Law Students

Free Speech: It Ain't Always Free

Posted on September 22, 2008
University of California lawyer Michael Goldstein just clobbered the tree sitters in (perhaps) the only way a University lawyer knows how: by attempting to extract from the protestors what this SF Gate article dubbed a 'pound of flesh' for the cost they incurred...

Life Returning to Before the Glass-Steagall Act

Posted on September 22, 2008
"Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, the last big independent investment banks on Wall Street, will transform themselves into bank holding companies subject to far greater regulation, the Federal Reserve said Sunday night, a move that fundamentally reshapes an era of high finance that defined the modern Gilded Age...

Finally...A Story About the Fruits and Nuts of Berkeley

Posted on September 22, 2008
In the LA Times. In hindsight, I did enjoy the olive bar a wee bit too much.

Dean Edley Townhall

Posted on September 18, 2008
[Update: Matt has created a summary of the meeting, which is posted in the comments]--------Stay tuned for live blogging of Dean Edley's townhall after the jump (TJ is tackling it instead!)

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Donde Esta El Zapatero?*

Posted on September 18, 2008
If you haven't seen the interview of McCain showing a complete lack of knowledge about the Prime Minister of Spain, watch now. It's frightening. The whole thing reminds me of Mr. Burns in the episode Deep Space Homer. Mr. Burns begins the worker of the month (or week?) announcement thusly:"Compadres, it is imperative that we crush the Freedom Fighters before the start of the rainy season...

Lockergate '08 or How BHSA Finally Realized What Its Job Is

Posted on September 17, 2008
I'm guessing you've all received BHSA's e-mail regarding the locker situation (posted after the jump). Looks like we're gonna have a good ol' fashioned standoff with the admin! Everyone who cares about this issue, make sure you stop by the Laub Lobby to sign their petition...

A Nerd's Fury

Posted on September 17, 2008
What in the hell is going on with AirBears? I swear, I can put up with a lot of the incompetence that goes with the territory of running a school, but this it too much. How can Boalt, which is part of BERKELEY, one of the top tech schools in the FREAKIN UNIVERSE, not have an operable wireless network?? It literally boggles my mind...

A Scene From the Lecture Halls

Posted on September 17, 2008
Excuse me, Professor? I'm sorry, but could you please repeat everything you just said? We can't hear you over the noise.The noise, in this case, being the sawing, banging, grinding, and dragging of steel pipes beneath the floor in the center of Room 105...

Boalt Basics

Posted on September 16, 2008
People, people, people. The line in Café Zeb runs east-west, toward the hall. Not north-south toward the wall!

When the Economy Hits Home

Posted on September 15, 2008
In light of the economic conditions today, it may be appropriate to start an open thread on the market.There's a lot to discuss here, so let me get us started.First: to what degree is this going to impact our jobs? The simple answer is that there's going to be a contraction in the number of positions available...

Sometimes the Government Does it Better

Posted on September 13, 2008
First, three items from my RSS feed:Sad news of a head-on collision between a commuter train and a freight train in southern California.A letter from San Francisco Paramedic Jonathan Meade (here, at bottom of page) to the Chronicle, which reads in part: "Believe it or not, the inability of the Fire Department to properly manage [medical services] is common knowledge among firefighters and paramedics, doctors and nurses, our supervisors and our mayor...

Palin on Foreign Policy

Posted on September 12, 2008
I don't think I was brought on staff here to provide political analysis, but I just couldn't resist this. The first in Charles Gibson's three-part interview with Sarah Palin aired last night. Some highlights:1. She clearly does not know what "The Bush Doctrine" is...

Ten Open-Ended Thoughts

Posted on September 12, 2008
Wouldn't it have been savory if the tree sitters had nested in Boalt's recently razed Stinky Trees?When Top Dog 'catered' the Career Fair, they didn't just hand over their kolbassas, wursts, and wieners. Instead they gave mini-vouchers to the visiting law firms who in turn used them to feed only the students who dropped by to mingle and exchange pleasantries...

Revisiting California Associate Compensation

Posted on September 10, 2008
This article explains that prominent California law firms (including many OCIP participants) are revising their lock-step salary models. While salaries and bonuses aren't expected to change immediately, the way they're doled out might, as California firms consider switching from a lockstep associate compensation model to others based on skill level...

Duke Has The Worst College Football Team In America, As A Matter Of Law

Posted on September 09, 2008
The University of Louisville recently sued Duke in Kentucky state court, alleging Duke breached a contract to play a four-game series against Louisville. Duke pointed to a provision in the contract that stated Duke it would be liable only if Louisville was unable to find a replacement opponent of ?similar stature...

You're Gonna Go Far! (All the Way to the Bar!)

Posted on September 05, 2008
On Tuesday we button up OCIP, and it's a safe bet that we all deserve a solid night of sloppiness. The time has come to doff that suit, don that drinking cap, and set free the snide remarks and cheeky smirks we have all been bottling up inside.Thalassa, 9:00 p...

Lockergate 2008

Posted on September 05, 2008
BHSA and the school administration have broken their silence and sent an update on the locker situation [posted in full after the jump].Included in the plan is mandatory locker sharing and charging a rental fee for 3Ls.Any thoughts?

Victory!

Posted on September 04, 2008
In breaking news, the Court of Appeals has removed the injunction preventing Berkeley from cutting the trees down around the stadium. For preliminary information, see coverage here.Paired with an existing ruling that allows the university to remove the trespassing tree sitters, we could see chainsaws on campus as early as first thing tomorrow morning...

Kevin? Kevin Smith?

Posted on September 04, 2008
Anonymous said . . .New clerkship thread please!9/04/2008 3:25 PMTa-da! I really have no clue what you clerk applicants are up to, but here is a thread for you.

Why Palin Is Suddenly Scaring Some Dems

Posted on September 04, 2008
There?s a bizarre unease among the Democratic commentariat today ? a vague feeling that Palin did something pretty good last night, and whatever it is, it might be trouble. No one seems quite sure what it is, so let me try to articulate: Palin is the first person on a Presidential ticket in thirty years who isn?t rich...

Best. Sentence. Ever.

Posted on September 03, 2008
From the NYT's profile of Palin's stint as Mayor of Reno 911, it's hard to find a pithier example of the intersection of evangelical politics, blissful ignorance, and old-fashioned conservative contempt for America:Shortly after becoming mayor, former city officials and Wasilla residents said, Ms...

A Cynic's Summary of Huckabee's RNC Address in 25 Words or Less

Posted on September 03, 2008
Mike Huckabee just gave his address at the RNC, and *surprise!* it was nearly identical to every other address at the RNC. It's almost like Karl Rove wrote out a speech at one sentence per flashcard, and each speaker just shuffles the cards around on the floor, picks them up, and reads them off in the order that they're in...

OCIP Questions and Answers

Posted on August 31, 2008
I recently accepted an invitation to join the N & B team. I warned them, and I'll warn you: I rarely have anything useful to say. I'm not very involved with school politics or informed about the larger legal world. My posts will most often consist of random musings about one absurdity or another I've encountered in my travels as a law student and future attorney...

McCain selects Palin as VP candidate

Posted on August 29, 2008
Some rather historic news this morning: McCain selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate.Palin becomes the first woman to serve on a GOP presidential ticket and the first Alaskan to appear on a national ticket. Her selection guarantees we'll see either a non-white President or a female Vice President...

2008 OCIP Callbacks

Posted on August 25, 2008
This is the 2008 OCIP callback thread. If you are unsure about what that might mean, look here, and here.We will follow my learned brother's tried and true procedures from the past:(a) When you get a callback or a ding, look to see if that information has been included in the main post...

Gaffes & Goofs, LLP

Posted on August 25, 2008
With all the OCIP madness that is upon us, it's important to remember not to take ourselves to seriously. With that in mind, consider this a lighthearted companion to the callback thread. Feel free to post all those social blunders, wardrobe malfunctions, or other incidents you hope the interviewers won't remember.

The Real Significance of the Biden Pick

Posted on August 23, 2008
Forget what you?ve been reading about ?experience.? Forget about foreign policy. Forget about working-class. Forget about Catholic. Those themes are just a self-justifying narrative from the Obama campaign meant to buy a few good news cycles before Denver...

What's really concerning you: A Cal football update!

Posted on August 22, 2008
There are very few things that are good about summer ending. While you're scratching your head and trying to form the [rather short] list, let's start with Cal football.Two big developments:(1) Want to know whether to expect to be greeted by tree sitters on the way into the game next Saturday (or any other Saturday this season for that matter)? An excellent update can be found here...

Pick Me, Pick Me! (Then Give Me 30 Days to Hydrate)

Posted on August 21, 2008
We haven't had much Kevin Smith chatter this fall. There are two reasons why we probably should. First, he's in the air;  it seems that every time I bump into a 3L, Smith rears his ugly head:Cell Phone Me: "Hey, you worked at Mega Firm USA's San Francisco office, didn't you? What did you think?"Boalt 3L #1: "Can't talk now...

Before Kevin Smith...

Posted on August 21, 2008
I want to create a bit of an open thread here regarding OCIP. I realize most of you have submitted your bids, but here's a place to ask questions. I think ATL is incredibly useful for firm research, if you have the time and patience. But a few things should raise some red flags, e...

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