Urban Dictionary Goes to Court

No, UrbanDictionary.com isn't being sued. Rather, the popular slang site is being increasingly used by courts to understand street slang. According to a recent New York Times article, Urban dictionary was used, in the last year alone, to define "iron (“handgun”); catfishing (“the phenomenon of Internet predators that fabricate online identities”); dap (“the knocking of fists together as a greeting, or form of respect”); and grenade (“the solitary ugly girl always found with a group of hotties”)."

A concern of some linguistic experts is that there is no verification for posts on the site for it to be reliably used as an academic source. Another issue with Urban Dictionary is that some words and phrases simply have HUNDREDS of definitions. There are no filters for definitions popular with a certain demographic or location so how could a court pick between the definitions. Even if there was, how could a court pick a definition without stereotyping the speaker?

Since the judiciary has an uphill battle staying afloat of all the street slang out there and Webster's dictionary is never going to define phrases such as "awkward turtle," I wonder if there is really a way to academically and authoritatively keep track of what's being said on the street.

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Internal Memo: Week in Review (2/3 - 2/9

This Week's Article Picks:

1. Words you are probably mispronouncing. A must check. [TheWeek.com]
2. When the weather outside is frightful.... your Hunter boots start looking funky. Here's how to fix that: [alilknowhow.com]
3. A old blog is revitalized. Don't miss out on posts from hiringpartneradvice.blogspot.com, a blog by a hiring partner who moved from big law to a small law firm. 
4. Lady Gaga: singer, pianist, worst person to depose EVER. [nypost.com]
5. The Careerist reminds us that women's role in the workplace hasn't changed much in the last 60 years. Shocker. 
6. Word to the wise: don't flip off a judge. It's not going to be pretty. [huffingtonpost.com]
7. Judge says that criminal defendant has a right to blog. [WSJ]

Internal Memo: Week in Review (1/27 - 2/2)

This Week's Article Picks:

1. Law school applications are about to hit a 30 year low. Gotta love supply and demand. [ABA Journal]
2. An incredibly frustrating article from Philly Mag about how men are immature and professional women should adjust to satisfy them.
3. The NY Times is at it again, discussing it's favorite subject: how much law school sucks. Job outlook for "big firm" bound students is still weak, but small and mid-size firms are doing well. My two cents: don't use law school as a three-year deferral to find a job. It's way to expensive. But if you want to be a lawyer, hustle and realize that your first job out may not be your dream job.
4. Philadelphia Inquirer featured an awesome course offered at my law school: Improvisation for Lawyers. I'm hoping that when I have registration preference as a 3L, I can get into this class! 
5. The WSJ featured a new workout that is done is heels. Miserable. One thing I love about the gym is the ability to wear my most comfortable shoes: sneakers. If if want to get a work out in heels, I'll go to a club.
6. Breaking Bad + Law Student = 4 year sentence. Very sad story about how someone who nearly had it all, lost it through addiction. [Above the Law]

Internal Memo: Week in Review (1/20 - 1/26)

This Week's Article Picks:

1. "Valor knows no gender." This week the Pentagon announced that women will officially be permitted in combat roles in the U.S. military. [NBC News]
2. The WSJ reported on the "juicing" craze sweeping across the country. As a busy gal, I can appreciate just how hard it is to eat all the recommended servings of vegetables. Plus, I already got my first taste of a green juice this week and I kind of want more! 
3. The Atlantic discussed whether or not signing emails with an "XO" is office appropriate. Consensus: unless your Oprah or Diane Sawyer.... ABSOLUTELY NOT.
4. According to The Economist, America is #1 in something new: the number of times law-enforcement agencies asked Google to relinquish data on private citizens. Comforting right? At least you can sleep easy knowing that without probable cause your Gchat data is safe.

Internal Memo: Week in Review (1/13 - 1/19)

Noteworthy Articles and Happenings This Week:

1. Take a cue from Golden Globe host Tina Fey and use improvisation to improve your life. [The Grindstone]
2. Time is of the essence for 3L students. Don't fall behind on you bar applications! [Wolters Kluwer]
3. Interesting article on The Daily Beast about plummeting law school application and enrollment and what it means for the legal profession
4. This article reminded me a lot of my post this week about the burden professional women may encounter with online dating. Frankel listed "gender roles" among the reasons for the divorce. Frankel, for sure, was publicly the more successful partner in the marriage. Soon to be ex-husband Jason Hoppy must have found Frankel's success threatening, stating in 2010 “My balls [were] cut off two years ago.” It really is a shame that another marriage is ending because the husband can't handle having a successful wife. [Hello Giggles]

Internal Memo: Week in Review (12/30 - 1/5)

Noteworthy Happenings and Articles This Week:

1. A very controversial NYTimes article calling for America to scrap the Constitution. 
2. Legendary Constitutional scholar Erwin Chemerinsky lists what to look forward to in 2013 from the Supreme Court. [ABA Journal]
3. The Grindstone gives must-read tips for job hunters on having a professional social media presence.
4. City of Athens v. Socrates (7th Cir. 2013) to be heard before Judge Posner at the end of the month. [ABA Journal]
5. Forget casual Fridays, the WSJ enlightens us on how the other half (techies in Silicon Valley) celebrate the end of the work week. Pinkies up!
6. Bomb an interview? You may still have hope at landing the job! [The Grindstone]
7. CLE ALERT: How to put your new iPad to use at work. [American Bar Assoc.]

The Twenty

Yesterday, the 113th U.S. Congress swore in a record-breaking 20 female senators. To me, my celebrities have always been successful women. I feel like American's all too often worship celebrities who have made no meaningful contributions to society. I wouldn't find it surprising if more Americans could name all the Kardashians than all the Supreme Court justices. These women who have been elected to the Senate, regardless of their political affiliation, have reached some of the highest positions in our government, and I figured we should all get a chance to learn a bit about them.

Internal Memo: Week In Review (12/23-12/29)

Noteworthy Happenings This Week

1. The Perfect Black Tights for extending your suits through the cooler months [Refinery29]
2. Wall Street Journal's Ten-Point Plan to get a promotion in 2013
3. Law.com has compiled the legal highlights and low points of 2012 
4. Applying to law school next year? U.S. News has a great timeline on how you should prepare for the LSAT and manage your application process
5. visual.ly has an incredible infographic on social media in the legal profession breaking down how different social media outlets are being used by different sized firms and attorneys as individuals
6. The American Dream may be fading for Gen Y professionals so we must hustle even harder [Bloomberg]
7. Why Twitter matters to lawyers [kevin.lexblog.com]
8. Wall Street Journal on how to look like a leader
9. The four best practices for job seekers in 2013 [The Grindstone]
10. Russell Brand's trippy yet brilliant advice on being the best version of yourself [Youtube]

Internal Memo: Week in Review (12/16-12/22)

Noteworthy Happenings This Week

1. Huffington Post on getting more women in the board room
2. Forbes lists the seven ways to be indispensable at work 
3. "To-do" lists should be replaced by "If... then" lists according to the Wall Street Journal 
4. When it comes to a quick and healthy lunch, Self Magazine states that Chipotle is the clear winner over McDonalds.
5. According to the Iowa Supreme Court, an employer can legally fire his employee for being an "irresistible attraction." [Fox News]