Career & Practice

Applications for law school up an ‘unnatural’ 35% from 2023

It’s shaping up to be very competitive year for aspiring law students.

Dec 5, 2024 4:53 PM CST

Lawyers spar in Supreme Court over constitutional rights in transgender health care case

The lengthy arguments this week in United States v. Skrmetti—a major case about whether a Tennessee law barring certain medical treatments for transgender minors violates the 14th Amendment—were marked by past positions, anticipation of future battles, a historical first and one justice’s curious silence.

Dec 5, 2024 2:15 PM CST

Judge gave ‘reasonable impression’ she was letting immigrant evade ICE, ethics charges say

A Massachusetts judge who allegedly gave a “reasonable impression” that she was allowing an immigrant to evade federal custody was “less than fully candid” when asked about the incident, according to an ethics complaint filed Monday.

Dec 5, 2024 12:52 PM CST

2 federal judges have changed their minds about senior status; will 2 appeals judges follow suit?

After President-elect Donald Trump won a second term in the White House, two Democratic-appointed federal judges announced that they no longer plan to take senior status.

Dec 5, 2024 10:02 AM CST

Horse-loving lawyer left the law to help run a Colorado ranch

In Running Free: An Incredible Story of Love, Survival, and How 200 Horses Trapped in a Wildfire Helped One Woman Find Her Soul lawyer Ami Cullen shares a lightly fictionalized version of the journey that she’s been on for more than a decade.

Dec 4, 2024 4:00 PM CST

Judge with propensity for hugging workers said he had ‘loose screws’ in head after thwarted kiss, ethics complaint says

Updated: A judge in East Chicago, Indiana, who acknowledged routinely hugging court staff members is facing ethics charges that allege unwanted touching and inappropriate remarks.

Dec 4, 2024 3:11 PM CST

Muslim lawyer can’t sue over revoked BigLaw job offer based on this theory, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Chicago has tossed a promissory estoppel claim in a Muslim lawyer’s lawsuit against Foley & Lardner for revoking her associate job offer after learning of her comments about Israel and Gaza.

Dec 4, 2024 12:23 PM CST

One justice was ‘especially vocal’ in opposition to enforcement mechanism for SCOTUS ethics code, report says

When the U.S. Supreme released its new ethics code in November 2023, critics complained that it relied on an “honor system,” rather than an enforcement mechanism.

Dec 4, 2024 10:44 AM CST

Notre Dame has become a pipeline for SCOTUS clerkships and a magnet for justices

The Supreme Court’s conservative justices are increasingly hiring Notre Dame Law School’s graduates and faculty to work in their chambers. Those who interact with the justices say they are drawn to the Midwestern campus because of its breadth of conservative legal scholarship, in addition to the appeal of football and an all-day tailgate.

Dec 3, 2024 3:45 PM CST

Judge acknowledged his ‘profane outburst’ shocked himself, Florida court says in imposing suspension

A Florida judge has been suspended partly for a “profane outburst” in which he used the F-word and called a man in his courtroom an “a- -hole.”

Dec 3, 2024 3:03 PM CST

Must Hunter Biden’s indictment be dismissed after presidential pardon? Special counsel doesn’t think so

The special counsel’s office is opposing motions to dismiss the tax-fraud and gun indictments against Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, arguing that a presidential pardon does not require it.

Dec 3, 2024 12:48 PM CST

Overall partner promotions shrink slightly, including for BigLaw firm that promoted 200 lawyers

A slightly lower number of partner promotions this year by Kirkland & Ellis is in keeping with the trend; new-partner class sizes in BigLaw have decreased an average of 4% this year, based on partnership announcements so far.

Dec 3, 2024 8:56 AM CST

Lawyer convicted of tampering with corpse has law license revoked at her request

A Florida lawyer who pleaded guilty to tampering with a corpse of a woman killed in Dallas has had her license revoked at her request.

Dec 2, 2024 3:34 PM CST

Amid worry about Trump, calls for career Justice Dept. staff to stay

Attorney General Merrick Garland and top Justice Department officials are encouraging career staffers to remain in their jobs through the next administration, stressing that institutional knowledge is important as new leaders take hold, according to people familiar with those conversations

Dec 2, 2024 2:30 PM CST

BigLaw firms pile on bonus bandwagon led by Milbank, and some offer more to top associates

Updated: By Thursday morning, more than 30 law firms had matched Milbank’s year-end bonuses and announced special bonuses on par with Milbank’s summer bonuses, according to bonus announcements obtained by Above the Law.

Dec 2, 2024 12:17 PM CST