Harvard Law School debuted its new Wasserstein Hall this week, which is a massive law building that will help generations of law students at Harvard. Harvard had to perform a ton of fundraising to construct such a building, but the school is not shy when it comes to naming buildings or rooms after donors. Do not forget that the university is named after a man who made the wisest donation of books in the history of academia. The new Wasserstein Hall includes the Caspersen Student Center and plenty of commemorative plaques to spread across a handful of universities.

So what else does Wasserstein Hall include? Wasserstein Hall also features a men’s room that is dedicated to William Falik. Falik made money as a lawyer and as a developer of real estate and now teaches in Boalt Hall. The bathroom at Harvard Law School is not the only one named after Falik either. There is a Falik Gentlemen’s Lounge at the Berkeley Repertory’s Roda Theater.

The story as to how the Falik gift and subsequent naming of the men’s room came about is quite funny, as told by Falik himself, according to Above the Law:

“The naming has a curious history involving conversations I had with a now distinguished Supreme Court Justice — Elena Kagan.

After several meetings with then Dean Kagan, I created a public interest fellowship in honor of my father’s 100th birthday by donating $100k to Harvard Law School.

Although I have developed several new communities in California, with a name like “Falik,” there are limited naming opportunities. (Somehow “Falik Blvd” or “Falik Ave” does not cut it). [As the] piece in the SF Chronicle suggests, I thought the best use of my name would be to name a Gentleman’s Lounge (aka Men’s Room), when I made a large donation to the Berkeley Repertory Theater. Dean Kagan, who has a great sense of humor, liked the idea, but for reasons that I cannot articulate, the Falik Gentleman’s Lounge moniker did not get through the chain of command at HLS, so alas, it is now the Falik Men’s Room.”

Falik is a 1971 graduate of Harvard Law School, which you can see from the dedication plaque in the picture in this post. Tell us your thoughts on schools, especially law schools, putting donor names on bathroom plaques to raise money for their schools. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

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In recent days, Venable LLP announced that Greg Sater, one of the nation’s leading advertising attorneys, joined the firm’s Los Angeles office as a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation group. 

Sater joins Venable from Rutter Hobbs & Davidoff in Los Angeles. There, he built an intellectual property litigation practice in advertising, marketing, trademark, copyright, publicity right, trade dress, trade secret and other IP issues. In particular, he represents direct response television advertisers, online marketers and other direct-to-consumer marketers and retailers in connection with intellectual property issues, false or deceptive advertising concerns, compliance with state and federal advertising regulations, and business contracts.

Sater has also provided representation to a variety of entertainment industry companies in litigation matters. As well as the multitude of jury trials in which Sater has been involved, Sater has briefed and argued precedent setting cases before the California Supreme Court and other appellate courts.

Jeffrey D. Knowles, head of Venable’s Advertising and Marketing Practice Group was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “For more than a decade, Greg has been a colleague, collaborator and friend. Now I am proud to call him my partner. Greg’s creative and talented practice of law will enhance the formidable depth and breadth of Venable’s Advertising practice.  In addition, Greg’s current clients will now benefit from the depth of Venable’s resources.”

Doug Emhoff, Los Angeles Managing Partner and also a member of the Advertising Practice Group, was quoted as saying: “I am pleased to welcome Greg to the Los Angeles office. Along with the recent additions of Brett Garner and Dan Silverman, Greg boosts our West Coast presence in the advertising arena and will help service our clients across the United States. We are continuing to grow in LA in several different practice areas, and just last week added, Jan Handzlik, one of the country’s top white collar attorneys.”

Sater earned his law degree from Harvard Law School. His pro bono work has included time spent as a volunteer prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles. There, he obtained guilty verdicts in criminal jury trials involving handguns, domestic violence, and assault and battery. He has also made significant contributions in several public interest lawsuits against the federal government seeking to protect habitats for endangered species on public lands.

Venable’s Advertising and Marketing practice is internationally recognized and respected. Among the many honors it has received, the group recently received the Chambers USA 2011 Award for Excellence in Advertising Law, for the second year in a row. This is an achievement no other law firm has accomplished.

An American Lawyer Global 100 law firm, Venable serves corporate, institutional, governmental, nonprofit and individual clients globally. The firm has headquarters in Washington, DC, and offices in California, Maryland, New York and Virginia.

The firm was founded in Baltimore in 1900, and has over 500 attorneys practicing in more than seventy practice and industry areas, including corporate and business law, complex litigation, intellectual property and regulatory and government affairs.

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Nickels served as a litigation partner at Covington before he became DC Attorney General. He is an expert on the area of litigations including antitrust, securities fraud, corporate control, and toxic tort claims. Throughout his career, he handled and advised various clients such as theKerr-McGee Corporation, the NFL and British Airways. Nickels is a graduate of Princeton University. He studied law at  Harvard Law School.

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Kenneth N. Klee, the firm’s founding partner, expressed his excitement over the addition of the three lawyers. “We are thrilled to have three spectacular attorneys join our firm’s partnership. We are confident that they will help us build on our wonderful successes in 2011.”

KTB&S areas of practice include business reorganization, corporate insolvency, commercial and bankruptcy-related litigation and appellate advocacy, expert witness and transactional services to clients nationwide. The firm caters to a wide range of clients such as debtors, creditors, equity holders, committees, trustees, landlords, potential acquirers of assets and other parties with interests in financially distressed businesses. In 2010, the firm has received numerous recognitions particularly in the restructuring field. The firm served as counsel for debtors in three of the most significant chapter 11 cases.

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Harvard Law will receive $500,000 for 10 students pursuing work in the public sector after they graduate this spring, said Dean of Law School Martha L. Minow. The fellowship is intended to fund one year of service work and can be used to supplement income in public sector jobs.

Redstone cited John F. Kennedy’s commitment to public service as the inspiration for his donation.

“As the 50^th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s presidency nears, we reflect on how his influence sparked an era of optimism, activism and national service,” Redstone said. “I have established these scholarships to help celebrate President Kennedy’s spirit by fostering a focus on education and a renewed commitment to public service. I am honored to have the opportunity to recognize and encourage these admirable young men and women.”

Minnow also commented on the donation.

“In the 50 years since John F. Kennedy inspired a generation with his call to service, Sumner Redstone has steadfastly answered that call throughout the course of his extraordinary career and as a visionary leader in our society,” Minnow said. “Now, with these fellowships, he shares his inspiration by supporting the newest generation of lawyers who wish to make a difference in the lives of their fellow human beings.”

The recipients of the scholarships will be chosen based on criteria that include a commitment to public service that reflects President Kennedy’s civic ideals.

According to a press release, Redstone has recently awarded more than $100 million in charitable grants to fund initiatives in the U.S. and abroad.

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• IU Law School in Indianapolis Gets $24 Million From Former Student

Wells has defended numerous other high profile clients including “Scooter” Libby, Robert G. Torricelli, Michael Milken and others.

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• Former Head of New York State Attorney General Office’s Criminal Division Joins Jenner & Block’s New York Office as Partner
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• Boyd M. Johnson, III, Deputy U.S. Attorney for SDNY Joins WilmerHale
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According to the complaint, Google automatically signed-in Gmail users to the social network, which provided status updates and other personal information without user’s permission. Hibnick told ABC News, which first reported the suit, that “I feel like they did something wrong. They opted me into this social network and I didn’t want it.”

As news spread of the automatic opt-in, and complaints began to roll into Google, the company responded by offering ways for people to sign out of the service. However, according to the complaint, it was too late and the damage was done.

The suit alleges several federal laws were broken, including the Federal Communications Privacy Act, the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the Federal Stored Communications Act. The suit was filed in San Jose federal court on behalf of all Gmail users.

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Robert Yablon formerly clerked for Ruth Bader Ginsburg. His JD is from Yale Law.

Lindsey Powell formerly clerked for John Paul Stevens. Her JD is from Stanford Law.

Jeremy Marwell clerked for DC Circuit Judge Stephen Williams. His JD is from NYU Law.

Eloise Pasachoff was a clerk for Sotomayor’s friend and 2nd Circuit colleague Robert Katzmann. Her JD is from Harvard Law.

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Texas Supreme Court Justice Scott Brister joins Andrews Kurth as a partner in its Austin office, to lead the appellate practice. He will focus on litigation and alternative dispute resolution. Brister was previously with Andrews Kurth in the 1980s. He was also a district court judge in Harris County; a justice on the First Court of Appeals in Houston; and chief justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston. His law degree is from Harvard Law School.

David Whittlesey joins in Austin as a partner in the litigation group. Whittlesey will focus his practice on complex commercial, business and technology litigation. He is is President-Elect of the Austin Bar Association; a former president of the Austin Young Lawyer’s Association; and an active member of the Admissions & Disciplinary Committee for the Western District of Texas. He earned his JD magna cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center, where he was a member of Order of the Coif.

Andrews & Kurth LLP was founded by Frank Andrews and Congressman Thomas Henry Ball in 1902, and later joined by Melvin Kurth in 1913. The firm currently has over 400 attorneys internationally, including offices in London and Beijing.

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Duane J. Mauney rejoins as a partner in the firm’s product liability practice in Washington DC. He represents consumer products clients in state and federal courts across the country in a wide array of actions, including mass product liability and consumer fraud litigation. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Law.

Lisa Hill Fenning joins the bankruptcy practice as a partner in Los Angeles. Fenning is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, and has been a partner at a major national law firm since 2001. Prior to that, she served as a US bankruptcy judge for the Central District of California. She is a graduate of Yale Law School.

Cynthia D. Mann joins the tax practice in New York. She concentrates her practice on tax planning, specifically the international, federal, state, and local tax aspects of tax-free and taxable acquisitions, sales, and combinations of incorporated and unincorporated entities and their assets; equity and debt restructurings in bankruptcies and insolvencies; hedge and private equity funds and the use of S corporations, trusts, partnership, and limited liability companies. She is a graduate of Harvard Law.

Patricio Grané joins the firm’s international arbitration and international trade groups as counsel, in Washington DC. He focuses his practice in the area of international dispute resolution, with emphasis on international arbitration under investment treaties and the World Trade Organization. He has a JD from the Universidad de Costa Rica, and an LL.M from Georgetown University Law Center, where he is an Adjunct Professor of Law.

Founded in 1946, Arnold & Porter LLP is an international law firm based in Washington DC, which is well known for its trial, corporate, and antitrust work; and for its pro bono commitments and support for progressive causes.

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Martha Minow is the Dean of Harvard Law School, where she has taught for nearly thirty years. Her research focuses on equality, human rights, law and social change, and religion and pluralism.  Minow was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and has served on the Board of the American Bar Foundation. She earned her JD at Yale, and her Ed.M from Harvard.

Also, Minow is the daughter of Newton Minow, senior counsel at Chicago’s Sidley Austin. When Obama was at Harvard Law School, the elder Minow got Obama a summer job.

John G. Levi has been a partner in the Chicago office of Sidley Austin for over 25 years. His practice focuses on employment litigation, executive compensation matters, and labor management relations. His JD and LL.M are from Harvard.

And… It was Levi who actually hired Obama at Sidley, and another young attorney, Michelle Robinson, who was assigned to be the young Obama’s adviser. Robinson would later serve as the first African-American First Lady.

Created in 1974, The Legal Services Corporation is a private, non-profit corporation established by the United States Congress to ensure equal access to justice under the law for all Americans, by providing civil legal assistance to those who otherwise would be unable to afford it.

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Before joining Ropes & Gray in 1987, Shay was international tax counsel for the Treasury.

Meanwhile, Mark Popofsky joins Ropes & Gray in Washington DC as co-head of the antitrust practice group. He was previously chair of the Technology and Competition practice group at Kaye Scholer. Before that, Popofsky was senior counsel to the assistant attorney general in charge of the US Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, where he played a key role in United States v. Microsoft.

Popofsky is an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, and earned his JD at Harvard Law School, where he was executive editor of the Law Review.

Ropes & Gray LLP is a national law firm with offices located in Boston, New York City, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Hong Kong and Tokyo; and a conference center in London. The firm has over 1,000 lawyers worldwide.

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James Donato joins Shearman & Sterling’s San Francisco office as a partner. He was previously with Cooley. Donato is an antitrust lawyer and past president of the Bar Association of San Francisco. Also, Donato served as a trial attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office.

Jesse Witten joins Drinker Biddle & Reath from the US Department of Justice, where he was co-chair of the Health Care Fraud Task Force. He will join the firm’s white-collar criminal defense and corporate investigations team in Washington, DC. Witten’s JD is from Harvard Law, magna cum laude.

Sue J. Hodges joins K&L Gates as a partner in San Diego, handling corporate and insolvency matters. She focuses on commercial transactions involving debt and equity financing. Hodges joins from Pillsbury, where she was managing partner of the firm’s two San Diego offices.

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Gary Hnath (not a typo) joins Mayer Brown as a partner from Bingham McCutchen, in the intellectual property and government/global trade practice groups. He is a former senior trial attorney at the US International Trade Commission. His JD is from Harvard Law School.

William F. Johnson joins Fried Frank as a partner in its government investigations and regulatory counseling practice. He was previously chief of the securities and commodities fraud task force in the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. He supervised the investigations in both US v. Bernard Madoff and US v. Marc Dreier. Johnson was also a senior counsel for the SEC. His JD is from the Washington College of Law at American University.

Robert Osborne rejoins Jenner & Block this September, from General Motors. He has been GM’s general counsel since September 2006. Osborne was a senior partner at Jenner, where he chaired its Corporate Department and was a member of the Management and Policy Committees, from 2002 until joining GM. Before that he was at Kirkland & Ellis. Osborne’s JD is from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude.

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Ralph Stone and Rachel Gould join Eckert Seamans in Boston.

Stone will handle commercial, industrial, and residential properties. He earned his JD from Harvard Law School.

Gould will represent parties in commercial real estate matters. She earned her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law.

Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC is a national full-service law firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with two offices located in the Pittsburgh area and eight other offices located throughout the eastern United States.

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T. Thomas Cottingham III will serve as head of the litigation in Charlotte. He was previously the managing partner of Hunton & Williams’ Charlotte office and head of its securities/financial institutions litigation practice. Cottingham earned his JD cum laude from Cornell Law School.

Nash E. Long III joins in Charlotte. He focuses on complex litigation including arbitration, jury trials, bench trials and class actions related to environmental, business torts, commercial contract, intellectual property, construction, consumer law and product liability disputes. While at Harvard Law School, where Long graduated magna cum laude, he served as research assistant to renowned professor and constitutional law expert Laurence Tribe.

Jack M. Knight Jr. also joins in Charlotte. He concentrates on internal investigations, corporate compliance, commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense of corporations and individuals, Grand Jury investigations and civil litigation, and regularly advises corporations on compliance issues. Knight earned his JD cum laude from the Washington College of Law at American University.

Winston’s Charlotte office, founded in 2008, has grown from six to 22 attorneys. The firm expects to hire more lawyers in the near future.

John M. Holloway III joins in Washington, DC. He focuses on environmental issues, energy matters, administrative law and commercial transactions particularly in the areas of energy, procurement and construction contracting. Holloway holds a JD cum laude from University of Richmond School of Law.

Winston & Strawn LLP was founded in Chicago in 1853. It employs about 1,000 attorneys among 13 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia.

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Dennis Burke is nominated for US Attorney for the District of Arizona, He is a Senior Advisor to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. He graduated the University of Arizona College of Law.

Steven Dettelbach is nominated for US Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. He is a partner at Baker & Hostettler in Cleveland Ohio; he also currently serves as a Commissioner on the Ohio Ethics Commission. Dettelbach graduated from Harvard Law School.

Brendan Johnson is nominated for US Attorney for the District of South Dakota. He is a partner at Johnson, Heidepriem, Abdallah & Johnson in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Johnson graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Karen Loeffler is nominated for US Attorney for the District of Alaska. She has been an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Alaska for twenty years, and currently is its interim United States Attorney. Loeffler graduated from Harvard Law School.

Florence T. Nakakuni is nominated for US Attorney for the District of Hawaii. She has been an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Hawaii for the past 24 years. She presently serves as Chief of the Drug and Organized Crime Section. Nakakuni graduated from the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law.

Carter M. Stewart is nominated for US Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. She is a lawyer at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP in Columbus, Ohio. Stewart graduated from Harvard Law School.

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Richard Kimball joins as partner from Nutter McClennen & Fish, to chair Edwards Angell’s emerging companies/technology practice group in Boston. At Nutter, Kimball was co-chair of the firm’s emerging growth companies practice group, and founded the firm’s award winning TechnOvation Awards Program. His JD is from Harvard Law School.

David Ramm joins the firm as a partner in London, from that city’s Speechly Bircham/Campbell Hooper, where he headed up the firm’s growing PE/VC practice.

Edwards Angell is 97th on the list of the world’s largest law firms by 2006 revenue. The firm was formed by the 2005 merger of Edwards & Angell LLP and Palmer & Dodge LLP.

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Ruden McClosky: 8 lawyers

Allens Arthur Robinson: 114 undisclosed

Weil, Gotshal & Manges: 16 lawyers, 11 staff

Barlow Lyde & Gilbert: 49 undisclosed

Taylor Wessing: 11 lawyers

Denton Wilde Sapte: 14 lawyers

Harvard Law School: 12 undisclosed

Total: 49 lawyers, 11 staff, 175 undisclosed

Previously:

Week of June 28th: 30 lawyers, 43 staff

Week of June 14th: 51 lawyers, 34 staff

Week of June 7th: 81 lawyers, 61 staff, 85 undisclosed

Week of May 31st: 101 lawyers, 142 staff, 49 undisclosed

Week of May 24th: 66 lawyers, 119 staff

Week of May 17th: 40 lawyers, 118 staff

Week of May 10th: 274 lawyers, 499 staff

Week of May 3rd: 274 lawyers, 160 staff

Week of April 26th: 352 lawyers, 220 staff, 70 undisclosed

Week of April 19th: 61 lawyers, 184 staff

Week of April 12th: 67 lawyers, 50 staff, 115 unidentified

Week of April 5th: 144 lawyers, 310 staff

Week of March 29th: 199 lawyers, 474 staff

Week of March 22nd: 455 lawyers, 219 staff

Week of March 15th: 91 lawyers, 177 staff

Week of March 8th: 574 lawyers, 812 staff

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We now know that 12 staffers were let go this week. That’s Harvard Law’s share of the 275 employees laid off at the University overall.

If you have any details about the layoffs at Harvard Law School, please — send us a confidential tip!

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the United States’ oldest law school in continuous operation. It is home to the largest academic law library in the world. HLS is typically ranked in the top three law schools in the nation, and is currently listed as the second best law school in the United States by US News and World Report, behind only Yale Law School.

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Harvard Law School: undisclosed

Dykema Gossett: 17 lawyers, 30 staff

Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone: 13 lawyers

DLA Piper: 9 lawyers, 13 staff

Total: 30 lawyers, 43 staff

Previously:

Week of June 14th: 51 lawyers, 34 staff

Week of June 7th: 81 lawyers, 61 staff, 85 undisclosed

Week of May 31st: 101 lawyers, 142 staff, 49 undisclosed

Week of May 24th: 66 lawyers, 119 staff

Week of May 17th: 40 lawyers, 118 staff

Week of May 10th: 274 lawyers, 499 staff

Week of May 3rd: 274 lawyers, 160 staff

Week of April 26th: 352 lawyers, 220 staff, 70 undisclosed

Week of April 19th: 61 lawyers, 184 staff

Week of April 12th: 67 lawyers, 50 staff, 115 unidentified

Week of April 5th: 144 lawyers, 310 staff

Week of March 29th: 199 lawyers, 474 staff

Week of March 22nd: 455 lawyers, 219 staff

Week of March 15th: 91 lawyers, 177 staff

Week of March 8th: 574 lawyers, 812 staff

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Yesterday, the axe fell, as Harvard University announced began layoffs of 275 employees across all university departments. The layoffs struck at Harvard Law and the business school first.

Unfortunately, there are no details as to who was let go, or how many law school faculty or staff were affected.

The University blames a 30% drop in the value of its endowment for the layoffs. It has also canceled raises for faculty and non-union staff members, and voluntary early retirement to 1,600 staff members. Five hundred employees accepted the early retirement.

If you have any details about the layoffs at Harvard Law School, please — send us a confidential tip!

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the United States’ oldest law school in continuous operation. It is home to the largest academic law library in the world. HLS is typically ranked in the top three law schools in the nation, and is currently listed as the second best law school in the United States by US News and World Report, behind only Yale Law School.

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Howard Gutman, a partner at Williams & Connolly, was nominated to be ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium. He helped raise at least $500,000 for Obama’s campaign. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School.

Last month, Williams & Connolly partner Laurie S. Fulton was chosen to be ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark. She raised $200,000 for Obama. Fulton holds a JD magna cum laude from Georgetown University.

Washington, DC-based Mayer Brown partner Mark Gitenstein was nominated to be ambassador to Romania. He was the early favorite to head the Office of Legal Policy at the Justice Department, until controversy over his past as a lobbyist for the US Chamber of Commerce put him out of the running. Gitenstein was also once a Senate staffer for Vice President Joe Biden. Gitenstein holds a JD from Georgetown University.

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Initially, the school said these students would still need to complete these work weeks, or risk losing their financial aid; although students who could not find work could appeal at the end of the summer.

But now the school has officially reduced the period of required work to eight weeks. The school initially resisted, unsure it could afford the change.

But after learning how many students were impacted by summer job reductions, Harvard Law reduced the requirement.

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the United States’ oldest law school in continuous operation. It is home to the largest academic law library in the world. HLS is typically ranked in the top three law schools in the nation, and is currently listed as the second best law school in the United States by US News and World Report, behind only Yale Law School.

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All 11 will join Morgan Lewis’ Boston-based Business and Finance Practice, which spans the United States, Europe, and Asia, with nearly 400 transactional lawyers who focus on a wide variety of areas, including finance, bankruptcy and restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and capital markets.

Robert A. J. Barry joins as partner; he focuses his practice on the structuring and restructuring of domestic and international financing transactions. He received his JD from Villanova University School of Law in 1987.

Partner Jonathan K. Bernstein’s practice focuses on general corporate finance, including debt financing, structured financing, workouts, and bankruptcies across numerous industries, including energy, transportation, media, sports and numerous national and regional restaurant chains. He received his JD, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1987.

Sula R. Fiszman joins as partner; she represents financial institutions, private equity funds, and other companies in complex senior secured finance transactions, subordinated and second lien lending transactions, structured finance, workouts, and bankruptcies. She received her JD cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1984 and her MA from the University of Chicago in 1981.

Patner Matthew F. Furlon represents leading financial institutions and borrowers in a broad range of finance and business matters, including domestic and international debt, mezzanine and equity financing, debt restructurings, asset-based credit facilities, second lien credit facilities, acquisition finance and retail finance, and multinational credit facilities. He got his JD magna cum laude from Boston College Law School in 1994.

Sandra J. Vrejan joins as partner; she focuses her practice on a broad range of domestic and international commercial finance, secured transactions, and financial restructurings. She received her JD from Hofstra University School of Law in 1995.

Philadelphia-based Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is a law firm that was founded as Morgan & Lewis in 1873. It has 1,400 lawyers in 22 offices worldwide.

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Harvard University as a whole faces a 30% decline in its endowment.

The law school will leave empty positions unfilled, and is offering an early retirement program, in the hopes of minimizing the number of layoffs.

From our tipster (edited for length):

HLS is planning layoffs and there is no way these layoffs won’t affect the “educational mission” of HLS. The people who work at Harvard all contribute to the educational experience at the school. HLS says it will cut 10% this year and 8-12% the next year – this would inevitably affect programming near and dear to students’ hearts, like clinical programs. Some students here are still asking, “Will the ice rink go?” The answer is an unequivocal “YES!” Dean Jackson already said it, and this is only a drop in the bucket of what would be cut if he sticks with this draconian plan.

Oh no! No more ice rink! I haven’t seen a disaster this dire since UCLA tore out its bowling alley. (Seriously. The year I started at UCLA, they removed the bowling alley. I was bummed.)

There is absolutely no transparency around what landed HLS and Harvard in this situation. (It is not enough to say “the economy is bad,” because Harvard is in a particularly difficult situation and took huge risks with its endowment, which were criticized by many people. It acted like a hedge fund, not an endowment).

Students are very angry that HLS is waiting until summer to make concrete announcements. By the time they are back, the decisions will appear irreversible. Harvard has provided no sufficient justification for its decision to reduce its endowment payout and Dean Jackson needs to stand up to the University Administration to demand a more reasonable response. This is an opportunity for HLS to take a leadership role at Harvard.

Thanks to our tipster!

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The top 20 are:

1. Yale Law School
2. Harvard Law School
3. Stanford Law School
4. Columbia Law School
5. New York University School of Law
6. University of California Berkeley School of Law – tie – University of Chicago Law School
8. University of Pennsylvania Law School
9. University of Michigan Law School
10. Duke University School of Law – tie – Northwestern University School of Law – tie – University of Virginia School of Law
13. Cornell Law School
14. Georgetown University Law Center
15. UCLA School of Law – tie – University of Texas School of Law
17. Vanderbilt University Law School
18. University of Southern California Gould School of Law
19. Washington University School of Law
20. Boston University School of Law – tie- Emory University School of Law – tie – University of Minnesota Law School

The unobservant might miss the most important story here — that UCLA beat USC by two slots! You can’t spell SUCK without USC!!!

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Shareholder David J. Goldstein has been counseling employers for over 20 years. He is a leading authority on affirmative action and governmental contract requirements. Goldstein received his JD from Harvard Law School and his BA from Haverford College.

Shareholder Holly M. Robbins advises clients on a wide variety of employment issues, including discipline, terminations, reductions-in-force and complex leave issues. Robbins received her JD from the George Washington University Law School and her BA also from Haverford.

With more than 750 attorneys and 46 offices, Littler Mendelson is the largest US law firm exclusively devoted to representing management in employment and labor law matters. Established in 1942, the firm has litigated, mediated and negotiated some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record.

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Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic has announced a new fellowship position that will be funded by Cooley, Godward, and Kronish, a law firm focusing on technology law.  The fellowship aims to foster a closer relationship between the two organizations.

The Cyberlaw Clinic, which is part of Harvard Law’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, defends anonymous online posters who face legal demands for their identities, negotiates online music and licensing agreements, and explores issues such as internet surveillance and the influence of the internet on democracy, according to directok Phillip R. Malone.

The newly created fellowship will provide financial support for one of two fellows already working at the clinic, says Malone.  Malone also mentioned that the position will create a closer collaboration with the Cooley firm, allowing the Clinic access to the firm’s expertise and resources.

John G. Palfrey, a Law School professor who formerly oversaw the Clinic, called the fellowship a “major step forward for the study of cyberlaw at Harvard Law School” and  praised the relationship with Cooley, who he called “a leader in intellectual property law.”

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The Palo Alto, California law firm, which has 36 lawyers in Boston, has agreed to support the position for the next five years.

The Cooley fellow will become a key part of the Cyberlaw Clinic’s teaching and representation of clients, including individuals, start-ups, nonprofit groups and government entities, on matters including online speech and software & music licensing, among other issues.

Cooley has 675 attorneys nationally.

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The complaint charges Fried Frank with discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, on the basis of sex and sexual orientation.

Kamps joined Fried, Frank’s New York litigation department as an associate attorney in October 1998, just after graduating from Harvard Law. She alleges she was denied promotion.

She says the firm hires many of its female partners laterally, rather than developing female associates and promoting from within the firm. In addition, during her decade-long tenure at the firm, there has never been more than one openly gay partner and no openly gay partners in the New York litigation department where she worked.

According to Kamps, “Fried, Frank’s diversity efforts stop at the door to the partnership.”

The complaint comes after a failed attempt at mediating Kamps’ claims in January. According to the complaint, the firm has subjected Kamps to a long course of adverse action, including firing her during the mediation session aimed at settling the matter.

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is an international law firm with offices in New York City, Washington DC, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The firm has more than 600 attorneys worldwide.

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Colby is credited by the SEC with having led “the development and implementation of investor protection policies, rules and interpretations governing broker-dealers, securities markets, clearance and settlement systems and transfer agents.”

Colby joined the SEC staff in 1981 as a staff attorney in the division, where he was promoted to chief counsel in 1986 and deputy director in 1993.

He graduated with a BA from Bowdoin College, and a JD from Harvard Law School.

Davis Polk & Wardwell is an international law firm that employs more than 740 attorneys, and is primarily known for its corporate, litigation and tax practices.

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Even in this economy, there seems to still be a demand for one high-paying job — law school dean. At least 27 law schools throughout the country are searching for new deans — and many are having a tough time filling the position.

Law schools from Harvard to the University of Arizona to Case Western to the University of Miami have all embarked on dean searches, and some are finding somewhat slim pickings, with the same applicants recycled for many of the jobs.

That’s because law school deanships, once highly sought after, are now high-stress jobs, thanks in part to the economy.

Via NLJ.

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The indictment follows Dreier’s December 7th arrest on charges that he persuaded two hedge funds to give him more than $100 million by falsely claiming he was selling at a discount notes issued by a New York developer. Prosecutors later said investors’ losses exceeded $400 million, a figure repeated in the indictment.

“Dreier conspired to engage in securities and wire fraud,” acting US Attorney Lev Dassin said.

The indictment expands the number of charges against Dreier, says his scheme began in 2004, and identifies new crimes he allegedly committed. Among them were the embezzlement of client funds and the sale of fake promissory notes purportedly issued by a Canadian pension plan.

Dreier, 58, hasn’t formally responded to the charges, but with the indictment he’ll be required to enter a plea. Dreier’s lawyer, Gerald Shargel, said his client wants to resolve the case with prosecutors.

A graduate of Harvard Law School and Yale College, Dreier is being held in prison after he was unable to post $20 million bail.

Dreier LLP, which had 250 lawyers and offices nationwide, filed for bankruptcy after its founder’s arrest.

Dreier also faces charges in Toronto, where he was arrested for impersonating a lawyer at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

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Police evacuated about 250 people from the Journal’s Manhattan newsroom and executive offices today after about a dozen envelopes were found. FBI spokesman James Margolin says five employees were decontaminated as a precaution.

A newspaper spokeswoman said the New York mail was addressed to several executives. The postmark was Knoxville, Tennessee, but each letter had a different return address.

The FBI in Knoxville said another letter with powder was received at Harvard Law School, addressed to political commentator Alan Dershowitz. He recently published an opinion piece in the Journal defending Israel’s actions in Gaza. It wasn’t immediately clear if Dershowitz was at Harvard when the letter arrived.

Harvard Law sent a message to students and staff:

Earlier today, a letter delivered to an office on the Fifth floor of Hauser Hall was opened by a faculty assistant and was found to contain some white powder. The university police and the Cambridge police department were notified and responded to the scene immediately, along with the Cambridge Fire Department and the university’s Environmental Health & Safety team….

While testing has yet to be completed, the authorities have concluded and informed the law school, based on the investigation thus far, that they do not believe that an evacuation of Hauser Hall is warranted….

Any students and staff presently in Hauser should feel free to leave if they so choose. Classes scheduled in Hauser later today or this evening, are being rescheduled, and any affected individuals or groups should contact the office of the Registrar for further information regarding new locations for those activities.

Via AP and ATL.

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