Murder
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Crime, Deaths, Education / Schools, Law Schools, Murder, Video games, Violence, Weirdness
In Defense of Stephen McDaniel: A Testimonial From A Friend
A college friend of Stephen McDaniel, the Mercer Law School graduate accused of killing a former classmate and neighbor, speaks up in defense of McDaniel. -
Bail, Crime, Deaths, Education / Schools, Law Schools, Murder, Video games, Violence, Weirdness
Living With A Future Murder Defendant: Stephen McDaniel's College Roommate Tells All
What is it like to live with someone who later ends up being accused of murder? A former roommate of Stephen McDaniel describes the experience. - 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… -
Bail, Crime, Money, Murder
Breaking: George Zimmerman's Bail Has Been Revoked
George Zimmerman's bond has been revoked. But for what reason?
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Crime, Death Penalty, Deaths, Law Schools, Murder, Texas, Violence
Did These Columbia Law Students and Their Professor Prove That Texas Executed An Innocent Man?
An exhaustive new report from Columbia Law School persuasively argues that Texas executed an innocent man. We talked with one of the student authors about how the project shaped her law school experience. -
9th Circuit, Affirmative Action, Asians, Biglaw, Conferences / Symposia, Copyright, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Federal Judges, Harvard, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Murder, Technology, You Go Girl
Morning Docket: 05.08.12
* Aw, come on, Mort, Dewey really have to pay you $61M? In case you missed it last night, the only thing that made the former vice chairman’s departure memo dramatic was the insane amount that he claims he’s owed. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Congratulations to Jacqueline H. Nguyen on her confirmation to the Ninth Circuit. She’s the first Asian American woman to sit on a federal appellate court, so she’s earned our judicial diva title (in a good way). You go girl! [Los Angeles Times]
* Google might’ve infringed upon Oracle’s copyrights, but a jury couldn’t decide if it constituted fair use. Sorry, Judge Alsup, but with that kind of a decision, you can bet your ass that there’ll be an appeal. [New York Times]
* A Harvard Law professor has come to Elizabeth Warren’s defense, claiming that an alleged affirmative action advantage played no role in her hiring. And besides, even if it did, it only played 1/32 of a role. [Boston Herald]
* Classes at Cooley Law’s Tampa Bay campus began last night. Unsurprisingly, the inaugural class is double the size originally projected, because everyone wants to attend second-best school in the nation. [MLive.com]
* Albany Law will be having a three-day conference on the legal implications of the Civil War. This could be a little more exciting if presenters wore reenactment garb and did battle when it was over. [National Law Journal]
* Jury selection is underway in a second degree murder trial that will forever be known as the case where a defendant first raised the “Snooki Defense.” He didn’t kill his wife… but her spray tan did. [CBS Miami]
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Job Searches, John Edwards, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Murder, New York Times, Sarbanes-Oxley / Sarbox / SOX, Small Law Firms, Trials, Twittering
Morning Docket: 04.24.12
* Low prices. Every day. On everything. Except bribes. The NYT handed the feds an FCPA case against Wal-Mart on a platter, but the discount superstore might soon have a SOX problem to worry about. [Reuters]
* The John Edwards campaign finance trial is already off to a dramatic start. It seems that the prosecution’s key witness is just as shady as the former presidential candidate is alleged to be. [Boston Herald]
* Career services offices might not know how to find law students jobs at small law firms, but luckily, it seems like they’re finding them just fine on their own. At least in New York. [New York Law Journal]
* An “abuse of process”? Looks like it’s time to #OccupyTwitter. A New York judge has approved a subpoena for tweets belonging to an Occupy Wall Street protester. [Bloomberg]
* And I am telling you, I’m not going — to help your case. Yesterday, Jennifer Hudson testified at the trial of the man accused of killing her relatives. Wonder if she took some tips from her fiancé, David Otunga. [CNN]
* “I decided to become a kidney donor to my boss, and she took my heart.” A lesson in why you should reconsider donating organs to your boss: you might get fired before the wound heals. [New York Post]
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Bail, Crime, Murder, Quote of the Day, Trials
Quote of the Day: It's Too Late to Apologize
What happened at George Zimmerman's bail hearing on April 20? Get all of the details here. -
Benchslaps, California, Contempt, Legal Ethics, Murder, Trials
Scheduling Snafu Lands Defense Attorney in Contempt -- And Possibly Jail
A Bay Area criminal defense attorney faces the scheduling nightmare a lifetime. It might end with him in jail… - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Billable Hours, Christopher Christie, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Murder, New Jersey, Prostitution, Southern New England School of Law/Umass
Morning Docket: 04.16.12
* * The harsh realities of post-recession practice: will Biglaw leaders have to resort to alternative billing practices in order to survive? Well, they better, or else they’re “not going to have a law firm for very long.” [Washington Post]
* I don’t think “secret service” means what you think it means. Listen up, agents, prostitution might be legal in much of Columbia, but it makes America look bad when you can’t afford a $47 hooker. [New York Post]
* Jessica Recksiedler, the judge assigned to oversee George Zimmerman’s case, may have a conflict of interest thanks to her husband. Somebody’s getting banished from the bedroom this week. [Bloomberg]
* Law firms with ties to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have seen record profits compared to their take under Jon Corzine’s rule. That said, even if he called them “idiots,” it was totally worth it. [Star-Ledger]
* UMass Law is being reviewed for accreditation by the American Bar Association, and opponents are throwing some major shade. As if Dean Ward’s scandalous resignation wasn’t enough. [South Coast Today]
* Is this house haunted as a matter of law? That’s what this New Jersey couple is hoping that a judge will say about their rental home. Hey, it wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened in the tri-state area. [ABC News]
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Litigators, Media and Journalism, Murder, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: It Must Suck to Be the Person Who Lost to Jose Baez
The Casey Anthony prosecutor signals approval of George Zimmerman's defense lawyer... -
Cellphones, Jury Duty, Media and Journalism, Murder, Social Media, Social Networking Websites, Trials, Twittering
Another Mistrial Declared After Modern Technology Unacceptably Intrudes into Court
A reporter's in-court cellphone gaffe leads to a murder case mistrial… -
Crime, Divorce Train Wrecks, Murder, Small Law Firms
Chicago-Area Lawyer Didn't Make a 'Rational Decision' When He Hired a Contract Killer to Off a Former Client
Jason W. Smiekel, the attorney accused of taking out a hit on a former client (who also happened to be the ex-husband of Smiekel’s fiancée), has taken a plea deal.... -
California, Crime, Deaths, Murder, Violence
How Many Trials Does It Take to Get a Murder Conviction? The World May Never Three.
The man who gunned down an attorney who opposed him in court faces justice…
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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Bail, Crime, Deaths, Law Schools, Murder, Violence
Bail Set for Stephen McDaniel in the Lauren Giddings Murder Case
Bail has been set for Stephen McDaniel in the Lauren Giddings murder case. How high is his bond? -
Abortion, Biglaw, Dubious Defenses, Hair, Law Schools, Media and Journalism, Morning Docket, Murder, Suicide, Texas, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 04.12.12
* The EEOC suit against Kelley Drye was brought “for a reason.” You hear that, Biglaw? Other firms with mandatory retirement policies better take a look at their partnership agreements and make some changes. [Am Law Daily]
* Media whore lawyers unite! Cheney Mason of Casey Anthony fame has come out of the woodwork to support George Zimmerman. Still waiting on vital impressions from Gloria Allred. Oh wait… [Naked Politics / Miami Herald]
* Just think, maybe if Planned Parenthood of Texas had taken Tucker Max’s money, they wouldn’t be suing the state for banning their organization from the women’s health program. Nah, they’d still be suing. [Reuters]
* Georgetown Law is planning to launch an executive education program, but don’t worry, they’re not going to be competing with Harvard. They know they’re the safety school in this scenario. [National Law Journal]
* Love will definitely make you do some really crazy things, like watch The Expendables. Or allegedly commit a murder-suicide because your husband might’ve had an affair. Things like that. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
* Kim Kardashian’s dubious defense of the day: “I’m Armenian and hairy.” The only-famous-for-her-sex-tape star is trying to use that as an excuse to get a lawsuit over a hair removal product dismissed. [Fox News]
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Bail, Crime, Death Penalty, Deaths, Murder, Pranks, Violence
Was the Shocking McDaniel Internet Post Unveiled Last Week a Fake?
Did alleged killer Stephen McDaniel really write the lurid internet post prosecutors say he did? Some people aren't so sure… -
Law Schools, Morning Docket, Murder, Politics, Racism, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court, Travel / Vacation
Morning Docket: 04.06.12
* “We can’t engage the public in a seminar about health law.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor informed the public at Penn Law that she would not be taking up a post as a Wise Latina civics instructor. [Wall Street Journal]
* Next on Meltdown with Keith Olbermann: this liberal commentator has sued Current TV over getting fired. It is clearly the most irresponsible, homophobic, racist, reactionary, tea-bagging network ever. [Businessweek]
* George Zimmerman has added another lawyer to his soon-to-be defense team — a “veteran criminal defense” lawyer. Why did he need to hire such a hot shot if what he did to Trayvon Martin was legal? [Reuters]
* Step aside TSA: what kinds of rights do cruise passengers have at sea? How about the right not to be interrogated, strip searched, and then forced to pee in front of security guards? [Overhead Bin / MSNBC]
* Jordan Wallick has been convicted of second degree murder in the shooting death of James Wallmuth III, a University of Pittsburgh law student. Wallick is now looking at life behind bars for his crime. [CBS 21 News]
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Bail, Crime, Death Penalty, Deaths, Law Schools, Murder, Violence
A Creepy New Claim About Stephen McDaniel in the Lauren Giddings Murder Case
The prosecution claims it has new evidence against Stephen McDaniel, the Mercer Law School graduate accused of killing a former classmate, Lauren Giddings. It is lurid stuff; reader discretion is advised. -
5th Circuit, Barack Obama, Biglaw, Canada, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Eric Holder, Gloria Allred, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Murder
Morning Docket: 04.04.12
* AG Eric Holder can thank Obama for this homework assignment from Fifth Circuit Judge Jerry Smith, because it seems like our president, a former con law professor, forgot about Marbury v. Madison. [CBS News]
* Dewey need to buy this Biglaw firm a functional calculator? New information shows that the imploding firm was off by roughly $153M when partners reported 2011 earnings to the American Lawyer. [Am Law Daily]
* You know there’s got to be something questionable about a law school when the accreditation machine that is the ABA gives it the side eye. And no, Duncan Law, a judge still won’t force its hand. [National Law Journal]
* Stephen McDaniel pleaded not guilty at his arraignment for the murder of Mercer Law classmate Lauren Giddings, but will he be released on bail before trial? Only if he’s got $2.5M sitting around. [Macon Telegraph]
* More law school lawsuits are coming down the pipeline, but local lawyers in Massachusetts don’t think that they stand a chance. Why? The highly-educated consumer argument strikes again. [Boston Business Journal]
* Thanks to Gloria Allred, transgender beauty queen Jenna Talackova may be able to participate in the Miss Universe pageant if she can meet the legal requirements for being a woman in Canada. [MSNBC]
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Basketball, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Gambling, Gambling / Gaming, John Edwards, Law Schools, Layoffs, Lunacy, Morning Docket, Murder, Sentencing Law, Trials
Morning Docket: 03.16.12
* While “Dewey remains a great firm with terrific lawyers” for the time being, check back in after five percent of the firm’s attorneys have been laid off. Then tell us how great and terrific things are, we dare you. [DealBook / New York Times]
* The University of St. Thomas School of Law really “take[s] data accuracy very seriously.” That’s why the employed at graduation rate the school reported to U.S. News was off by 47.7%, right? [National Law Journal]
* John Edwards has a judge’s permission to use Rielle Hunter’s lawyers at his campaign finance trial. Mmm, there’s nothing like getting some legal sloppy seconds from your former mistress. [Bloomberg]
* After two days of deliberations, jurors in the Dharun Ravi privacy trial still haven’t reached a verdict. Just think, if he had taken the plea, he wouldn’t be worrying as much about deportation right now. [New York Post]
* If Hemy Neuman’s delusions about Olivia Newton-John were about getting physical, instead of getting murderous, maybe he wouldn’t have been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. [CNN]
* It’s the most wonderful time of the year: March Madness! Are NCAA bracket pools legal in your office? It depends. Either way, all I know is that I’ll be betting on Lehigh. Go Mountain Hawks! [Businessweek]