Res Ipsa Blog

Continuing on the theme of whether going to law school is worth it, here is a look at the average starting salaries for Texas law school graduates, as originally published by The Princeton Review Best 170 Law Schools, 2008 Edition. (The average starting salary for Texas Southern graduates was not included in the article.)   Law School Average Starting Salary Texas Wesleyan University School of Law $57,497 St. Mary's University School of ... Read More

In response to my survey of starting salaries for entry level positions at district attorney's offices around Texas, one of my readers wrote in asking whether it was worth going through three years of law school to become a prosecutor. I'm posting my answer here so that others can add their thoughts and comments on the subject. First off, congratulations on getting into law school. You are in for the ride of your life! To answer your question on whether it's worth becoming a ... Read More

The ABA Journal has published a must-read excerpt from Justice Scalia's new book. The Brief: Use paragraphs intelligently; signpost your arguments. Use words that guide the reader Make it interesting The Argument Appreciate the importance of oral argument, and know your objectives. Have your opener down Be cautious about jokes Never tell prepared jokes. They almost invariably bomb. In Roe v. Wade, an assistant attorney general for the state of Texas, who was arguing against two women lawyers, led with what he probably considered courtly Southern humor: “Mr. Chief Justice, and may ... Read More

Traditional law school wisdom dictates students who want the best prices should buy their books from half.com and then sell them back on amazon.com. There is an even better way to handle books purchases and sales: bigwords.com. Bigwords.com is a price aggregator that takes into account the condition of books you want to purchase, how quickly you need them, and then searches for the best way to purchase all of your books taking advantage of shipping discounts, coupon codes, and other promotions. It ... Read More

1    University of Houston Law Center     1.79% 2    SMU Dedman School of Law     1.81% 3    The University of Texas School of Law     2.13% 4    Texas Tech University School of Law     2.99% 5    South Texas College of Law     4.45% 6    St. Mary's University School of Law     4.99% 7    Texas Southern University—Thurgood Marshall School of Law     6.99% 8    Baylor University School of Law       7.23% 9    Texas Wesleyan University School of Law     10.15% Compare these to the best and worst law school attrition rates: The highest ... Read More

Finals are over! Here's to the summer and the end of the 2L year! First-Year Memories: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8ABhatAfsA] Funny Law Review Articles: The Contribution of the Infield Fly Rule to Western Civilization Baseball's Infield Fly Rule is one of the most hotly contested topics in American law today... Law School Attire: A Call for a Uniform Uniform Code Style of dress matters, and clothing in American law schools should reflect good, traditional values. A tie with regimental stripes has a lot more class than a polo shirt or any other ... Read More

Rank Firm Partner Profits 1. Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz $4.95 million 2. Cravath Swaine & Moore $3.30 million 3. Sullivan & Cromwell $3.06 million 4. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges $3.01 million 5. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett $2.88 million 6. Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft $2.73 million 7. = Cahill Gordon & Reindel $2.60 million 7. = Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison $2.60 million 9. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy $2.53 million 10. Kirkland & Ellis $2.48 million Rank Firm Revenue 1. Skadden $2.17 billion 2. Latham & Watkins $2.01 billion 3. Baker & McKenzie $1.83 billion 4. Jones Day $1.44 billion 5. Sidley Austin $1.39 billion 6. White & Case $1.37 billion 7. Kirkland & Ellis $1.31 billion 8. Greenberg Traurig $1.20 billion 9. Mayer Brown $1.18 billion 10. Weil Gotshal & Manges $1.17 billion Source: The American Lawyer :: :: :: :: ... Read More

Based on Gross Revenues in Texas in 2007-2008: Jones Day $161.8 million Weil, Gotshal, & Manges $140.4 million Hunton & Williams $90 million King and Spalding 82.2 million Mayer Brown $64.2 million Notably, Hunton & Williams is a newcomer to this exclusive club. Up $60 million from last year's gross of $30 million, the increase in Hunton & Williams' revenue reflects the earnings of the nearly one hundred attorneys hired by the firm from the former Jenkens & Gilchrist. The complete article is available here. (Texas Lawyer) :: ... Read More

Update: July 2008 Texas Bar Results Available Here. February 2008 Texas Bar Results Announced Bar Passage Rates for First Time Examinees: Baylor Law School 95.83% Texas Tech University School of Law 92.86% Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law 92.31% South Texas College of Law 88.24% St. Mary's School of Law 86.96% University Of Texas School of Law 80.00% Texas Wesleyan School of Law 79.59% University Of Houston Law Center 78.95% Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law 59.26% Congrats to everyone who passed! (Looks like we were the first blog to ... Read More

Highest Grossing Law Firms Based in Texas in 2007 Akin Gump $752 million Fulbright $649 million Vinson & Elkins ... Read More