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The Blawg 100

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Dec 2, 2008 5:50 AM CST

As a fairly recent law school grad with extreme private law school debt of more than $150,000, I think Susan Berson’s article, “About That First Check,” October, should be given to every graduating law student. It provides simple practical advice that no parent, professor or partner offers. Thank you. My…

Dec 2, 2008 4:30 AM CST

Will You Be Working the Day After Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel periods of the year, with millions of Americans loading up and visiting family and friends to break bread and, well, give thanks. But we know that lawyers have very little time to spare. This made us wonder about your plans this week. So…

Nov 24, 2008 4:32 PM CST

Will You Cut Back or Cut Loose This Holiday Season?

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and winter holidays aren’t far behind. Lawyers and law firms often commemorate these festive occasions with a generous helping of bonuses, extravagant parties and expensive gifts for clients and staff. But the economy may dampen holiday spirits as we close 2008 and open to a…

Nov 19, 2008 5:48 PM CST

Ellen Has Her Own ‘Blawg’ After Being Banned From This Site

Great news for “Ellen Barshevsky” fans. The persona who was a frequent visitor to ABAJournal.com until reader complaints led to her being banned from the site yesterday has apparently started her own blog. In the inaugural post, Ellen notes that she was forced to go off on her own after…

Nov 18, 2008 3:04 PM CST

Embattled Cadwalader May Oust Managing Partner, Report Speculates

Partners at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft, Wall Street’s fifth most-profitable firm, may vote to remove managing partner and former chairman Robert Link from the management committee at a meeting this Wednesday. Anticipating a profit drop of more than 50 percent, the firm’s partners are looking to replace the man who…

Nov 17, 2008 10:50 PM CST

No MORE ‘Ellen Barshevsky’ and OTHER Comment Policy Notes

Dear Readers, After reviewing our last week of comments, we have decided to become more assertive with our comment moderating. We will more readily exercise our authority to remove inappropriate comments, those that are particularly off-topic and those that generally flout the rules of civil discourse and persistently disrupt the…

Nov 17, 2008 6:36 PM CST

Skadden Partner Writes Gay Romance Novel

A partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom has published a gay romance novel under a pen name, but he’s not shy about how Proposition 8 has affected him. Gregory Smith, who works in the law firm’s Palo Alto, Calif., office, published his book A Matter of Choice under…

Nov 13, 2008 5:10 PM CST

Preacher Appeals Sentence for Article Predicting God Would Smite Judge

An activist preacher in Michigan is appealing his sentence of up to 10 years in prison for writing an article predicting that God would smite the judge who oversaw his trial and conviction for paying patrons of a soup kitchen to vote. The Rev. Edward Pinkney was sentenced in June…

Nov 13, 2008 1:08 PM CST

After 170 Layoffs, White & Case Pares Down $250K Holiday Party; No Fireworks

Plans for the annual holiday party at White & Case were made months before the firm announced this week that it would lay off 70 lawyers and 100 staff members. So the 2,400-lawyer international firm will be going ahead with the event at a midtown Manhattan restaurant, reports the Wall…

Nov 13, 2008 12:29 AM CST

If Possible, Would You Strike Out on Your Own?

Just about every day we’re seeing more news about law firm or legal department layoffs. As firms reconsider their business structure and models, we’re curious if individual lawyers are also taking this time to reassess. ABA Journal reporter Rachel Zahorsky is hearing from some BigLaw escapees that going solo was…

Nov 12, 2008 5:38 PM CST

Take Our 2-Minute Survey on the Recession’s Impact

We want to know how you think the recession will affect the legal profession. Please take our 2-minute survey. Results will be published in the January issue of the ABA Journal. Click Here to take the survey. Your answers will be kept confidential and used only in combination with all…

Nov 12, 2008 3:49 PM CST

As More Male Lawyers Use Flextime, its Acceptance Increases

More law firms are offering flextime, and it may be gaining in acceptance because more male lawyers are using the benefit. “To stem those defections and attract recruits, flextime has become the perk of the moment,” the American Lawyer reports. The story reports that law firms offering flextime or allowing…

Nov 12, 2008 12:38 PM CST

Harvard Law Students, Legal Recruiters among Those Hit by Law Firm Cuts

As the economic downturn hits big law firms, resulting in layoffs and a few dissolutions, legal job seekers—and the people who help them find jobs—are also feeling the pain. The effects extend even to Harvard Law School, ranked second-best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Mark Weber,…

Nov 12, 2008 12:06 PM CST

Note on Chair Informed Cohen Milstein Head of His Expulsion From Firm

Although he was then chairman of the firm, Michael Hausfeld apparently didn’t even know that his fellow partners at Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll were holding a vote Nov. 6 about whether to expel a partner. But after the vote, Bloomberg reports, a note on Hausfeld’s chair put him in…

Nov 11, 2008 11:38 PM CST

The Blawg 100

On the Money, In the Hole