Summary: What are paraprosdokians? Learn what these oddly-named figures of speech are and enjoy 17 witty examples in this article.

Are you having a rough week? Take a 3-minute break and read these paraprosdokians. Paraprosdokians are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected and is frequently humorous. Winston Churchill loved them. Enjoy!

1. Where there’s a will, I want to be in it.

2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you … but it’s still on my list.

3. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

4. If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.

5. We never really grow up—we only learn how to act in public.

6. War does not determine who is right, only who is left.

7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

8. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

9. I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

10. In filling out an application, where it says, “In case of emergency, notify…” I answered ” a doctor.”

11. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut and still think they are sexy.

12. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

13. I used to be indecisive, but now I’m not so sure.

14. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

15. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian, Jew, or Muslim any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

16. You’re never too old to learn something stupid.

17. I’m supposed to respect my elders, but it’s getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

Source: E-mail

The post 17 Hilarious Paraprosdokians to Get You Through the Week first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Summary: Use the following job sites to ensure you have a successful legal job search.

Online job listings remain the most effective and easiest way to conduct a successful job search. Whether you are interested in a traditional legal job or an alternative career, below is a list of online resources that can help you achieve your search toward a satisfying legal career.

5 Legal Job Sites for General Legal Jobs

1. LawCrossing. A comprehensive legal career website which lists a variety of legal jobs, including positions for attorneys, paralegals, legal secretaries and other legal-related work. LawCrossing also offers job seekers informative articles for those interested in legal work.
2. Top Law Schools. Top-Law-Schools focuses on students who are either considering law school, already enrolled in law school, or who have graduated and are searching for their first legal job. Similar to LawCrossing, Top-Law-Schools offers current and graduated law students career advice that applies to the legal profession.
3. Summer jobs. Are you ready for a taste of what it’s like to be an attorney? Turn to your law school for advice and direction as to which law firms hire summer interns. While many regular job sites will not list summer positions, online job listings are nonetheless a great source of summer job listings that your law school should list. A good source of these jobs is found on LawCrossing.
4. Federal Government sites such as usajobs.gov.For your search terms, use J.D., attorney, legal, and your location. This site focuses on government-related legal job openings (i.e. not private sector). Look into this site for the latest openings for government lawyers and public interest.
5. Court/Judge jobs: http://www.uscourts.gov/. Diverse career opportunities within the federal courts can be found within the federal public defender organizations and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. The federal Judiciary is looking for talented and motivated individuals to help ensure equal justice under the law. The federal Judiciary hires attorneys, probation officers, IT experts, interpreters, and many other skilled professionals.

8 Alternative Legal Careers Job Sites

Many possibilities exist for alternative legal careers. A good place to start when searching for these types of jobs is a specific industry job board. These job boards are an easy way to find specific job listings in each industry. Here are some of the best job sites to start your search, based on some alternative legal careers often chosen by attorneys:

1. General: employmentcrossing.com. This is a great general job site for every industry, and typically has 2,000,000+ listings. It is a great place to start your search.
2. Education: educationcrossing.com. Law school, college, high school, and K-12 administrative and teaching jobs.
3. Finance/Business: financialservicescrossing.com. Any kind of job in the financial services industry can be found here.
4. Human Resources: hrcrossing.com. This is the number job board for human resources jobs. Having a legal background is sometimes helpful for HR jobs.
5. Writing: writingcrossing.com. The biggest source of writing jobs.
6. Public Relations: prcrossing.com. Every kind of public relations job can be found here.
7. Healthcare: healthcarecrossing.com. Health care is currently growing, so this site is definitely worth a look if you are thinking about an alternative legal career.
8. Politics: hillzoo.com.If you’re considering a career in politics, you need to go to this site.

See the following articles for more information:

• 60 Nontraditional Jobs You Can Do with a Law Degree (and Should Strongly Consider Doing)
• Top 11 Non-Legal Careers for Former Lawyers
• Twelve Sexy Things You Can Do With a Law Degree That (1) May Make You Famous and (2) Do Not Require Practicing Law
• LawCrossing’s Guide to Alternative Careers
• Practicing Law Not the Only Option for Attorneys

The post Top 13 Legal Job Search Sites for Legal Jobs and Alternative Legal Jobs first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Summary: Find out what really happened between Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump in an interview recently aired on 60 Minutes.

Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, was paid $130,000 by Michael Cohen in 2016 to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Donald Trump. She said she did so because she was concerned about she and her daughter’s safety, and felt coerced into signing this agreement. Read her side of the story in this interview she did with 60 Minutes.

Below is a full copy of the transcript, which was originally posted here. This also includes comments from Trevor Potter and Michael Avenatti:

Anderson Cooper: For sitting here talking to me today you could be fined a million dollars. I mean, aren’t you taking a big risk?

Stormy Daniels: I am.

Anderson Cooper: I guess I’m not 100% sure on why you’re doing this.

Stormy Daniels: Because it was very important to me to be able to defend myself.

Anderson Cooper: Is part of talking w– wanting to set the record straight?

Stormy Daniels: 100%.

Anderson Cooper: Why does the record need to be set straight?

Stormy Daniels: Because people are just saying whatever they wanted to say about me, I was perfectly fine saying nothing at all, but I’m not okay with being made out to be a liar, or people thinking that I did this for money and people are like, “Oh, you’re an opportunist. You’re taking advantage of this. Yes, I’m getting more job offers now, but tell me one person who would turn down a job offer making more than they’ve been making, doing the same thing that they’ve always done?

Anderson Cooper: A lotta people are using you for a lotta different agendas.

Stormy Daniels: They’re trying to. Like, oh, you know, Stormy Daniels comes out #MeToo. This is not a ‘Me Too.’ I was not a victim. I’ve never said I was a victim. I think trying to use me to– to further someone else’s agenda, does horrible damage to people who are true victims.

Stormy Daniels’ real name is Stephanie Clifford. She’s 39 years old, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has been acting in, directing, and writing adult films for nearly 20 years. She was one of the most popular actresses in the adult industry when she was introduced to Mr. Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in July, 2006. She says he invited her to dinner, and she met him at his hotel suite.

Anderson Cooper: How was the conversation?

Stormy Daniels: Ummm (LAUGH) it started off– all about him just talking about himself. And he’s like– “Have you seen my new magazine?”

Anderson Cooper: He was showing you his own picture on the cover of a magazine.

Stormy Daniels: Right, right. And so I was like, “Does this– does this normally work for you?” And he looked very taken– taken back, like, he didn’t really understand what I was saying. Like, I was, “does, just, you know, talking about yourself normally work?” And I was like, “Someone should take that magazine and spank you with it.” (LAUGH) And I’ll never forget the look on his face. He was like–

Anderson Cooper: What– what was his look?

Stormy Daniels: Just, I don’t think anyone’s ever spoken to him like that, especially, you know, a young woman who looked like me. And I said, you know, “Give me that,” and I just remember him going, “You wouldn’t.” “Hand it over.” And– so he did, and I was like, “turn around, drop ’em.”

Anderson Cooper: You– you told Donald Trump to turn around and take off his pants.

Stormy Daniels: Yes.

Anderson Cooper: And did he?

Stormy Daniels: Yes. So he turned around and pulled his pants down a little — you know had underwear on and stuff and I just gave him a couple swats.

Anderson Cooper: This was done in a joking manner.

Stormy Daniels: Yes. And– from that moment on, he was a completely different person.

Anderson Cooper: How so?

Stormy Daniels: He quit talking about himself and he asked me things and I asked him things and it just became like more appropriate.

Anderson Cooper: It became more comfortable.

Stormy Daniels: Yeah. He was like, “Wow, you– you are special. You remind me of my daughter.” You know– he was like, “You’re smart and beautiful, and a woman to be reckoned with, and I like you. I like you.”

Anderson Cooper: At this point was he doing The Apprentice?

Stormy Daniels: Yes. And he goes, “Got an idea, honeybunch. Would you ever consider going on and– and being a contestant?” And I laughed and– and said, “NBC’s never gonna let, you know, an adult film star be on.” It’s, you know, he goes, “No, no,” he goes, “That’s why I want you. You’re gonna shock a lotta people, you’re smart and they won’t know what to expect”

Anderson Cooper: Did you think he was serious, or did you think he was kind of dangling to get you to wanna be involved him?

Stormy Daniels: Both.

Anderson Cooper: Melania Trump had recently given birth to– to a son, just a few months before. Did that– did he mention his wife or child at all in this?

Stormy Daniels: I asked. And he brushed it aside, said, “Oh yeah, yeah, you know, don’t worry about that. We don’t even– we have separate rooms and stuff.”

Anderson Cooper: Did you two go out for dinner that night?

Stormy Daniels: No.

Anderson Cooper: You had dinner in the room?

Stormy Daniels: Yes.

Anderson Cooper: What happened next?

Stormy Daniels: I asked him if I could use his restroom and he said, “Yes, you know, it’s through those– through the bedroom, you’ll see it.” So I– I excused myself and I went to the– the restroom. You know, I was in there for a little bit and came out and he was sitting, you know, on the edge of the bed when I walked out, perched.

Anderson Cooper: And when you saw that, what went through your mind?

Stormy Daniels: I realized exactly what I’d gotten myself into. And I was like, “Ugh, here we go.” (LAUGH) And I just felt like maybe– (LAUGH) it was sort of– I had it coming for making a bad decision for going to someone’s room alone and I just heard the voice in my head, “well, you put yourself in a bad situation and bad things happen, so you deserve this.”

Anderson Cooper: And you had sex with him.

Stormy Daniels: Yes.

Anderson Cooper: You were 27, he was 60. Were you physically attracted to him?

Stormy Daniels: No.

Anderson Cooper: Not at all?

Stormy Daniels: No.

Anderson Cooper: Did you want to have sex with him?

Stormy Daniels: No. But I didn’t– I didn’t say no. I’m not a victim, I’m not–

Anderson Cooper: It was entirely consensual.

Stormy Daniels: Oh, yes, yes.

Anderson Cooper: You work in an industry where condom use is– is an issue. Did– did he use a condom?

Stormy Daniels: No.

Anderson Cooper: Did you ask him to?

Stormy Daniels: No. I honestly didn’t say anything.

Anderson Cooper: After you had sex, what happened?

Stormy Daniels: He said that it was great, he had– a great evening, and it was nothing like he expected, that I really surprised him, that a lotta people must underestimate me– that he hoped that I would be willing to see him again and that we would discuss the things we had talked about earlier in the evening.

Anderson Cooper: Being on The Apprentice.

Stormy Daniels: Right.

Daniels says she and Mr. Trump stayed in touch. She says he invited her to a Trump Vodka launch party in California, as well as to his office in Trump Tower in New York.

Anderson Cooper: So he definitely wanted to continue to see you.

Stormy Daniels: Oh, for sure. Yes.

Stormy Daniels: And this was not a secret. He never asked me not to tell anyone. He called several times when I was in front of many people and I would be like, “Oh my God, he’s calling.” They were like, “Shut up, the Donald?” And I’d put him on speakerphone, and he wanted to know what I was up to and, “When can we get together again? I just wanted to give you a quick update, we had a meeting, it went great. There’s– it’s gonna be spectacular, they’re totally into the idea,” and I was like mhmm that part I never believed.

Anderson Cooper: Did you still get the sense that he was kind of dangling it in front of you–

Stormy Daniels: Oh, for sure, oh yeah.

Anderson Cooper: To keep you interested, to keep you coming back.

Stormy Daniels: Of course, of course. I mean, I’m not blind. But at the same time, maybe it’ll work out, you know?

Anderson Cooper: Did you view it as this is a potential opportunity. “I’m gonna see where it goes?”

Stormy Daniels:  I thought of it as a business deal.

“A guy walked up on me and said to me, ‘Leave Trump alone. Forget the story.'”

In July 2007 — a year after they met — Daniels says Mr. Trump asked to meet with her privately at his bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles to discuss a development regarding her possible appearance on Celebrity Apprentice.

Stormy Daniels: I remember arriving, and he was watching Shark Week. He made me sit and watch an entire documentary about shark attacks.

Anderson Cooper: It wasn’t at that point a business meeting, it was just watching Shark Week.

Stormy Daniels: Yeah.

Anderson Cooper: Did you have sex with him again?

Stormy Daniels: No.

Anderson Cooper: Did he want to?

Stormy Daniels: Yes.

Anderson Cooper: How do you know he wanted to?

Stormy Daniels: Because he came and sat next to me and, you know, touched my hair, and put his hand on my leg, and r– referenced back to how great it was the last time.

Anderson Cooper: How did you get out of it?

Stormy Daniels: Well, I’d been there for, like, four hours. And so I then was like, “Well, before, you know, can we talk about what’s the development?” And he was like, “I’m almost there. I’ll have an answer for you next week.” And I was like, “Okay, cool. Well– I guess call me next week.” And I just took my purse and left.

According to Daniels, Mr. Trump called her the following month to say he’d not been able to get her a spot on Celebrity Apprentice. She says they never met again and only had sex in that first meeting in 2006. In May 2011, Daniels agreed to tell her story to a sister publication of In Touch magazine for $15,000 dollars. Two former employees of the magazine told us the story never ran because after the magazine called Mr. Trump seeking comment, his attorney Michael Cohen threatened to sue. Daniels says she was never paid, and says a few weeks later, she was threatened by a man who approached her in Las Vegas.

Stormy Daniels: I was in a parking lot, going to a fitness class with my infant daughter. T– taking, you know, the seats facing backwards in the backseat, diaper bag, you know, gettin’ all the stuff out. And a guy walked up on me and said to me, “Leave Trump alone. Forget the story.” And then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, “That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.” And then he was gone.

Anderson Cooper: You took it as a direct threat?

Stormy Daniels: Absolutely.

Stormy Daniels: I was rattled. I remember going into the workout class. And my hands are shaking so much, I was afraid I was gonna– drop her.

Anderson Cooper: Did you ever see that person again?

Stormy Daniels: No. But I– if I did, I would know it right away.

Anderson Cooper:  You’d be able to– you’d be able to recognize that person?

Stormy Daniels: 100%. Even now, all these years later. If he walked in this door right now, I would instantly know.

Anderson Cooper: Did you go to the police?

Stormy Daniels: No.

Anderson Cooper: Why?

Stormy Daniels: Because I was scared.

When a gossip website reported a few months later that she’d had an affair with Mr. Trump, Stormy Daniels publically denied it. Five years later, Donald Trump won the Republican nomination for president.

Stormy Daniels: Suddenly people are reaching out to me again, offering me money. Large amounts of money. Was I tempted? Yes– I struggle with it. And then I get the call. “I think I have the best deal for you.”

Anderson Cooper: From your lawyer?

Stormy Daniels: Yeah.

The deal was an offer not to tell her story. It came from Mr. Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen. In return for signing this non-disclosure agreement, Cohen would pay her $130,000 dollars through a Delaware-based limited liability corporation he had established in mid-October 2016 called essential consultants. Daniels says the agreement was appealing because it meant she would receive some money but also not have to worry about the effect the revelation of the affair would have on her child who was now old enough to watch the news. She signed the agreement eleven days before the election.

Anderson Cooper: Was it hush money to stay silent?

Stormy Daniels: Yes. The story was coming out again. I was concerned for my family and their safety.

Anderson Cooper: I think some people watching this are going to doubt that you entered into this negotiation– because you feared for your safety. They’re gonna think y– that you saw an opportunity.

Stormy Daniels: I think the fact that I didn’t even negotiate, I just quickly said yes to this v– very, you know, strict contract. And what most people will agree with me extremely low number. It’s all the proof I need.

Anderson Cooper: You feel like if you had wanted to go public, you could have gotten paid a lot of money to go public?

Stormy Daniels: Without a doubt. I know for a fact. I believe, without a shadow of a doubt, in my heart, and some people argue that I don’t have one of those, but whatever, that I was doing the right thing. I turned down a large payday multiple times because one, I didn’t wanna kiss and tell and be labeled all the things that I’m being labeled now. I didn’t wanna take away from the legitimate and legal, I’d like to point out, career that I’ve worked very hard to establish. And most importantly, I did not want my family and my child exposed to all the things that she’s being exposed to right now. Because everything that I was afraid of coming out has come out anyway, and guess what? I don’t have a million dollars. (LAUGH) You didn’t even buy me breakfast.

15 months after she signed the non-disclosure agreement, in January 2018, the Wall Street Journal published this story, quoting anonymous sources, saying that Mr. Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen had paid her for her silence. Daniels says she was not the source of the story. But once it was published, she says she was pressured by her former attorney and former business manager to sign statements that Michael Cohen released publicly, denying she’d had an affair with Mr. Trump.

Anderson Cooper: So you signed and released– a statement that said I am not denying this affair because I was paid in hush money I’m denying it because it never happened. That’s a lie?

Stormy Daniels: Yes.

Anderson Cooper:  If it was untruthful, why did you sign it?

Stormy Daniels: Because they made it sound like I had no choice.

Anderson Cooper: I mean, no one was putting a gun to your head?

Stormy Daniels: Not physical violence, no.

Anderson Cooper: You thought that there would be some sort of legal repercussion if you didn’t sign it?

Stormy Daniels: Correct. As a matter of fact, the exact sentence used was, “They can make your life hell in many different ways.”

Anderson Cooper: They being…

Stormy Daniels: I’m not exactly sure who they were. I believe it to be Michael Cohen.

President Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen has denied ever threatening Stormy Daniels. The payment Cohen made to her is now the subject of complaints to the Justice Department and the Federal Election Commission, alleging that it was an illegal campaign contribution.

What makes the dispute between Stormy Daniels and the president more than a high-profile tabloid scandal is that her silence was purchased eleven days before the presidential election, which may run afoul of campaign finance laws. The president’s long-time lawyer Michael Cohen says he used $130,000 of his own money to pay Stormy Daniels. Cohen has said the money was not a campaign contribution. But Trevor Potter, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission appointed by President George H.W. Bush, told us he doesn’t agree.

Trevor Potter: The payment of the money just creates an enormous legal mess for, I think, Trump, for Cohen and anyone else who was involved in this in the campaign.

Anderson Cooper: Are you saying that can be seen as a contribution to benefit a campaign?

Trevor Potter: I am. it’s a $130,000 in-kind contribution by Cohen to the Trump campaign, which is about $126,500 above what he’s allowed to give. And if he does this on behalf of his client, the candidate, that is a coordinated, illegal, in-kind contribution by Cohen for the purpose of influencing the election, of benefiting the candidate by keeping this secret.

The payment Stormy Daniels received is the subject of complaints by watchdog groups to the Department of Justice and the Federal Election Commission, which Trevor Potter used to be chairman of. He’s now president of the non-partisan Campaign Legal Center, which supports the enforcement of campaign finance laws.

Anderson Cooper: If the president paid Michael Cohen back, is that an in-kind campaign contribution that the president should’ve then reported?

Trevor Potter: It is. If he was then reimbursed by the president, that doesn’t remove the fact that the initial payment violated Cohen’s contribution limits. I guess it mitigates it if he’s paid back by the candidate because the candidate could have paid for it without limit.

Anderson Cooper: What if the president never reimbursed Michael Cohen?

Trevor Potter: Then he is still out on the line, having made a illegal in-kind contribution to the campaign.

Anderson Cooper: You’re saying this is more serious for Michael Cohen if the president did not pay him back?

Trevor Potter: Yes. I think that’s correct.

We wanted to speak with Mr. Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen about this, but he did not respond to our calls and written request for comment. Cohen told The New York Times last month he used his own personal funds to facilitate a payment of $130,000 to Stormy Daniels and said, “Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump Campaign… reimbursed me for the payment.” this past week, Cohen told Vanity Fair magazine, “What I did defensively for my personal client, and my friend, is what attorneys do for their high-profile clients. I would have done it in 2006. I would have done it in 2011. I truly care about him and the family — more than just as an employee and an attorney.”

Michael Avenatti: It’s laughable. It’s ludicrous. It’s preposterous.

Anderson Cooper: Lawyers don’t do that, you’re saying. You– you–

Michael Avenatti: Ever.

Michael Avenatti is Stormy Daniels’ attorney. He’s a Los Angeles trial lawyer who is suing the president in a California court, seeking to have Stormy Daniels’ non-disclosure agreement — or “NDA” — declared invalid, in part because the president never signed it on the lines provided for his alias — “D.D.,” David Dennison.

Anderson Cooper: Michael Cohen has said, “Look, this had nothing to do with the election.” He would’ve made this agreement months before.

Michael Avenatti: So why didn’t he? It just slipped his mind? It’s just a coincidence that, in the waning days of the campaign, he thought to himself, “Oh, you know, I know I’ve been thinkin’ about this for years. Perhaps now is a good time to get that NDA executed with Stormy Daniels.”

Avenatti disputes the notion that Cohen was working in a purely personal capacity when he arranged the hush money for Stormy Daniels. He’s found documents that show Michael Cohen used his Trump Organization email address in setting up the payment. He also says the non-disclosure agreement Stormy Daniels signed in 2016, when she was represented by a different lawyer, was FedExed to Cohen at his Trump Organization office in Trump Tower in New York.

Michael Avenatti: That is a copy of the Federal Express confirmation

The cover letter from Daniels’ previous attorney also identifies who he thought Michael Cohen was working for.

Michael Avenatti: To Mr. Cohen as executive vice president and special counsel to Donald J. Trump, the Trump Organization, again– listing the Fifth Avenue address. This idea that there’s a separation now between Mr. Cohen, individually, and the Trump Organization or Mr. Cohen, individually, and Donald Trump, it– it– it’s nonsense.

Anderson Cooper: There are people who argue that this is much ado about nothing, that if this was not a story about, an adult-film actress and the president of the United States, no one would pay attention.

Michael Avenatti: This is about the cover-up. This is about the extent that Mr. Cohen and the president have gone to intimidate this woman, to silence her, to threaten her, and to put her under their thumb. It is thuggish behavior from people in power. And it has no place in American democracy.

Avenatti points to this recent court filing in which the president’s lawyers claim Daniels is already liable for damages “in excess of $20 million” for unspecified violations of her non-disclosure agreement. And in that article in Vanity Fair this past week, Michael Cohen said that when he wins damages from Stormy Daniels, “I might even take an extended vacation on her dime.”

Anderson Cooper: You’re saying they’re tryin’ to intimidate her.

Michael Avenatti: There’s no question. You threaten someone– with a $20 million lawsuit, it’s a thuggish tactic. It’s no different than what happened in the parking lot in Las Vegas.

Anderson Cooper: People make threats in lawsuits all the time. People, you know, say, “You’re gonna have to pay a lot of money when you lose this– this case.”

Michael Avenatti: People don’t threaten people with $20 million lawsuits, that they’re gonna take their home and take an extended vacation on the money they receive. People don’t conduct themselves like this. They don’t. And they shouldn’t.

Anderson Cooper: Stormy Daniels did sign the agreement. She got $130,000. Isn’t she welching on a deal?

Michael Avenatti: No, she’s not welching on a deal, ’cause there never was a deal.

Anderson Cooper: But she still took the money.

Michael Avenatti: She took the money. But the fact of the matter is Mr. Trump never signed the agreement. He was obligated to sign the agreement in order for the agreement to spring into effect.

That’s not true, according to Michael Cohen, who has said only his signature was required. What was also required under the non-disclosure agreement was for Stormy Daniels to turn over all “video images, still images, email messages, and text messages,” she had regarding Mr. Trump.

Anderson Cooper: Did you do that?

Stormy Daniels: I can’t answer that right now.

Anderson Cooper: You don’t want to say one way or the other if you have text messages or other items?

Stormy Daniels: My attorney has recommended that I don’t discuss those things.

Anderson Cooper: You seem to be saying that she has some sort of text message, or video, or– or photographs. Or you could just be bluffing.

Michael Avenatti: You should ask some of the other people in my career when they’ve bet on me bluffing.

Anderson Cooper: In college and law school, you did opposition research for Democratic political operative Rahm Emanuel. Some people looking at that would say you’re politically motivated.

Michael Avenatti: I haven’t done anything in politics in over 20 years.

Anderson Cooper: But this is not the usual case you take on. You were a former Democratic operative. And you’re talking about deposing the president. That sounds political.”

Michael Avenatti: No, it sounds righteous.

Anderson Cooper: How so?

Michael Avenatti: Because my client is credible. She’s tellin’ the truth.

Trevor Potter, the former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, says the agency’s investigations often take a long time and usually result only in monetary penalties. But there is another scenario that could present a problem for the president: special counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election. In March, the Washington Post reported that the “special counsel has examined episodes involving Michael Cohen,” including his efforts to launch a Trump-branded project in Moscow in the fall of 2015 when Mr. Trump was seeking the Republican nomination.

Anderson Cooper: Is there any way that special counsel Robert Mueller could investigate the Stormy Daniels payment?

Trevor Potter: Yeah that’s the wildcard here.

Anderson Cooper: As a prosecutor, you wanna get leverage over somebody that you could then use to get them to give you other information on which–

Trevor Potter: Correct.

Anderson Cooper: –you’re really interested in?

Trevor Potter: Correct.

That’s what special counsel Mueller appears to be doing with Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s former campaign chairman, who faces multiple charges including tax and bank fraud.

Anderson Cooper: Paul Manafort has been charged with crimes that don’t have anything to do with Russia in some cases.

Trevor Potter: Well, and that certainly preceded the campaign. And so– clearly, the Justice Department, the deputy attorney general who is ultimately in charge of this, has determined that looking at what Manafort did in other contexts– is relevant to the investigation. And I think you can say exactly the same thing about Cohen. He was– involved– indisputably with Trump Organization activities with Russia and negotiations with the Russians. Mr. Cohen is in the middle of a place that’s of great interest to the Special Counsel.

Anderson Cooper: Is there any recent precedent for p– prosecuting somebody for an undisclosed campaign contribution?

Trevor Potter: As it happens, there is. There’s sort of a pretty spectacular one.

Former senator John Edwards was prosecuted, but never convicted, for payments a supporter and his campaign finance chairman made a year before the 2008 election to a woman who’d had Edwards’ child.

Trevor Potter: I think the Edwards case is not as strong as the facts we have so far in the Trump case.

Anderson Cooper: Why do you think the potential case against Cohen or Trump is a stronger case than the Edwards case?

Trevor Potter: The timing of it. It wasn’t the year before the election. It’s right in the middle of the run-up to Election Day. When– Trump’s conduct with women was a prime campaign issue. In fact, it was what everyone was focused on.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders did not respond to our request for comment from the president. But we did receive a letter from Mr. Trump’s attorney Charles Harder, who asked that we show on camera and read on air one of the statements Stormy Daniels signed in January, denying reports she’d had an affair with Mr. Trump. It says, in part:

“My involvement with Donald Trump was limited to a few public appearances and nothing more.”

Anderson Cooper: If Stormy Daniels denied the affair in 2011, which you say is a lie, denied the affair in early January 2018, denied the affair in late January of 2018, doesn’t that hurt her credibility? I mean, she’s lying, she’s lying, she’s lying.

Michael Avenatti: I think there’s no question that it calls into question her credibility. I also think that there’s no question that when the American people take all of the facts and evidence into consideration, that they are going to conclude that this woman is telling the truth. And Anderson, to the extent that Mr. Cohen and the president have an alternative version of the facts let them come forward and state it unequivocally.

Anderson Cooper: But come on. You would not sign statements one, two, three times about something which you knew to be a lie.

Michael Avenatti: If the president of the United States’ fixer made it clear to me, either directly or indirectly, that I needed to sign it, and I was in the position of Stormy Daniels, I might sign those statements.

Stormy Daniels: I felt intimidated and s– honestly bullied. And I didn’t know what to do. And so I signed it. Even though I had repeatedly expressed that I wouldn’t break the agreement, but I was not comfortable lying.

Anderson Cooper: How do we know you’re telling the truth?

Stormy Daniels: ‘Cause I have no reason to lie. I’m opening myself up for, you know, possible danger and definitely a whole lot of s***.   

Anderson Cooper: But, you know, there is a potential ups– financial upside maybe somebody will want you to write a book. Maybe, you know, you can go on a bigger tour and make more money–

Stormy Daniels: That’s–

Anderson Cooper: –dancing?

Stormy Daniels: That’s a lot of ifs. I could also get shunned. I mean, I could automatically be alienating half of my fanbase right at this very moment.

Anderson Cooper: Jenna Jameson– another well-known– adult film actress said recently about you, “The left looks at her as a whore and just uses her to try to discredit the president. The right looks at her like a treacherous rat. It’s a lose-lose. Should’ve kept her trap shut.”

Stormy Daniels: I think that she has a lotta wisdom in those words.

Anderson Cooper: The president watches 60 Minutes, if he’s watching tonight, what would you say to him?

Stormy Daniels: He knows I’m telling the truth.

Produced by Andy Court and Evie Salomon.

Source: CBS News

The post Stormy Daniels Spills All in 60 Minutes Interview: Transcript first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

• With the conclusion of Barack Obama’s two-term presidency, many are asking what will be next for the former U.S. President.
• Some speculate Obama will lead a quiet post oval office life as have many presidents before him.
• Others feel Obama, a former constitutional law professor will once again be bitten by the professorial bug.
• Find out through this article why we believe it will be the latter and not the former.

Now that the 2016 Presidential Election is over, we the people of the United States are asking the big question—what will Barack Obama do now? After an eventful 8 years in office, the former president has settled nicely into his new life outside of the White House. Even though the Obamas are not in office, Barack and Michelle still keep busy between attending conferences, giving keynote speeches, and performing jury duty in Chicago. They even had time to tour Harvard as they dropped off their daughter at college.

So what’s next? Some speculate that Obama may join the Democratic National Convention to help fundraise for future campaigns or advocate for the United States in International Conferences. The biggest guess is that Obama will return as a professor to teach law at Columbia University.

For those who are unaware, Barack worked as a lecturer for 12 years at the University of Chicago and was well liked by students across campus. His classes were engaging and challenging; leaving students even more excited to come to the next class. Years of giving lectures improved his public speaking skills until he became the well-spoken orator we know today. With his skill set and background in education, will he return to his old job or does he have something new in his sights?

What Is Obama Doing Today?

The ex-president has been busy this year. Here is a small timeline with a few of the things he has been up to since leaving the oval office:

• May 3 – Unveiled new plans to open a future presidential center in Chicago (his old neighborhood where his legal career began), which is to be a center for youth and community programs.
• May 7 – Gave an acceptance speech after receiving the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his work with the Affordable Care Act.
• June – Family Vacation! The entire Obama family took an exotic trip to Bali. The area holds special significance for Barack as he lived there previously as a child, before returning to his birthplace in Hawaii.
• August – The Obamas were spotted on the Harvard campus escorting their daughter Malia to her dorm. She is set to begin classes as a freshman this fall.
• September 20 – Barack Obama presented the keynote address at an event held by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
• September 25 – President Obama participated with his former vice president, Joe Biden in a fundraiser for the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children.

Since leaving the White House, the former president has delivered more than 9 paid speeches across the world, netting about $400,000 per speech. The Obamas use the $2 million earned from these talks to support job programs for low-income people in Chicago.

His heart will always belong to Chicago, but the former president has a home somewhere else as well, Columbia University. As a young man, Barack took classes at Occidental College in Los Angeles before transferring to Columbia to finish his degree. He then went to on to attend Harvard University.

Obama’s Early Days at Harvard:

Obama first began class at Harvard University in 1988. Within his first year at the college, he was selected to be an editor for the Harvard Law Review, based on his academic achievement and an impressive writing submission. The very next year, he made headlines as the first black president of the publication. His close peers at the time stated that he won the election because he was able to convince a crucial group of conservatives that if they voted for him, he would protect their interests. And these same communication skills would later be used to build up trust with communities in the South Side of Chicago.

As the first black president, the event was highly publicized and Obama received a lot of attention in the media. It was this attention that led him to land a job out of college.

Barack proudly ended his Harvard schooling with a J.D. magna cum laude, when he moved to live in Chicago.

Obama’s Teaching Experience:

One reason folks are convinced he may go back to lecturing is that he already possesses extensive classroom experience. He was hired to teach at University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. In 2004, he was elected to the United States Senate. The president has referenced this period of his life before in speeches and debates.

In fact, on the campaign trail, Obama referred to himself as a “constitutional law professor” and proclaimed that he knew more about the constitution than your average presidential candidate. This comment stirred up quite a bit of controversy as Hillary Clinton pointed out that he never held that title. The controversy grew so large that the university officially released a statement on the matter:

“The Law School has received many media requests about Barack Obama, especially about his status as “Senior Lecturer.” From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School. He was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996. He was a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004, during which time he taught three courses per year. Senior Lecturers are considered to be members of the Law School faculty and are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure-track. The title of Senior Lecturer is distinct from the title of Lecturer, which signifies adjunct status. Like Obama, each of the Law School’s Senior Lecturers has high-demand careers in politics or public service, which prevent full-time teaching. Several times during his 12 years as a professor in the Law School, Obama was invited to join the faculty in a full-time tenure-track position, but he declined.”

Despite the initial contention surrounding his statements, the main fact remains true. Obama did teach several courses involving constitutional law and race theory at the University of Chicago and was labeled a senior lecturer.

What Is It Like to Take His Class?

You might wonder what it would be like to be taught by Barack himself? Let’s remember, Obama is known to for his sensational speaking skills. Even the Washington Post has cited his Selma 50^th Anniversary speech as one that “every child should read in school.” It was here during his teaching years that he honed this ability.

Overall, students seemed to like him as a professor and repeatedly left him good reviews. According to an article titled What It Was Like To Take A Class Taught By Barack Obama, students recalled “a thoughtful, passionate, challenging, and socially conscious mentor who pushed liberals and conservatives alike to challenge their assumptions.”

Professor Obama taught three courses:

1. Due Process and the Equal Protection Areas of the Constitution
2. Voting Rights
3. Racism and Law

Unfortunately, Barack did not feel welcome among his new cohorts. The Chicago staff had a reputation for leaning more towards the right politically and Obama said that he often felt like he was an outsider. And while liberal students tended to flock to his courses, they didn’t necessarily find an easy lecturer or a space devoid of debate. Barack openly criticized ineffective liberal policies and failures, citing unsuccessful legal attempts to fix problems.

But that wasn’t all. Obama played devil’s advocate in an effort to encourage students to arrive at their own conclusions organically. A former student turned law professor, D. Daniel Sokol remembers his experience as a student in Obama’s lectures, “For people who thought they were getting a doctrinal, rah-rah experience, it wasn’t that kind of class.” When he wasn’t stirring up classroom debate, he stayed on the fence about most issues; not wanting to push his views on students.

That was one key component to his lessons. He tended to stay neutral or stick to a middle ground when lecturing. Not only was this looked down upon but some staff openly disagreed with Barack on the practice, stating that his “politically neutral” attitude alienated him because his peers never knew where he stood on the issues.

In especially heated debates, he would draw out uncomfortable topics, forcing students to confront tough questions. In one class about race, he “imitated the way clueless white people talked. ‘Why are your friends at the housing projects shooting each other?’ he asked in a mock-innocent voice.” While some might find this blunt approach off-putting, a steady fan base was growing around his classes.

As word of his classes spread, more students began enrolling in his courses. In addition, his reviews and evaluation scores skyrocketed. Some students went as far as to call themselves his groupies.

For Barack, putting schooling into practice was a big part of his philosophy and you could often find him actively contributing in the areas of which he taught. For example, while teaching a class on districting and campaign financing, Obama helped to create a leading casebook in the field. He also improvised his own textbook for his political seminar on racism and law.

While his classes were extremely popular, the lecturer faced other troubles with fellow teachers. Some felt that he wasn’t involved in the school very much. Because he was working as a teacher and a politician at the time, he felt that he didn’t have much time to focus on smaller school issues. While staff debated over citation rules for next year’s students, Barack wanted to focus on something else.

Although he was offered tenure positions several times, he always turned them down and instead focused on his political career. He hasn’t taught a class since 2002.

Fun Fact: Did you know that Obama was the first sitting president to publish an academic paper?

Why Columbia University?

A source told Pagesix.com, “There has been talk of him teaching at Columbia Law School, but nothing has been confirmed.” Amid speculation, we can make a guess at why the ex-president would choose to teach at Columbia. In addition to its shining reputation as a top-tier law school, Columbia is also Obama’s alma mater. He attended Columbia from 1981 to 1983 in pursuit of his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a specialty in International Relations.

Columbia has also offered to house the presidential library in what is rumored to be a race between Columbia and Chicago University. Columbia has already donated land in New York to the cause if it is selected. If they do win the bid, it would be convenient for Barack to watch over the library while in the area.

A current running joke is the idea that Obama can meet up with another Columbia staff member, Amal Clooney, who is teaching civil rights on campus. Obama has long been a friend of actor George Clooney and his wife, Amal, even visiting them in Italy earlier this year. At least he can sit with someone at lunch on his first day of class!

Final Thoughts

At this point, it seems clear that a position in higher education could very well be in the future for the former president of the United States. With a successful teaching career from Chicago University and his experience in office, many are certain Barack Obama will have much to teach to the newest class of future legal professionals.

If the president does choose to return to education, let us hope he brings back his passion for bi-partisanship and lively debate. Even the most boring of lectures can be brightened with a professor who knows how to ask the right questions. Many are certain that if his old “groupies” were asked, they would gladly take another class from the former president in a heartbeat.

Obama enjoyed this period of his life so much that he authored a book about it titled The Audacity of Hope, in which he wrote:

“I loved the law school classroom: the stripped-down nature of it, the high-wire act of standing in front of a room at the beginning of each class with just blackboard and chalk, the students taking measure of me, some intent or apprehensive, others demonstrative in their boredom, the tension broken by my first question — “What’s this case about?” — and the hands tentatively rising, the initial responses and me pushing back against whatever arguments surfaced.”

See the following articles for more information:

• The Life and Legal Career of President Barack Obama
• Number of Lawyer-Politicians on the Rise
• Who Will Be America’s Next Top Lawyer?
• Postcards from Hawaii

Guest post by: Brittany Peacock

The post Barack Obama: From President to Law School Professor? first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

1. Where is the world’s coldest place?

East Antarctic Plateau

On the high ridge of the East Antarctic Plateau, the temperature can drop to as low as -135.8 degrees Fahrenheit, which was recorded in August 2010.

2. Where is the world’s most populated city?

Shanghai

At a whopping 24,150,000 permanent inhabitants, Shanghai is the only city that is home to over 24 million people in one city.

3. Where is the world’s least populated city? (the picture is the clue)

Vatican City

With a paltry population of 842, the city-state of Vatican City is the smallest city and state in the world.

4. Where is the world’s wealthiest city?

Tokyo, Japan

That tower might as well be made of gold since Tokyo tops the charts with a GDP of $1,520 billion, beating New York City by a mere $310 billion.

5. Where is the world’s poorest city in the poorest country?

Kinshasa, Congo

It is the poorest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is also the poorest country in the world, with a GDP of $55 billion. Many of its residents live on less $1 a day.

6. What is the highest point in the world? (This one is easy)

Mount Everest

Towering 29,029 feet in the air, the top of Mount Everest is the closest you can get to touching outer space while still standing on Earth.

7. Where is the lowest point in the world?

The Challenger Deep Trench

It is the lowest known natural point in the world at 35,797 feet below sea level at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Only three people have ever made it to the bottom in a submersible, one of which was filmmaker James Cameron.

8. What is the most photographed place in the U.S.?

Surprise: The Guggenheim building in New York

Photos have always told stories, but in today’s world of cell phone cameras and social media, that story is relayed as data to companies who monitor everything we do. Geotagged data was culled by Sights map using a Google-based image sharing software and can show us the most photographed places in the world, right down to this landmark. The strange winner is this building in New York City. Guess it impresses a lot of visitors.

And I thought it was Abbey Road, London.

9. Where is the wettest spot on Earth? (It’s not the Amazon!)

Mawsynram, India

In this city in India, it rains an average of 467.35 inches per year, and has a record of 1000 inches in 1985 … much more than any rainforest!

10. Where is the driest spot on Earth? (It’s not the Sahara!)

The Atacama Desert

The 600 miles of South America’s Atacama Desert is recorded as the driest place on Earth, no contest. This desert has an average of only 4 inches of rain every hundred years. Incredible but true.

11. What city claims to be the sunniest place in the U.S.?

Yuma, Arizona

In this city in Arizona, the sun shines for an average of 11 hours a day. The usual forecast is sun for 90 percent of the year, averaging a total of 4015 daylight hours each year.

12. Where is the most expensive city to live in? (It’s not in the U.S. thankfully.)

Singapore

This city has recently beaten out Tokyo, Japan, for the title of “most expensive city” for 2014. Cars can cost between 4-6 times as much in Singapore from what they cost in the US or UK (for example, a Toyota Prius actually costs about $150,000.00 there).

13. Where is the least expensive city to live in?

Mumbai, India

At the other end of the spectrum, Mumbai, India, is the cheapest place to live in the world, according to the Worldwide Cost of Living Index, 2014. For some comparison, a loaf of bread that would cost $3.36 in Singapore would only cost $0.91 in Mumbai. A lot of poverty brings the cost of living down.

14. What country consumes the most food per capita?

The United States

We eat an average of 3,770 calories a day. Shamefully, obesity is becoming more of a problem every year.

15. Where is the world’s oldest city?

Damascus

There’s quite a bit of controversy over which city gets to officially claim the title of oldest continuously inhabited city. However, Damascus is the safest bet, with evidence of a civilization that extends back over 11,000 years.

16. Which is the youngest country in the world?

South Sudan

The people of South Sudan were formally recognized as an independent country in 2011, making it the youngest country in the world to date.

17. Which is the world’s most visited city?

London

After several years of competition with Bangkok, London has regained its place as the world’s most visited city (according to MasterCard’s 2014 Global Destinations City Index). The city sees about 18.69 million international visitors annually, generating $19.3 billion in revenue for their city.

18. What is the world’s least popular country?

Iran

On that same rating scale, Iran has come in dead last (at a 79% negativity rating) for many years. Only 15% of people polled viewed Iran in a positive light.

19. Where is the world’s most dangerous city to live in?

San Pedro, Honduras

This city averages over three murders a day. The violence stems from the city’s role as a major hub for illegal drug and arms trafficking.

20. Which country consumes the most caffeine in the world?

Sweden

The strong coffee in Sweden will put a spring in your step, and hair on your tongue. The Swedes consume an average of 388 mg of caffeine in coffee per person, per day (that’s almost 5 Red Bulls in the U.S.).

21. Which country in the world drinks the most alcohol?

Belarus

In the little country of Belarus, each person above the age of 16 drinks an average of 4.62 gallons of alcohol every year. That’s a lot of booze.

22. Which country is the most bicycle friendly in the world?

The Netherlands

By comparing cities using the average number of bicycle trips made daily, one city reigns supreme: Groningen in the Netherlands. About 50 percent of the population commutes via bike daily, making it the city with the greatest proportion of cyclists. However, many other cities in the Netherlands have a great bicycling tradition.

23. Where is the world’s most energy-efficient city?

Reykjavik, Iceland

All of the energy and heat used by the citizens of Reykjavik, Iceland come from geothermal plants and renewable hydropower making it the most sustainable and energy efficient city in the world. This city has also been replacing traditional buses with hydrogen-fueled buses, from which the only emissions are water.

24. Which country has the longest life expectancy in the world?

Monaco

According to the World Health Organization’s study from 2013, Monaco tops the charts for longest living citizens with an average life expectancy of 87.2 years. Men in Monaco live an average 85.3 years, and women live longer to an average of 89 years.

25. Which country has the shortest life expectancy?

Sierra Leone

On the opposite side of that coin, the population of Sierra Leone lives only to an average of 47 years. The men of Sierra Leone live to an average of 47 years old, whereas women live a little longer, an average of 48 years. Poverty plays a big role in their short life expectancy.

26. What country would qualify as the most stressed-out nation in the world because of their living conditions?

Nigeria

By looking at the homicide rate, the GDP per capita, continued income inequality, corruption, lack of education opportunities and unemployment numbers, one thing is clear: Nigeria’s people are, hands-down, the most stressed out population in the world.

27. Which city has the highest average IQ?

Hong Kong

There are a lot of factors that affect an IQ score, ranging from national and personal wealth, to simply what test is used. As a result, these findings are highly controversial but suggest that Hong Kong has the highest IQ level, at an average of 107 points per person.

*However, Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, meaning that it falls within the sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China, yet does not form part of Mainland China, because it has its own government. So these results are questionable.

28. Which foreign city is the world’s most well-connected one for internet use?

Seoul, South Korea

Surprisingly, despite China’s 618 million internet users who spend an average of 18.7 hours a week surfing the net, China didn’t even make the top 10 for internet connection. Seoul, South Korea is a different story considering the average connection speed, availability, (including free access), openness to innovation, support of public data, and privacy/security, Seoul, South Korea is the champion of internet-connectedness. With 10,000 government-supported free Wi-Fi spots dotting the city, and an internet speed that goes unchallenged globally, Seoul is an internet junkie’s paradise.

Wasn’t that interesting? I’ll bet you learned something new. I know I did!

Source: Email

The post Do You Live in One of These 28 Extremes around the World? first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

President Trump’s latest pair of tweets this morning have set off a firestorm on the internet, claiming that during a meeting he had with Mika Brzezinski, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”, her face was bleeding due to a recent facelift. He also called her co-host, Joe Scarborough “Psycho Joe”. Here are his tweets from this morning:

I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don’t watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

…to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year’s Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

Below are some before and after photos of Mika Brzezinski. Do you think she has had plastic surgery? After reviewing the pictures, let us know what you think by commenting below the article.

Here are two more pictures of Brzezinski taken 11 years apart:

Brzezinski in 1992:

Brzezinski in 2013:

So what do you think? Has Brzezinski had plastic surgery or not? Let us know what you think in the poll and comments below.

First two image sources: plasticsurgeryfact.com

Third image source (1992 picture): dennishouse.tv

Fourth image source (2013 picture): Rodrigo Fernández – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34644133

The post Mika Brzezinski Plastic Surgery: BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Associates at major law firms were thrilled last summer when firms increased first-year associate salaries from $160,000 to $180,000 per year. Cravath Swaine & Moore was the first law firm to announce the pay hike. More senior associates enjoyed salary raises as well, of between $20,000 to $35,000 per year, with a maximum of $315,000 per year for eighth-year associates.

Other firms were quick to follow suit (at least for associates working in major markets like New York City, Washington DC, and Los Angeles). These firms include Cleary Gottlieb; Clifford Chance; Davis Polk; Gibson Dunn; Latham & Watkins; Milbank Tweed; Morrison & Foerster; Skadden Arps; Sullivan & Cromwell, and many others. For a list of firms that raised first-year associate salaries to $180,000, along with the AmLaw 200 partnership-per-profit rank of those firms, please see the following article: 2016 Law Firm Salary Chart – What Firms Are Giving Raises?

Firms felt compelled to make these raises in order to ensure they would not miss out on the best talent graduating from law school. They wanted to be able to hire the “best” new attorneys coming from the best schools. Also, firms are competitive with each other—and many felt the need to match the pay raises just so that they would continue to be perceived as “players” in the marketplace and would not lose any professional prestige or rank.

While associates no doubt benefit from higher wages, at least in the short-run, there are significant long-term downsides to these salary raises. The millions of dollars needed to fund these raises will have to come from somewhere, and in an increasingly cost-conscious legal marketplace, the end result will likely harm many attorneys and law firms.

As background, it is important to understand that the 2016 associate salary raises do not exist in a vacuum. They exist within a corporate and economic climate in which firms are under significant pressure to keep the costs of legal work as low as possible. In years past, many corporate clients would pay expensive law firm bills without much scrutiny, but that has now changed. Today, corporate clients are more cost-conscious than ever. They pay close attention to law firm bills and are far less tolerant of lavish expenditures. They balk at the idea that they (the client) should have to “foot the bill” to train a junior associate, even if that associate attended the best law school in the country.

Moreover, many corporate clients are no longer loyal to one or a few law firms. Instead, they shop their matters and cases around to different firms and decide which firm to hire based in large part on which firm is giving them a discount and agreeing to keep costs down.

So, where is the money going to come from to pay the increased associate salaries? It is not going to come from corporate clients. It is also not going to come out of the pockets of the few partners at the few firms that are considered so indispensable they can command the highest profits-per-partner.

Instead, the money is going to come from the middle zone in which the majority of BigLaw attorneys operate. Firms might lay off associates or even engage in a mass layoff. They might reduce the number of non-equity partners or counsel-level positions, or reduce the compensation of non-equity partners or counsels. They might even reduce the profits of less-important partners or shrink the size of the partnership altogether, so fewer (more important) partners can keep the same level of profits as before.

What this means for associates is that they may enjoy short-term benefits from huge salary raises, but in the long-run, those very salary increases are likely to make their jobs less secure, the legal market less stable, and their chances at making partner less likely.

For more information about the perils of associate salary increases and “salary wars” among law firms, please see the following article: Top 10 Reasons Why High Junior Associate Salaries Are Destroying the Legal Profession.

The post The Downside to BigLaw Associate Salary Raises first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Summary: Enjoy this amusing take on experts and what they know to be true about the 2016 Presidential Election. Whether you enjoy this or cringe depends on what side of the political spectrum you are on.

In the video below, watch as celebrities, politicians, and news commentators make comments before the election about how Trump will never be President of the United States.

Source: YouTube

The post GOP Supporters Will Enjoy This Fast-Moving Video first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

Have you ever wondered how the famous Big Ben clock remains such an accurate clock? After all, it was built more than 150 years ago, yet it still is running smoothly today.

The movement of Big Ben is based on a pendulum that is able to be adjusted to maintain the clock’s accuracy as needed. While there have been malfunctions and breakdowns during its operation, the clock has rarely had issues for very long before they were fixed.

Watch the video below to learn more about how this amazing clock works.

Source: YouTube

The post How Does Big Ben Keep Accurate Time? first appeared on JDJournal Blog.

These are definitely the kinds of jokes you might hear from the back of a taxi. You could also call these the “dirty dozen”. If you are easily offended, I wouldn’t recommend reading these.

The post 12 Taxi Humor Jokes That Will Make You Cringe first appeared on JDJournal Blog.