Blawg Review #68

Welcome to Blawg Review #68.  Blawg Review is a weekly roundup of law-related blog posts from around the web, and I was fortunate enough to be asked to host it this week, to coincide with my book release.  I'll re-link to the USA Today piece about the book, from last week, and then I'll shut up about it and get to the links.  Just for fun, I thought I'd ask Anonymous Lawyer to chime in whenever he has something to say about any of this stuff.  He speaks in italics.  Just so it's clear.

Let's start off with the Bar Exam, this week's big event for recent law school graduates. For some first-hand perspectives, check out Wings and Vodka, Cathy, another person, someone else, and one more.  Thanks, Technorati.

Second in importance to the Bar Exam this week has been the stuff going on in Israel and Lebanon.  Some links: Whether the civilians in Israel and Lebanon are as innocent as they seem.  Suing over the Israeli-Lebanon war.  David Kopel at Volokh on the UN's complicity in the Hezbollah kidnapping.

And, the Baseball Crank, who often writes about the law, has been blogging some interesting stuff about the Israel-Lebanon conflict (and also about the players whose stock has fallen throughout the major leagues).

I think ---

No.  Anonymous Lawyer, be quiet.  You are not allowed to have an opinion about the situation in Israel.

But all I was going to say was ---

No.

But ---

No.

Speaking of war, a couple of links from Balkinization: Jack Balkin on war crimes, and the relevance of Hobbes' Leviathan on what's going on in Iraq.

And, in other human tragedy news, the first Katrina insurance trial.

One of the most interesting links I was sent for this week's Blawg Review was about a cable guy who accidentally deleted screenplays off a guy's computer.  Oops.  The guy wanted punitive damages and the court ruled he can't get them.

I deleted someone's screenplay off his computer once.  I came into his office with an assignment, saw he was writing something, peeked at the screen, realized it wasn't legal work, and I picked up his firm-logoed baseball bat we gave out during the Annual Pinata Party, and smashed his computer to bits.

No you didn't.

Okay, I didn't.  But I thought it was about time I chimed in with something to say.

More entertainment news: read about Hollywood's Idea Theft Litigation King.  Or, Freedom to Differ on the Kazaa settlement.

And, big news on the world poker tour.  According to Mark at Sports Biz, 7 top poker players have filed an antitrust suit against the World Poker Tour.

They probably shouldn't bite the hand that feeds them.

Yeah, not like an anonymous blogger trashing his fictional firm.  At least these poker players have actually been wronged.  You're just whining about how hard it is to be rich and powerful even though you don't really work any harder than people who make a lot less money doing things a lot less fun.

In this week's most bizarre legal news, via Quizlaw, the host of a PBS Kids show was fired because she advocated anal sex in an online video.

I think Kirkland & Ellis has a video segment about that on its website.

No, that's work-life balance.

Whatever, that's just as ridiculous for a law firm to be talking about.

Speaking of law firms, here's The Greatest American Law Clerk, arguing that large firms may not be the best places to spend your summer; a blawg discussion on billable hours; and Bruce MacEwen on The War For Talent at law firms and how it's hard to make sure the right people are the ones moving up the ladder to partnership. 

Also, in New Jersey, lawyers can't advertise using the term "super lawyer."

IP News of the Week: Who owns the copyright in a contract drafted by a firm?  The law firm, the lawyer, or the client?  Patents, trade secrets and inventions in Heinlein's fiction.  And, trademark tips for your web application, from Steve Nipper, who I met at LexThink a little more than a year ago.  I think this is a great post -- much more interesting than I expected from the title.

Law School-related links: Chris Geidner on the decision not to hire Juan Cole as a Yale law professor.  Orin Kerr on banning laptops in classrooms.  And Tucker Max says you shouldn't go to law school, and the terrific group blog Unfogged has a post about it, with a robust comments thread.

On blogs: Tung Yin on legal blogs and the Supreme Court confirmation process.  The status of legal blogs and the search for legitimacy (PDF).  Howard Bashman writes, Are Blogs the New Friends of the Court?  From Evan Schaeffer's terrific blog, a link to a Bloggasm interview with Overlawyered's Walter Olson. Rob Hyndman on the dearth of CEOs who blog.

Long posts I didn't finish reading but look interesting and I want to link to them anyway: Monaco Jerry about the legal fiction that a defendant is really a participant in his own trial.  Matt Barr at Socratic Rhythm Method on Presidential Signing Statements made when the President signs new laws, regarding how he plans on interpreting them.  Whether borders should matter in the context of Internet Tax Jurisdiction.  The focus on the short run in antitrust law produces conservative results.  There's even a graph!

And, some assorted posts I like but couldn't find a category for:

Carolyn Elefant: "Would You Render Ineffective Counsel to Spare Your Client from Death?"

At Concurring Opinions: the Nassau County D.A. says "you can't have part-time litigators." 

LA's Dopest Attorney, an expert in drug cases.

Ernie the Attorney on negative states of mind.

Professor Bainbridge writes about "The Judicial We."

Finally, in our pro bono section this week:

What Sherry Fowler likes about coaching special olympics.

That's not billable.

Thanks, AL.  You've been really helpful today.

No problem.

Thanks for reading.  Blawg Review has information about next week's host, and instructions how to get your blawg posts reviewed in upcoming issues.

Comments

[Heather]

buy the book. read it. laugh. a lot.

i finished it sunday afternoon while recovering from my birthday bash. much love to a.l.!

[Eh Nonymous]

I agree with Heather, but be careful.

I was reading Anonymous Lawyer (the book) in public today, and came across a line I'd read before, and had silently chuckled over, in Anonymous Lawyer (the blog).

The different was vast- probably because i was drinking wine at the time.

Did you know it hurts when you laugh with a mouthful of wine that's too good to spill? It's true.

Also, the book is, as noted by others, hilarious. Buy it buy it buy it.

And, Blawg Review # 68 is as good as one could expect - it was posted by a firm partner collaborating with a Harvard Law grad (and future best-selling novelist...).

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