale to confront the questions the industry hasn't answered—with a keynote from Amanda Knox setting the tone.
Adventures at Low-Ranked Law Schools: Don’t Call It a ‘Toilet,’ They Don’t Even Have Toilets
Elie Mystal has never been a fan of U.S. News obsessing over how much money law schools spend on their facilities, but maybe all you need to know about the difference between top law schools and not-so-hot law schools really does come down to toilets. At Harvard, they name them after rich alumni. At North Dakota Law School, they barely have them....
Is Your Career Services Office This Lazy?
The lack of effort put in by career services professionals at the nation's law schools really seems to be out of hand. When you can't even trust your CSO to effectively cull Symplicity to remove stupid and insulting job prospects like the ones below, it's time to change the entire approach to law school career services....
Things You Can Do With a Law Degree: Bank Teller
Last week, Elie derisively noted that legal blogs were pushing a silly story in U.S. News about great careers that you can pursue with a law degree. No matter how bad legal hiring gets, law schools like pushing the "you can do anything with a law degree" angle, based on the anecdotal evidence of those who were lucky enough to parlay their J.D. degrees into something non-legal. Obviously, Elie's got some anecdotes of his own. But here's a job, a real live job, that's actually being offered to law students as we speak (or type). If you really want to know "what you can do with a law degree," take a freaking look....
Biglaw’s New Normal Isn’t Great For New Talent
As we mentioned in Morning Docket yesterday, the Wall Street Journal has a good article about how various recession-era cutbacks have become entrenched in Biglaw. If you have been paying attention or are a current law student, you know the issues: smaller entry-level classes, stagnant salaries, and a partnership track long enough to make a first-year Ph.D. student laugh. Other industries use economic downturns to retool their business models and develop new ways to compete. Not Biglaw....
The DOJ Wants You, Experienced Attorneys — To Work for Free
U.S. Attorney's Offices around the country have been posting unpaid Special Assistant United States Attorney positions for some time now. We covered them last May. David Lat defended the SAUSA gigs, arguing that the nonpaying jobs might not be as bad as they seem. It's fun, exciting work, and it provides valuable experience and serious professional credibility. There is a crucial, ominous difference between then and now, though. Previous SAUSA jobs were generally aimed at entry-level or fairly junior attorneys. Now we've got a recent opening that's asking for more.…