Benchslaps
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Benchslaps, Judge of the Day
Minute Order of the Day: Etymological Benchslap from California Superior Court
We don’t usually have a lot of time to scour minute orders from the Orange County Superior Court. But our readers do, and we rely on you guys to bring us the excellent news nobody knows about. Today, a loyal reader sent us some rulings from the Orange County last month. And one ruling caught […] -
7th Circuit, Benchslaps, Cocaine / Crack, Crime, Diane Wood, Drugs, Judge of the Day, Racism, Sentencing Law
Judge of the Day: Rudolph Randa
It’s hard out here for an immigrant. Arizona has immigrants in the crosshairs, as we all know. Immigrants might also be unable to clerk for federal judges (or at least get paid for it). And when they commit crimes and get sentenced, immigrants are sometimes subjected to snide remarks by judges. The Seventh Circuit recently […] - Sponsored
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Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Headhunters / Recruiters, Lawsuit of the Day, S.D.N.Y.
Major Lindsey Drops RICO Action Against Ex-Employee
Call it RICO not so suave. One of the nation’s biggest legal headhunting firms, Major, Lindsey & Africa, is withdrawing its RICO action against a former employee — after a federal judge offered a somewhat snarky assessment of the merits of MLA’s case. As reported by Leigh Jones over at the National Law Journal, on […]
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Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Legal Ethics, New Jersey, State Judges
A Jersey Judge Benchslaps Paul Weiss and Lowenstein Sandler -- Hard
Back in June, we bestowed Lawyer of the Day honors upon two of the nation’s top litigators: Ted Wells and Martin Flumenbaum, the co-chair and former chair, respectively, of the renowned litigation department at Paul Weiss. Given the sterling reputations of the two lawyers and their firm, it was a surprising development. We recognized Messrs. […] -
Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Not a Quick Fix
I am not the Maytag repairman of federal judges desperately hoping for something to do. — Nevada Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen, explaining why it took her so long to issue a scathing sanction [PDF] of defense counsel. (Gavel bang: Las Vegas Review-Journal via ABA Journal.) -
7th Circuit, Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Quote of the Day, Richard Posner, Trials
Quote of the Day: What Crawled Up His Robe?
I don’t believe you when you say just about anything anymore because I know that you will lie to a court any time it helps you. I know that. I saw you do it. I know you will do that. You have proven that to me beyond a reasonable doubt. — Chief Judge James Holderman […] -
Benchslaps, Quote of the Day, Television
Quote of the Day: 'The People's Court' gets benchslapped.
“The People’s Court” is not a court, body, agency, public servant or other person authorized by law to conduct a proceeding and to administer the oath or cause it to be administered… [T]he statements made on the show have no more probative force than the words of an actor reading from a script in a […] -
Antitrust, Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Judge of the Day, Judicial Divas
Judge of the Day: Judge Mark Bennett of Iowa Is 'Underwhelmed' By East Coast Law Firms
U.S. District Judge Mark W. Bennett won’t get the publicity of Judge Martin Feldman. Obviously, blocking President Obama’s deep-water drilling moratorium — having already disclosed investments in Transocean and Halliburton — is big news. But Judge Bennett is making waves of his own in his Iowa courtroom. He’s decided that he wants lawyers to participate […] - Sponsored
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Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Biglaw, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Lesbians, Litigatrix, New Jersey, State Judges
Lawyers of the Day: Ted Wells and Marty Flumenbaum?
Our typical Lawyer of the Day is an attorney you’ve never heard of, from a firm you’ve never heard of. It’s highly unusual for LOTD honors to go to a pair of legal titans, two of the nation’s leading litigators: Ted Wells (pictured) and Marty Flumenbaum, the co-chair and former chair, respectively, of the celebrated […] -
7th Circuit, Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Legal Ethics, Richard Posner
A Benchslap for Kirkland & Ellis, from Judge Posner and the Seventh Circuit
Is the customer always right? In the legal profession, not necessarily. As a lawyer, sometimes your job is to talk some sense into your client — and to refuse to move forward if your client, ignoring your advice, orders you to prosecute frivolous (or borderline frivolous) litigation. Perhaps this lesson needs to be learned by […] -
Benchslaps
Benchslap: Judge Orders Local Attorney to 'Re-Read ... FRCP'
David W. Glasser, a local attorney in Daytona Florida, received a major benchslap from U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell. It is short, it is sweet, and it appears entirely deserved. Here’s the order from the court. Glasser is the plaintiff’s lawyer: This matter came before the Court without oral argument upon consideration of Plaintiff’s, Carolyn […] -
Andrew Sullivan, Benchslaps, Blogging, Celebrities, Drugs, Federal Judges, Marijuana, Reader Polls
Open Thread: The Andrew Sullivan Pot Bust
Apologies for not getting to this story earlier. Sometimes things fall through the cracks around here. (We were offline for much of Thursday and Friday, attending Lavender Law.) Last week, a federal magistrate judge questioned the propriety of the U.S. Attorney’s Office moving to dismiss a marijuana possession charge against Andrew Sullivan. Yes, that Andrew […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Bankruptcy, Benchslaps, Biglaw, Harvey Miller, Intellectual Property, Legal Ethics, Litigators, Partner Issues, Screw-Ups
$40 Million Benchslap for Weil Gotshal
Don’t get too comfortable with that shiny new #6 Vault ranking, Weil Gotshal. The firm just got served, Texas-style. The ABA Journal reports: The Texas judge who ordered Microsoft to pay $290 million for infringing a patent included a $40 million enhancement that he said was partly justified because of alleged trial misconduct by a […]
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Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Biglaw, Federal Judges, Intellectual Property, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Perks / Fringe Benefits, Trials
Lawyers of the Day: McDermott Will & Emery(And they just canceled their associate retreat, too.)
Pity the poor partners of McDermott Will & Emery. Sure, their firm is highly regarded and highly profitable. But when they head off to try cases in far-off places, they often get benchslapped silly. You may recall the case of bankruptcy partner William Smith, who found himself in the deep-fat fryer after telling a judge […] -
Bar Exams, Benchslaps, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Romance and Dating, Texas, White & Case
Non-Sequiturs: 02.15.08
* A clever parody of the Clemens hearing. [PrawfsBlawg] * They have a talent for bench-slappery down in Texas. [Sophistic Miltonian Serbonian Blog; Supreme Court of Texas Blog] * T-T-T-Trouble for TTT schools? [ABA Journal] * Lawyer of the Day: White & Case associate Tabber Benedict, fixed up by the matchmaking cabbie. [ABC News] * […] -
Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Judge of the Day, Rudeness, SCOTUS, Sentencing Law, Supreme Court
Judge of the Day: Richard Kopf
Any trial judge with the Gall to benchslap the Supreme Court has a serious set of cojones. Accordingly, Judge Richard Kopf (D. Neb.) — who sent beer to Professor Doug Berman, as recently noted — is our Judge of the Day. See links collected below. We agree with Tony Mauro: Judge Kopf’s irreverent “top 10” […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Document Review, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Qualcomm, Screw-Ups
Lawyers of the Day: An Embarrassment of Riches
Or a richness of embarrassment. Today we’re going to name not one, but seven Lawyers of the Day. Our first Lawyer of the Day is Mark Mersel (formerly of Morrison & Foerster, now at Bryan Cave). In case you missed the shout-out in Morning Docket, here’s a bit more, from the WSJ Law Blog: It’s […] -
Benchslaps, Health Care / Medicine, Insurance, Judge of the Day, Rudeness, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Vicious Infighting
Judges of the Day: Aaron Bowden and Donald Moran
Today we bring you not one, but two Judges of the Day. We can’t decide who is more deserving of the honor. From the Florida Times-Union: Twelve days before Christmas, Circuit Judge Aaron Bowden fired his 17-year judicial assistant, who had been on leave since August with cancer. The Jacksonville judge said he feared her […] -
Benchslaps, Biglaw, Paralegals, Pro Se Litigants, Tax Law
Cleary Gottlieb Associate Gets Benchslapped By Tax Court
As the old adage goes, “A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client.” And there is some anecdotal evidence in support of that proposition. See, e.g., Elana Glatt / Elana Elbogen (depending upon how you view the merits of her case against her wedding florist). Here’s another example of what can happen […] -
Benchslaps, Education / Schools, Federal Judges
Benchslap of the Day: Special Ed for DC... Lawyers?
While you wait for more bonus announcements to trickle in, check out a benchslap from the nation’s capital. The Washington Examiner reports: Furious over the city’s “stunning ignorance” of the crisis facing its special-education system, a federal judge has given the District of Columbia one week to come up with a cost-fixing schedule — or […]