Above the Law

An Open Letter To This Year’s Law Students

Start writing. Because writing will make you a better lawyer.

ILTACON 2026: Separating Wheat From Chaff

There are no catchy, cutesy promotional themes as in years past. Instead, ILTA seems to be more focused on content.

Are All Lawyers ‘Legal Technologists’ Now?

A pre-ILTACON check-in with CEO Joy Heath Rush.

Alleged Penn State Cocaine Ring Figure Was Headed To Law School On A $188,000 Scholarship… Emphasis On ‘Was’

New England Law Boston pulled the admission this week.

How Appealing Weekly Roundup

The week in appellate news.

Morning Docket: 08.21.26

* Judge suspended for — among other things — not disclosing stepson’s appearance in front of him. [ABA Journal]

* “Parking Company Apologizes to Formerly Dead Woman for $80 Ticket.” [Lowering the Bar]

* Administration brings places partisan in charge of FOIA office. [Bloomberg Law News]

* New ICC sanctions pose threat to American democracy. [Just Security]

* Trump has cut off migrant children from their attorneys and suggests giving them military lawyers instead. [NBC News]

* Jay-Z asks appellate court to bring back his extortion claim against Tony Buzbee. [Bloomberg Law News]

* New York Times loses defamation suit to former Alabama basketball player. [NY Times]

* Pentagon official called in personal lawyer to handle DoD business. [American Prospect]

* Is it a problem when the judge tells you that you’re “absolutely wrong” on the law? Asking for Meta. [Law360]

The First Big ‘Yes’ In Private Equity’s Slow March Into Law — See Also

Private Equity’s Law Firm Takeover Isn’t Here, But It Just Got A Lot Closer: The reported $700 million Charlesbank deal for Wood Smith Henning & Berman gives PE a toehold in the industry.

Todd Blanche’s Potential Successor Has A Slush Fund Problem Too: The Senate is going to love this.

Federal Judges Say The Darnedest Things: Judicial complaint compiles judge’s media hits and there’s just a whole lot of bigotry.

Texas Says ‘No Thanks’ To The Constitution: Well, at least its Governor did.

That’s One Way To Get Out Of A Hearing: Condolences on losing the election.

The Confirmation Speech That Doomed The SCOTUS Nominee It Was Meant To Save

Sure, the guy's mediocre, but don't mediocrities deserve a seat on the Court?

Neuroscience For Lawyers, A Texas Two-Step, And Rinse And Repeat In DC

Some lawyers don’t know how to spell collegial, let alone act that way.

Law Practice Management Company Smokeball Unveils New Global Brand Built Around ‘Powering People-Law’

Smokeball is unveiling a new global brand that focuses on both its duty to empower the lawyers who are its customers and their duty to do their best for the clients who are their customers.

How To Get Your Nonfiction Book Published

What to know about traditional publishing, self-publishing, literary agents, platforms, and why you are writing in the first place.

Hearing Adjourned After Lawyer Suffers Shock Bar Association Election Loss

That's a new one!

The Anti-Weaponization Fund Is Supposed To Be Gone. One Of Its Architects Wants To Be The Next Deputy Attorney General.

Acting DAG Trent McCotter wants Blanche's old job. He also helped build the thing that nearly sank Blanche's confirmation. Second verse, same as the first.

To Use AI Slop, Or Not To Use AI Slop

We may already be at the point of no return.

AI Prompt Injection Has Entered The Courtroom

The court did not take kindly to this.