Today, September 8, is National Ampersand Day. In addition to sharing a few fun facts about this squiggly symbol, we will discuss a not-so-recent but still-so-trendy practice in the naming of law firms. Over the last 15 years or so, BigLaw has adopted a more polished, less conventional approach to branding. Instead of the more traditional practice of identifying all named partners in the title of the firm, larger firms have opted for more airy austerity. In 2010, just three Am Law 100 firms officially used a single surname, but in 2023, these abbreviated brands are the rule more than the exception. Shortened names may help build stronger brand identity, as those in favor of the trend like to point out, but these elegant eponyms, according to others, lack a critical element – the ampersand, a most elegant emblem itself.
Read moreMartin Luther King Jr. Day 2023
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, celebrated the third Wednesday of January, recognizes the birth, life, and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., born January 15, 1929. For more background information on the legal history of this federal holiday and resources for accessing Dr. King’s works, check out these past Ex Libris Juris blog posts:
Read moreHISD Chávez-Huerta Día/Day
Hoy, 28 de marzo, es un día feriado para los estudiantes y personal del Distrito Escolar Independiente de Houston (HISD) que conmemora el legado de activistas César Chávez y Dolores Huerta.
Today, March 28, 2022, is a holiday for students and staff of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) that commemorates the legacy of civil and labor rights activists César Chávez and Dolores Huerta.
Read moreGideon’s Legacy
On March 18, 1963, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Gideon v . Wainwright that the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of counsel in criminal cases is a fundamental right, essential to a fair trial, as provided by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The court battle leading up to this ruling was truly a case of David v. Goliath. In recent years, there has been a push to advocate for a “Civil Gideon” – the right to legal counsel in civil cases. If Civil Gideon should ever come to pass as a universal Constitutional right, the legacy of Clarence Earl Gideon, whose own case was decided on this day 59 years ago, would be fulfilled for all so that “justice should be the same, in substance and availability, without regard to economic status” and irrespective of the type of offense.
Read moreThe Beat Goes On: Kerouac at 100 and the Battle Over His Estate
This image was originally posted to Flickr by Ethan.K at https://flickr.com/photos/77765234@N00/3917964519. It was reviewed on 4 September 2020 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-sa-2.0. It is now accessible at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jack_Kerouac_gravestone_(3917964519).jpg
March 12 marks the 100th birthday of literary legend, Jack Kerouac. Though he died in 1969, his legacy as “King of The Beats” lives on. Today, his estate is worth millions, and the complicated fight for his fortune more than 70 years after his death is still unresolved. It’s fraught with familial infighting, righteous desperation, and outright greed, as well as an allegedly suspect signature on Kerouac’s putative will.
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