And the Winner of the Reality Blogging Competition Is …

The votes are in. Above the Law held an “American Idol”-type contest to select a new lead editor and the readers have chosen a former big firm lawyer who called himself Sophist during the competition.

Sophist’s real name is Elie Ying Mystal. He describes himself this way on Above the Law: “I'm male. I'm liberal. I'm Catholic (of the "a la carte" variety). I believe in evolution and global warming. I'm happily married. I'm African-American. ... I'm a Mets fan. I prefer the PS3 to the Xbox 360. I think the ASPCA does some of the best work on the planet, while PETA does some of the worst. I hate vegetables on general principle. I'm 30. I worked at Debevoise & Plimpton and still think they are a great firm, as Biglaw firms go.”

The blog’s founder, David Lat, is moving on and up. He will help oversee Above the Law and two other blogs produced by Breaking Media: Dealbreaker.com and Fashionista.com. He will also help the company develop and launch new blogs.