I spoke too soon.

In a post on Friday, I wrote that to the best of my knowledge, no firm with a big presence here had yet canceled its summer associate program for 2010.

Now Ballard Spahr, which has 40 lawyers in Baltimore and nine in Bethesda, has done just that. (The report first surfaced today on Above the Law.)

A Ballard spokeswoman e-mailed me the following statement:

“In view of our obligation to manage our firm in a responsible way, we have decided not to have a Summer Associates Program in 2010. We are very pleased to have a new class of associates that will join us in the fall of 2010 and will make offers to this year’s summer associates to start in 2011. It would be unfair to have a Summer Associates Program next year in light of the people to whom we have made commitments. If there are exceptional needs in a non-Philadelphia office, we will consider appropriate hires. This decision reflects what we believe is in the best interests of the firm.”

ON THE COVER: The off season – When the General Assembly session ends, lawyer/lawmakers return to their legal careers in earnest.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals finds that Maryland’s liquor-pricing system violates the Sherman Antitrust Act.

In Breaking News, the Court of Special Appeals holds that a confession by the MySpace killer is public record; a geneticist loses her job-bias appeal; a former 1st Mariner Area worker says his firing was racially biased; and a federal judge denies a request to unseal more court documents in the Bromwell cases.

In this week’s Verdicts & Settlements, a jury finds that an Elkton police officer did not improperly use his Taser during a 2005 arrest, and a blinded SSA employee agrees to a $300,000 settlement.

Read about Hodes, Pessin & Katz’s Pirate Day in Unbillable Hours.

Judge Dennis M. Sweeney writes about avoiding and dealing with inconsistent jury verdicts in his column Judge on the Jury.

Stay up-to-date with our Legal Briefs and Law Digest, with cases from the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Happy Monday! Here are some law links to start the week:

• The Sun’s Peter Hermann compares the treatment of Inner Harbor restaurants and Block strip clubs at the Board of Liquor License Commissioners last week.
• Here are eight reasons not to go to law school. Can you think of eight reasons to go? Or one? Leave it in the comments. HT: University of Baltimore Law Library Blog.
• Lawyers are always susceptible to depression. In this job environment, things are even worse.
• Should law schools be giving students more practical training?
• We need a “critical mass” of women on the Supreme Court, says DeeDee Myers. Thanks to Ms.JD for the link.

In today’s Maryland Lawyer, I wrote about Pirate Day at the Towson-based law firm Hodes, Pessin & Katz, P.A.

Staffers organized the event, held last Thursday, in support of Partner Brian Goodman, who is the general manager of the Young Victorian Theatre Company, which put on a two-week production this summer of the comic opera, The Pirates of Penzance.

I must say, there were some pretty creative outfits from Pirate Day. Take Managing Director Drake Zaharris (pictured) as an example.

In addition to dressing up as pirates, a contest was held to see who could come up with the cleverest response to the following statement:

“Lawyers are like pirates because…”

Here were a few of my favorites that didn’t show up in today’s print edition:

–Because they cutthroat their opponents: a lawyer uses his “words” and a pirate uses his “sword.” (play on anagram).

–Because they are landlubbers that pillage and loot booty from other unsuspecting swabbies since we can’t make them walk the plank. Arg.

The winning statement came from paralegal Lynn Reichelm… “Because they want to get their hooks in you.”

Now it’s your turn to finish the phrase. Any other suggestions?