Secretaries / Administrative Assistants

It's like 'a slap in the face' to staff at all law firms.

Which major firm wants to trim its payroll, and how generous are the buyouts being offered?

It's time for Biglaw to pay attention to the elephant in the room.

Who's getting more money in their next paycheck?

This firm continues to set the bar high.

* After about two weeks of silence, President Trump has finally spoken out about the sexual misconduct allegations that Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore is facing. Seeming to indicate support for the accused child molester, the president said, “Roy Moore denies it. That’s all I can say,” before he ripped into Moore’s opponent. [AL.com]

* “Practically every law school in the country is offering more tuition discounts or scholarships than they did pre-2010.” Now is apparently a great time to apply to law school, if only because it’ll wind up being cheaper than it’s been in years. [U.S. News]

* Biglaw is getting in on the green rush in Canada ahead of its nationwide legalization of recreational marijuana. Dentons, Cassels Brock, and Stikeman Elliott each have roles as counsel in a huge cannabis deal in the Great White North. [Am Law]

* Another federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from banning transgender people from serving in the military, ruling that the ban “cannot possibly constitute a legitimate governmental interest.” We can’t wait to see the president’s angry tweets about this. [Reuters]

* When it comes to parental leave at Biglaw firms, staff members are really getting the short end of the stick. In fact, at some firms, hourly staff members aren’t even considered for parental leave benefits. [Big Law Business]

* Judge William M. Hoeveler, legendary jurist (S.D. Fla.), RIP. [Miami Herald]

Which firm is packing up its things and hoping to send employees packing too?

May her killer be swiftly brought to justice in the wake of her brutal slaying.

This is a horrific situation.

Yikes! This isn't very good...

This firm is really setting the bar.

This strategy is admittedly a bit hard to implement.

It's ridiculous what they expect out of this new hire...

* International Biglaw firms in Brussels are “just trying to soldier on” in the wake of the terror attacks that rocked the city yesterday morning. A White & Case secretary was on the metro train that was bombed, but she managed to escape from the wreckage unscathed. All lawyers and staff members have been accounted for and are alive and well. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

* Singer Kesha has appealed the decision of a judge who declined to void her contract with Sony Music, a record label where she claims she’d be forced to work with a producer who allegedly raped her. This time, her lawyer, Mark Geragos, has likened the pop star’s situation to slavery. Hmm… let’s see how well that goes over for her in court. [Reuters]

* “The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court.” For the first time since Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, the Supreme Court issued a 4-4 split decision along ideological lines. That very sentence could have a huge impact on some of the high court’s more significant cases for a year or more if Merrick Garland isn’t confirmed. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Professor Melissa Murray of UC Berkeley Law has been tapped to stand in as the school’s interim dean in the wake of Sujit Choudhry’s resignation following the news that he’d been named as a defendant in a sexual harassment suit. Law students chose Murray as their “overwhelming choice” for dean in a poll. [L.A. Now / Los Angeles Times]

* Since the GRE is regarded as an easier test than the LSAT, and at least one school will no longer require it for admission, some pre-law students may be wondering whether they should bother to take the LSAT at all. Don’t be silly. Much like the word “fetch,” the GRE isn’t going to happen. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]

And, looking back, the receptionist is grateful.

Would you want such a program in place at your law firm?

At a law firm, your staff members are everything -- so treat them as well as you can and, even in a new or growing law office, do so as quickly as you can.

Arts columnist Harry Graff still hopes this season of Suits will tackle something more interesting than secretary-related drama.

Cultural critic Harry Graff dives headfirst into the new season of Suits -- does he like it any better now?

First this firm tried voluntary buyouts; now it's resorting to layoffs.