Ross Firsenbaum's Blog | New York

 Ross Firsenbaum hails from our New York office and is a member of the Litigation/Controversy Department. Ross was a WilmerHale summer associate in 2004 and graduated from Boston College Law School in 2005. He joined the firm in 2006 after clerking for The Honorable Susan Beck of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Ross is a member of the Associate Communications Task Force in the New York office. READ BIO »

Hectic, But Exciting

November 3, 2008 3:58 PM
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Well, this blog is long overdue. I've been somewhat distracted, in the midst of a three-week arbitration hearing yet trying to stay afloat on four other cases – three of which are moving along at a rapid pace. All of my superiors have been extremely understanding. ...

Supreme Court Justice Q&A

October 18, 2008 4:09 PM
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A few weeks ago my grandfather-in-law asked me if I would attend a black-tie event as his guest on October 14. I graciously accepted, only to learn that the event was the Wriston Lecture hosted by the Manhattan Institute – a conservative think tank. Now, politically, I am very middle of the road. I find that I agree with my friends who circulate You-Tube videos about Sarah Palin (can't wait for SNL tonight). But, I'm nowhere as far to the left as they are. And, while I can understand some of what McCain says, I'm not jumping on that bandwagon either. ...

Weirdly Named, Yet Helpful

October 10, 2008 3:23 PM
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Earlier this week I attended my first "NAC" meeting. "NAC" stands for new associates committee. Or at least I think it does. It's awkwardly named because the committee's members are not new associates. ...

A Good Year to All!

October 1, 2008 2:42 PM
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It's been a rough few days to say the least, but alas, a new year has begun, and hopefully better times are to come. Let's see – since my last post, the stock market tanked, our Government reached new lows in its inability to govern, and the Mets crumbled for the second straight year. ...

Mental Seasoning

September 21, 2008 9:54 AM
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I think I found a couple of additional gray hairs on my head this week. Maybe it's the multiple briefs and depositions coming up, or maybe it's more mental. Perhaps it's the arrival of the new first-year class, which makes me, gulp, a fourth-year. Even my wife commented, "Didn't you just start there?" ...

The Fun Part of the Job

September 15, 2008 10:50 AM
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I have to lead things off with a shout-out to my first summer candidate who actually identified me as a WilmerHale blogger during an interview. No names shall be mentioned, but you know who you are.

So last week, sadly, was not one involving much of a social life. In fact, all I found myself doing was writing, writing, writing. ...

Busy Doesn't Mean Bad

September 7, 2008 12:20 PM
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The past week was one of the busiest I’ve had at the firm. Busy, however, doesn’t mean bad. Many of the hours were particularly rewarding.

I’m part of a team representing a client on a pro bono basis in connection with a murder that occurred more than 30 years ago. Our client was convicted of that murder and is serving a 20-to-life sentence. The Innocence Project asked us if we would take the case because there was no DNA evidence available for them to pursue. Yet, the Innocence Project felt that this case presented significant indicia of a wrongful conviction. ...

Return to Reality

August 29, 2008 3:08 PM
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Unfortunately, this posting comes from the 37th floor of 399 Park and not some sandy beach or café overlooking a canal in Venice. Tear. Ah, the reality of returning to work after a wonderful vacation. ...

Writing from the Sandy Shores of Viareggio

August 22, 2008 11:56 AM
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Sadly, my vacation in Italy has reached its halfway point already. Fortunately, that's the only sad news I can think of. Writing from the sandy shores of the beach town of Viareggio, I'm staring at the Mediterranean Sea and a cloudless sky with my feet dug into the softest sand. ...

Gelato in Rome

August 15, 2008 9:29 AM
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Greetings from Rome! After a hectic two weeks of motion practice, expert reports and witness preparation, the rest of August will feature gelato, pasta and vino. ...

Decidedly Not Bashing Boston

August 5, 2008 2:38 PM
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While I left off last time all gung-ho about New York, I now find myself quite nostalgic about Boston. Having returned from a weekend in Bean-town built around a college friend's wedding and a reunion with many close friends from the bubble named after Lord Jeffrey Amherst, I can't help but think back to the good old days of Chowda-town, or better yet, Amherst. The wedding was fantastic on multiple levels. ...

On Real Estate and Rentals

July 27, 2008 1:26 PM
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So, after giving in to Amanda’s pleas to see Wall-E last weekend, I put my foot down and insisted that we rent a car and take it out to the beach one day this weekend. Well, lesson learned—NEVER use a certain unnamed car rental on the Upper East Side. Entering the rental office with sandwich in hand, towels wrapped over our shoulders, my hopes were shattered when the clerk informed us that they were out of cars. I guess a reservation doesn’t really guarantee you anything these days. Amanda and I retreated to our building’s lovely roof deck to enjoy a picnic lunch, but it just wasn’t the same without an ocean to jump into when it got hot. ...

Introductions from the Native New Yorker

July 21, 2008 6:22 PM
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Welcome to my blog! I must admit up front that this is my first blogging experience, so please excuse me if I don’t use the appropriate lingo. I find it quite ironic that I am blogging for my employer—usually you think of "the man" as locking down all websites to keep you from doing such things while in the office. Fortunately, Uncle Wilmer has, in fact, encouraged me to blog on his dime, so here goes nothing. ...