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The Abusive Boss
This post isn’t about sexual harassment, although the behavior I am talking about is harmful, and sexual harassment is a component of it. And it isn’t about my current dean and associate dean, who I think are awesome. In case you were wondering. This post is how a mean boss can take your mental health away from you, even if the behavior doesn’t rise to the level of harassment. And, this is a discussion of how one’s self-esteem and competence can be destroyed by a thousand cuts from such a boss.
The Biglaw Reviews You Have To Read - See Also
If Biglaw Were A Restaurant: It’s a fun read. It’s Pretty Much One Joke About Going To Law School: But it’s a good one. Dreaming Of A Big Bonus Season? You aren’t alone. Nonlawyers Are Coming: To the legal profession that is. Trump Loses In The Second Circuit: But the legal wrangling may not be over. Love ATL? Let's make it official. Sign up for our newsletter. We will never sell or share your information without your consent. See our privacy policy.
The Biglaw Firm Responsible For The Most Prestigious Academic Scholarship Of Them All
A legacy firm of which Magic Circle firm counted Cecil Rhodes among its clients and helped set up that scholarship? Hint: A 1987 merger gave the firm its current moniker, and in 2018, it had revenue of £1.62 billion, the most of any Magic Circle firm. See the answer on the next page. Love ATL? Let's make it official. Sign up for our newsletter. We will never sell or share your information without your consent. See our privacy policy.
Con Law Reading Is FUNdamental…
Read the Constitution. https://t.co/kjSmV906Id — Justin Amash (@justinamash) November 4, 2019 — Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.), imploring President Donald Trump to brush up on the document that guides the impeachment inquiry that’s been launched against him. Amash was the only non-Democrat in the House to vote in favor of an impeachment inquiry against Trump. Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011.
Are Biglaw Associates Billing Their Butts Off For ‘Disappointing’ Bonuses?
Could today be the day that kicks off the 2019 Biglaw bonus season? To be frank, it’s still quite early for that, but based on your responses to our survey, it really depends (how lawyerly). While 39 percent of survey respondents thought bonuses would be announced before Thanksgiving, a nearly equal number of survey respondents thought bonuses would be announced the last week of November.
Biglaw Yelp Reviews Are Your Dose Of Surreal Comedy Today
Writing Yelp reviews of Biglaw firms as though they were functioning NYC restaurants started off as a bit of a lark. But after Yelper Samuel G. got started, he couldn’t help himself and put together a few more narratives of a hapless patron stumbling into law firms thinking they’re restaurants. Hey, it beats stumbling into firms and thinking they’re mid-grade shoe stores. This isn’t entirely inaccurate. What law firm isn’t opting for an “eat what you kill” model?
Trump Loses Tax Case In Front Of Second Circuit, Again
Trump has lost his appeal to shield his tax returns from a criminal investigation started by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance. Again. This time in front of the Second Circuit.
Morning Docket: 11.04.19
* An Albuquerque DWI attorney has been arrested for his second DWI this year. His first DWI was dismissed; maybe this is just an advertising ploy… [KRQE Albuquerque] * Joe Arpaio’s defamation lawsuit against several media outlets has been dismissed. [The Hill] * Employment in the legal sector is flat even though the U.S. economy continues to add jobs. Still thinking about going to law school?
We’re Going To Berkeley…
One time, I was sincere on Twitter. Then I had to text @CatherineNCrump & @ErikStallman on a Saturday morning to confess I broke a cardinal internet rule. Now, I'm psyched to say @ElieNYC & @Popehat are coming to @BerkeleyLaw to continue this convo in person on Nov. 18! https://t.co/C3byZMXQVl
Tightrope Walking The Digital Supply Chain (Part I)
Ed. note: This is the first article in a two-part series about recent case law related to the False Claims Act (FCA), which signals a heightened need for vigilance by companies (especially government contractors) around the security of their supply chains. Part two will address proactive steps that companies can take to reduce their FCA threat profile.
It’s Budget Time! 12 Timely Tips To Help Manage Law Firm Costs
One of the few silver linings of the 2008 financial crisis was that many lawyers were shocked into budget consciousness. Seemingly overnight, lawyers became willing to reassess old assumptions. Maybe they could live without personal copies of treatises. Maybe they would try online resources that they had resisted. The crisis has passed but the changed legal market place remains.
Kim Kardashian Channels Her Law School Dream This Halloween
Kim Kardashian as Elle Woods (image via Instagram) Yesterday may have been Halloween, but that doesn’t mean Kim Kardashian has forgotten about her law school dreams — not even for the day. That’s because in honor of the holiday, Kim dressed up as everyone’s favorite law student, none other than Elle Woods. Of course, because it is Kim Kardashian and there’s nothing that’s worth doing that’s not worth over doing, she does more than just dress up as the Legally Blonde heroine. That’d be too easy.
Man Sues Twitter For $1 Billion Claiming His Account’s Suspension Violated His Right To Worship President Trump As A Demigod
(Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Several stupid lawsuits have been brought against social media companies. Some feature actual lawyers (but mostly from the same law firms) helping clients throw money away on allegations that Twitter and Facebook are at least indirectly responsible for terrorist attacks.
Oh, NOW The Police Care About ‘Due Process’?
The Fraternal Order of Police exists, in part, to defend these rights, not just for police officers, but for all citizens at every level, from the indigent living on the street to the President living in the White House.
The Future Is Now: Lawyers, Artificial Intelligence, And Data Analytics
In my last column, I humbly welcomed our robot lawyer overlords. After it was published, a number of people called me out on social media and chastised me for joining sides with the robots so willingly. It would seem that they were decidedly unfamiliar with the well-known meme to which I referred.
There’s A Bird Loose Inside Harvard Law School… Time To Call Cat Lawyer!
When Brazil gave the legal community a cuteness overload with Dr. Leon Advogato, Harvard Law School predictably decided it couldn’t allow anyone else to have nice things that it doesn’t so it dialed up its own “wild animal seeking refuge before the law” narrative with a bird loose in the Harvard Law Library. So far the bird, which they should absolutely name Harvey Birdman, hasn’t gotten an Instagram account yet, but give it time.
How Is This President Not A Socialist?
(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) One of my favorite quotes from the late, great, Christopher Hitchens comes from his proactive, and edifying book, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything: “Nothing optional—from homosexuality to adultery—is ever made punishable unless those who do the prohibiting (and exact the fierce punishment) have a repressed desire to participate.” Of course, Hitchens was directing this comment at hypercritical evangelicals who rant against homosexuality or...
Morning Docket: 10.31.19
(Photo by Jason Kempin/FilmMagic) * Johnny Depp has settled a lawsuit against his former attorney who allegedly bilked him out of millions. In other words: Jack Sparrow has bested another pirate. [Bloomberg] * Hillary Clinton told an audience at Georgetown Law yesterday that she played a pivotal role in the selection of RBG to the Supreme Court. Maybe she’ll play herself in the next RBG movie. [CNN] * Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. has been charged with unlawfully touching a third woman.
The IP Industry Must Accelerate Digital Transformation
Credit: areebarbar/Shutterstock.com For almost 60 years, IP professionals from around the world have been flocking to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) annual assemblies. Against the backdrop of this proud history, this year there was a distinctly forward-looking and future-proofing flavor to the proceedings.
Reports From Clio Cloud Conference: Legal Media React To The Show
Last week’s Clio Cloud Conference offered another opportunity for innovators from across legal technology to come together to meet with users and compare notes. It’s also an opportunity for the legal media to come together to discuss trends and what they’ve been seeing both at the show and throughout the year. Legal Talk Network’s On the Road podcast gathered a few of us together at the show to chat.
Don’t Forget To Impeach Bill Barr
I don't think the press gets Billy Barr. First, he is a PR genius compared the rest of these dopes (thank you whatever anon source still gets treated with credibility, and also Kerri Kupec). But he also knows that PR can corner him, legally.
Lawyers Poised For A Pay Bump In 2014
The days of wild spending on associate salaries seem like a distant memory washed away in the Great Recession. It was an exciting time to be a lawyer when every year (or even mid-year) a firm-wide email would explain that the pay scale was going up as part of the ongoing arms race among Biglaw firms to attract talent. That trickled down to Midlaw and the Boutiques and suddenly there were coke-fueled orgies all around.
Why Do Nonlawyers Think They Are Legal Experts?
I am sure that pretty much everyone reading this article has friends on Facebook who love to talk about policy matters and legal issues. In this day and age, it is very common for people to provide hot takes about legal matters, even if they have no experience or training with the legal issue that is being discussed.
Xanax, Blow, And A TRO
Last night is a blur. The bars, the booze, the blow. No memory of last-call or the journey home. I hope I cabbed. Mental note to check the garage later. My fingers feel swollen and clunky as I try to open the cellophane bag on the nightstand, ultimately tearing it, sending Xanax bars flying across the bed. I scoop one off of the down comforter like a shovel before my beagle takes an interest. I spy a half-full glass of shitty “Brian Cuban” label red wine I had made at someplace downtown.
Morning Docket: 10.30.19
Elon Musk (Photo by Diego Donamaria/Getty Images for SXSW) * Elon musk has joined the list of celebrities who have behaved poorly at depositions. [Business Insider] * A Texas lawyer has been convicted of scamming Colombian drug dealers out of $1.5M. Guess there is no honor among theives. [Dallas Morning News] * Lawyers have sought a delay of the trial involving former House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s alleged agreement to pay hush money to a former student.
It May Have Taken 180 Years, But A Woman Is Finally At The Helm Of This Biglaw Firm
What Biglaw firm recently announced their new managing partner (effective January 2020) would be a woman for the first time in the firm’s 183-year history? Hint: The Am Law 200 firm was founded in 1836, and currently has offices in New York; Washington; Los Angeles; Chicago; Stamford; Parsippany; Houston; San Diego; and Brussels. See the answer on the next page. Love ATL? Let's make it official. Sign up for our newsletter. We will never sell or share your information without your consent.
Let’s Get Wildly Off Topic
Rudy Giuliani (by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia) This week’s discussion of law firm growth trajectories never gets to happen as Elie’s irritation with Trump’s lawyers spills into the entire show. Becoming a bag man for the Ukraine deal raises ethical concerns, but is merely representing Trump an ethical problem? More to the point, is it something bar disciplinary committees should really be looking into? Love ATL? Let's make it official. Sign up for our newsletter.
Closing A Deal: A Lonely Time For The Solo Practitioner
Being called a “closer” is a great compliment for any attorney. This is even more so for a solo practitioner. It implies that one can get the job done. A closer is the individual who finishes the deal. It can refer to anything from closing a residential sale to completing the purchase of a car or finalizing litigation with a monetary settlement. As a solo practitioner, we close, as we begin: Alone. And that is a big deal.
Law School Considers Closing Amid Concerns About Financial Viability
While no decision has been officially made yet, University of La Verne College of Law is inching ever closer to shutting its doors for good. Last week, the University Provost, Jonathan Reed, announced the Board of Trustees’ decision to pass a resolution to consider closing the law school. The University has created an ad hoc committee of faculty to prepare a report of recommendations to the Board on the financial viability of the law school.
Some Big Reasons Why The CCPA Is More Of A Problem Than You Think
By now, you have probably heard about the California Consumer Privacy Act, or “CCPA.” Whether you agree with it or not, you need to pay close attention. Taking a page from Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the CCPA appears to be California’s answer to protecting consumer data. Effective January 1, 2020, the CCPA will impact how businesses collecting personal information from California consumers can collect, store, and handle such personal information from them.
Major Lateral Moves: It’s ‘Open Season On Cleary Partners’
Wowser, the already busy partner lateral market has gotten a kick in the tushie. A group of four Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton partners have decamped from the New York mainstay for the Magic Circle firm of Freshfields. The partners come from a variety of practice groups: Mergers and acquisitions partner Ethan Klingsberg, corporate lawyers Pamela Marcogliese and Paul Tiger, and litigator Meredith Kotler.
Justice Anthony Kennedy On Being The Supreme Court’s ‘Swing Vote’
Justice Anthony Kennedy (Photo by Staci Zaretsky) Each of my colleagues looks at every case, and people were very gracious not to say I was the swing vote — that has this visual image of this going back and forth. To that, I say, “Look, the cases swing.
A Collection Of Bad Bar Prep Advice
In honor of New York bar results being released last week and February bar prep on the verge of beginning, I have compiled some of the worst bar prep advice I’ve heard. Now, I am 1000 percent sure that I am going to get an email from someone saying, “But I did XYZ thing that you said was bad advice and it worked for me.” Listen, we all know that there are exceptions to every rule. But in general, the things listed below are not the best practices or things that work for most people.
This Law School May Be Gone, But Its Legacy Lives On
What now defunct law school’s alumni include two U.S. Vice Presidents, 101 congressmen, 28 senators, six cabinet secretaries, three justices of the United States Supreme Court, 14 state governors, and 13 state supreme court chief justices? Hint: The law school closed in 1833, but the legacies of its alums live on. See the answer on the next page. Love ATL? Let's make it official. Sign up for our newsletter. We will never sell or share your information without your consent. See our privacy policy.
The Shade Is Real
When a Second Request is issued what matters most is time. When a Second Request is issued what matters most is time. The stakes were high when a Second Request required Hire Counsel to procure staff, technology and infrastructure in a single market, and be up and running in one week. The stakes were high when a Second Request required Hire Counsel to procure staff, technology and infrastructure in a single market, and be up and running in one week.
Massive Bar Exam Screw-Up Leaves Law School Graduates In Panic
Imagine this: The bar exam results are supposed to be released on a specific day, and after waiting for months to see if you passed, on that day, you receive an email from the Board of Law examiners letting you know that “important information” has been posted to your account. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. Did you pass? Did you pass?! DID YOU PASS?!?!?!?! You try to log in to your account, but you can’t. The page is down. You try reloading the page… but nothing happens.
NY City Bar To Attorney General: Delete Your Account
Attorney General William Barr (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Safe bet the New York City Bar won’t be inviting Attorney General Bill Barr to the next Young Lawyers Happy Hour event. In fact, he’s pretty much persona non grata for the foreseeable future since the organization just published an open letter telling the Attorney General to GET THE F*** OUT OF TOWN.
IP-Backed Finance: When Using IP As Collateral Can Pay Dividends
Companies don’t always have steady sources of financing to scale their operations in lockstep with revenue. Sourcing funding outside of traditional avenues can also be mission critical at times. An IP portfolio can be a hidden source of collateral for a lender who is otherwise on the fence about whether to put forth a loan to a company in need.
The Attorney Of Tomorrow: One Law School’s Approach To Preparing Students For The Future Of Legal Practice
Judge Gail Prudenti, Dean of Hofstra Law The demands of the legal industry are changing, and law schools must adapt to provide students with the skill set legal employers are looking for in new hires. ATL recently spoke with Judge Gail Prudenti, Dean of the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University and former Chief Administrative Judge of the Courts of New York State, to discuss Hofstra Law’s approach to preparing students for this new legal marketplace.
Unfortunate Google Editing Becomes Defense Lawyer’s Nightmare
If you’re representing an elected official and former adoption agency manager accused of mistreating birth mothers imported from the Marshall Islands until they gave birth, you face a tough road. Authorities say Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen — of course Maricopa, Arizona, is where something this shady supposedly happened — faces charges in multiple jurisdictions for crimes like human smuggling, sale of a child, fraud, forgery, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Now The DLA Piper Accuser Has Been Put On Leave
Damn, this case just keeps on getting messier and messier. Biglaw followers have likely been keeping up to date on the details of this case, but, for the sake of completeness, we’ll hit the highlights.
This Law School Is Aces At Getting You Real Life Legal Experience
Calling All Legal Ops Leaders: The 2019 LDO Survey Is Live Calling All Legal Ops Leaders: The 2019 LDO Survey Is Live If you are your organization’s operations head, please participate in this year’s survey and receive exclusive access to the complete results, an unparalleled resource of insight into KPIs and reporting, eDiscovery best practices, legal spend, law department management strategy, and more.
‘Criminals Owe Me Favors’: Defense Attorney Accused Of Threatening, Beating, Stalking Ex-Girlfriend
You don’t get it. Criminals owe me favors. People who are exceptionally dangerous, and good at it, I’ve met plenty, keep in touch with plenty. — Matthew Russell Meyer, a 2012 graduate of Marquette Law School, in a text message allegedly sent to his ex-girlfriend, whom he’d been dating on and off since 2016.
You Saw The Part Where We Have Evidence Of Trump Fraud On His Taxes Now, Right?
Calling All Legal Ops Leaders: The 2019 LDO Survey Is Live Calling All Legal Ops Leaders: The 2019 LDO Survey Is Live If you are your organization’s operations head, please participate in this year’s survey and receive exclusive access to the complete results, an unparalleled resource of insight into KPIs and reporting, eDiscovery best practices, legal spend, law department management strategy, and more.
In Some Countries, Your Receipt Can Be A Winning Lottery Ticket And Can Help The Government Collect Sales Tax
Of all the different types of taxes the government uses to raise revenue, one of the most ubiquitous and disliked is the sales tax. Customers don’t like to pay $1.10 for something advertised at 99 cents. And businesses don’t like to raise their prices in order to collect it. While e-commerce is gaining popularity, cash is still king, particularly for small businesses and in immigrant communities where the locals believe that putting money in an oven is safer than putting it in a bank.
Some Biglaw Seniority Norms Are Pretty Messed Up
It is pretty well understood that in order to progress within Biglaw, you need to put in your time, and climb the corporate ladder. Everyone knows that first-year associates will not be arguing important motions or presenting cases in front of juries until they have spent years working on more menial tasks at a firm. Of course, it makes sense that more experienced attorneys will conduct important tasks that senior attorneys are usually more competent to handle.
Morning Docket: 10.14.19
* words * After much negative publicity and a student protest, Louis Lehot, the DLA Piper partner who was accused of sexual assault by a fellow partner, was kicked to the curb by the firm. We’ll have more on this later today. [American Lawyer] * Art Lien, who brings the Supreme Court to life for the rest of us, is one of the last courtroom sketch artists in the nation. The justices are still against cameras in the highest courtroom in the land, but even Lien thinks his days may be numbered.
White & Case Names New Partner Class
It’s promotion time and White & Case welcomed 45 new partners to the firm effective in 2020. This breaks the firm’s previous record for largest class, set just last year. Another sign that White & Case is committed to its global expansion plan. Altogether, the new partners represent 13 practice areas in 21 offices. In the United States, the firm promoted 16 attorneys, of which over half are women and five self-identify as diverse. Globally, 37 percent of the class is made up of women.
Morning Docket: 10.11.19
(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) * “I don’t know them, I don’t know about them, I don’t know what they do. I don’t know, maybe they were clients of Rudy’s. You’d have to ask Rudy.” President Trump is trying his hardest to distance himself from Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas, Rudy Giuliani’s recently arrested associates. He may have been in pictures with them, though, and his son might have as well. Oopsie.
Lawyer Reflects On Mental Health After Surviving Attempt To Take His Own Life
Mental health disorders are fatal, [but they are treatable.] People around you care about you more than you think. — Eric Lang, a former Biglaw attorney who now runs his own practice in Georgia, in comments given at a recent talk entitled “Confronting Mental Health Issues in Your Profession.” Several years ago, Lang attempted to die by suicide, but survived the ordeal and feels lucky to have found doctors and colleagues who have helped him.
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