Author: TSA Press

The
second
Trump
administration
will
surely
be
a
disaster
for
the

planet
and

all
living
things.
But
it
does
promise
to
have
some
very
funny
moments
—
although
we
may
find
ourselves
laughing
from
the
confines
of
a
gulag.

One
source
of
humor
will
be
Matthew
Whitaker,
whom
Trump
just
announced
this
morning
would
be
representing
our
beleaguered
nation
as
ambassador
to
NATO.
Whitaker
was
the
thumb-headed
dingus
who
took
over
as
acting
attorney
general
after
the
2018
midterms
when
Trump
kicked
Jeff
Sessions
to
the
curb.

“Matt
is
a
strong
warrior
and
loyal
Patriot,
who
will
ensure
the
United
States’
interests
are
advanced
and
defended.
Matt
will
strengthen
relationships
with
our
NATO
Allies,
and
stand
firm
in
the
face
of
threats
to
Peace
and
Stability,”
Trump’s
team
said
in
a
statement
blasted
to
reporters,
adding
that
“Matt
is
also
the
former
U.S.
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
and
is
a
graduate
of
the
University
of
Iowa
with
a
B.A.,
MBA
and
J.D.,
where
he
played
football,
and
received
the
Big
Ten
Medal
of
Honor.”

That
will
come
in
handy
if
we
need
to
tackle
the
representative
from
Romania.

It
should
be
noted
that
our
current
representative
at
NATO
is

Scott
Oudkirk,
a
career
diplomat
with
degrees
from
Georgetown’s
School
of
Foreign
Service
and
the
National
Defense
University’s
Eisenhower
School,
who
served
on
the
National
Security
Counsel
and
in
posts
in
Turkey,
Iraq,
China,
and
Jamaica.
During
the
first
Trump
administration,
we
were
represented
former
Texas
Senator
Kay
Bailey
Hutchison.

Now
we’re
sending
the
big
dick
toilet
guy.

Forgive
the
profanity,
but
this
is
a
guy
so
deeply
unimpressive
that,
five
years
after
serving
as
the
US
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
he
was
part
of
a
scammy
“invention
promotion
firm”
hawking
a
giant
toilet
for
men
who
can’t
keep
their
dangly
bits
out
of
the
bowl.
Every
time
Iowa
Republicans
had
a
chance
to
elevate
this
guy
—
to
Iowa
Treasurer,
to
Iowa
Supreme
Court,
to
the
Senate
—
they
passed.
The
best
he
could
do
was
get
himself
on
wingnut
welfare,
heading
up
an
astroturf

“chop
shop
of
fake
ethics
complaints”
to
harass
Hillary
Clinton.

Whitaker
was
thrust
into
the
spotlight
during
the
first
Trump
administration
when
the
president
passed
over
Deputy
AG
Rod
Rosenstein
to
make
Whitaker
acting
AG
after
Sessions
was
defenestrated.
Washington
Post
journalists
Philip
Rucker
and
Carol
Leonnig

wrote
that
his
direct
reports
at
DOJ
called
him
“Mongo,”
a
reference
to
the
big,
dumb
oaf
portrayed
by
Alex
Karras
[ed
note:
who
also
played
football
for
the
University
of
Iowa]
in
“Blazing
Saddles.”

He’s
a…
you
know…
MORON.

And
now
Donald
Trump
is
going
to
send
him
to
NATO
to
knock
down
other
countries
and
steal
their
lunch
money
because
the
moron
in
chief

believes
that
defense
spending
guarantees
amount
to
an
unpaid
vig
to
the
US.

Ah,
well,
Mongo
only
pawn…
in
game
of
life.

---

Liz
Dye lives
in
Baltimore
where
she
produces
the
Law
and
Chaos substack and podcast.

The
second
Trump
administration
will
surely
be
a
disaster
for
the

planet
and

all
living
things.
But
it
does
promise
to
have
some
very
funny
moments
—
although
we
may
find
ourselves
laughing
from
the
confines
of
a
gulag.

One
source
of
humor
will
be
Matthew
Whitaker,
whom
Trump
just
announced
this
morning
would
be
representing
our
beleaguered
nation
as
ambassador
to
NATO.
Whitaker
was
the
thumb-headed
dingus
who
took
over
as
acting
attorney
general
after
the
2018
midterms
when
Trump
kicked
Jeff
Sessions
to
the
curb.

“Matt
is
a
strong
warrior
and
loyal
Patriot,
who
will
ensure
the
United
States’
interests
are
advanced
and
defended.
Matt
will
strengthen
relationships
with
our
NATO
Allies,
and
stand
firm
in
the
face
of
threats
to
Peace
and
Stability,”
Trump’s
team
said
in
a
statement
blasted
to
reporters,
adding
that
“Matt
is
also
the
former
U.S.
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
and
is
a
graduate
of
the
University
of
Iowa
with
a
B.A.,
MBA
and
J.D.,
where
he
played
football,
and
received
the
Big
Ten
Medal
of
Honor.”

That
will
come
in
handy
if
we
need
to
tackle
the
representative
from
Romania.

It
should
be
noted
that
our
current
representative
at
NATO
is

Scott
Oudkirk,
a
career
diplomat
with
degrees
from
Georgetown’s
School
of
Foreign
Service
and
the
National
Defense
University’s
Eisenhower
School,
who
served
on
the
National
Security
Counsel
and
in
posts
in
Turkey,
Iraq,
China,
and
Jamaica.
During
the
first
Trump
administration,
we
were
represented
former
Texas
Senator
Kay
Bailey
Hutchison.

Now
we’re
sending
the
big
dick
toilet
guy.

Forgive
the
profanity,
but
this
is
a
guy
so
deeply
unimpressive
that,
five
years
after
serving
as
the
US
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
he
was
part
of
a
scammy
“invention
promotion
firm”
hawking
a
giant
toilet
for
men
who
can’t
keep
their
dangly
bits
out
of
the
bowl.
Every
time
Iowa
Republicans
had
a
chance
to
elevate
this
guy
—
to
Iowa
Treasurer,
to
Iowa
Supreme
Court,
to
the
Senate
—
they
passed.
The
best
he
could
do
was
get
himself
on
wingnut
welfare,
heading
up
an
astroturf

“chop
shop
of
fake
ethics
complaints”
to
harass
Hillary
Clinton.

Whitaker
was
thrust
into
the
spotlight
during
the
first
Trump
administration
when
the
president
passed
over
Deputy
AG
Rod
Rosenstein
to
make
Whitaker
acting
AG
after
Sessions
was
defenestrated.
Washington
Post
journalists
Philip
Rucker
and
Carol
Leonnig

wrote
that
his
direct
reports
at
DOJ
called
him
“Mongo,”
a
reference
to
the
big,
dumb
oaf
portrayed
by
Alex
Karras
[ed
note:
who
also
played
football
for
the
University
of
Iowa]
in
“Blazing
Saddles.”

He’s
a…
you
know…
MORON.

And
now
Donald
Trump
is
going
to
send
him
to
NATO
to
knock
down
other
countries
and
steal
their
lunch
money
because
the
moron
in
chief

believes
that
defense
spending
guarantees
amount
to
an
unpaid
vig
to
the
US.

Ah,
well,
Mongo
only
pawn…
in
game
of
life.

---

Liz
Dye lives
in
Baltimore
where
she
produces
the
Law
and
Chaos substack and podcast.

The

Wells
Fargo
Legal
Specialty
Group
Nine-Month
2024
Survey
is
out
and
the
word
from
Biglaw
is
business
is
good
—
like
firms
are
“pinching
themselves”
good,

according
to
Owen
Burman,
a
senior
consultant
for
the
group.
This
growth
is
largely
on
the
back
of
corporate
practices,
and
is
more
pronounced
at
the
tippy
top
of
the
industry.
Burman
said
of
transactional
practices,
they
“remain
the
primary
driver
of
this
year’s
performance
and
appear
to
be
broadening
out
to
the
middle
market,
benefiting
firms
across
all
size
tiers.”

For
all
firms
reporting,
revenue
rose
12.8%
through
the
first
nine
months
of
2024,
up
from
11.4%
for
the
first
six
months
of
2024
and
4.6%
for
the
comparable
nine-month
period
of
2023,
reaching
growth
rates
only
surpassed
in
2021
of
14.4%.
Revenue
growth
was
strongest
for
the
Am
Law
1-50,
up
14.6%,
while
firms
in
the
Am
Law
Second
Fifty
and
Am
Law
Second
Hundred
trailed,
albeit
with
solid
growth
of
9.3%
and
10.1%,
respectively

Though
there
was
an
uptick
in
demand
(3.7%)
and
attorney
productivity
(up
2.4%
to
1,583
hours
per
lawyer),
the
big
driver
of
those
impressive
revenue
numbers
is
increasing
the
billable
rates.
Overall,
the
average
standard
rate
is
up
9.0%
year-over-year.
The
top
50
firms
increased
rates
an
average
of
10%,
with
the
other
tiers
raising
rates
an
average
of
7%.

All
of
which
seems
to
line
up
for
a
pretty
payday
—
for
equity
partners.

Although
the
seasonality
of
collections
and
cash-basis
reporting
can
affect
the
numbers,
Wells
Fargo
found
profits
per
equity
partner
up
23.4%
among
Am
Law
50
firms;
16.4%
for
the
Second
50
and
18.1%
for
the
Second
Hundred,
combining
for
an
industrywide
average
of
21.5%.
Net
income
figures
are
subject
to
the
same
caveat,
but
for
the
same
segments
increased
by
24.5%,
16.7%
and
18.8%,
respectively.

Burman
said
he
doesn’t
anticipate
bottom-line
growth
to
eclipse
20%
when
all
is
said
and
done
in
2024,
but
“mid-
to
high-teens
is
my
expectation”
by
year-end.

With
financials
this
impressive,
firms
have
very
little
excuse
to
*not*
match

the
year-end
and

special
bonuses
making
their
way
through
Biglaw.

---

Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of

The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email

her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter

@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon

@[email protected].

One
day,
you’re
sitting
around
your
office
as
in-house
counsel
at
an
insurance
company
and
someone
calls
to
ask
whether
they
should
pay
a
claim
involving
a
bear
breaking
into
a
luxury
vehicle
or
if,
maybe,
it’s
just
a
guy
dressed
in
a
bear
suit
committing
insurance
fraud.

On
that
day,
you
should
consider
what
life
choices
brought
you
to
that
point.
Because
lawyering
can
be
unpleasant
but
dealing
with
this
case
must
have
been
unbearable!

Kevin
Underhill’s
Lowering
the
Bar
has
details
on
a
California
Department
of
Insurance
investigation
dubbed
“Operation
Bear
Claw”
designed
to
get
to
the
bottom
of
a
series
of
insurance
claims
involving
a
bear
roaming
a
well-to-do
area
of
Los
Angeles
and
ripping
up
the
inside
of
a
Rolls
Royce
and
a
pair
of
Mercedes
to
the
tune
of
$141,839.
The
insurance
companies
involved
apparently
dragged
the
government
into
the
inquiry
as
they

stared
at
surveillance
footage
and
wondered…
maybe
that’s
not
a
real
bear?

Bear
with
me
for
a
second
here.
The
insurance
claims
involved
three
separate
ursine
attacks
upon
three
different
cars
at
the
same
location,
all
made
upon
different
insurance
companies.
That
seems…
curious.

The
government
thought
so
too
and
ran
the
footage
by
a
biologist
who
was
pretty
sure
this
was
a
human
in
a
bear
suit.
That
proved
enough
to
get
a
search
warrant.
Which,
as
investigative
techniques
go,
is
more
straightforward
than
setting
up
a
Honey
Pot.
Returning
to
Lowering
the
Bar’s
coverage:

That
(plus
the
biologist)
was
enough
to
get
a
search
warrant,
and
if
you
assumed
these
suspects
would
have
disposed
of
the
bear
costume
after
using
it
to
commit
three
crimes
rather
than
keeping
it
at
home,
you
must
be
new
here:

Four
people
have
been
arrested.
I
guess,
in
light
of
this
costume,
they
lacked
any

pawsible
deniability.

Insurer
Thinks
Bear
Shown
in
Video
Trashing
Car
Looks
a
Lot
Like
a
Guy
in
a
Bear
Suit
[Lowering
the
Bar]

---

Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or

Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a

Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.

Ed.
note:
Welcome
to
our
daily
feature,

Quote
of
the
Day.

My
reaction,
honestly,
is
just
kind
of
deep
sadness.
It’s
a
very
serious
job,
and
it
requires
a
serious
person
who
knows
how
to
build
complicated
cases
and
evaluate
complicated
cases
for
when
they’re
worth
bringing
and
when
they’re
not,
who
can
build
team
loyalty,
because
it’s
a
very
large
institution,
and
people
work
there
because
they
believe
in
the
mission.

—
A
former
federal
prosecutor
who
is
now
working
as
a
law
firm
partner,
in
anonymous
commentary
given
to
the

National
Law
Journal,
on
the
nomination
of
scandal-plagued

Matt
Gaetz
as
attorney
general
in
President-elect
Donald
Trump’s
administration.

---

Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to

email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on

X/Twitter
and

Threads
or
connect
with
her
on

LinkedIn.

If
you’re
like
everyone
else,
you’re
probably
busy
downloading
Bluesky
right
now.
The
Twitter
alternative
—


sans
the
Nazi
content
—
has

blown
into
the
stratosphere
since
the
election
installed
Twitter’s
chief
Twit
as
shadow
president.
Above
the
Law

just
opened
up
over
there.
I’ve
been

over
there
for
a
while
now.
Come
join
up!

And
while
you’re
adding
apps,
there’s
a
hot
new
professional
app
coming
with
LexisNexis
Legal
&
Professional
announcing
the
release
of
the
Lexis+
AI
Mobile
App
today.
We’ve

talked
about
Lexis+
AI
before,
but
with
the
app
launch,
the
company
has
an
industry-first
generative
AI
solution
tailored
specifically
for
lawyers
on
the
move.
And
while
it’s
tempting
to
consider
apps
as
just
a
mobile
extension
of
a
desktop
counterpart,
there’s
an
important
usability
gap
between
working
in
the
office
and
working
on
the
go.

The
Lexis+
AI
Mobile
App
is
now
available
on
both
the
Apple
App
Store
and
Google
Play.

Mobile
is
where
business
gets
done
these
days.
Using
discovery
as
a
guide,

mobile
data
has
finally
overtaken
desktop
data
and
there’s
no
sign
that
it’s
changing
any
time
soon
even
with
businesses
moving
back
to
offices.
If
generative
AI
is
going
to
become
a
genuine
part
of
the
legal
workflow,
delivering
those
capabilities
directly
to
mobile
devices
—
meeting
lawyers
“where
they
are”
on
smartphones
and
tablets
—
becomes
a
critical
piece
of
the
puzzle.

In
fact,
optimizing
generative
AI
for
mobile
might
be
more
important
than
perfecting
it
for
the
desktop.
More
often
than
not,
you’re
working
from
a
mobile
device
out
of
urgency.
Something
has
come
up
outside
of
office
hours,
during
travel,
while
on
vacation,
etc.
Rapidly
summarizing
documents
or
whipping
up
draft
responses
are
much
more
critical
features
when
sitting
at
a
soccer
game
trying
to
get
accurate
answers
in
a
short
window.

That
said,
the
app
remains
grounded
in
the
same
authoritative
legal
content
driving
Lexis+
AI
on
the
desktop.
But
with
a
mobile
offering,
Lexis
endeavors
to
provide
an
intuitive
interface
for
these
devices,
listing
some
of
its
key
features
to
include:

• 
  Ask
  a
  Legal
  Question
  
  –
  Leverages
  natural
  language
  processing
  to
  pose
  intricate
  legal
  queries
  and
  receive
  accurate,
  insightful
  responses
  tailored
  to
  specific
  needs.
• 
  Summarize
  a
  Case–
  Quickly
  distills
  the
  essence
  of
  legal
  cases,
  extracting
  key
  points
  and
  insights
  with
  unparalleled
  efficiency,
  ensuring
  attorneys
  stay
  informed
  and
  prepared.
• 
  Generate
  a
  Draft
  
  –
  Streamlines
  the
  legal
  writing
  process
  by
  generating
  well-structured
  drafts,
  saving
  valuable
  time
  and
  effort
  while
  maintaining
  the
  highest
  standards
  of
  quality.
• 
  Recent
  Conversations
  &
  Drafts
  
  –
  Enables
  users
  to
  access
  and
  review
  existing
  drafts
  and
  previous
  interactions
  with
  the
  AI
  assistant,
  ensuring
  seamless
  continuity
  and
  workflow
  across
  devices.
• 
  Mobile-to-Desktop
  Sync–
  Provides
  a
  personalized
  experience
  tailored
  to
  individual
  preferences,
  with
  the
  ability
  to
  seamlessly
  sync
  activities
  between
  the
  mobile
  app
  and
  desktop
  version.

Sean
Fitzpatrick,
CEO
of
LexisNexis
North
America,
UK,
and
Ireland,
emphasized
the
transformative
potential
of
this
technology:
“Attorneys
can
now
access
the
tools
they
need
to
serve
their
clients
without
delay.
This
innovative
app
streamlines
workflows,
enabling
legal
professionals
to
deliver
client
value
from
anywhere,
ensuring
they
can
efficiently
meet
their
clients’
needs.”

As
2024
wraps
up,
the
focus
in
legal
AI
has
shifted
strongly
toward
usability.
No
one
has
stopped
working
to
make
AI
deliver
better,
faster,
and
more
accurate
results,
but
as
the
technology
has
matured,
the
mood
has
transitioned
to
optimizing
how
generative
AI
works
for
lawyers.
Meeting
legal
professionals
where
they
are
—
not
just
in
terms
of
physical
location
but
also
in
terms
of
technological
expectations
—
fits
this
mandate.

Mobile-first
solutions
are
no
longer
a
luxury
but
a
necessity
in
this
profession.

---

Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or

Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a

Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.

Every
growth-stage
company
will
go
through
a
phase
of
rapid
patent
portfolio
growth
at
some
point.

Portfolio
growth
is
a
good
thing:
it
means
your
company
is
growing,
you’re
investing
in
R&D,
and
you’re
protecting
your
inventions.

But
there
is
also
risk
to
rapid
portfolio
growth,
something
we
call
“portfolio
inflation.”

In
this
eBook,
our
friends
at
Tradespace
break
down
the
phenomenon
of
patent
portfolio
inflation
and
explore
ways
to
keep
it
at
bay

Download
this
guide
and
learn:

• What
  portfolio
  inflation
  means
• Why
  it
  happens
  and
  its
  negative
  impacts
• 5
  tips
  to
  avoid
  portfolio
  inflation

For
the
fifth
year,
I’m
sharing
a
list
of
the
top
15
nonfiction
books
I’ve
read
during
the
preceding
12
months.
I’m
accelerating
the
list
a
little
this
time
on
the
assumption
that
it
might
be
helpful
to
have
as
the
holiday
shopping
season
approaches,
just
in
case
you
want
to
give
someone
knowledge
and
adventure
instead
of
a
pile
of
interchangeable
capitalistic
baubles.
Should
you

wish
to

view
previous

editions,
simply
follow
the

links
in
this
sentence.

This
time
around,
you
will
not
find
any
memoirs
or
anything
overtly
about
politics.
I
have
nothing
against
those
two
categories,
it’s
just
that
I
get
frustrated
when
I’m
searching
for
general
interest
nonfiction
books
and
keep
coming
upon
lists
full
of
memoirs,
and
I
think
we
can
all
use
a
break
from
politics.
So,
no
memoirs
or
political
books
this
time
around.

In
no
particular
order,
here
are
the
best
15
nonfiction
books
I’ve
read
during
the
past
year.
May
they
enrich
and
distract
you
in
the
coming
months.

Winterlust:
Finding
Beauty
in
the
Fiercest
Season
by
Bernd
Brunner
(affiliate
link)

Winter
is
coming.
Don’t
lose
your
head
over
it
though
—
the
coldest,
darkest
time
of
year
is
full
of
enjoyments,
many
of
which
you
will
find
within.

The
Falcon
Thief:
A
True
Tale
of
Adventure,
Treachery,
and
the
Hunt
for
the
Perfect
Bird
by
Joshua
Hammer
(affiliate
link)

Falcon
thievery:
it’s
a
thing.
Immerse
yourself
in
a
strange
little
subculture
and
get
to
know
the
oddly
specific
kleptomaniac
at
its
heart.

The
Feud:
The
Hatfields
&
McCoys,
The
True
Story
by
Dean
King
(affiliate
link)

It
seems
there
should
be
something
to
be
learned
from
America’s
greatest
family
feud.
Maybe
all
there
is
to
learn
is
that
we
never
learn.

Lindbergh
by
A.
Scott
Berg
(affiliate
link)

We
certainly
didn’t
learn
anything
from
Charles
Lindbergh’s
involvement
in
the
original
America
First
movement.
Lindbergh
was
a
complicated
figure,
certainly
an
aviator
extraordinaire,
though
also
so
much
more.
You’ll
get
the
whole
thrilling
story,
with
one
big
exception:
Lindbergh
had
children
with
three
secret
German
mistresses,
but
since
this
part
of
the
tale
was
not
known
until
after
Berg’s
book
was
published,
its
absence
remains
a
notable
flaw
in
the
otherwise
definitive
Charles
Lindbergh
biography.

The
Heartbeat
of
the
Wild:
Dispatches
From
Landscapes
of
Wonder,
Peril,
and
Hope
by
David
Quammen
(affiliate
link)

I
happened
to
be
in
a
bookshop
in
Bozeman,
and
had
to
pick
up
the
latest
from
its
most
notable
chronicler
of
nature.
Couldn’t
be
happier
that
I
did.
If
you
have
ever
enjoyed
a
National
Geographic
story,
add
this
one
to
your
list.

John
Colter:
His
Years
in
the
Rockies
by
Burton
Harris
(affiliate
link)

I
was
in
Montana
(and
beyond)
several
times
during
the
last
year.
On
one
trip,
I
headed
down
into
Yellowstone,
and
brought
this
book
along
so
as
to
read
about
the
first
white
man
to
explore
the
area
that
became
the
park.
Unlike
many
revered
figures
of
the
western
frontier,
Colter
was
not
much
of
a
self-promoter,
which
helps
make
his
life
story
a
unique
treat.

Over
the
Edge:
Death
in
Grand
Canyon
by
Michael
Ghiglieri
and
Thomas
Myers

A
number
of
books
have
been
written
discussing
deaths
that
have
occurred
throughout
several
different
national
parks,
but
none
of
them
are
quite
as
brick-like
as
this
one.
Although
it
will
take
some
time
to
get
through,
it
is
worth
it,
especially
if
you
are
going
to
be
anywhere
near
the
Grand
Canyon.

Brave
the
Wild
River:
The
Untold
Story
of
Two
Women
Who
Mapped
the
Botany
of
the
Grand
Canyon
by
Melissa
Sevigny
(affiliate
link)

While
you’re
at
it,
check
out
the
story
of
the
first
two
women
to
travel
down
the
Colorado
River
through
the
Grand
Canyon.
It
is
a
wild
ride,
and
a
triumph
of
science.

Parisians:
An
Adventure
History
of
Paris
by
Graham
Robb
(affiliate
link)

Ah,
Paris.
I’d
recommend
good
company
and
a
good
bottle
of
wine
on
the
terrace
of
that
little
cafe
at
the
Louvre
(after
dark,
of
course).
Should
mental
travel
fit
more
within
your
budget
and
schedule
at
the
moment,
this
history
will
help.

Fluke:
Chance,
Chaos,
and
Why
Everything
We
Do
Matters
by
Brian
Klaas
(affiliate
link)

You
will
rethink
a
lot
of
things.
That’s
good,
right?

Against
Empathy:
The
Case
for
Rational
Compassion
by
Paul
Bloom
(affiliate
link)

I’m
sick
of
hearing
that
empathy
is
the
solution
to
all
of
our
problems.
Perhaps
you
too
are
ready
to
read
of
a
better
way.
Also
interesting
is
the
fact
that
this
book
came
out
in
2016,
which
means
we
now
know
a
lot
more
about
how
some
of
the
examples
actually
turned
out.
For
instance,
effective
altruism
gets
a
couple
mentions
—
but
Sam
Bankman-Fried
was
still
a
trader
at
Jane
Street
Capital
back
then,
many
years
away
from
giving
the
entire
movement
a
big
black
eye.

The
Trials
of
Madame
Restell:
Nineteenth-Century
America’s
Most
Infamous
Female
Physician
and
the
Campaign
to
Make
Abortion
a
Crime
by
Nicholas
Syrett
(affiliate
link)

Few
had
any
empathy
for
poor
Madame
Restell,
who
was
relentlessly
hounded
by
the
authorities
and
the
media
after
a
bunch
of
crusty
white
dudes
decided
to
criminalize
providing
healthcare
to
women.
It’s
a
deep
dive
into
the
historical
origins
of
the
modern
debate
over
reproductive
rights,
and,
unfortunately,
a
look
into
what
we
might
be
going
back
to
in
the
wake
of

Dobbs.

Barrel-Aged
Stout
and
Selling
Out:
Goose
Island,
Anheuser-Busch,
and
How
Craft
Beer
Became
Big
Business
by
Josh
Noel
(affiliate
link)

Anyone
who
loves
beer
must
read
this
book.
Even
if
a
brew
or
two
(or
10
or
17)
is
not
for
you,
you
will
fly
through
these
pages
if
you
have
an
interest
in
business
in
general
or
if
you
are
wondering
why
anything
produced
by
the
faceless
behemoths
of
capitalism
inevitably
becomes
a
soulless
commodity.

The
Wide
Wide
Sea:
Imperial
Ambition,
First
Contact
and
the
Fateful
Final
Voyage
of
Captain
James
Cook
by
Hampton
Sides
(affiliate
link)

Captain
Cook:
finally
an
explorer
who
(mostly)
respected
the
new
people
and
different
cultures
he
encountered!
I
mean,
nobody’s
perfect,
but
Cook
was
much
more
enlightened
than
most
of
his
contemporaries,
and
I
think
you’ll
agree
when
you
finish
that
whatever
score
there
was
to
settle
was
settled.
Besides,
you
can’t
read
anything
written
by
Hampton
Sides
and
not
have
a
good
time.

Annals
of
the
Former
World
by
John
McPhee
(affiliate
link)

I’ll
admit,
when
my
buddy
Isak
handed
me
this
book
and
recommended
that
I
read
it
I
was
daunted
both
by
its
size
and
by
the
word
“Geology”
stamped
on
its
spine.
Oh,
how
wrong
I
was.
Who
knew
the
deep
history
of
the
continent,
and
the
scientists
who
study
it,
could
be
so
compelling?
Do
not
be
scared
off
by
the
category
or
the
length.
Neglect
your
spouse
and
children
for
a
few
weeks
and
read
this
book
—
the
family
will
ultimately
be
better
for
it.

Arm
yourself
with
knowledge,
maybe
share
some
of
it
with
someone
you
love,
and
get
reading
in
2025
and
beyond.

---

Jonathan
Wolf
is
a
civil
litigator
and
author
of Your
Debt-Free
JD


(affiliate
link).
He
has
taught
legal
writing,
written
for
a
wide
variety
of
publications,
and
made
it
both
his
business
and
his
pleasure
to
be
financially
and
scientifically
literate.
Any
views
he
expresses
are
probably
pure
gold,
but
are
nonetheless
solely
his
own
and
should
not
be
attributed
to
any
organization
with
which
he
is
affiliated.
He
wouldn’t
want
to
share
the
credit
anyway.
He
can
be
reached
at [email protected].

Several
telehealth
advocates
are
coming
out
in
support
of
the
Drug
Enforcement
Administration’s
(DEA)

third
extension
of
Covid-19
telehealth
flexibilities
for
the
prescribing
of
controlled
substances.
However,
they
argue
that
more
work
needs
to
be
done
to
make
these
flexibilities
permanent.

The
flexibilities,
introduced
in
2020,
permit
providers
to
prescribe
some
controlled
substances
virtually
without
first
requiring
an
in-person
visit.
These
flexibilities
were
set
to
expire
at
the
end
of
the
year,
but
will
now
expire
at
the
end
of
2025
with
the
third
extension
announced
last
week.
The
issue
has
been
closely
followed
by
many
experts,
as
seen
by
the

38,000
comments
the
DEA
received
in
2023
in
response
to
a
set
of
proposed
telemedicine
rules
that
would
have

rolled
back
some
of
the
flexibilities
allowed
during
the
pandemic.

For
one
telehealth
advocate,
the
extension
was
a
“tremendous
relief,”
noting
that
the
flexibilities
have
greatly
improved
access
for
underserved
communities.

“It
is
with
a
real
sense
of
gratitude
that
the
Drug
Enforcement
Administration
and
the
Biden
administration
decided
to
continue
this
flexibility
that’s
now
been
in
place
for
almost
half
a
decade
so
that
we
can
continue
to
take
the
time
to
get
the
permanent
framework
right.
…
It
was
going
to
be
calamitous
if
we
were
going
to
allow
for
this
flexibility
to
expire
December
31
this
year,”
said
Kyle
Zebley,
senior
vice
president
of
public
policy
at
the

American
Telemedicine
Association,
in
an
interview.
“Continuity
of
care
would
be
severed
for
hundreds
of
thousands,
if
not
more,
patients.”

Zebley
noted
that
it
is
important
to
prevent
abuse
of
the
flexibilities
and
called
for
a
special
registration
process
that
allows
medical
professionals
to
register
with
the
agency
in
order
to
virtually
prescribe
controlled
substances.
Congress

mandated
the
DEA
to
create
this
process
back
in
2008,
but
the
agency
has
yet
to
do
so.
However,
he
added
that
instances
of
inappropriate
prescribing
“is
minuscule
compared
to
the
level
of
access
that’s
been
achieved.”

Another
telehealth
expert
—
Stephanie
Strong,
founder
and
CEO
of

Boulder
Care
—
echoed
Zebley’s
comments.
Boulder
Care
offers
virtual
addiction
care,
including
the
prescribing
of
buprenorphine,
which
treats
opioid
use
disorder
and
is
included
in
the
telehealth
flexibilities.

“We
anticipated
this
extension,
and
celebrate
the
win
as
an
important
step
forward.
Still,
this
measure
is
only
temporary:
the
DEA
and
HHS
continue
to
make
rules
that
kick
the
can
down
the
road,”
Strong
said.
“Our
country
needs
strong
leadership
and
a
vision
for
modernizing
the
healthcare
system,
which
necessarily
includes
making
telehealth
a
permanent
option
for
millions
of
Americans
who
rely
on
it.”

Strong
added
that
she
wants
to
see
the

TREATS
Act
gain
momentum
in
2025,
which
would
make
telehealth
flexibilities
permanent
for
those
with
opioid
use
disorder.

There
is
also
hope
that
the
Trump
administration
will
introduce
a
permanent
solution
to
the
virtual
prescribing
of
controlled
substances,
according
to
Eric
Triana,
chief
compliance
officer
at

Talkiatry.
The
company
offers
virtual
psychiatry
services.

“After
nearly
five
years,
the
benefits
of
telemedicine
services
including
prescribing
without
ever
having
an
in-person
medical
visit
has
proven
to
be
vital
for
patients
in
every
state,
both
rural
and
urban,
due
to
shortages
of
mental
health
providers,”
Triana
stated.
“I
anticipate
that
the
new
administration
will
prioritize
finalizing
a
permanent
rule
with
reasonable
common-sense
safeguards
to
assist
DEA
investigators
in
detecting
diversion
without
interfering
with
patient
access
to
telemedicine
behavioral
health
services
when
provided
through
synchronous
audio
and
video.”

Zebley
is
also
hopeful
that
the
Trump
administration
will
create
a
more
permanent
telehealth
framework
before
the
new
extension
expires,
particularly
considering
the
previous
Trump
administration
first
introduced
the
flexibilities.
That
said,
rulemaking
takes
time
and
it’s
possible
another
extension
may
be
needed,
he
said.

Photo
credit:
Sorbetto,
Getty
Images

Cravath
announced
its

bonus
scale
last
night
—
a
full
Milbank
match
for
both

year-end
and

special
bonuses
—
and
Biglaw
firms
are
finally
weighing
in
with
their
own
compensation
updates.

We’ve
now
confirmed
that
Paul
Hastings
—
which
reported
$1,814,993,000
in
gross
revenue
and
profits
per
equity
partner
of
$5,395,000
in
2023
according
to
the
most
recent
Am
Law
100
—
has
chosen
to
use
the
Milbank
scale
for
its
year-end
bonuses:

• Class
  of
  2024
  –
  $15,000
• Class
  of
  2023
  –
  $20,000
• Class
  of
  2022
  –
  $30,000
• Class
  of
  2021
  –
  $57,500
• Class
  of
  2020
  –
  $75,000
• Class
  of
  2019
  –
  $90,000
• Class
  of
  2018
  –
  $105,000
• Class
  of
  2017+
  –
  $115,000

Paul
Hastings
is
also
matching
the
Milbank
special
bonus
scale,
and
this
is
what
they
will
look
like
at
the
firm:

• Class
  of
  2024
  –
  $6,000
• Class
  of
  2023
  –
  $6,000
• Class
  of
  2022
  –
  $10,000
• Class
  of
  2021
  –
  $15,000
• Class
  of
  2020
  –
  $20,500
• Class
  of
  2019
  –
  $25,000
• Class
  of
  2018
  –
  $25,000
• Class
  of
  2017+
  –
  $25,000

That
said,
here’s
what
the
complete
2024
bonus
scale
looks
like
at
the
firm:

• Class
  of
  2024:
  $21,000
• Class
  of
  2023:
  $26,000
• Class
  of
  2022:
  $40,000
• Class
  of
  2021:
  $72,500
• Class
  of
  2020:
  $95,000
• Class
  of
  2019:
  $115,000
• Class
  of
  2018:
  $130,000
• Class
  of
  2017+:
  $140,000

Congratulations
to
everyone
at
Paul
Hastings!

(Flip
to
the
next
page
to
read
the
full
memo
from
the
firm.)

Remember
everyone,
we
depend
on
your
tips
to
stay
on
top
of
compensation
updates,
so
when
your
firm
announces
or
matches,
please
text
us
(646-820-8477)
or email
us (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Bonus/Matches”).
Please
include
the
memo
if
available.
You
can
take
a
photo
of
the
memo
and
send
it
via
text
or
email
if
you
don’t
want
to
forward
the
original
PDF
or
Word
file.

And
if
you’d
like
to
sign
up
for
ATL’s
Bonus
Alerts
(which
is
the
alert
list
we
also
use
for
salary
announcements),
please
scroll
down
and
enter
your
email
address
in
the
box
below
this
post.
If
you
previously
signed
up
for
the
bonus
alerts,
you
don’t
need
to
do
anything.
You’ll
receive
an
email
notification
within
minutes
of
each
bonus
announcement
that
we
publish.
Thanks
for
your
help!

---

Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to

email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
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---

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