Diversity For The Legal Industry Continues To Be A Riddle, Wrapped In a Mystery, Inside An Enigma
The diversity and inclusion equation isn’t unsolvable, but there isn't a simple solution either.
The Curious Case Of Ellen Pao, One Year Later
In 2015, diversity and inclusion were quite the buzzwords in the tech and legal industries; in 2016, can diversity and inclusion initiatives have a real, significant impact on the data in our profession?
Paying for Law School in 2025: A Straight-Talk Playbook
Juno has consistently secured the best private loan deals for students at the Top MBA programs since 2018—now they’re bringing that same offer to law students, at no cost. Students can check their personalized offers at juno.us/atl This article is for general information only and is not personal financial advice.
Morning Docket: 09.11.15
* Ellen Pao, formerly of Cravath, won't be appealing her gender discrimination case against Kleiner Perkins. Did she settle? Hell no! "Settlement might have provided me with financial benefits, but only at the great cost of silence.” [Re/code]
* During a time when first-year law school applications are still low, Arizona State Law claims to have just welcomed its "largest class" in law school history. Spoiler alert: The school is counting all of its LL.M. students in that figure. [ASU News]
* BU Law teamed up with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for clinic offerings that will provide entrepreneurs from both schools free legal advice. MIT students might "change the world," and BU Law students might... get jobs? [Boston Business Journal]
* Per the latest report from the Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform, East Texas is the nation's “least fair and reasonable litigation environment." With its huge tort awards, this pro-business lobby thinks it's simply the worst. Go figure. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Leaford George Cameron, a man who allegedly practiced law without a license for more than a decade, has been indicted on federal charges. The "scary man" would-be lawyer reportedly defrauded clients across the country. [Daily Delco / Philadelphia Daily News]
Morning Docket: 06.19.15
* Ouch! The Florida Supreme Court just unanimously told a lower court judge to STFU and GTFO. Judge Laura Watson, who was elected to her position in 2012, was summarily ousted from the bench for shady conduct that took place before her judgeship commenced. [Sun Sentinel] * The ABA postponed making a decision on whether it'll approve a merger between Hamline Law and William Mitchell Law. Not to worry, everything will be okay. Come on, as if the ABA would let a failing law school completely crash and burn. [MPR News] * We mentioned this week that Hank Greenberg won his A.I.G. bailout suit, but we didn't get around to the part where Davis Polk got quite the judicial spanking from an "irritated" judge -- and the firm wasn't even named as a defendant. [DealBook / New York Times] * Uh oh. It looks like Ellen Pao just got "powed." Judge Harold Kahn has tentatively ruled that Pao must pay about $276,000 in trials costs to Kleiner Perkins. (Special thanks go out to ATL commenter Paul Harvey for this clever little quip.) [Digits / Wall Street Journal] * Micah Green, a prominent lobbyist at Squire Patton Boggs, is headed for greener pastures at Steptoe. He's the latest rainmaker to leave, which makes us wonder if the firm will be satisfied with only being able to make it drizzle. [PowerPost / Washington Post]
Morning Docket: 05.11.15
* UMass School of Law has a burgeoning deficit of $3.8 million, so instead of attempting to increase enrollment, the school has decided to cut its class size to 72 students. Hmm, we have a feeling those "cuts" aren't intentional. [Boston Globe] * Reddit's Ellen Pao may have lost her gender discrimination case against Kleiner Perkins, but she sure as hell doesn't want to pay the nearly $1 million in “grossly excessive and unreasonable" court costs that the venture-capital firm has requested. [WSJ Law Blog] * It's no shocker that members of the T14 have the most competitive LSAT scores in the country, but you may be surprised by which two schools had the absolute lowest median LSAT scores. Hint: Cooley isn't one of them. [Short List / U.S. News & World Report] * Baltimoreans will surely be pleased by this news: Officers in the Freddie Gray case filed a motion to get their charges dismissed, and have asked that State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby recuse herself for her "overzealous prosecution" and conflicts of interest. [Baltimore Sun] * Jury selection is complete for the criminal trial of failed firm Dewey & LeBoeuf's former top brass. “It’s a very diverse jury,” with jurors ranging from members of the unemployed to day traders. Best of luck to Joel and the Steves -- they may need it. [Am Law Daily] * MVP? No, MVD! A UNH Law prof will teach a college course called "Deflategate: The Intersection of Sports, Law and Journalism" because a dean thought it would be a great way to use pop culture to hook undergrads on the law. [Chronicle of Higher Education]
Morning Docket: 03.31.15
* Reunited and it feels so good... to have more tuition money in our pockets: following more than 40 years apart, Rutgers-Camden Law and Rutgers-Newark Law may merge to create the Rutgers School of Law, one of the largest law schools in the country. [NJ.com] * In case you missed it, the courtroom erupted into chaos in the final moments of the Ellen Pao v. Kleiner Perkins trial because a juror "made a mistake" and decided to change his vote mid-verdict. Come on, give the guy a break -- he's almost 90. [WSJ Law Blog] * Lawmakers are awfully interested in the way that the SEC is doing its job, and they're drafting new laws in the hope of helping the agency out. We'll let you know how helpful this was in a few years if those bills are ever passed. [DealBook / New York Times] * After an incredibly unsuccessful defense of its ban on same-sex marriage, Wisconsin is going to have to shell out more than $1 million in legal fees to the ACLU -- the largest single payout yet by a state in the history of cases of this kind. [National Law Journal] * If you're looking to transfer to another law school after your first year in the trenches, here are three things that you absolutely, positively must do to ensure your chances of being accepted elsewhere. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]
Morning Docket: 03.30.15
* Talk about a Friday news dump! In case you missed these high-profile rulings, Amanda Knox was acquitted of murder charges in Italy (for the second time), and Ellen Pao lost her discrimination case against Kleiner Perkins. [WSJ Law Blog] * Use this slideshow to compare how North Carolina law schools are doing in terms of job placement. Duke was on top, and NCCU was dead last. Bonus: There were very few school-funded jobs to strip out of the data -- the numbers were just that bad on their own. [Triad Business Journal] * LSAC doesn't want to to adopt new disability accommodations for the LSAT because they "show a complete disregard for the importance of standardized testing conditions." It'd rather show a complete disregard for applicants' disabilities. [National Law Journal] * Widener? I hardly know her! Thanks to the ABA, this saying has new meaning in legal circles. With the law school regulator's blessing, Widener Law's Delaware and Harrisburg campuses will officially become two separate schools effective July 1. [News Journal] * Following blowback over the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Indiana Governor Mike Pence says he'll push for legislation clarifying that the controversial law isn't intended to support discrimination against the LGBT community. Suuure. [Indy Star]
Morning Docket: 03.25.15
* "You can do all you want! Four days. You don’t have the jurisdiction. Five days.” Judge Joe Brown lost his appeal over a contempt charge he earned last year after he allegedly "lost control" during a juvenile court hearing and yelled at the presiding judge. [WREG] * According to a recent study, law faculties are lacking in white Christians and white Republicans. The most underrepresented demographic of all is that of Republican women. By all accounts, it looks like that particular group needs to sue to to get full-time teaching positions. [National Law Journal] * Law firms are constantly being inundated with solicitations for rankings and awards, and while they often complain that there are too many, let's face it: lawyers' egos are huge, and there will never be enough prestige to sate them. [Business of Law / Bloomberg BNA] * Ellen Pao's gender discrimination case against Kleiner Perkins has turned into a circus, with two area law firms fighting each other tooth and nail, and witnesses on the stand questioning lawyers with the judge's intermittent approval. [DealBook / New York Times] * Paul Ceglia, the alleged Facebook huckster who claimed he owned half of the social media company, may have escaped justice by removing his ankle monitor and disappearing, but his family had to forfeit his $250,000 bail yesterday. Like? [Reuters]
The Curious Case Of Ellen Pao And The Lesson We Can Learn From It
This case is unique because it actually went to trial, so unlike mediation or a settlement, we are privy to all the salacious details.
Morning Docket: 03.09.15
* Amal Clooney, the attorney who tamed George Clooney's heart and is now considered one of the most famous human rights lawyers in the world, will be teaching at a New York law school this spring. Which one? We'll have more on this fun news later today. [USA Today] * Talk about a Hail Mary play: The ACLU has decided to come to the defense of a very unlikely cause. Per a recently filed federal brief, the organization thinks that the USPTO's cancellation of the Redskins trademark was unconstitutional. [WSJ Law Blog] * According to a new BARBRI study, the vast majority of third-year law students think they're ready to go when it comes to practicing law, but the lawyers who have had the (dis)pleasure to work with new graduates don't seem to agree. [National Law Journal] * "Those kinds of jobs are never going to be enough to absorb the number of people graduating from law school over the next five or 10 years." Northeastern's dean laughs in Biglaw's face -- his grads measure their success in other ways. [Boston Business Journal] * Ellen Pao's "racy" gender discrimination lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins serves as a harsh criticism of the sexist culture of Silicon Valley. Luckily, jury members will be able to busy themselves with the case's more lurid details. [The Upshot / New York Times] * Kyle McEntee of Law School Transparency is working on a new podcast that will help prospective law students to see what working in the legal profession is really like. "I Am The Law" debuted in January 2015, and it's worth a listen. [U.S. News & World Report]
Decrypting Crypto, Digital Assets, And Web3
"Decrypting Crypto" is a go-to guide for understanding the technology and tools underlying Web3 and issues raised in the context of specific legal practice areas.
Morning Docket: 02.25.15
* Smart women, foolish choices? Alexandra Marchuk might regret turning down a $425,001 offer of judgment from the defendants in Marchuk v. Faruqi & Faruqi, in which she wound up getting a $140,000 verdict. [Law360 (sub. req.)]
* In other news from high-profile sexual harassment cases, the trial in Harvard Law grad Ellen Pao's lawsuit against venture capital behemoth Kleiner Perkins got underway yesterday. [USA Today]
* A guilty verdict and a life sentence in the "American Sniper" trial. [New York Times]
* Embattled politico Sheldon Silver has turned to the talented Steven Molo in seeking to get the criminal charges against him dismissed. [New York Post]
* J.J. Nelson v. Adidas: coming to a 1L Contracts casebook near you? [ESPN]
* Law schools dropping the LSAT: a trend in the making? [BloombergBusiness]
* The latest in Deidre Clark v. Allen & Overy: is plaintiff Deidre Dare ready for her close-up psychological exam? [New York Law Journal]
* Is the job outlook for law school graduates brightening? Some thoughts from Jim Leipold of NALP. [National Law Journal via ABA Journal]
* As he runs for Congress, what does Staten Island district attorney Daniel M. Donovan Jr. have to say about the Eric Garner case? [New York Times]
Morning Docket: 10.04.12
* According to a CNN poll, 67 percent of people who watched the debate thought Mitt Romney won, while only 25 percent thought Barack Obama won. Well, either way you slice it, there was definitely one loser: poor old Jim Lehrer. [CNN] * If Barack Obama could’ve had his way, he would’ve put Osama bin Laden on trial to display American due process and the rule of law. We suppose that now he’ll just have to take credit for being the man who ordered the kill shot. [WSJ Law Blog] * A handful of Biglaw firms advised on the T-Mobile and MetroPCS merger, but Telecommunications Law Partners, a boutique firm, showed up to prove it could hang with the big boys. [DealBook / New York Times] * From boutique to Biglaw? Joseph Bachelder, an executive compensation expert, shuttered his 10-lawyer firm in favor of joining McCarter & English as special counsel in New York. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight] * Remember Ellen Pao, the former Cravath associate who sued Kleiner Perkins for sex discrimination? She now claims that the VC firm fired her. Of course, like everything else, KPCB denies it. [Bits / New York Times] * A J.D. isn’t a hoax, but if law schools keep admitting huge classes, the degree will become one. The dean of UC Hastings Law thinks law schools should’ve reduced their class sizes a long time ago. [Huffington Post]
Morning Docket: 07.23.12
* Presidential campaigns for Election 2012 are focusing in on the Supreme Court and future appointments to the high court, and Vice President Joe Biden is really not a fan of Justice Scalia. [POLITICO] * Dewey know what the ramifications of D&L’s $50M insurance policy will mean for the resolution of the failed firm’s bankruptcy proceedings? Well, Steve Davis is probably happy. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight] * Howrey going to pay off all of our creditors? Probably by dipping into the coffers of the 70 other law firms that took on our defectors. Have fun with all of those subpoenas. [Capital Business / Washington Post] * The percentage of women in Biglaw partnership positions is up 2.8% since 2003, but the equity gender gap remains. At least some progress is being made. [National Law Journal] * “I thought your papers were terrific, I just disagreed with them.” Kleiner Perkins isn’t a fan of backhanded compliments, so the firm is appealing a judge’s decision to keep Ellen Pao’s case out of arbitration. [Reuters] * James Holmes, the alleged shooter in the Aurora movie-theater massacre, is scheduled to make his first court appearance today for an initial advisement. Thus far, he’s facing at least 71 charges. [Denver Post] * The class action suit filed against Cooley Law over its allegedly deceptive employment statistics has been dismissed, much like the NYLS lawsuit before it. More on the dismissal to come later today. [WSJ Law Blog] * “Sex isn’t going to buy me dinner.” Michael Winner, the attorney accused of offering “pro boner” assistance to female inmates, claims in an interview that the allegations against him are “just plain false.” [WSB-TV Atlanta]
Morning Docket: 07.20.12
* Dewey know why the deadline for agreeing to a proposed $103.6M settlement for former D&L partners has been pushed back? It looks like these people are still unhappy with the very thought of parting with their money. [Am Law Daily] * Four judicial nominees were approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee to fill federal district court positions in California, New York, and Pennsylvania. Now it’s time to hurry up and wait for a final vote on the Senate floor. [National Law Journal] * “This is a garden variety sex harassment case.” That may be true, but when you’re dealing with a high-profile venture capital firm, and the plaintiff is an ex-Biglaw associate, you’re probably going to get some really bad press. [Washington Post] * Opening statements in Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s racial discrimination trial were heard yesterday. Even “America’s Toughest Sheriff” might cower in light of plaintiff representation by Covington & Burling and the ACLU. [CNN] * Washburn University School of Law is planning to build a new facility for $40M. Unfortunately, the school will never be able to amass the funds needed to kill all the gunners, but we can still dream. [Kansas City Star]
Morning Docket: 07.11.12
* Following yesterday’s hearing, Kleiner Perkins may be able to get a second bite at the proverbial apple after a judge tentatively denied the firm’s bid to arbitrate Ellen Pao’s gender discrimination suit. [The Recorder; Bits / New York Times] * Ogletree Deakins has allegedly got 99 299 problems, and a b*tch ain’t one billing errors are all of ‘em. Arizona’s Maricopa County wants a refund, and it plans to debar the firm from additional work for the next three years. [ABA Journal] * Not everything’s bigger in Texas: attorneys for Lance Armstrong have refiled a shorter version of his lawsuit against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency after suffering a brutal benchslap at the hands of Judge Sam Sparks. [Los Angeles Times] * Screw your ban on non-lawyer investors, we’ll expand anyway! Jacoby & Meyers merged with Chicago’s Macey Bankruptcy Law to create a 300-attorney adventure in awful lawyer advertising. [National Law Journal] * The bell has not yet tolled for Florida lawyer Frank Louderback, who will now be able to attend the 32nd Annual Ernest Hemingway Look-alike Contest thanks to his client’s last minute guilty plea. [Tampa Bay Times] * “I don’t care what the law says, you’re getting a summons.” Sorry, officer, but you don’t mess with a Brooklyn Law student’s booze, because he’ll challenge New York’s open-container law. [City Room / New York Times]