Above the Law - Thinking Like a Lawyer

Joe and Elie have only ever worked in New York law firms, so they're taking some time to focus on the ins and outs of legal markets around the country. First up is Philadelphia, New York's kid brother, to find out exactly what goes on in this city that -- for some firms -- is paying New York-level salaries.

Elie and Joe chat with SCOTUSBlog contributor and Supreme Court litigator Tejinder Singh about the upcoming Supreme Court Term. The docket lacks the blockbuster issues of past years, but there are still some critical cases pending before the 8-member Court.

With Elie unavailable, Joe brings on Chad Burton and Nicole Bradick of CuroLegal to cohost a wide-ranging discussion with LegalZoom General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Chas Rampenthal about the role LegalZoom plays in the future of the legal profession from the perspective of both clients and other lawyers. We also ask the most important question: How well did John Travolta capture O.J. Simpso...

Joe and Elie debate the Clinton Foundation, back to school issues, and the efficacy of taking classes with "famous" professors, just so you can name drop at parties.

Joe and Elie chat with Drew Rossow of the law office of Gregory M. Gantt in Dayton, Ohio, and author of Gotta Catch... A Lawsuit? about the legal challenges surrounding Pokémon Go. It's worth noting that technology moves fast, and since recording this episode, Niantic has released updates via Pokemon Go that have begun to address how both players and businesses can “opt out” and “opt into” the gam...

Law firms all across the country fell all over themselves last month to hike associate salaries. Elie and Joe chat with Professor Bill Henderson of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, an expert in legal industry economics, to discuss what just happened and where the industry goes from here. Spoiler: he's not sure everyone should have given out those raises...

Discussing the whole summer experience of Biglaw life. From summer associate etiquette to proper lunching locations, to living as a full-time associate in a world of summers, we discuss how to tackle the summer and reminisce about our own summer adventures.

Joe and Elie chat with Research Director Brian Dalton about the latest law school rankings from Above the Law and trends in legal education. Do you want to know where you should go to law school? Do you just want bragging rights over your colleagues from rival schools? Either way this podcast is for you.  

Joe and Elie chat with Dean Strang, the breakout legal star -- if that's the right word for a documentary -- of Netflix's Making A Murderer. Along with attorney Steven Chung, the gang chats with Strang about the state of the criminal justice system and the persistent plague of prosecutorial overreach.

Elie and First Amendment Lawyer Marc Randazza talk about the Hulk Hogan verdict, the right to be forgotten, and how Europe seems to be getting along just fine without ruining everybody's Google footprints.

Elie and Joe talk to Professor Peter Irons about Justice Scalia's vacancy and the often very personal stories of the people who bring their cases to the United States Supreme Court. Listen to Elie's mind being blown in real-time by a personal account of the life of Fred Korematsu.

Elie and Joe talk with a drone law expert about the expanding rights of drones and the diminishing rights of property owners who want to stop them.

Joe and Elie chat with election law expert Professor Rick Hasen about the Iowa Caucuses, Ted Cruz's infamous mailer, and Citizens United as the presidential election kicks into gear.  

Do Droids have rights in the Star Wars universe? Are they "pets?" Does Jabba's treatment of droids reveal him to be more evil than the Empire? Spoilers follow.

With the Court seemingly poised to strike down affirmative-action in Fisher v. Texas, Elie, Joe and Renwei Chung debate how we got here and the future of diversity in higher education.

Elie and Joe chat with Robert Schenk of Schenk Smith and proprietor of the Wedding Industry Law Blog about the oft-overlooked legal minefield that is getting married. Venues, vendors, and "DJ-Gate" loom large as Schenk explains how he found this niche and used it to build his small firm practice.

Joe and Elie chat with Slate Senior Business and Economics correspondent Jordan Weissmann about the economics of law schools. From Northwestern renaming itself for a huge endowment to a law professor taking to the media to say he sees no problem taking tuition from students who will never be able to practice, the economics of legal academia deserve a serious look. Is the model doomed?

Joe and Elie chat with Gary Ross of Jackson Ross about starting your own firm, the unique challenges of transactional small law, and his blockbuster Above the Law column about legal sexual prowess.

Joe and Elie talk with Vanderbilt Career Services Officer Nick Alexiou about the legal job market, and the presidential job market. 

Elie and Joe complain about the media's abysmal coverage of court cases before previewing the upcoming Supreme Court Term with a real-life Supreme Court litigator, Tejinder Singh, a partner at Goldstein & Russell (http://www.goldsteinrussell.com/attorneys/tejinder-singh/) and contributor to SCOTUSBlog. What's next for the Supreme Court? If you said, "a lot of pro-business decisions" you're probabl...

Elie and Joe talk with Steve Silver of The Legal Blitz about all the off the field problems associated with "OMG I think that's brain coming out of his ear"-Ball.

Joe talks to Jared Correia, Assistant Director and Senior Law Practice Advisor at LOMAP and host of Legal Talk Network's Legal Toolkit and Lunch Hour Legal Marketing about what lawyers, especially small firm and solo lawyers, need to know about running their own firm. As one might expect, the discussion takes some twists and turns before ending up on the burning question: should you draft Tom Brad...

Joe chats with Kat Griffin of Corporate about women's professional fashion, the confusion of business casual and whether office temperatures unfairly target women.

Joe and Elie take a break from the usual format to face off in a trivia challenge. Do you know your constitutional amendments? How about your Supreme Court history? Play along at home.

Elie and Joe speak to Rick Hasen, professor at UC Irvine and author of Election Law Blog. Professor Hasen explains the recent Supreme Court redistricting case, future cases regarding voting rights, and talks about the relationship between the Roberts Court and disenfranchisement. Joe argues for hope while it seems like Elie believes we should be led by a Platonic Philosopher King.