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Bitter News

Bitter News, 3-17-10

Headlines from the Bitter Newsroom that adhere to all U.S. Pole Dance Federation regulations:

• We posted a rant on Thursday about an associate who despised a female partner who squeezed her baby weight into a partnership promotion only to get knocked up again and return to maternity leave. Then today the ABA Journal covered a Fox Rothschild associate’s in-office breast-pump situation, which will be immaturely funny later when we talk about the “leak-out” factor. (Nutrition info: “48 states protect a woman’s right to breast feed a baby in any location. But less than half the states have ‘right to pump at work’ laws.”) The nation’s biggest firms break down with 19.21% of partners and 45.66% of associates being female, according the NALP. So why don’t more women climb to the top ranks of law firms? Why do so many women “leak out” somewhere between law school and partnership? (Come on, kinda funny, right?) Uhhh, they just don’t wanna. There’s a thought. Like Michelle Obama, “many women don’t want to be a partner at a big law firm. And that’s OK.” [Law Vegas Sun]

• Robert Goodman is an 88-year-old attorney. He’s been arrested and charged with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile for having oral sex with 16-year-old girl. “Police say Goodman was surprised.” Like the rest of us. [KSLA.com]

• How’s your spring break, law students? Why don’t you tweet about it? Oh, wait. You did/have/are. Beach. Play Risk. Whatever it may be. Go crazy. [Business Insider]

• “Tiger’s Lawyer—Selling Sex Toys Is a Dil-Don’t” [TMZ]

• Yelp about this: YelpLawsuit.com. [ClickZ]

• Oh when those dates...Come marching in...Oh when those dates come marching in… “Members of the law school class of 2010 who don’t already know their start dates or deferral situations should expect a wave of announcements in the next few weeks.” [The Am Law Daily]

• Weekend warriors: Top prosecutors in South Carolina and Florida say they’re ready to sue if health care reform legislation passes in the next few days. [Los Angeles Times]

• Attorney General Eric Holder is defending attorneys who represent terror suspects, calling them patriots who deserve respect. So if you’re going to try to undercut the basic principles of fairness in the legal system, you can suck it. [Blog the Legal Times]

• South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has closed two chapters of his life: His marriage and his ethics charges. Two in the same, some might say. But he agreed to pay $74,000 in fines to make the latter go away. What it cost him to end his 20-year marriage is much more depressing. [Washington Post]

• Online legal directory Avvo Inc. raised $10 million in venture funding to “help consumers navigate the legal industry.” The site includes lawyer ratings, profiles, client and peer reviews, attorney disciplinary records and a “no-shill” advertising model. Claiming to cover 90% of U.S. lawyers, it’s like a legal yearbook. K.I.T. R.M.A. [WSJ Venture Capital Dispatch Blog]

• The nation may be obsessed with the Nazi penchants of Michelle ‘Bombshell’ McGee right now, but ‘Jihad Jane’ is slightly more of a national threat. FYI: She pled not guilty. [Philly.com]