Top 10 Biglaw Firm Considers Salaried Partner Tier — See Also
Eventually Everyone Gets Roped Into Trends: Ropes & Gray considers nonequity partnerships. The American Bar Isn’t The Only One You Have To Worry About: The German Bar Association sends a…
Morning Docket 06.02.25
* Amended class status adds millions of new members to tech antitrust suit. Talk about taking another bite at the Apple! * “Democracy dies by legislatures weakening student right to…
Trump Turns On The Federalist Society — See Generally
You Either Die A MAGA Hero Or Live Long Enough For Donald Trump To Call You A “Sleazebag”: White House burns Federalist Society in social media rant as courtroom losses…
Laying The Groundwork For A Successful CLE
Getty Images How many times have we sat at a conference, staring at our phones, thinking to ourselves, “This feels like law school all over again!” The monotony of continuous…
Bird Flu Threat Still Looms, But HHS Just Canceled A Moderna Contract That Could Prepare For It
The post Bird Flu Threat Still Looms, But HHS Just Canceled A Moderna Contract That Could Prepare For It appeared first on Above the Law.
Trump Has A Reputation For Questionable Pardons
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to reporters at The Daily Beast, which high-profile defendant is President Donald Trump open to pardoning? Hint:…
And For My Last Trick — See Also
Magic Circle Firms Are Trying To Pull A Disappearing Act: Will they pull off transmuting “Magic Circle” for “Global Elite”? Shots Fired At Leonard Leo!: Trump calls the mastermind behind…
Morning Docket: 05.30.25
* Fewer than one-third of lawyers actually log off at all during the summer. While that sounds bleak, why would you vacation during the summer? That’s when they give you…
Why Chase Down Sexual Predators When You Could Be Protecting The President’s Ego? — See Also
This Is What The FBI Has Come To: Read about the agency’s interesting triage of societal ills. If You Choose Your Firm, Which Firms Win Out?: Check out where associates…
Morning Docket: 05.29.25
* Court of International Trade strikes down Trump’s tariffs as exceeding his authority. Bittersweet pill for the conservative nondelegation doctrine fans. * Trump jumps over all the meticulously vetted Federal…
Multiple Mergers May Manifest Momentarily — See Also
Competition Could Be Pushing Competitors Together In New York: Which Biglaw firms will be the next to merge? Is Skadden Trying To Change Its Placement On The Biglaw Spine Index?:…
Morning Docket: 05.28.25
* Skadden takes pro bono case against the Trump administration. Oooh, let’s see how this plays out! * Congestion pricing survives arbitrary federal effort to shut it down. * The…
Former Law School Dean Sentenced To 8 Years Behind Bars — See Also
The Worst Part Is What He Did After The Theft Scandal: Edward Rene will have a lot of time to mull over his mistakes. DLA Piper Is Recruiting The Big…
Morning Docket: 05.27.25
* While the firms continue to deny that they gave the Trump authority to dictate what matters they take on, Trump and his allies… are discussing what matters to make…
Bad Week For Biglaw Capitulators — See Generally
Ed. Note: We’re starting a new feature, kicking off the week with a collection of top stories from the prior week. It’s like our daily See Also, but for the…
Executive Order Against Jenner & Block Is ‘Null And Void’
Judge John Bates, appointed by George W. Bush, is overseeing the litigation filed by Jenner & Block against the Trump administration challenging the Executive Order targeting the firm. Bates quickly…
Biglaw Needs To Follow The Lead Of Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to Above the Law’s 2025 Biglaw Intimidation Survey, what percentage of respondents at Am Law 100 firms…
Omarosa Adds New Legal Accolade To Her Resume!
Omarosa Manigault Newman has been known as many things over the span of her career: writer, political aide, and a stand-out contestant on the show The Apprentice are just a…
Have You Heard The One About …?
(Photo by DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images) Am I the only one losing their sense of humor? It’s the only thing that keeps me going in tough times. Right now,…
Paul Weiss Rainmakers Bolt To Start New Firm Free Of Trump Deal Restrictions
Well, well, well. If it isn’t the consequences of Paul Weiss’s own actions. Earlier today, American Lawyer reported that Karen Dunn, Bill Isaacson, Jessica Phillips, and Jeannie Rhee are leaving…
This Kagan Dissent Packs A Punch — See Also
She Took Off The Gloves For This Dissent: Someone needs to point out the Court’s abuse of the shadow docket. Glad she’s taking the charge. The Department Of Homeland Security…
Thanks To Our Awesome Advertisers
We’d like to express gratitude to our fantastic sponsors here at Above the Law: AffiniPay(Opens in a new window) Aon(Opens in a new window) Axiom(Opens in a new window) Brightflag(Opens…
Congratulations, Kim Kardashian! — See Also
Guess Who Completed Their Studies!: Will Kim’s next step be bar prep(Opens in a new window)? Cowardlader Wants To Skimp On Their Trump Tithe: The firm wants to scrub the…
Lawyers: The Ultimate Growth Industry
According to the ABA, there were 1,322,649 active lawyers in the United States as of January 1, 2024. These lawyers service the roughly 350 million people in the U.S. By…
Biglaw And Its Discontents — See Also
Taking The Protest To The Orange Shoe Firms: Use that free speech! This Biglaw Firm Is Committed To The Green: DWF makes plans to grow their own forest! Lawyer Arrested…
The Supreme Court TV Show That Never Was
Tom Goldstein is fighting back this week against the government’s wild indictment, which painted a picture of Goldstein balancing a successful Supreme Court practice with an international high-stakes poker career,…
We Have The Data To Prove It! — See Also
The Legal Industry Doesn’t Stand With Trump’s Bullying: Read the survey for yourself! Habeas Corpus? I Hardly Know Her!: Kristi Noem messes up the most softball question possible on habeas…
Navigating The Fine Line: Redefining Legal Advice In The Age Of Tech With Erin Levine And Quinten Steenhuis
The practice of law has long been wrapped in mystery, closely guarded by ethical rules and stringent regulations. But as legal technology blurs the lines between legal advice and legal…
New Top New York Firm Could Be On The Horizon! — See Also
Discussions Are Under Way: Partners will vote on if McDermott and Schulte will merge within 90 days. Susman Godfrey Still Putting Money Behind Diversity: Congratulations to the winners of the…
Seashellgate: Trumpworld Sees Comey’s Day At The Beach As Criminal Assassination Threat — See Also
Work From Home? That Was So 2024: Sidley only gave a week’s notice before ordering folks back. Above The Law In The New York Times: Normally this newsletter is about…
Mindshift: The Inner Work Of Sustainable Self-Care
Ed. note: This is the latest installment in a series of posts on motherhood in the legal profession, in partnership with our friends at MothersEsquire. Welcome Sonya L. Sigler back…
Policies On Billing For Attorney Travel Time
Most litigators need to travel for court conferences, depositions, site inspections, and other events during the life of a lawsuit. Depending on the type of appearance, a lawyer might spend…
Seems Like Law Firm Co-Workers Actually Care
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to data collected for Am Law’s 2025 mental health survey, what percentage of respondents felt like their…
Takes A Lot Of Stones To Accuse James Comey Of Threatening The President Over This — See Also
Comey’s “Cool Shell Formation” Has Kash Patel Phoning In The SS: His abbreviation, not mine. These Firms Are Really LinkedIn: Is your firm on the top of its social media…
Morning Docket: 05.16.25
* There’s an appetite at the Supreme Court to get rid of universal injunctions, but after brutal oral argument, birthright citizenship might not be the case where they pull the…
The 4 Day In-Person Mandate Is Coming — See Also
A Top 10 Firm Expects Associates To Be In The Office “At Least” 4 Days A Week: Is the 5th day implied? DOJ Gets All Retaliatory: Because chilling law firms…
The Inauspicious Distinction Of Having The Most Billable Hours In Biglaw
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to data collected by Am Law, which Biglaw firm had the lawyer that billed the most hours…
Remember When Diversity And Pro Bono Hours Were Selling Points? — See Also
Biglaw Firm Commits To Huge Scrub Of Diversity And Pro Bono Work From Website: Good deeds really don’t go unpunished. More Capitulation, More Problems: Another Congressional investigation is headed toward…
This Biglaw Firm Is Already Slaying In 2025
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to reporting by Bloomberg Law, which Biglaw firm was the top legal adviser for mergers & acquisitions…
‘It Feels Like The Partners Versus The Associates’ — See Also
The Moral Divide Between Young Lawyers And Their Seniors Is Growing: When did firms trade principle for capital? Top Ranked Law School Schools Administration On The Rule Of Law: Good…
How Many Wachtell Attorneys Does It Take…?
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to data collected by ALM, how many Wachtell attorneys does it take for the firm to earn…
Bill Those Diversity Hours To Code 404 — See Also
Nixon Peabody Scrubs Diversity Billing Codes And Multiple Mentions Of Diversity: They may have kept the pictures, but the changes made are obvious. More Partner Departures Over Biglaw Capitulation: Cadwalader…
Change Comes To All Things, Even Biglaw — See Also
Biglaw Partners Are Moving On: White & Case and Paul Weiss lose some pretty big names from their rosters. Speaking Of White & Case: They’re headed back to the office…
Amateur Comedian Judge Faces Ethics Complaints Over Groan-Inducing ‘Dad Jokes’
There are only two responses to a truly phenomenal dad joke: frustration and a knee-slapping gigglefest. Don’t believe me? Listen to this Dad Joke compilation with your office door open…
Deciding Whether To Travel For Clients
Last year, I wrote an article about how it often makes sense to hire local counsel rather than to travel for clients in some circumstances. Travel time can add costs…
Americans’ Trust In The Healthcare System Is Plummeting. How Can It Be Repaired?
The post Americans’ Trust In The Healthcare System Is Plummeting. How Can It Be Repaired? appeared first on Above the Law.
There’s Only One Type Of Partner At These Biglaw Firms — The Equity Kind
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to data collected by ALM, which firms in the Am Law 100 only have an equity class…
Former Supreme Court Justice Souter Has Passed Away — See Also
We’re Still Feeling His Impact On The Court: The unexpected liberal judge is a model for judges everywhere. Cadwalader Feeling The Consequences Of Cowering: They’re seeing an exodus of talented,…
Thanks To Our Advertisers
We’d like to express gratitude to our fantastic sponsors here at Above the Law: AffiniPay Aon Axiom Brightflag CobbleStone Software CosmoLex doeLEGAL Filevine iManage Kinney Recruiting Lateral Link LawPay LegalOn…
Is That A New $2B Firm On The Horizon? — See Also
There’s Talk Of A Merger To Come: McDermott Will & Emery and Schulte Roth & Zabel are in conversation. Trump’s Divisiveness Is Bringing People Together: Say hello to General Counsels…
Are We About To Get An Actual TV Broadcast Of Supreme Court Oral Arguments?
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! C-SPAN asked the Supreme Court to broadcast oral arguments in cases that challenge which Donald Trump executive order?…
You Need More Than Money To Keep ‘Em! — See Also
White & Case Just Lost One Of Their Highest Compensated Partners: Best of luck to Taurie Zeitzer on her own firm! Prominent Partner Jumps Paul Weiss Ship: Columbia University, his…
Biglaw Is Planning Even More Billing Rate Hikes For Next Year
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to data collected by ALM, what percentage of the Am Law 200 say they plan on increasing…
Biglaw’s Cowards Play Dumb About Pro Bono Payola — See Also
Latham, Simpson, and Cadwalader Downplay Multimillion-Dollar Deals With The Trump Administration: They can say what they want, but the internet never forgets. No One Wants To Work With Quitters: Capitulating…
Just How Big Is Biglaw?
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to data collected by ALM as part of their Am Law 100 ranking, how many lawyers were…
Biglaw’s Existential Crisis Gets Primetime Treatment — See Also
60 Minutes Catches Up On The Attacks On Biglaw: It doesn’t look great for the firms that capitulated to Donald Trump. Back To The Office! White & Case mandates 4…
Biglaw’s Ws In The Fight Against Trump — See Also
Perkins Coie Gets A Permanent Injunction Against Trump’s Executive Order: Judge Beryl Howell goes all Shakespearean in slapping back Trump’s Executive Order. Microsoft Gets New Outside Counsel: Swapping Simpson Thacher…
Contingency Fees Can Create Perverse Incentives
Contingency fees are a time-honored tradition in the legal profession through which attorneys accept a case in exchange for a portion of a recovery if a favorable outcome is achieved.…
Opening The Doors To Change: What To Expect At CLOC Global Institute 2025
(Image via CLOC) Next week, I will be covering the CLOC Global Institute at the Aria Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas. The conference will span four days (May 5-8)…
It Was A Good Year To Be A Biglaw Equity Partner
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to data collected by ALM as part of their Am Law 100 ranking, of the 100 firms…
It’s Official: Executive Order Targeting Perkins Coie Is Unconstitutional
From the moment that Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO 14230) targeting Perkins Coie — one of the first Biglaw firms to be on the receiving end of this…
Trump Rebrands Law Day With Authoritarian Flair – See Also
Law Day Becomes Loyalty Day Under Trump: Even the people in suits are protesting. Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner Is Cutting Staff: 8% in the firm’s UK and US locations. HoLove…
Thanks So Much To Our Advertisers
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Giving Up So Easy Has Real Consequences — See Also
Microsoft Just Booted Simpson Thatcher Off Payroll: Jenner & Block will be taking over from here. Skadden And Davis Polk Still Aren’t Out Of The Dog House: They both hired…
Trump Sets His Sights On International Lawyers — See Also
Watch Out, Amal Clooney!: Trump keeps finding new ways to disregard the rule of law. Paul Clement Joins The Resistance: Even the conservatives are standing up to Trump. Over 1,000…
This Biglaw Firm Gets A Ton Of Value From Every Single Attorney
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to data collected by ALM as part of their Am Law 100 ranking, which Biglaw firm saw…
Countdown Until ‘Skadden Represents 3rd Officer This Week In Police Brutality Case’ Headline Gets Written
Beat The Charge, Free Of Charge: Executive order tees up domesticated law firms to represent cops accused of unlawful use of force and other charges. Of Course It Involved Golf:…
With A Constitutional Crisis Afoot, We Sure Could Use Some More Con Law Scholars From This School
Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Trivia Question of the Day! According to the 2025-26 U.S. News Rankings, which law school got top marks for its constitutional law program?…
This Is What 100 Days Of ‘Winning’ Looks Like — See Also
Things Are Going Historically Bad: Looks like we’re living in the worst 100 first days of a presidency. FASORP Goes Full Spite LARP-ing: The losers want law review applicants to…
Lawmakers Strongly Suggest That Biglaw Firms ‘Disavow’ Trump Deals
(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day. he imposition of numerous conflicts of interest between the terms of the agreement and…
The Courts Are Fine, We’re Fine, Everything’s Fine — See Also
Orange Is The New Black (Robes): FBI agents arresting judges in their courthouses sadly was on our 2025 bingo card. Justice Breyer Still Believes In Institutions… For Some Reason: Bless…
Lawyers Should Not Exploit Unfair Advantages
Lawyers are taught that they should exploit every advantage possible to serve a client’s interests. Indeed, some might argue that a lawyer’s duty of diligence requires that an attorney take…
Boeing To Sell Parts Of Digital Aviation Solutions Portfolio For $10.55 Billion
The post Boeing To Sell Parts Of Digital Aviation Solutions Portfolio For $10.55 Billion appeared first on Above the Law.
The Law School With Top Writing Chops
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to the 2025-26 U.S. News Rankings, which law school got top marks for its legal writing program?…
You Can Check Off ‘Judges Are Getting Arrested’ From Your How-Bad-Is-It-Really? List — See Also
The Judge Was Arrested In Her Own Courthouse: Kash Patel bragged about the arrest on Twitter. Hunting For A Federal Clerkship?: These are the schools judges want to see on…
A Big Thanks To ATL’s Advertisers
We’d like to express gratitude to our fantastic sponsors here at Above the Law: AffiniPay Aon Axiom Brightflag CobbleStone Software CosmoLex doeLEGAL Filevine iManage Kinney Recruiting Lateral Link LawPay LegalOn…
Judge Turns Insurance Dispute In To Navel-Gazing Enterprise — See Also
Is This A Judicial Opinion Or Freshman Philosophy Hour?: Next up, a hamburger contract breach that asks how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Signs Before…
Hiring In This Practice Area Has Seen A Sharp Decline
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to Firm Prospects’ 2025 Q1 Lateral Hiring Trends Report, hiring in which practice area saw the most…
Good Luck Finding New Talent! — See Also
Law Students Refuse To Work For Capitulating Firms: Resistance matters at every level. Want To Make Sure Your Law School Investment Pays Off?: These are the top law schools for…
These Supreme Court Justices Have The Money
(Image via Getty) Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! Which two Supreme Court justices have appeared on U.S. currency? Hint: Neither bill is currently…
It’s An Honor, Really — See Also
Rachel Cohen Honored For Standing Up To Skadden For The Rule Of Law: Now that’s a line for the resume! It’s Like Saying “I Do” To The Rule Of Law:…
Former Justice Breyer Rings The Criminal Contempt Alarm — See Also
Refusing The Court Is Criminal: Former Justice thinks Marc Rubio, Pam Bondi, and others can be held in criminal contempt for defying orders. Bad Thing About Public Opinions Is That…
The $2 Billion Biglaw Club
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to the data collected as part of the Am Law 100 ranking, how many Biglaw firms have…
The Intellectual Legal Right Is Coming For Trump — See Also
Lawyers On The Right And The Left Agree: What the Trump administration is doing is deeply disturbing. More Folks Are Quitting The Cowardly Firms That Made Deals With Trump: Simpson…
Norton Rose Attorneys Advised Not To Comment On He Who Must Not Be Named
Norton Rose Fulbright attorneys are being warned by firm leaders to mind their Ps and Qs when talking about Donald Trump. Due to “sensitivities surrounding this subject,” whenever an attorney…
How Appealing Weekly Roundup
Ed. Note: A weekly roundup of just a few items from Howard Bashman’s How Appealing blog, the Web’s first blog devoted to appellate litigation. Check out these stories and more…
Maybe Don’t ‘Both Sides’ Disappearing People To Foreign Gulags, OK?
Every so often, someone pings the tipster line and asks some variant of, “Why aren’t you more bipartisan?” Many times this is couched in a stream of expletives. Often it’s…
Handling Multiple Court Appearances Scheduled For The Same Time
One of the issues that many small firm lawyers face is they often need to appear at multiple court appearances at the same time. Although larger firms might have the…
Even The Thoughts You May Think Are Dangerous — See Also
Marco Rubio Pushes For Thought Crime Deportations: This is going to end up in the “How did they let things get so far” part of a history book. NYU’s Law…
Supreme Court Makes Unusual Move In Birthright Citizenship Case
The Trump administration keeps losing challenges to his effort to rewrite the birthright citizenship provision of the Fourteenth Amendment. Earlier today, the Supreme Court agreed to take up the administration’s…
A&O Shearman Drew A Very Strange Line In The Sand – See Also
The Firm’s $125M Capitulation Has A Very Small Asterisk: No free work on trade deals! That’s Way Too Many Pro Boner Hours: Attorney may have gotten caught streaming 60+ hours…
Biglaw Is Big Business
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to the data collected by ALM, what is the total gross revenue for the Am Law 100…
Biglaw Wins, Losses, And Goodbyes — See Also
Resisting Firms Are Winning Bigly!: Not only is this the 4th firm to win a TRO, the judge sends their compliments! Reed Smith Nixes Their Diversity Program To Avoid The…
Biglaw Firm Had A Big Jump In Revenue
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! Which Biglaw firm, according to the new Am Law 100 ranking, saw the biggest increase in the gross…
Pro Bono Or Protection? — See Also
Call It What It Is: The free labor these firms pledged to Donald Trump have nothing to do with helping those in need. Criticism From On High: Paul Hastings partner…
Biglaw Firm Gets Major Props For Telling Associates Like It Is
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! Which Biglaw firm gets top marks on the 2025 Vault ranking for its transparency? Hint: The firm does…
Another Associate Tells Firm Goodbye And Good Riddance – See Also
Working For Simps No Longer: Attorney ends stay at capitulating firm with a fiery send off. Partner Sends A Norm Check To The Firm: In short, none of this is…
Prada To Buy Versace In $1.38 Billion Acquisition Deal
The post Prada To Buy Versace In $1.38 Billion Acquisition Deal appeared first on Above the Law.
What documents should I bring to a consultation?
documents should I bring to a consultation When preparing for a consultation with an employment lawyer, it’s essential to gather the right documents to ensure a productive meeting. Whether you’re…
The Biglaw Attacks Level Up – See Also
First The Good News: Susman Godfrey files lawsuit challenging the Trumpian Executive Order targeting the firm. Now The Bad: Trump is playing Darth Vader, upping the stakes of his deals…
Biglaw Firm Is Notable On Both Sides Of The Pond
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! Which Biglaw firm is the only one to have a former US Attorney General and a former UK…
Susman Godfrey Hits Back At Trump Administration Over Executive Order Targeting The Firm
Pretty much from the moment Susman Godfrey was targeted by Donald Trump with an Executive Order designed to extract a financial penalty for not swearing fealty to Trump, the firm…
A&O Shearman One Of Most Recent Firms To Make The $100M+ Pro Bono Mistake – See Also
The Associates Have Spoken & The Pressure Is On: An overwhelming majority of the associates want the firm to stand their ground. Too Little, Too Late: A&O Shearman folded, along…
Closing The Networking Playbook: Perfecting Your Long-Term Skills
Getty Images Ed note: This is the last in a series. Read the previous installment here. As we draw the curtains on our networking trilogy — from drafting the pre-conference…
About That Pro Bono Pledge – See Also
Resistance In The Ranks: Former Paul Weiss special counsel in charge or pro bono would rather quit than follow through. Run, Don’t Walk: Attorneys want nothing to do with the…
Biglaw’s Most Selective
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to Vault’s 2025 Best Law Firms ranking, which Biglaw firm scored best for selectivity? Hint: The firm…
Quitting Biglaw Over Executive Orders Isn’t Just For Third Years – See Also
Biglaw Firm Loses One Of Their Most Experienced Lawyers: The first of many to come? Susman Godfrey Targeted By Latest Executive Order: That isn’t even the worst news. Jenner And…
What Happened To The People Who Went To Law School Because Of President Trump During His First Term?
(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) The Wall Street Journal reports that this year had a surge in law school applications with some schools receiving their highest number ever. A number…
Supreme Court Pretends To Give Due Process Its Due – See Also
Shadow Docket Opinion On Due Process Too Little, Too Late: Based on her dissent, Sotomayor has had enough of it. The Don Sets Sights On Cadwalader: Will they stand tall…
This Biglaw Firm Rebounded Big Time Last Year
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! After a disappointing 2023, which Biglaw firm saw a 19.7% increase in revenue to $1.62 billion and a…
Choosing Between Money And The Right Thing – See Also
Biglaw Associate Quits With Dramatic Flair: Strong commitment to morals underneath all of the cog metaphors. Did You Hear About The Paul Weiss Partner Event?: It might not have been…
Thank You For Inventing The Billable Hour!
The billable hour is not the natural state of legal billing. In fact, it wasn’t invented until after World War I, when Reginald Heber Smith proposed to move his firm…
Biglaw Badge Of Dishonor Ranking – See Also
Profiles In Cowardice: Above the Law unveils its Biglaw Spine Index following firm responses to threats to the rule of law. Show Me The Money: Attorneys wonder about firm finances…
The Battle For The Heart Of The First Amendment Is Heating Up
In this episode of The Jabot, I chat with David Enrich, business investigations editor at The New York Times and author of “Murder The Truth.” They explore the powerful influence…
Stat(s) Of The Week: Judicial Elections
On Tuesday, in the most expensive judicial race on record, Susan Crawford defeated the Trump-endorsed candidate, Brad Schimel, for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, preserving the court’s liberal…
The Biglaw Firm That Provides The Best Training To Be An Actual Lawyer
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to Vault’s 2025 Best Law Firms ranking, which Biglaw firm scored best for formal associate training? Hint:…
Say Hello To The ATL Spine Index! — See Also
It Is Hard To Keep Up With Each New Biglaw Capitulator On Your Own: Did your firm show Trump its belly? Find out using this tracker! Kirkland Is Waving The…
‘It Will Set Us Back Multiple Decades’: Why Public Health Experts Are Panicking About the HHS Overhaul
This week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) underwent a massive restructuring under its secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., resulting in the sudden departure of thousands of employees…
Weird Place To See Your Professor’s Name! – See Also
Hundreds Of Law Professors File Amicus Brief: See if your school is represented! Didn’t Expect To See That Name So Soon: The prosecution wants a second bite at Jeffrey Williams.…
The Recipe For Disaster: What Not To Do In Post-Conference Follow-Ups
Getty Images Ed note: This is the eighth in a series. Read the previous installment here. Picture yourself as a chef in the grand kitchen of networking. The conference has…
Milbank Goes Morally Bankrupt – See Also
Milbank Is The Latest Biglaw Firm To Kneel To Trump: More pro bono payola. DLA Piper Has A Reason For Cracking Down On Diversity: It isn’t a good one, but…
Even George W. Bush’s Attorney General Thinks Trump’s Attack On Biglaw Is Some ‘Petty’ Bullsh*t
Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Former United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appeared on the NPR podcast The Middle with Jeremy Hobson, and he had…
Hey, Where’s My Money? — See Also
Biglaw Firm Delays Bonuses And Raises: What’s the matter with Lewis Brisbois? Willkie Might Be Next On The Chopping Block: No way Willkie will cave! About That Maybe: Another $100M…
Willkie Farr Surrenders To Trump
(Photo by (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) Earlier today, we learned that Biglaw firm Willkie Farr was preparing to be the next Biglaw firm targeted by Donald Trump’s likely unconstitutional…
Georgetown Law Students Humble Skadden – See Also
Nobody Wants To Work At A Firm With No Bite: Student group tells Skadden to not even bother with recruitment efforts. The Big Punches Aren’t Coming From Biglaw: Boutique firms…
Holding Office Solely To Do As The Party Dictates
Why do people run for powerful federal offices? I’m not talking about running for the local school board. Well-intentioned people run for school board for entirely logical reasons. But why…
Two Biglaw Paths Diverge In The Woods — See Also
Fallout From Skadden’s Capitulation: A principled “I QUIT” from an associate. Suddenly Skadden Associates Can’t Send Out Mass Emails: Not suspicious at all… Jenner & Block and WilmerHale Get Court…
The Startling Spike In Threats To Federal Judges
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to a U.S. Marshals Service annual report for 2024, “credible threats” to federal judges are up how…
Skadden Senior Associate Quits After Firm’s Craven Capitulation To Trump
Earlier today Above the Law reported that Skadden shut off the ability for its attorneys to send emails via large internal distribution lists. And before that it was widely reported…
Biglaw Firms Square Off Against The Administration – See Also
Look At That, Lawyers Willing To Mount A Legal Defense!: There’s still some fight in the industry! They Aren’t The Only Ones!: WilmerHale and Paul Clement prepare to do battle.…
Not One, But Two, George W. Bush-Appointed Judges Grant Restraining Orders Against Trump’s Biglaw Executive Orders
For the second and third times, federal judges issued Temporary Restraining Orders against the Trump administration stopping them from enforcing key provisions of Executive Orders targeting Biglaw firms. This morning…
Per Diem Attorneys May Not Be Best For Oral Arguments
In some jurisdictions, lawyers commonly send per diem lawyers to attend certain court functions. Such lawyers are usually paid a flat fee to make court appearances and are used in…
Ad Homs Aren’t As Forceful As The Administration Thought – See Also
Trump Administration Insults Fail To Sway Judge: No falling in line! Law School Deans Denounce The Trump Administration: Three cheers for the rule of law! Fraud Comes With Costs: Disbarred…
~$20M Hemp Fraud Lands Disbarred Attorney In Prison
When states began to legalize the production and sale of weed, people were quick to try and make a quick buck off the blunts being passed around. 2020 was a…
So Much For OCI — See Also
Just Send In Your Resume: This elite Biglaw firm is done with OCI. Is yours? The List Grows In Number!: Over 50 bar associations stand between Trump and the rule…
When The President Went To The Supreme Court
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! Who was the most recent President of the United States to have argued before the Supreme Court? Hint:…
Elon Musk Sets His Sights On Skadden — See Also
Announcing Battle By Tweet: Biglaw firm in the hot seat for challenging conspiracy laden Dinesh D’Souza film. Jenner & Block Joins The Trump Hit List: Let’s see how they respond!…
Paul Weiss Interview Aged Like Raw Milk
Back in 2019, most folks in Biglaw couldn’t imagine the all out assault that would come for the legal profession in just six years. But in the year of our…
Small Firm, Hard Hits — See Also
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Why Authenticity Matters In Law: A Conversation With Hannah Beko
In an era defined by rapid technological advancements and shifting professional paradigms, what does it mean to be authentic in the legal field? On Season 10, Episode 10 of “Notes…
Forensic Data Collection: A Bridge Between Digital Forensics, eDiscovery, And Artificial Intelligence
Getty Images Ed. note: This article first appeared in an ILTA publication. For more, visit our ILTA on ATL channel here. In the summer of 1956, when John McCarthy gathered…
Some Clients Have Unusual Payment Preferences
One of the things that associate attorneys do not usually need to deal with — and can be a pain in the neck for partners and self-employed lawyers — is…
Hinge Health is Going Public. Is It Wise?
The digital health IPO market hasn’t exactly been active in recent years. There was a surge in 2021, when 21 of the 57 active public digital health companies today made…
Third Year’s The Charm – See Also
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Social Media And Suicide – Above the Law
We hear so much about the downside of social media and suicide. Still, a recent study confirms that lived experience sharing stories of hope and recovery can contribute to suicide…
Now That’s A Lawyerly Origin Story — See Also
Where In New York, Specifically?: Kash Patel got his JD in New York, but it was a little vague when it came to where. Paul Weiss Beats A Retreat: According…
How Remote Staff Can Help Small Firms Punch Above Their Weight
Getty Images What was a forced decision five years ago is now an option that is being warmly welcomed by law firm owners everywhere: The use of remote staff as…
Easy Guessing Who’s Next On The Administration’s Hit List – See Also
No Fury Like The Orange Man Scorned: Six more firms could be hearing from the Trump administration very soon. It’s Like He’s Trying To Ruin The Economy: The Trump administration’s…
Is there a cost for workplace discrimination legal advice Ontario?
cost for workplace discrimination legal advice Ontario Workplace discrimination legal advice Ontario is a crucial resource for employees who experience unfair treatment at work. Many employees who face discrimination may…
DOJ Plays Tractor Chicken With Federal Judge Over Venezuelan Deportations
Attorney General Pam Bondi is tryin’ it with Chief Judge James Boasberg. At an emergency hearing on Saturday regarding Venezuelan migrants summarily deported to a slave prison in El Salvador…
Biglaw Firm Scrubs Diversity, But They’re Honest About It – See Also
Gotta Respect The Frankness: Bryan Cave chose to be up-front about removing diversity language. Universal Music Group Disses Drake In Motion To Dismiss: Rough times for the Canadian pop star.…
Bannon Drops Bombshell: Trump Wants To Cripple Elite Law Firms
(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day. They’re not going to be walking around making four and five, six million bucks…
One Loss Won’t Stop The Administration – See Also
Fresh Off Loss, Trump Targets Another Biglaw Firm: Trump sets his sights on Paul Weiss. And Another, And Another, And Another…: The administration just set the EEOC on 20 Biglaw…
Harvard Law Students Vote To Divest From Israel
About that referendum! To catch you up, student-led protests at Harvard Law have been catching hell from the administration. They’ve largely been calling for ceasefires, but the students have branched…
You Can Actually Balance A Legal Career And Family Life
Personal injury attorney Edward Ortega and I dive into the nuances of legal careers. From unexpected courtroom experiences to the role of technology in modern law practice, Edward shares his…
The Hidden Cost of Medicaid Cuts: Why the GOP’s Budget Plan Would Be a Disaster for Hospitals
As Congress deliberates what the future of Medicaid funding will look like, healthcare executives are worried. House Republicans proposed Medicaid cuts last month that would have sweeping and disproportionate consequences…
The Ultimate Courtroom Moment – Above the Law
(Photo by Bruce Glikas/Getty Images) Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! What legal drama was writer Aaron Sorkin’s first screenplay? Hint: The climax of…
Stat(s) Of The Week: A Big Gap In Legal Tech Satisfaction
Legal tech users in the U.S. and the U.K. report widely different levels of satisfaction with their systems, according to a new survey, raising questions about how companies are meeting…
Biglaw Firm Is Winning So Much But Clients Are Still Scared – See Also
Being Right Has Its Consequences: Perkins Coie is winning against Trump in court. But will clients risk Trump’s ire? These Law Schools Have Amazing First-Time Bar Passage Rates: Is your…
How To Master Your Time And Build A Thriving Firm
Getty Images Time is a lawyer’s most valuable asset — but are you using it wisely? In a recent episode of the “Be That Lawyer” podcast, Mike Chastaine — an…
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Donna Adelson’s Lawyer Pushes To Exclude Divorce Evidence From Trial
After years of delays, Donna Adelson’s trial is finally picking up some speed. She was accused of first-degree murder along with conspiracy and solicitation in the killing of Dan Markel,…
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Winningly “Bigly” Looks A Lot Like Downward Spiraling Investment Portfolios: Gotta love Trumpenomics! This Is What Happens When You Take On Biglaw: Judge grants Perkins Coie’s TRO preventing the enforcement…
Thinking Like A (Potential) Lawyer Goes Viral On Jubilee
What do you call an informed adult arguing with a loud 20-something who didn’t do the reading? A Con Law professor arguing with a gunner. What do you call it…
Perkins Coie Isn’t Backing Down — See Also
Biglaw Firm Prepares To Do Battle With Trump Administration: They’ve recruited Williams & Connolly for the fight. The Williams & Connolly Response Doubles As A Con Law Outline: They came…
Hiding In Plain Sight: Cybercriminals Take Advantage Of U.S. Cloud Providers
Ed. note: This is the latest in the article series, Cybersecurity: Tips From the Trenches, by our friends at Sensei Enterprises, a boutique provider of IT, cybersecurity, and digital forensics…
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More Big Names Get Caught Up In Diddy Freak Off Allegations
(Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images) Those Diddy party invitations really should have come with “attending this party may do serious damage to your future reputation” disclaimers. They attracted the likes…
Partners Shouldn’t Guilt Associates To Bill More Hours
Many partners at law firms do everything they can to increase the number of hours billed by associates since this has a substantial impact on the financial health of a…
Texas Chief Justice Tells State Bar To Keep It Classy In Judiciary Address
Political affiliations can complicate hearing messages about decorum and establishing what the proper consequences to violating norms are. Al Green managed to smuggle a spine in to Trump’s address to…
Ex-NSA Cyber Chief Warns Of ‘Devastating Impact’ Of Potential DOGE-Inspired Firings
The post Ex-NSA Cyber Chief Warns Of ‘Devastating Impact’ Of Potential DOGE-Inspired Firings appeared first on Above the Law.
The Legal Job Market Is Going Nuts Right Now
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to Leopard Solutions’ Feb. 2025 Law Jobs Report, total open jobs increased by how much year over…
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Alito Doesn’t Like Being Taken Seriously: No, courts can’t review *those* executive decisions! Georgetown Law Comes Out Swinging: They won’t be bullied by Ed Martin. Trump Wages War Against Law…
Tiny Independent Agency Punches DOGE In The Nose
Every day under the DOGE regime is more surreal and terrifying than the last. Here’s an excerpt from a lawsuit filed yesterday by Ward Brehm, the President and CEO of…
ABA Gets Pressured By Pam Bondi — See Also
Get Rid Of DEI Or We Get Rid Of Your Accrediting: Rough times for the ABA. Justice Jackson Shares Her Thoughts On Diversity: The people in power should look like…
White House Has Absolutely Unhinged Response To Judicial Threats
The Trump administration has never seen a fire they were *uninterested* in pouring gasoline on, and this story has a lot of that energy. We all know that the right-wing…
Why Be A Lawyer When Being A Movie Star Is On The Table?
(Image via Getty) Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! What actor, know for roles in 300, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of…
Former Justice Breyer Speaks At Harvard Panel On Legal Interpretation
(Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images) One of the quickest lessons you pick up in law school is that the path to knowing the law doesn’t end…
Demands To Adhere To The Rule Of Law Grow – See Also
Deans, Professors, Judges, Partners…: Basically everyone came out to the rule of law’s defense. With Neighbors Like These, Who Needs Enemies!: The Biglaw partner neighbor squabble got even worse. Bomb…
Biglaw Partner’s Feud With Neighbor Takes A Decidedly Creepy Turn
When last we checked in with Goodwin tax partner Alex Apostolopoulos, his disagreement with his neighbors had gotten all slur-y. Back in November, Apostolopoulos responded to an email sent to…
See You At The Firm! — See Also
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Donald Trump, NATO, And The Market For Kids’ Desks
(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) On the one hand, I feel sorry for today’s 6-year-olds who have to do active shooter drills in their elementary schools. On the other hand,…
A Hollywood Awards Show For Lawyers (That Isn’t A Deposition)
Before law school sucks their dreams away under a mountain of student debt, many students picture themselves getting into the entertainment industry. Famous clients! Exciting legal problems! Hollywood living! Then…
Stat(s) Of The Week: How Much Do In-House Lawyers Make?
Last week, ATL released its 2024 report on in-house compensation, providing a detailed look at how much corporate counsel make. The report draws on information from more than 1,100 attorneys…
UnitedHealth Hit with 2 New Federal Probes in 1 Week
The federal government has been cracking down on healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group over the past year, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. For instance, the Department of Justice…
Supreme Court Justice Knows What He Likes
Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! The late Justice John Paul Stevens was known to enjoy what kind of sandwich? Hint: Indeed, Sonia Sotomayor…
Elon Steals Multibillion FAA Contract From Verizon – See Also
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Lawyers Should More Often Talk About Their Failures
Lawyers, like pretty much everyone else, do not like to discuss their defeats. When attorneys speak to one another, they usually discuss their victories in order to promote themselves in…
Clarence Does ‘Anger At Death Penalty’ A Little Different From Most — See Also
Imagine Being Mad That The State Can’t Kill Someone After Destroying Evidence: Don’t try too hard — you may end up agreeing with Clarence Thomas. ATL Does Its Part To…
ABA Working Group Publishes Guidelines For Responsible AI Use By State And Federal Courts
The post ABA Working Group Publishes Guidelines For Responsible AI Use By State And Federal Courts appeared first on Above the Law.
Getting The Best Will Cost You The Most – See Also
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California Bar Exam Managed To Be Even Worse Than Expected
We all knew that this administration of the California bar exam would be a disaster. We just didn’t know how bad it would get. The answer — as Clemenza put…
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Yale Is Where You’d Expect, But Check Out Everything Else!: Check to see if you might get an unexpected prestige bump! Prepare To Fail Upward: Reality TV star’s fallback career…
NYC Sues FEMA For $80M Smash And Grab Stunt
The Trump administration racked up yet another lawsuit this week thanks to the City of New York. It’s the latest fallout from the shitshow debacle involving migrants housed at the…
Someone’s Gonna Represent Him, But It Ain’t Me — See Also
Anthony Ricco Wants Out Of Representing Diddy: Not sure which straw was the final one, but it’s over. Stop Being A Meany-Head, Your Honor: DOJ attorneys throw tantrum over judge’s…
On Honor And Dishonor In 2025
On a Saturday night in October 1973, President Richard Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliott Richardson to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Richardson resigned his office rather than comply. Nixon then…
DoD Reviewing ‘Non-Essential’ Consultancy Contracts For Termination
The post DoD Reviewing ‘Non-Essential’ Consultancy Contracts For Termination appeared first on Above the Law.
How can a work harassment lawyer protect my rights?
work harassment lawyer protect my rights When facing workplace harassment, it’s essential to have a knowledgeable advocate by your side to protect your rights and ensure you receive the justice…
More Law Firms Should Have Mandatory Retirement Requirements
Many states impose mandatory retirement ages, set by statute, on judges. Such retirement ages make sense since it is important that individuals retire when they may be less able to…
Conquering Conferences: Adding Value In Your Follow-Up
Getty Images Ed note: This is the third in a series. Read the previous installment here. Imagine your follow-up as a gourmet meal, not just a quick snack. It should…