Saturday, September 27, 2014

No, wait, they're serious

I've been a Vault.com member many years. Back in the day they had a couple of lively, if not particularly useful law forums. At this stage in my career I peruse it for entertainment value.

Vault's bloggers and editors produce clickbait seminal works such as A Day in the Life of a Wachtell Partner whose publication is announced via regular e-mails. Statistically, how useful do you think this is to a typical law student?

Anyhow, this week's e-mail featured Can You Do Anything with a Law Degree? DC Lawyers Say Yes.

Idi Amin reacting to Vault.com

To give credit where it's due, that piece originated from the Washington Post, which vacillates between Watergate break-ins and vapid articles about yuppies. The problem is Vault should know better, though they included a gratuitous disclaimer at the end of the article.

Here's a more fulsome disclaimer:

  • You ain't getting a biglaw job in D.C., probably the most competitive market in the country. If you are then you don't need advice from either Vault or me. The Vault author apparently did obtain one of these jobs and is either oblivious or realizes that writing about shitlaw doesn't pay the bills. Hence, tripe like this
  • There's that J.D. Disadvantage that will haunt you like a ghost. I'm speaking from experience
  • Heartwarming career-change stories are evergreens in NYC and elsewhere. The common theme is you need money (and health insurance) to make money. Don't have enough capital to offset potentially years of negative cash flow? Sucks to be you
  • Legal training may or may not be of any use to you in future endeavors; it's an expensive sunk cost. One woman in the Post article freely admitted she needed a lawyer to negotiate a lease. People who are smart enough to get jobs like that in the first place are smart enough to realize when they're in over their head
  • Bonus tip: I guarantee none of these lawyers-turned-bakers went to cooking school, another huge scam. Avoid

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Peter Cammarano epilogue

Noted Seton Hall Law graduate Peter Cammarano was disbarred by the New Jersey Supreme Court today. He's notable mainly because other than former Valvoline Dean Patrick Hobbs, no person associated with the school ever raised Scott Bullock's ire more. He'd be just another ex-con — we have many — if not for his repeated appearance in Scott's posts and comments.

From Tom the Temp:

Hey Tom, the mayor of Hoboken, Peter "Scam-arrano," who was arrested today and charged with 5 counts of accepting bribes is a 2002 Seton Hall grad.

Hilarious! He learned fraud and corruption at the knee of master scammer Pat Hobbs, known as Seton Hall's infamous "Valvoline Dean" for his oleaginous, used car salesman persona and shameless molestation of salary/employment data. Scammarao (the Hoboken mayor) even had a Traffic Court Clerkship under his belt!

Scott frequently reproduced or alluded to one of my all-time favorite quotes, such as here.

Cammarano once even removed his wristwatch and told a crowd of summer associates: "You see this watch? This watch cost more than a year's tuition at at Seton Hall. That's who I am, and you're nothing."

See nj.com for more.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Miss America headed for law school

Kira Kazantsev, the winner of Miss America 2015 Pageant, plans to use $50,000 prize money to pay for her law school at the the University of Notre Dame.

Kazantsev plans to attend law school and pursue career in women's issues and international diplomacy. She recently revealed her ordeal as a victim of domestic violence in college. Her former boyfriend used to stalk and send hateful text messages to her.

http://www.universityherald.com/articles/11378/20140915/miss-america-2015-kira-kazantsev-prize-money-law.htm

She's not just hot, she also plays a mean plastic cup.

According to the NY Daily News, "She triple-majored in Political Science, Global Studies and Geography as an undergrad at Hofstra University in Long Island."

Truly an inspiration to airheads everywhere.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

To Indiana Tech

I'd like to thank the folks at Outside the Law School Scam for bringing to everyone's attention the latest enhancement to the curriculum at "Fort Wayne's finest unaccredited law school," which a commenter described as "word salad." Hey, if the shoe fits …

Back when she blogged, Kimber Russell described law school as an aspirational endeavor similar to acting school. The difference, particularly as it applies to Indiana Tech, is that acting school students already know they're not going to make it big. The other difference is that acting students can probably define aspirational.

Jabberwocky

By Lewis Carroll

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—

So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

August 2014

Treading water. August had a decent gain but year-over-year remains meh, as does employment as a whole. NY Times had an article on sluggish job growth and the three million people who've dropped out of the labor force.

Health care has been a bright spot. Ever wonder why there's no Nursing School Lemmings blog?

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm

Not seasonally adjustedAugust20131,136,500
June20141,145,400
July20141,146,000
August20141,141,5005,000
Seasonally adjustedAugust20131,136,100
June20141,137,000
July20141,136,600
August20141,139,9003,800
Change from Jul-14 to
Aug-14
3,300