MasTTTers in TTTaxation

A lawyer who represents herself has a fool for a client. Actually, I think we just have a fool, period. The short story is husband cashes out a life insurance policy, doesn't report the substantial gain, wife litigates the matter, and tax court agrees with the IRS that it's taxable. The money shot is here:

And, finally, the Browns’ experience, knowledge, and education weigh against them: both are licensed attorneys, and one has a master of laws degree (LL.M.) in taxation.

I couldn't find where Ms. Brown got her LLM, but her JD is from a solid school. Another blogger described it as "The perils of too much education."

Opinion is here: http://www.ustaxcourt.gov/InOpHistoric/5Brown.TCM.WPD.pdf.

DiversiTTTy

My beloved alma mater has emphasized racial diversity since the glory days of rioting, the 1960s. I thought this was a good idea, despite the school taking the idea too far. For instance, it sets aside law review seats. Its URM alumni have mostly done well, and better than me in any event.

"Diversity" is a code word for "straight, white males need not apply." Guided by the AMA and ADA -- whatever they do, do the opposite -- the ABA wants the US Snooze rankings to incorporate diversity. Basically, enshrine the concept that "diverse" students benefit a law school more than, uh, non-"diverse" ones. Black student from Chicago, good. White student who emigrated from Serbia, bad. Diversity, good. Merit, bad.

This letter could have been written by Lewis Carroll. We're talking about a so-called professional organization, the ABA, which is controlled by large firms whose equity partners are nearly lily white. Sure, they employ "diverse" graduates, as non-partnership-track staff attorneys, contract attorneys, and coders. See Tom the Temp's blog.

To its credit, USNWR has so far resisted this effort to torture its rankings to appease the ABA. Seems measuring "diversity," and how much "diversity" to include in the ranking, is problematic.

Want diversity? Go to Cooley.

No surprises

Knut at First Tier Toilet has a good write-up of today's panel. I'm sure Kimber Russell will have a fulsome post shortly.

I had a number of distractions while trying to listen, but did take some notes.

Everyone stood their ground. The deans said they pander to USNWR to get a good ranking that attracts students, and then admitted that the matriculating students weren't necessarily their priority. None of them knew, or at least would admit to knowing, what the total educational debt is in the U.S. ($900B). They emphasized law school is an investment in a 30-year career; one insisted most of his students get legal jobs while another bemoaned how they borrow instead of working their way through school.

Nando pulled out his numbers and quotes, including noting Baltimore Law had raised its tuition 77% in 7 years and had spent $100 million for a new building instead of scholarships. The dean told him he was being simplistic

I think the next time they have one of these panels, I'll sit it out.

Get 'em, Nando

Nando of Third Tier Reality will be part of a discussion to be held and broadcast tomorrow. Given both his ability to marshal statistics and the unrelenting bad news for the legal industry, I expect him to represent the law school scam community well. See All Education Matters and Shilling Me Softly for more info. Please sign up at the link below.

http://westlegaledcenter.com/program_guide/course_detail.jsf?courseId=35700326

Join two law school deans, two law professors, and a frequent blogger on law school news in a lively discussion on the value of a JD in today’s economy. The recession and social media explosion has given law schools more attention in legal news. Sites and blogs like JD Underground, Above the Law, and Third Tier Reality have warned prospective students of the risks of attending law school in today’s economy. Some law school deans have recognized these concerns but maintain that a JD is worthwhile because of its respectability, versatility, and career longevity.

What are the concerns driving the recent anti-law school sentiment? How are law schools responding to this and the current market demands?

Future students, law students, recent graduates, and practicing attorneys should all tune in to hear the latest dialog.

This session will cover three main areas:
1. The current legal economy for JDs
2. Cost of law school vs. worth of law school
3. The curriculum: the theoretical and the practical.

Practice Areas:	Career Development, Career Development, Education Law
Online Media Type:	Audio
Production Date:	04/07/2011 12:00 PM EDT
Level:	Intermediate
Category:	Standard
Duration:	1 Hours, 0 Minutes
Online Format:	Live

The "profession" that oozes presTTTige

Had a bunch of things I wanted to write about today, but let's start with the best and save the rest. A shout out to Shit Law Jobs.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/lgl/2305235981.html

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY (Midtown East)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2011-04-04, 4:24PM EDT
Reply to: job-dw9ft-2305235981@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Associate attorney needed at boutique matrimonial firm across from Grand Central. Must have 2+ years matrimonial law experience during law school or after graduation. Excellent computer skills including Excel, Word and WordPerfect are an absolute necessity. All resumes must be accompanied by law school transcript. Top 15% of class only. Position will entail primarily secretarial and paralegal tasks with opportunity for increased responsibilities.

Compensation: Negotiable
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 2305235981

Yes, TLS denizens, this is a fake ad created by a bitter JDU loser. For everyone else, let me summarize.

• Requires two years experience, though this can be while clerking.
• TOP FUCKING 15% OF THE CLASS. PERIOD.
• Transcript to verify above, because you can't be too careful.
• Presumably, NY bar admission.
• Expertise with WordPerfect, software whose heyday was the DOS-era.
• Despite the above requirements, the position is secretarial.

The sad thing is that the poster's mailbox will overflow with serious applicants. They don't actually care what your class rank is, but need a way to winnow the resumes they get.

They're probably not going to get many ex-biglaw types -- matrimonial is shitlaw territory -- but top-15% is a solid candidate for whom the world should be her oyster.

If you want to be a secretary this badly, then go to secretarial school. You get the same prestige without the six-figure debt and seven wasted years of your life. Thanks, ABA!

The only thing that would make this ad more special is if it were an unpaid internship. Next week.

TTTTouro FTW

D.C. Superior Court judge declares mistrial over attorney’s competence in murder case

A presTTTTigious (note four Ts) Touro alumnus got in over his head at a D.C. murder trial. The judge declared a mistrial and dismissed the attorney, Joseph Rakofsky, basically for incompetence.

Judge William Jackson told attorney Joseph Rakofsky during a hearing Friday that he was “astonished” at his performance and at his “not having a good grasp of legal procedures” before dismissing him.

Guided by the principle, "If you're going to lose, lose big," Rakofsky picked capital murder as his very first case. His frustrated client asked the judge to replace him.

Rakofsky was admitted to the NJ bar in 2010. Not sure how his D.C. client found an unqualified NJ attorney to represent him, but here's a guess.

Look forward to a bunch of TTTyros coming soon to a courthouse near you.

Well, hit me with a 2x4

A recent presTTTigious panel concluded that law school tuition will continue to rise. The proposed solutions, which will surely mollify both Senator Boxer and Nando, are as follows:

1. Make education loans dischargeable in bankruptcy.
2. Base government loans on each institution's default rate.
3. Strip the ABA of accreditation authority.
4. Mandate minimum LSAT scores.
5. Allow professors to teach more classes.
6. Close all but the top-100 law schools.
7. Shared faculty appointments, facilities and technology.

From the article:

One example Haddon cites is students' work on a leadership journal published jointly by Santa Clara Law and the University of Maryland School of Law that culminated in the Leadership Education Roundtable at Santa Clara last weekend.

Seriously, this is the legal academy's answer to the mismatch between what it charges students and the opportunities it affords them. A fucking leadership roundtable organized by students who didn't have the chops for law review? Employers will be so impressed. The legal education industry is truly composed of visionaries whose only goal in life is to train the next generation of lawyers in the best manner possible.

This article could scarcely have been more daft if it were published April 1. We're talking about institutions that have a "fax machine for student use, at no charge if directly related to job searching." Will they share a fax machine? Or, will they just split rolls of fax paper?

Until the federal teat is turned off, every day will be April Fools.