James Leipold

Summer Associate Hiring Numbers Remain Anemic in 2012

The latest NALP numbers for summer associate hiring in Biglaw are slightly depressing. How bad are they?

As Law School Costs Skyrocket, Is It Still Feasible To Pursue A Public Interest Career?

Should you go to law school to pursue a public interest career? Sure, but only if you want to be as poor as your clients!

Dear Prudence: My Husband Is Contemplating Ruining Our Lives By Going To Law School

Dear Prudence sets the record straight for the wife of a future law student when it comes to student debt and entry-level jobs.

Morning Docket: 10.17.12

* Oh, by the way Dewey & LeBoeuf partners, the little contribution plan you signed that received court approval last week might not protect you from your former landlord’s claims for back rent. Hope you’ve all got an extra $45 million sitting in the bank. [Am Law Daily] * Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Bernette Johnson will finally get to claim her seat as chief justice of the state’s high court after official judicial recognition — on both the state and federal level — that the year 1994 does indeed come before 1995. [Bloomberg] * No matter how hard law school administrators wish it were so, or how much they beg Jim Leipold of NALP, he’s never going to be able to describe the current entry-level legal job market as “good.” [WSJ Law Blog] * NYU Law School is changing its third-year program in the hopes of making a “good” market materialize. If you ship students to foreign countries for class, maybe they’ll get jobs there. [DealBook / New York Times] * “[W]e’re determined to do everything we can to help them find jobs and meaningful careers.” We bet Brooklyn Law’s dean is also determined to avoid more litigation about employment statistics. [New York Law Journal] * Has the other shoe finally dropped? After the Second Circuit ruled that YSL could sell monochromatic shoes, the fashion house decided to drop its trademark counterclaims against Christian Louboutin. [Businessweek]

New York to $190K? Keep Dreaming! New NALP Report Says Median Associate Salaries Have Slumped

While that $160K salary sweet spot for first-years is still the norm in many large markets, it’s no longer as widespread as it once was...

Nationwide Layoff and No-Offer Watch: In Defense of Winston & Strawn

We covered recent associate layoffs and summer associate no-offers at Winston & Strawn. Here's some follow-up -- including words in support of the firm.

Starting Salaries Are Swirling Down The Drain

NALP figures paint dismal picture of the salary realities for recent law school graduates...

How Did the Class of 2011 Fare in the Legal Job Market?

Law school graduates from the class of 2010 fared poorly in terms of employment. The class of 2011 couldn't have done any worse. Right?

Quinn Emanuel Takes a New Approach to On-Campus Recruiting

Nobody has ever accused Quinn Emanuel of being too conventional. Now the firm is experimenting with a new approach to on-campus recruiting. What does John Quinn have up his sleeve?

Latest Job Data From NALP Confirm That Class of 2010 Is Lost

“[T]he new NALP numbers confirm that the job market is terrible for young lawyers (aka the “lost generation”).” I wrote that last year about the class of 2009. And last year things were way better than this year. This year’s NALP employment numbers are out, and they show that the class of 2010 had some […]

Unbelievable Amount of Debt for Law Graduates

Breaking news: law school is expensive. Really, really expensive. Much more expensive than it used to be. Are there still people out there who don’t know that? I mean, we’re certainly at the point where you don’t deserve sympathy if you go to law school without understanding the financial ramifications of your decision. The truth […]