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
October 14, 2026

Iron Curtain Descends On Biglaw Financials

Supreme Court auditions are just down the hall and to the extreme right.

October 7, 2026

Bird Watching: Hawks vs. Hawkeyes

And the inevitable -- if stupid -- return of Richard Nixon

September 30, 2026

All The Court’s A Stage And Trump Judges Merely Players

And the fashion police have too much time on their hands.

September 23, 2026

Weil Get You And… Then Maybe You’ll Go To Cravath

And how AI and college sports are basically running the same terrible playbook.

September 16, 2026

Law Firm Passive Aggressiveness On Parade

When you think of this firm, do you think 'smaller platform'?

September 9, 2026

Legal Catastrophes The Old-Fashioned Way

No generative AI required!

September 3, 2026

The ILTACON Wrap-Up

Discussing what we learned about legal technology in Nashville.

August 26, 2026

A Tribute, A Tactic, Or An Appellate Issue?

The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of strangling her three young children, has spawned a courtroom subplot with real legal stakes: prosecutor Shanan Buckingham has spent weeks in Plymouth Superior...

August 19, 2026

Luigi’s Double Jeopardy Gamble And The DOJ’s Complicity

Also, Yale Law School grads have a side chat to discuss their infamous classmates.

August 12, 2026

Biglaw Surrenders Were Worse Than We Thought

Remember when Trump lost the birthright citizenship case? Because he doesn't.

August 5, 2026

Will We Never Learn Our Lesson About The Bar Exam?

And summer bonuses have arrived.

July 29, 2026

Park Benches And Supreme Court Benches

And Todd Blanche keeps trying to get over the Judiciary speedbump.

July 22, 2026

2026: A Rule Of Law Odyssey

Maybe in several years, we can get it back.

July 15, 2026

Collateral Damage Across The Legal Industry

From firms to law schools, innocent bystanders take heat.

July 8, 2026

Supreme Court Narrowly Passes Reading Comprehension Section

But Sam Alito still has a job.

July 1, 2026

Alito’s Outburst And Tough Times For Partners

And a farewell look back as co-host Chris Williams departs the show.

June 24, 2026

Todd Blanche Disgrace Train Rolls On

Supreme Court ignores Judge Newman's rights.

June 17, 2026

Federal Judges Gone Wild

And a new ranking of top law schools.

June 3, 2026

Sex In Chambers Met With Slap On Wrist

Ethics issues abound this week!

May 27, 2026

Judge Orders Law Firm To Write Lesson On How Not To Be Naughty Lawyers

And the Federal Circuit's Schoolhouse Rock moment is as damning as it is embarrassing.

May 20, 2026

Don’t Let The Client Write The Brief As A Treat

More on Biglaw's insider trading scandal and a rare feel good story.

May 13, 2026

Stealth Layoffs And Sam Alito On Tilt

Also a major insider trading case strikes Biglaw.

May 6, 2026

Are There Any Adults Left At The Department Of Justice?

Comey snaps sea shells by the sea shore.

April 29, 2026

Kash Patel’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

It was enough to drive a man to drink.

April 22, 2026

Law Firms Are Drowning In Cash. Trump’s PAC Is Drowning In Legal Bills.

And is Alito really going to retire?

April 15, 2026

Rankings Drama Hits Law Schools, Law Firms

And a crazy billing story.

April 8, 2026

Trump’s Awful No Good Day At The Supreme Court

And Pam Bondi earned a pink slip.

March 25, 2026

Afroman And Elon Had Very Different Trial Experiences

And the DOJ had an atrocious week.

March 18, 2026

AI Hallucinations And Judicial Derangements

And Legalweek talk.

March 4, 2026

John Roberts Suffers The Slings And Arrows Of Pure Rage Trump

And the bar examiners prove once again that they don't care about anyone but themselves.

February 25, 2026

Supreme Court Airs Dirty Laundry

Things get testy down at the courthouse.

February 18, 2026

AI Takes The Blame, Epstein Takes The Careers

And law students finally get some good news.

February 11, 2026

Epstein Fallout Rocks Legal As Admin Tries To Deflect From ICE

This is likely only the beginning of the reckoning.

February 4, 2026

Accountability In An Age Of Unaccountability

Between Epstein files and ethical breaches, a reckoning seems so close yet so far.

January 28, 2026

Trump’s Cook Case Looks Cooked

DOJ claims the power to unilaterally deport the Beatles.

January 21, 2026

Alienating Our Affections

Supreme Court hacking and the end of a Biglaw era.

January 14, 2026

Minnesota Becoming A Constitutional Law Issue-Spotter

And Judge Ho's auditioning for MAGA favor takes a disgusting turn.

January 7, 2026

2026 Prediction Time!

Welcome to another dumpster fire of a year.

December 31, 2025

A Look Back At The 2025 Dumpster Fire

Three trends dominated this year's coverage.

December 24, 2025

Closing Out The Year With Mergers And Attacks On The Rule Of Law

Ho ho ho...gan Lovells merging.

December 17, 2025

At Least The Robots In The Coming War Against Humans Will Understand War Crimes

Terminator doesn't seem so dystopian anymore!

December 10, 2025

This Is Why We Have Bar Exams

And the DOJ continues to be a hot mess.

December 3, 2025

A Bad Week For Trump’s Fake U.S. Attorneys

And a shorter summer associate program.

November 26, 2025

Bonus Season Begins In Earnest

Bonuses and botched prosecutions.

November 19, 2025

Maybe The Legal Industry Has Just Lost All Sense Of Shame

But seriously, what would be a good legal dominatrix name?

November 12, 2025

If The DOJ Fails Another Time, They Win A Free Sandwich

And Kirkland tries a little tenderness. FedSoc does not.

November 5, 2025

A Riot By Any Other Name…

DOJ punishing lawyers, the future of the billable hour, and dark times for public interest work.

October 29, 2025

Dispatches From The Collapse Of The Rule Of Law

And a Biglaw firm seeks help while an in-house attorney blows up her career.

October 22, 2025

No, Your Honor, I Didn’t Call You That, I Was Talking About, Um, Bundt Cake

Also frivolous lawsuits and the insidiousness of dishonest analysis.

October 15, 2025

On Campus Hiring Is Broken, And This Isn’t Helping

Just in time for the AI slop to take over.