Prepare For A Giant! – See Also – Above the Law

*
Justice
Kagan
points
out
that
issuing
opaque,
from
the
hip,
ideologically
motivated
opinions
results
in
terrible
work.
[Reuters]

*
Womble
Bond
merging
with
Lewis
Roca.
[WBD]

*
SPLC
Union
approve
no
confidence
motion
aimed
at
the
law
center’s
leadership.
[Alabama
Reflector
]

*
In
an
entirely
predictable
turn
of
events,
attorney
working
on
anti-Trans
rights
Supreme
Court
case
tied
to
racist
social
media
posts.
[WIRED]

*
Um…
we’re
pretty
cynical
around
here
but
more
people
should
like
law
school.
[ABA
Journal
]

*
Fake
money
investor
sues
Biglaw
firm.
[Cointelegraph]

*
Don’t
wanna
shock
you,
but
science
lawyers
might
be
an
IP
fit.
[LegalCheek]

Two More Biglaw Firms Announce Their Intent To Combine In 2025 – Above the Law

Law
firm
merger
mania
is
officially
upon
us,
with
two
major
mergers


Troutman
Pepper
and
Locke
Lord
,
followed
by

Ballard
Spahr
and
Lane
Powell


already
having
been
announced
this
month.
Law
firm
merger
interest
is
now
at
an

“all-time
high,”

and
with
the
urge
to
merge
in
the
air,
two
more
firms
have
signaled
that
they’ll
soon
be
joining
together.

Today,
Am
Law
100
firm
Womble
Bond
Dickinson
and
Am
Law
200
firm
Lewis
Roca
announced
that
they’d
combine
to
create
a
1,300-lawyer
firm,
with
a
total
of
more
than
$742
million
in
gross
revenue
based
on
last
year’s
numbers.
The
merger
will
take
effect
on
January
1,
2025,
and
the
firm
will
operate
under
Womble
Bond’s
name.
The
new
firm
will
have
a
presence
in
the
US
and
UK.

Womble
Bond’s
chair
and
CEO
Betty
Temple
and
chair
and
CEO-Elect
had
this
to
say
of
the
pending
merger:

“One
of
the
first
parallels
that
emerged
between
our
two
firms
was
a
shared
strategic
vision
for
serving
clients
in
fast-growing
cities
and
innovation
hubs.”

As
noted
by

Bloomberg
Law
,
the
united
firm
will
be
led
by
Benn
and
Lewis
Roca’s
Kenneth
Van
Winkle,
who
will
serve
as
vice
chair.

Congratulations
to
Womble
Bond
Dickinson
and
Lewis
Roca
on
what
promises
to
be
a
successful
alliance.


Womble
Bond
to
Merge
With
Lewis
Roca
in
Latest
Big
Law
Combo

[Bloomberg
Law]



Staci ZaretskyStaci
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
.

Prepare For A Giant! – See Also – Above the Law

*
Justice
Kagan
points
out
that
issuing
opaque,
from
the
hip,
ideologically
motivated
opinions
results
in
terrible
work.
[Reuters]

*
Womble
Bond
merging
with
Lewis
Roca.
[WBD]

*
SPLC
Union
approve
no
confidence
motion
aimed
at
the
law
center’s
leadership.
[Alabama
Reflector
]

*
In
an
entirely
predictable
turn
of
events,
attorney
working
on
anti-Trans
rights
Supreme
Court
case
tied
to
racist
social
media
posts.
[WIRED]

*
Um…
we’re
pretty
cynical
around
here
but
more
people
should
like
law
school.
[ABA
Journal
]

*
Fake
money
investor
sues
Biglaw
firm.
[Cointelegraph]

*
Don’t
wanna
shock
you,
but
science
lawyers
might
be
an
IP
fit.
[LegalCheek]

Biglaw Senior Partner Advises AGAINST Sending Emails On Weekends – Above the Law

I
know
some
tryhard
is
going
to
complain
about
Biglaw
going
soft,
but
this
is
a
distinctly
good
thing.
Bryan
Cave
Leighton
Paisner
global
senior
partner,

Segun
Osuntokun
,
told

The
Telegraph

he
advises
attorneys
to
avoid
sending
emails
over
the
weekend.
In
fact,
when
he
does
work
on
a
weekend,
he
schedules
any
non-urgent
emails
to
arrive
on
Monday,
not
over
the
weekend.

Osuntokun
said,
“I
know
that
if
I
send
an
email
to
a
team
member
on
a
weekend
and
I’m
not
expecting
them
to
do
anything
about
it,
they
won’t
know
that.”
He
continued,
“I
know
that
their
weekend
is
going
to
be
impacted
severely.”

What
a
refreshing
burst
of
humanity
from
Biglaw!

As

reported
by

Legal
Cheek,
Osuntokun
made
the
necessary
caveats
for
when
there’s
deadlines
involved.

According
to
the
report,
weekend
emails
are
acceptable
if
colleagues
have
agreed
to
communicate,
such
as
when
preparing
for
a
court
hearing
or
meeting
deadlines
for
time-sensitive
deals.

“We
talk
a
lot
about
how
we
treat
our
colleagues
as
we
would
our
best
clients
and
inherent
in
that
is
that
you
treat
people
with
respect,”
Osuntokun
added.

Not
to
tell
tales,
but
I
can
distinctly
recall
an
era
when
attorneys
would
use
the
schedule
email
function
to
compose
a
Friday
email
that
would
go
out
on
Saturday
to
make
it
look
like
they
were
working
over
the
weekend.
How
nice
that
a
Biglaw
firm
is
making
it
clear
those
sort
of
machinations
are
unnecessary.




Kathryn Rubino HeadshotKathryn
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].

Figuring Out If Family Law Is For You – Above the Law

Dive
into
The
Jabot
podcast
featuring

Holly
J.
Moore
,
founder
of
Moore
Family
Law!
Holly
shares
her
journey
from
soul-sucking
construction
defect
cases
to
the
emotionally
charged
world
of
family
law.
Learn
about
the
realities,
challenges,
and
rewards
of
starting
your
own
firm.
Find
out
why
family
law
“finds
you”
and
get
inspired
by
her
tips
for
aspiring
lawyers.
Don’t
miss
this
engaging
and
honest
conversation

perfect
for
anyone
interested
in
the
human
aspect
of
legal
practice.


Highlights

  • Why
    pursue
    law?
    Early
    inspiration.
  • “You
    don’t
    find
    family
    law,
    family
    law
    finds
    you.”
  • Shift
    from
    construction
    law
    to
    family
    law.
  • Managing
    high
    stakes
    and
    emotional
    cases.
  • The
    balance
    between
    personal
    and
    professional
    life.
  • Growing
    a
    solo
    practice
    and
    team.
  • Hiring
    a
    coaching
    company
    for
    business
    growth.
  • Memorable
    case
    with
    a
    significant
    age
    gap.
  • Common
    misconceptions
    about
    family
    law
    from
    fellow
    lawyers.
  • The
    argument
    against
    eliminating
    no-fault
    divorce.

The
Jabot
podcast
is
an
offshoot
of
the
Above
the
Law
brand
focused
on
the
challenges
women,
people
of
color,
LGBTQIA,
and
other
diverse
populations
face
in
the
legal
industry.
Our
name
comes
from
none
other
than
the
Notorious
Ruth
Bader
Ginsburg
and
the
jabot
(decorative
collar)
she
wore
when
delivering
dissents
from
the
bench.
It’s
a
reminder
that
even
when
we
aren’t
winning,
we’re
still
a
powerful
force
to
be
reckoned
with.

Happy
listening!




Kathryn Rubino HeadshotKathryn
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].

Prepare For A Giant! – See Also – Above the Law

*
Justice
Kagan
points
out
that
issuing
opaque,
from
the
hip,
ideologically
motivated
opinions
results
in
terrible
work.
[Reuters]

*
Womble
Bond
merging
with
Lewis
Roca.
[WBD]

*
SPLC
Union
approve
no
confidence
motion
aimed
at
the
law
center’s
leadership.
[Alabama
Reflector
]

*
In
an
entirely
predictable
turn
of
events,
attorney
working
on
anti-Trans
rights
Supreme
Court
case
tied
to
racist
social
media
posts.
[WIRED]

*
Um…
we’re
pretty
cynical
around
here
but
more
people
should
like
law
school.
[ABA
Journal
]

*
Fake
money
investor
sues
Biglaw
firm.
[Cointelegraph]

*
Don’t
wanna
shock
you,
but
science
lawyers
might
be
an
IP
fit.
[LegalCheek]

Morning Docket: 09.10.24 – Above the Law

(Photo
by
Brendan
Smialowski/Getty
Images)

*
Justice
Kagan
points
out
that
issuing
opaque,
from
the
hip,
ideologically
motivated
opinions
results
in
terrible
work.
[

Reuters]

*
Womble
Bond
merging
with
Lewis
Roca.
[WBD]

*
SPLC
Union
approve
no
confidence
motion
aimed
at
the
law
center’s
leadership.
[Alabama
Reflector
]

*
In
an
entirely
predictable
turn
of
events,
attorney
working
on
anti-Trans
rights
Supreme
Court
case
tied
to
racist
social
media
posts.
[WIRED]

*
Um…
we’re
pretty
cynical
around
here
but
more
people
should
like
law
school.
[ABA
Journal
]

*
Fake
money
investor
sues
Biglaw
firm.
[Cointelegraph]

*
Don’t
wanna
shock
you,
but
science
lawyers
might
be
an
IP
fit.
[LegalCheek]