David Lat

Lawyer turned writer, speaker, podcaster: Original Jurisdiction, Author, @SCOTUSambitions. Founding editor, AboveTheLaw/@ATLblog.

[David Lat @DavidLat]

Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: Meet The October Term 2026 SCOTUS Clerks

Plus Justice Kagan’s latest hires, Justice Jackson’s letter to clerkship applicants, and a demographic analysis of the OT 2026 #SCOTUS clerks.

LINK: https://t.co/rhFcfju3FO

[David Lat @DavidLat]

Biglaw’s Embrace Of Contingency Litigation

Today, defense-oriented Biglaw firms are taking on plaintiff-side cases—with help from legal finance.

Our May 6 panel is now in podcast form. Thanks to @BurfordCapital for sponsoring!

LINK: https://t.co/QbMMkU41ht

[Sholto David @addictedtoigno1]

A tool used to rephrase plagiarised text changed "final solution" to "mass killing of an ethnic group" in a chemistry paper. Now retracted thanks to a PubPeer user who spotted this.

[David Lat @DavidLat]

@david_m_wagner Yup—and it's still there (even though many firms have moved to Hudson Yards or Manhattan West). Thew New York office of Orrick is also in Black Rock, and Alston & Bird is moving there as well.

[David Lat @DavidLat]

In my post about Bill Savitt and the Wachtell Lipton litigators who moved to Gibson, the most-clicked link was... my photo of old WLRK letterhead?

So I updated the post to swap in a nicer-looking version (which includes me):

LINK: https://t.co/pJtnVW7ZAJ

[David Lat @DavidLat]

To be honest, I didn’t really work with any jerks. Some folks were challenging to work for because they were incredibly demanding, but I never worked with anyone abusive. (We’re not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but Chaim Fortgang was said to be a screamer; I never worked with him, though, aside from a brief project as a summer associate.)

[David Lat @DavidLat]

@mroliverbarnes @sindap Congrats on the great scoop—one of the biggest lateral moves in, well, forever!

[David Lat @DavidLat]

@HumphreyBohun @ggreenwald Two others that just came to mind: Scott Edelman, now the chairman of Milbank, and Miguel Estrada, a leading appellate advocate and longtime partner at Gibson Dunn (and former D.C. Circuit nominee).

[David Lat @DavidLat]

Ha, yes! Some of the most well-known alumni of the firm never made partner but have done just fine for themselves—e.g., journalist and author Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald), Judges Kenneth Lee (9th Cir.) and Margarett Garnett (S.D.N.Y.), newly minted Coinbase GC Molly Abraham (@mollyisonchain), and many others I'll be embarrassed about when people mention them.

[David Lat @DavidLat]

@elainemittleman From around 2003, I believe (for reasons I explain in this LinkedIn post):

https://t.co/L0XaKhI8bt

[David Lat @DavidLat]

@gtconway3d I might have my old BlackBerry lying around... maybe I can also sell it on eBay....

[David Lat @DavidLat]

@gtconway3d Clerking for Judge O'Scannlain!

[David Lat @DavidLat]

In "Judicial Notice (08.02.26): Whither Wachtell?":

- leading litigators leave Wachtell Lipton for a rival

- the Trump administration tries to revive a ‘zombie court’

- Milbank announces special bonuses (again)

LINK: https://t.co/pJtnVW7ZAJ

[David Lat @DavidLat]

@gtconway3d Sad but true—I believe this letterhead is from 2003, so almost a quarter-century ago....

[David Lat @DavidLat]

@elainemittleman Yes: partners in the two left-hand columns, counsel in the middle, and associates in the two right-hand columns.

For anyone who's curious, the lawyers are listed first by seniority and then, within a class year, alphabetically.

[David Lat @DavidLat]

Some names on the letterhead might be familiar to readers of Original Jurisdiction:

- George T. Conway III (aka @gtconway3d)

- Kenneth K. Lee (9th Cir. judge, my former podcast guest)

- Margaret Garnett (S.D.N.Y. judge)

- Jed I. Bergman (co-founder of Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes, my former podcast guest)

- David K. Lam (co-chair of M&A at Wachtell, my former podcast guest)

- David Gruenstein (mentioned in my recent podcast interview of his brother, Cravath partner turned boutique founder Ben Gruenstein)

[David Lat @DavidLat]

@ProfRobAnderson @reeveslawstl Ah, interesting. I interviewed in the fall of 1997—but in the New York office, at 125 Broad Street. I vaguely recall paintings of hunting scenes in gilt frames.

[David Lat @DavidLat]

@ProfRobAnderson @reeveslawstl Ha! Around what year was this? When I interviewed at S&C, I was struck by how old-school their offices' decor was (compared to other firms).

[David Lat @DavidLat]

@karimyoussef Oh, that's a very interesting prediction—and I think you might very well be right!

[David Lat @DavidLat]

Quinn Emanuel Vet Launches AI-Powered Firm For High-Stakes Cases

Chris Kercher is building the law firm of the future—betting that while AI will transform the production aspects of litigation, clients still need human judgment.

LINK: https://t.co/FQEjS9Z56k

[William Marra @WilliamCMarra]

An interesting trend in law-and-AI news:

The first wave of news focused on AI hallucinations and the dangers of leaning into AI.

The second (and latest) wave focuses on law firms like Kercher's and the dangers of NOT leaning into AI.

Perhaps for the first time, to excel as a lawyer you need expertise both in law and technology. The lawyers who succeed will be those who can balance the tensions between the first and second waves.