Coase Theorem and Strip Clubs
The Coase Theorem applied to strip clubs: if moralists really object to a strip club but legal tools aren’t available to shut it down, they can just buy the club and then shut it down. (I’ve previously blogged on trademark…
Airlines, Attention Consumption and Noise-Canceling Headphones
On almost every flight, I’m reminded of how airlines do not try to avoid unnecessary consumption of passengers’ attention. Some of this is the fault of the FAA, which requires various announcements and disclosures. Other consumptions presumably are attributable to…
The Law Firm TV Show–Some Observations From the First Show
I watched the new “reality” TV show from David E. Kelly last night, The “Law Firm.” It was a mildly diverting hour but it lacked the drama and production values of a Burnett show. I’m still not sure if I’m…
Law Firm Partner Compensation Spreads
NY Lawyer [free registration required] runs an interesting article about the spread between a law firm’s highest paid and lowest paid partners. It shows that Baker & McKenzie has a spread of 35:1 (with some foreign partners at B&M earning…
Just One Little Change to the Contract…
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly ran an interesting but cryptic story–unfortunately I couldn’t find any more info online, so I’m working from my hard copy writeup. Joseph Cloonan was in-house counsel. He was leaving the company’s employ for unclear reasons. The HR…
Life as a University In-House Counsel
Fascinating article in the Chronicle of Higher Education about life as an in-house university counsel. Among the legal issues that an in-house counsel encountered: · What should I do if an alligator hiding in an on-campus lake devours a poodle?…
What Does “100 Grand” Mean to You?
This story made me laugh out loud. A Kentucky radio station WLTO-102.5 FM announces a contest where the prize is “100 grand” to the 10th caller. A woman, Norreasha Gill, listens to the show, is the 10th caller and is…
Be Nice to Your Secretary!
Richard Phillips, a London lawyer at Baker & McKenzie, shakes down his secretary Jenny Amner (who is grieving because she just lost her mother) for an $8 dry cleaning bill because she accidentally spilled ketchup on his pants. Her response?…
Attorney Work Life Balance Calculator
This web page allows you to calculate your schedule based on your law firm’s billable hour targets. However, the script is inherently defective because it only computes hours for Monday-Friday! Um, designer, what about the weekend??? Make sure you don’t…
Fischer on Teaching Legal Ethics
At Legal Ethics Forum, Prof. James Fischer of Southwestern speculates why students don’t respect their Legal Ethics course. He rejects the traditional rationales such as “(1) students lack real world experience; (2) the course is just a bunch of rules…