Above the Law (often abbreviated ATL) is a
news website
An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical.
Going online created more opportunities for newspa ...
about law,
law school
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, ...
s, and the legal profession. Established in 2006, the site is owned and published by Breaking Media.
Influence
The site has been sourced by ''
GQ'', ''
The American Lawyer
''The American Lawyer'' is a monthly legal magazine and website published by ALM Media. The periodical and its parent company, ALM (then American Lawyer Media), were founded in 1979 by Steven Brill.[Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...]
'', ''
Washingtonian'', and ''
Gawker
''Gawker'' is an American blog founded by Nick Denton and Elizabeth Spiers and based in New York City focusing on celebrities and the media industry. According to SimilarWeb, the site had over 23 million visits per month as of 2015. Founded in ...
'', among others. In 2008, it was listed as one of the ''
ABA Journal
The ''ABA Journal'' (since 1984, formerly ''American Bar Association Journal'', 1915–1983, evolved from '' Annual Bulletin'', 1908–1914) is a monthly legal trade magazine and the flagship publication of the American Bar Association. It is no ...
''s "100 Best Web Sites by Lawyers, for Lawyers".
The site began publishing an annual law school ranking in 2013.
Staff
David Lat
David Benjamin Lat (born June 19, 1975) is an American lawyer, author, and legal commentator. Lat is the founder of Above the Law, a website about law firms and the legal profession.
Before blogging, Lat attended Harvard College and Yale Law Sc ...
is the founding editor of Above the Law. As of 2019, Elie Mystal leads the publication, producing regular content along with Staci Zaretsky, Joe Patrice, and Kathryn Rubino, joined by a number of columnists from across the legal landscape.
Controversies
In 2011, Above the Law was sued for $50 million for an erroneous story about a
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
to which one of its articles linked. The suit was ultimately
settled out of court
In law, a settlement is a resolution between disputing parties about a legal case, reached either before or after court action begins. A collective settlement is a settlement of multiple similar legal cases. The term also has other meanings in t ...
.
In 2016, Above the Law received criticism from many publications when its Breaking Media Editor at Large, Elie Mystal, wrote an article suggesting that
jury nullification
Jury nullification (US/UK), jury equity (UK), or a perverse verdict (UK) occurs when the jury in a criminal trial gives a not guilty verdict despite a defendant having clearly broken the law. The jury's reasons may include the belief that the ...
of crimes by
blacks
Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in ...
against whites could be used by jurors as a form of protest.
References
External links
*
Internet properties established in 2006
American legal websites
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