David Lat
Posts by David Lat
-
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 03.11.18
* This great profile of Chuck Cooper, by Tierney Sneed of TPM, includes more details on why he withdrew from the solicitor general sweepstakes. [Talking Points Memo]
* A team from Quinn Emanuel, led by high-profile hire Alex Spiro, is repping Jay-Z in a trademark fight. Can Biglaw + Beyonce be far behind? [Hollywood Reporter]
* Steven Brill, the godfather of modern legal journalism, launches his latest venture: NewsGuard, which “uses journalism to fight fake news.” [Dewey B Strategic]
* Speaking of “fake news,” leading media lawyer Charles Glasser puts President Trump’s “war on the press” in a broader, global context. [Daily Caller]
* Still on the subject of POTUS v. Press, is the media being played in the Stormy Daniels drama? Joel Cohen and Dale Degenshein think so. [Law & Crime]
* Strange bedfellows at One First Street: Adam Feldman looks at Supreme Court cases featuring unusual ideological alliances. [Empirical SCOTUS]
* Protip for litigators and litigants: don’t tick off Judge Frederic Block (or any other judge presiding over your case, for that matter). [artnet]
* If our five Biglaw business development tips weren’t enough for you, Jane Genova adds two more for your consideration. [Law And More]
* How can technology be harnessed to bridge the justice gap? Neota Logic has some ideas. [Artificial Lawyer]
-
Biglaw
Biglaw Business Development: 5 Insights From Chief Marketing Officers
Some practical advice on generating new clients and new business, from top CMOs. - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 03.04.18
* Which Supreme Court justice wrote the most dissents over the last 30 or so years? The answer might surprise you. (My guesses came in second and third.) [Empirical SCOTUS]
* Does the latest constitutional challenge to Obamacare have merit? The 20 states are right on one issue and wrong on another, Ilya Somin explains. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]
* Ann Althouse makes the case against To Kill A Mockingbird. [Althouse]
* Litigation finance and class actions: two great tastes that taste great together? Professor Brian Fitzpatrick breaks it down. [SSRN]
* Artificial intelligence is all the rage, but what should lawyers actually look for when it comes to AI-enabled products? Daniel Lewis, co-founder of Ravel Law (now part of LexisNexis), offers his insights. [Dewey B Strategic]
* As a new dad, I find the notion of prosecuting a parent for improper car-seat installation deeply disturbing — especially after the defendant mom lost her daughter, an already horrific punishment for that mistake. [Slate]
* Has the Trump Administration drained the swamp, or made it more swampy than ever? The latter — at least if you view Biglaw partners as swamp creatures. [The Nation]
* Utah legislators try their hand at “Schoolhouse Rock,” and the result is… something. [Twitter (@RobertMaguire_)]
* Another interesting use case for blockchain: solving IP challenges. [Artificial Lawyer]
-
Courts
Order In The Court, Order In The Court: The Law Clerk Hiring Plan Returns!
What's the latest proposal on the table, and will it actually work? -
Courts
Fast Times At 40 Foley: Second Circuit Drama In Zarda v. Altitude Express
This history-making case generated a slew of interesting, funny, and even snarky opinions. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 02.25.18
* Audacious: former Mercer Law student Stephen McDaniel, who took apart the body of Lauren Giddings after brutally murdering her, seeks habeas corpus. [WGXA]
* “Did #MeToo really bring a reckoning to the legal industry?” A discussion featuring Katherine Ku, Dahlia Lithwick, Leah Litman, Ian Samuel, and me. [Vice]
* Speaking of #MeToo and the legal profession, look for more disturbing stories like this one to emerge in the weeks ahead. [Medium]
* Best friends: which amici in the Supreme Court have the strongest track records in major cases? [Empirical SCOTUS]
* Speaking of SCOTUS, if you were a billionaire who dropped $32.5 million on beachfront property, you too would hire Paul Clement to seek certiorari in your takings case. [SFGate]
* As someone with a mild case of prosopagnosia (aka face-blindness), I totally agree with Eugene Volokh’s recommendations about nametags at conferences. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]
* Divorce lawyer and former Playboy model Corri Fetman, no stranger to our pages, is running for Cook County Circuit Court judge — and calling out her opponents for running body-shaming attack ads. [Chicago Reader]
* Here’s what the United States can — and can’t — learn from the small, happy, and fairly homogenous nation of Denmark (by Megan McArdle via Glenn Reynolds). [Instapundit]
* If you share my confusion about blockchain, here’s a recommendation: check out the new Integra Wallet, just released by legal-blockchain pioneer Integra Ledger. [Artificial Lawyer]
* Speaking of leveraging the power of blockchain, you simply must check out Casey Flaherty’s new Magic Money Machine™. [3 Geeks and a Law Blog]
* If you work a lot with expert witnesses, you might want to check out Courtroom Insight, for reasons explained by Jean O’Grady. [Dewey B Strategic]
* Congratulations to Professor Jennifer Levi, recipient of the ABA Stonewall Award for her pioneering work on transgender rights! [Western New England University]
-
Courts
President Trump's Eleventh Wave Of Judicial Nominees
Look for more confirmations in the very near future. -
Technology
Blockchain For Dummies Non-Transactional Lawyers
Does blockchain confuse you? You're not alone -- but here's some help. - Sponsored
Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
Zach Warren from the Thomson Reuters Institute discusses the potential and the pitfalls. -
Courts
This Federal Judge Knows It When He Sees It
An important and controversial decision, holding a developer liable for painting over graffiti on his own buildings. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 02.18.18
Ed. note: We will not be publishing on Monday, February 19, in observance of President’s Day.
* Congratulations to my friend and former co-clerk, John Demers, on his long-overdue confirmation as head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. [Reuters]
* Which lawyers and justices take the lead on the most important Supreme Court cases? Adam Feldman has the answers, as always. [Empirical SCOTUS]
* Professor Ilya Somin breaks down the recent Fourth Circuit ruling on Trump’s Travel Ban 3.0. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]
* A leading legal technology company, Kira Systems, is looking for a few good law librarians (to apply for its new job as a Machine Learning Knowledge Analyst). [Dewey B Strategic]
* Lawyer and activist Glenn Magpantay, executive director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), explains what’s at stake with the Dream Act. [Advocate]
* Stroock’s Joel Cohen draws lessons for lawyers from the buzz-generating new movie, The Post. [New York Law Journal]
* What role can expert witnesses play in #MeToo litigation? Lawyer Kat Hatziavramidis shares some insights. [Forensis Group]
* The Mrs. Palsgraf of the United Kingdom — a famous torts plaintiff named May Donoghue, who sued a beverage manufacturer after she discovered a decomposing snail in a bottle of ginger beer — is getting a statue erected in her honor. [Legal Cheek]
* Not as bad as sexually assaulting a student intern, but another Biglaw partner stands accused of making degrading, sexually charged comments to a junior attorney. [RollOnFriday]
* In advance of its Global Legal Hackathon (February 23-25), the Global Legal Blockchain Consortium welcomes a new member: Fasken, a leading Canadian law firm. [Artificial Lawyer]
-
Biglaw
Associate Bonus Watch: Good News (And Bad) From A Texas Powerhouse
Hopefully these robust bonuses will help associates deal with their high health-care costs. -
Sponsored Content, Technology
Calling All Securities Lawyers
Learn about a new tool that can help you work more efficiently and with greater accuracy. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 02.02.18
* A question that has crossed the mind of every Biglaw corporate associate: “How much of lawyering is being a copy-and-paste monkey?” [3 Geeks and a Law Blog]
* Kenneth Jost notes out how Justices Ginsburg and Gorsuch like to butt heads — and scores the fight 2-0 in RBG’s favor. [Jost on Justice]
* And speaking of rumbles at One First Street, which pairs of justices have the most disagreements with each other, as reflected in majority and dissenting opinions? Adam Feldman has answers. [Empirical SCOTUS]
* Saira Rao, former Cleary Gottlieb associate and author of the clerkship novel Chambermaid (affiliate link), takes on a new challenge: running for Congress. [American Bazaar]
* Data privacy is the name of the game these days, and Thomson Reuters is ready; TR showed off its new, Watson-enabled Data Privacy Advisor at Legalweek here in New York. [Dewey B Strategic]
* Amidst all the hoopla and robot fights at Legalweek, it would be easy to overlook the latest news from Neota Logic — but you shouldn’t. [Artificial Lawyer]
* Should more states move away from requiring unanimous jury verdicts in criminal cases? Joel Cohen argues that 11 is not enough. [Law & Crime]
* Can a U.S. court punish someone for their speech, on the theory that he breached an agreement not to speak, while keeping the speech-restrictive agreement secret? Eugene Volokh thinks not (with good reason). [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]
* Dewey see an end in sight for legal proceedings related to the collapse of the Biglaw giant? Former executive director Stephen DiCarmine was supposed to be in court today to face fraud claims from the Securities and Exchange Commission, but it looks like the parties might have a deal. [Law360]
* If you will be in New York City next weekend and are interested Asian-American leadership in the legal field, consider attending Columbia APALSA’s annual conference — where Kathy Hirata Chin will be honored for her efforts to promote diversity in the legal profession. [Columbia Law School APALSA]
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Sponsored
Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
-
Government
Congratulations To The 2018 Bristow Fellows
Plus rankings of the law schools and lower-court judges that send the most folks into these prestigious posts. -
Courts
The Latest And Greatest In President Trump's Judicial Nominations (Part 2)
President Trump just announced his tenth wave of judicial nominees -- who are they? -
Law Schools
The Legal-Genius Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree
This young legal eagle is following in his famous mother's footsteps by joining the Harvard Law School faculty. -
Biglaw
Associate Bonus Watch: The Good News Keeps On Coming
The firm is doing well, and it's sharing the wealth with its associates. -
-
Courts
The Latest And Greatest In President Trump's Judicial Nominations (Part 1)
Here's a rundown of where things stand, including district as well as circuit courts. -
Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 01.12.18
Ed. note: We will not be publishing on Monday, January 15, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
* Will Geoffrey Berman, acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, recuse from Deutsche Bank matters? It sure sounds like he should…. [Bloomberg Politics]
* Judge Shira A. Scheindlin and Joel Cohen offer advice to companies on how to handle sexual harassment allegations in a manner consistent with due process. [Guardian]
* And Glenn Reynolds has this modest proposal, also related to the problem of sexual harassment (in the federal judiciary): abolish clerkships. [Wall Street Journal]
* A quartet of tax law professors explain how a proposal to transform state and local tax payments into deductible charitable contributions to state and local government organizations could actually work.
[Slate]* From Biglaw to big bucks: former associates Stephen Scanlan and Travis Leon sell their law-related startup, XRef, for a cool $10 million. [RollOnFriday]
* Professor Eugene Volokh: “There’s a fine line between being a ‘badass’ and….” [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]
* “Appeals court OKs F-Bombs for federal trademark protection.” F**king finally. [Techdirt]
* The Dewey & LeBoeuf criminal case ends with a whimper: former accounting manager Victoria Harrington just got sentenced to unconditional release (i.e., no prison time). [Law360]