Above the Law

Morning Docket: 02.27.26

* Anthropic rejects Defense Department ultimatum to rewrite their contract and remove guardrails or face potentially devastating retaliation. [Axios]

* Bill Clinton due to testify about Epstein after Hillary’s deposition devolved into Pizzagate and UFOs. [Reuters]

* NYPD perp walked suspect from Washington Square snowball fight. DA’s office rejects assault charge because the cops were being actual snowflakes. [NY Times]

* DOJ supoosedly investigating why it just happened to withhold multiple FBI interview statements where a witness talked about Donald Trump raping a child. [Washington Post]

* Homeland Security prison camp stealing crayons from children. [Pro Publica]

* Kobre & Kim lawyer carried on business relationship with Epstein having, “intentionally waited being introduced to you… until your sentence was fully served to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.” Not sure how successful that proved, but all right. [American Lawyer]

* Netflix drops out of Warner Bros. deal virtually guaranteeing Paramount will acquire the company and manage to merge the two worst studios into a giant ball of dreck. [Law360]

Too Good To Be True — See Also

William Christopher Swett Gets Charged With A Lot Of Fraud: No relation, of course.

Maurene Comey Makes Partner: The administration’s brain drain lets Biglaw snag major talent!

Tom Goldstein Convicted On 12 Of 16 Counts: Can’t win ’em all.

Abrego Garcia Still Getting Harassed By The DOJ: His legal team want the charges dismissed for being vindictive.

There’s No Privilege Protecting AI Searches: But should there be? Carolyn Elefant argues in favor.

The Quiet Edge: How Real Confidence Is Built In The Dark, Not On Display

Confidence is not a lightning strike. It is a byproduct of sustained effort.

Gimme An ‘A’! Gimme An ‘I’!

Signs point to: Panicking about our demise is premature. For now.

Three Years After Launching As First AI Legal Assistant, CoCounsel Reaches 1 Million Users — And Thomson Reuters Teases What’s Ahead

Thomson Reuters framed the milestone not just as a measure of growth but as a signal of a broader shift in how regulated industries are approaching artificial intelligence — from cautious pilots and experiments to embedded production systems.

Maurene Comey Takes On New Role As Partner At Law Firm

On to bigger and better things!

AI Research Can Be Used Against Clients In Court. It Shouldn’t Be.

Why can’t we just say that an expectation of privacy applies to generative AI and speak a privilege into existence?

Tom Goldstein Goes Bust

Poker hobby ends with conviction.

5 Tips For Proving Your Legal Department’s Value

Join our expert panel on March 3rd at 1 p.m. ET to explore actionable, emerging ways you can gather and proactively share the data that demonstrates the impact of your work.

This Plaintiffs’ Lawyer Took ‘Creative Lawyering’ Way Too Literally

When the plaintiffs’ lawyer becomes the defendant.

Former Chairman Of Bankrupt Department Stores: ‘I Saved Department Stores’

‘Notwithstanding what you've been reading lately....’

Morning Docket: 02.26.26

* Tom Goldstein convicted on tax evasion charges. [Politico]

* Hillary Clinton set to testify in Epstein probe, meanwhile an investigation reveals the DOJ hid documents related to Donald Trump’s dealings with Epstein. [Reuters]

* Biglaw vlogger quits the law. [Legal Cheek]

* Former prosecutor charged with strangling family member. [ABA Journal]

* Democrats want an explanation for DOJ firing Antitrust chief amid administration efforts to steer deals toward donors. [Law360]

* Arrest made in murder of a retired lawyer in an assisted care facility. [WGME]

* Former plaintiffs’ side lawyer facing prison for defrauding clients. [Daily Report]

The Comedy After The Storm — See Also

Supreme Judges Banter Over Oral Argument: They’re much nicer to each other in person than in writing!

It Ain’t The Size Of The Firm: 9th Circuit rules small law firms can get paid their worth too.

This Wasn’t Covered In Bar Prep: New York test takers had to fight a blizzard on the way to their fact patterns.

FASORP Wants To Revive Their Northwestern Case: They couldn’t even muster up any new arguments.

It Just Keeps Getting Worse For This Guy: Fix the Court filed a judicial misconduct complaint against Judge Ludington.

On This Week Of Thinking Like A Lawyer: Hot mics and “wing” style nonsense.

Mental Health Days Are Not Uncommon In Biglaw

Taking care of your mental health is essential.

The Best Law Schools For Environmental Law

If you're interested in environmental law, you need to see this list.