Greedy Links: Which Associate Are You?

By Brian Kumnick on May 22, 2009 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

There's a little something for everyone in this week's links. Just find the heading that best describes you, follow the links, and learn:

Summer Associates

Lawyerist says the summer program is on its way out.
The WSJ Law Blog thinks it's about time summer programs stopped being fun. In other news, the WSJ has never been a big fan of fun.

Junior Associates

Old lawyers and young lawyers gleefully overgeneralize about each other in a panel discussion. (WSJ Law Blog)
Time, like everyone else, can't quite believe how much a new BigLaw associate can make for not coming to work.
E-mail gaffes you don't hear about every day: according to Above the Law, this first-year associate actually meant to reply-all when he decided to call out a firm partner over his choice of legal causes. In a supposedly unrelated development, said associate is fired the next day.

Sartorially-Challenged Associates

The ABA Journal reports on two sides of the courtroom-fashion coin:

Federal judges in the Seventh Circuit complain about underdressed female attorneys.
On the other hand, Esquire's "Best Dressed Real Man" contest has two lawyers and a paralegal among its 25 finalists.

Just-Trying-To-Grind-It-Out Associates

The National Law Journal (reg. req'd) explained DLA Piper's cuts to associate pay and its near-immediate partial reversal of same.
The Am Law Daily sums up Sonnenchein's move to merit-based compensation. Hint: expect that everyone will merit a pay cut.
The Wall Street Journal (via ABA Journal) doles out workplace advice, demonstrating how one associate got an "ornery" senior partner to respect her and become a mentor. I think the advice is, "use empathy." How does such weak-minded liberal sentiment make it into the Journal?

Win-At-All-Costs Associates

This week's cautionary tale for the more competitive types out there: the New York Times, among, others, has the story of New Jersey lawyer Paul Bergrin's indictment. Repeat after me: "It is not OK to have witnesses murdered."