AbovetheLaw Story of the Week – Skadden’s Spring Bonus? Gift Cards For Associates!

I think we can say that the notion of spring bonuses is officially dead. It’s already June, and the summer solstice is right around the corner. The lockstep Biglaw firms are just not going to be paying spring bonuses this year. But spring/summer tips are still alive and well. When Sullivan & Cromwell announced its […]

AbovetheLaw Story of the Week – Dewey Know A Partner Whose Alleged Actions Led to a $400K ‘Severance Arrangement’?

Last week, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the American Lawyer all mentioned an unusual debt in the bankruptcy case of Dewey & LeBoeuf. A former D&L associate, Emily Saffitz, was listed as being owed $416,667 — a sum big enough to put her in the top 20 unsecured creditors of the […]

AbovetheLaw Story of the Week – A Clifford Chance Senior Associate Begs a Colleague to Stop Masturbating to Him Via ‘Reply All’

We’ve written time and again about the dangers of using the reply-all email function, but it seems that those in Biglaw just can’t take the hint. It’s how allegedly lecherous Quinn Emanuel partners get outed. It’s how apparently discontent MoFo partners share their feelings about the firm. It’s how Skadden partners make their evaluations of […]

AbovetheLaw Story of the Week – Wow, This Sixth Circuit Judge Knows A Lot About Bourbon

We’ve been dealing with a lot of negativity around here recently, what with the implosion of Dewey, the stress of finals, Texan lawyers flying off the handle. Seems like things are getting a little out of control. So, everyone, let’s just slow down and enjoy a nice story about drinking. Specifically the story of the […]

AbovetheLaw Story of the Week – ‘[Bleep] With Me And You Will Have A Huge [Bleep]hole,’ Warns Biglaw Partner

We’ve seen some heated deposition transcripts in the past, but we didn’t know that simply scheduling a deposition could get so nasty. Clearly, we’ve never practiced in Texas, a place where Biglaw lawyers occasionally have to contend with “pansy” opposing counsel. And, you know, have sanctions sought against them for their allegedly inappropriate email correspondence. […]

AbovetheLaw Story of the Week – When Dewey WARN People?

The U.S. employees of Dewey & LeBoeuf received a letter today that many of them have been expecting for a long time. It was a note warning people to prepare for the worst. It was a letter finally admitting to firm employees that “it is possible that adverse developments could ultimately result in the closure […]

AbovetheLaw Story of the Week – Law Revue Video Contest 2012: The Finalists!

You’ve seen the worst of the worst; now cast your eyes on the best of the best. Or, perhaps more accurately, “the least musically and comically painful videos of the 2012 law revue season.” Maybe we’ve just been doing this for too long, but this felt like a rough year in terms of overall quality. […]

AbovetheLaw Story of the Week – Barrister’s Ball Blowout: A Night of Booze, Barf, and Blood (and B*tching About the Budget)

It’s springtime, and you know what that means: the Above the Law tips inbox has started overflowing with lurid tales of Barrister’s Ball debauchery. To start the season off on the right foot, we’ve got story for you from a law school that’s been on our watch list before for alcohol-related offenses. Apparently students at […]

AbovetheLaw Story of the Week – Baylor Law Screw-Up Reveals Personal Data of Entire Admitted Class: Data That We’ve Got

There are data breaches, and then there are data dummies. The people at Baylor Law seem to be in the latter category. Nobody was trying to steal the personal information of the admitted students at Baylor Law. But a screw-up by someone at the school resulted in all of the personal information of the admitted […]

AbovetheLaw Story of the Week – Lawsuit of the Day: McDonald’s Turned Me Into a Hooker

“Would you like fries with that? No? How about a blow job?” Don’t get too excited, guys. Oral sex hasn’t made it to the Dollar Menu just yet. Instead, we have news of a woman who’s filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s, alleging that the billion-dollar burger bordello played a part in turning her into a […]