Joe Patrice

Joe Patrice

Host of Above the Law - Thinking Like a Lawyer

Joe Patrice is an Editor at Above the Law. For over a decade, he practiced as a litigator at both Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton and Lankler Siffert & Wohl, representing a variety of individuals, institutions, and foreign sovereigns in criminal and civil matters. Then Joe left private practice to concentrate on making snide remarks about other lawyers which is at least as fulfilling as motion practice.

Recent Episodes
December 18, 2024

Lawyers Who Do Lunch

Bringing new meaning to the court's order.

December 11, 2024

Replacing Judges With AI And Other Stupid Ideas

Elon's got some thoughts on the judicial system.

December 4, 2024

Law School Thought Pregnant Women Not Like Us

Get it? Combining two of the stories into one relevant title?

November 27, 2024

Law Firm Confidentiality Can’t Be Left To The Honor System

'Hey, please don't open this' is not a policy.

November 20, 2024

Judge Throws Temper Tantrum

Also... Matt Gaetz as Attorney General is something we have to contemplate?

November 13, 2024

Biglaw Bonus Season Arrives!

The race is on.

November 6, 2024

Sir Sam Alito Decides No Pesky ‘Constitution’ Governs Him

That Governing Document Can't Stop Me Because I Can't Read!

October 30, 2024

There’s No Studying In Here, This Is The Library!

Also, Tiffany may be number 1 in his heart (she's not), but she's also not number 1 in her class.

October 16, 2024

Learning How To Be A Professional

From young attorneys to the Chief Justice, a lot of lawyers are dropping the ball.

October 9, 2024

Judge Decides To Just Make Up The Rules As She Goes Along

Why not?

October 2, 2024

Eric Adams Must Really Hope Supreme Court Is Serious About Blowing Up Bribery Laws

The majority of the Supreme Court keeps diluting bribery laws and Eric Adams had best hope they aren't done yet.

September 25, 2024

Debbie Does The Dormant Commerce Clause

Why do professors think everyone has to personally experience the facts to understand the law?

September 18, 2024

The Urge To Merge

Is bigger better?

September 11, 2024

What is up with these federal judges?

This week’s episode of Thinking Like A Lawyer is all about the wild decisions made by federal judges. First up is a Trump judge doing Trump judge things — but don’t tell him that....

August 28, 2024

Biglaw’s Back To Office Misadventures

It's not so easy to bring everyone back.

August 21, 2024

Disney Lawyers Learn That Discretion Is The Better Part Of Valor

Just because you can make an argument, doesn't mean you should.

August 7, 2024

Another Bar Exam In The Books

Talking Supreme Court term limits (they're good!), bar exams (they're bad!), and a law professor's conception of free speech (it's ugly!).

July 31, 2024

Overpaid Partners, Nikki Haley Lashes Out, And Judge Might Want To Chill

Catching up on the week that was.

July 24, 2024

Yale Law School Not Sending Its Best

J.D. Vance brought Yale Law back into the spotlight.

July 17, 2024

Judges Behaving Badly

They're not sending their best.

July 10, 2024

Biglaw’s Big Billing Bonanza

Where are those summer bonuses? Don't give up hope yet.

July 3, 2024

Supreme Court Goes Out In Blaze Of Mendacity

Textualism and Originalism evaporate in face of partisan objectives.

June 26, 2024

Law Firm Summer Bonuses Have Started… Will They Continue?

Also, the Supreme Court's really sticking it to the Fifth Circuit.

June 20, 2024

New Law School Rankings And Old Supreme Court Drama

We talk about finding the right law school for you, and wonder how deep the SCOTUS drama goes.

June 12, 2024

Clarence Thomas Turned Supreme Court Service Into An ATM Machine

Except ATM machines have limits.

June 5, 2024

Trump’s Lawyers Somehow Doing A Worse Job On TV Than In Court

The Trump conviction excuse tour is not going well for his attorneys.

May 29, 2024

Sam Alito’s In Distress Of His Own Making

An appeal to common sense is denied.

May 22, 2024

You’re A Grand Old Flag, You’re An Upside-Down Flag

Now, this is a story all about how Sam Alito's wife got flipped-turned upside down.

May 15, 2024

Trump Defense Team Playing Tiddlywinks At A Chess Match

Trump's attorneys seems as asleep at the switch as their client.

May 8, 2024

The Gag Order Pt. 10

Donald Trump, Drake, And James Ho... punchlines write themselves.

April 24, 2024

Alienating The Judge And Jury Seems Like A Bold Strategy For Trump

Let's see if it pays off as well as a billionaire covering up an affair.

April 17, 2024

A Big Week For Not Knowing The Law

From Elon Musk's deposition to law school protests, a lot of folks forgot to look up the actual law this week.

April 10, 2024

US News Rankings Continue Slide Into Bonkerstown

Haphazard ranking serves as a reminder that service hasn't quite found the right formula after law schools started withdrawing their data.

April 3, 2024

Supreme Court, Disney, And Trump — A Wild Week In Review

Breaking down the action-packed final week of March.

March 20, 2024

Did Joe Biden Get More Standing Ovations At The State Of The Union Or On Cold Call

Conservative justices can't stop telling on themselves when it comes to forum shopping.

March 13, 2024

Biglaw’s Parental Leave Backslide

Parental leave and a bumbling Supreme Court highlight the week.

March 6, 2024

Too Rich For Trump’s Blood

Bond... unaffordable cash bond.

February 28, 2024

Return To Office Policies Attempt To Catch Bees With Vinegar

What is it they say about just a spoonful of sugar?

February 21, 2024

Hard To Say Where Arrested Lawyer Went Wrong But Posting About Selling Drugs Probably Didn’t Help

This week's podcast!

February 14, 2024

It Pays To Be A Delusional Hack

Even-keeled professionalism may pay off over time, but being a mercurial lunatic always pays off now.

February 7, 2024

Habba Dabba Doo!

We're reaching peak Alina saturation.

January 31, 2024

I Screwed Up Basic Trial Procedure And All I Got Was This Lousy Swimsuit: The Alina Habba Story

Sometimes you can't actually fake being smart.

January 24, 2024

Alina Habba Goes Full Lionel Hutz In Latest Trump Trial

'The only rules are there are no rules' apparently doesn't fly in Judge Kaplan's courtroom.

January 17, 2024

Donald Trump’s Legal Team Decides Not To Ask Permission OR Forgiveness

Who needs a judge's approval to start ranting in court? Every other person ever, you say?

January 10, 2024

Roberts Explains That Artificial Intelligence Can’t Replace Judges Because How Would Billionaires Fly An AI To Luxury Resorts Anyway?

Maybe GPT-5 will want a free RV?

January 3, 2024

2023 Year In Review

The highs and mostly lows from the year that was.

December 20, 2023

The Unbearable Lightness Of Being Rudy’s Wallet

Defaming people doesn't pay well.

December 13, 2023

The Firm’s Doing Great… Also We’re Doing Layoffs.

There's never a good look for layoffs but there are definitely bad ones.

December 6, 2023

Breaking Down The Great Biglaw Raise Of 2023

Payable sometime in 2024... of course.

November 29, 2023

Paging Rule 11

Elon Musk files a facially ludicrous lawsuit and Trump argues that sexual assault doesn't count on airplanes.