Recent Headlines from Above the Law

  • Morning Docket: 05.05.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 05.05.16

    * Florida public defender disbarred over sex and drugs with inmates. Amazingly, this is not just an update of this story about… a Florida public defender allegedly caught banging an inmate. What’s going on with these Florida public defenders? [NY Daily News]

    * Law firms know they need to radically change their model and yet haven’t done anything about it. But they’re telling GCs it’s the clients’ fault for not pushing firms harder to change. Holy blame the victim, Batman. [Law360]

    * As some of you may have heard by now, Milbank Tweed is ditching its downtown home for relatively law firm-free Chelsea. Cue Steve Winwood: “Back on the High Line again…” [Real Estate Weekly]

    * Law school rechristening its building over its namesake’s KKK ties. Political correctness run amok — remember when you could support lawless acts of terrorism against minorities and be venerated by institutions of higher learning? [CBS News]

    * Judge Alan Simon has already received a suspension after a commission found a “history of bullying and verbally abusing court staffers” and now he may be losing his job. [Law360]

    * Cass Sunstein explains the Constitution with Darth Vader’s help. As it turns out he’s got a book about it too (affiliate link). [National Law Journal]

    * A panel discusses the labor and employment implications of legalized marijuana. Pretty sure Afroman already covered these when he intoned: “I was gonna go to work but then I got high/I just got a new promotion but I got high/now I’m selling dope and I know why yea hey/cause I got high/cause I got high/cause I got high.” [Corporate Counsel]

    * A breakthrough, “gotcha” moment on cross-examination in a big case is such a holy grail achievement of Matlockian proportions that we should celebrate it whenever it happens. Skadden managed to net one in a $2.1 billion suit this week. [Litigation Daily]

    * Kirkland & Ellis offering “emotional fitness training” at its offices. Pretty sure the curriculum for Biglaw attorneys should be a primer on Wheaton’s Law and this video with the word “baseball” replaced with “law.” [Kirkland & Ellis]

  • Morning Docket: 05.04.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 05.04.16

    * At long last, the ABA has released the final version of its employment statistics for the law school class of 2015. Ten months after graduation, 59.2 percent of the class was employed in long-term, full-time jobs where bar passage was required, but there’s been a sharp decline in the number of those jobs since 2014. We’ll have more on this later. [WSJ Law Blog]

    * Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called probate: Earlier this week, Judge Kevin Eide appointed Bremer Trust National Association as the special administrator of music icon Prince’s estate. Prince is said to have died without a will, but all of his presumptive heirs agreed to the appointment. [Big Law Business]

    * “[I]n all 50 states, gay couples are allowed to adopt kids, as it should be.” Since Mississippi failed to timely appeal a ruling striking down its ban on same-sex adoption as unconstitutional, same-sex adoption is now permitted across America. Let’s celebrate all of the children who will soon be welcomed into good, loving homes. [BuzzFeed News]

    * Australian law firm Slater & Gordon, the biggest firm Down Under and the world’s first law firm to be publicly traded, narrowly avoided going under after a $700 million loss thanks to a deal with its bankers. Beware, stock market bidders, because the firm still remains a “high-risk investment” due to its “uncertainty.” [Sydney Morning Herald]

    * The University of Tulsa John Rogers Hall College of Law is deciding whether or not it should change its name to remove a founder who had ties to the Ku Klux Klan. Law school administrators have already recommended that Rogers’s name be removed, and after some discussion, trustees will vote on the proposal later today. [Associated Press]

  • Biglaw, Eric Holder, Health Care / Medicine, Law Schools, Layoffs, Morning Docket, Murder, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Trials

    Morning Docket: 02.28.14

    * For the first time ever, someone managed to record secret video footage at SCOTUS during oral arguments — and, of course, it’s secret video footage of the McCutcheon protestor’s outburst. You can check it out after the jump. [Reuters]

    * After a brief hospitalization yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder was discharged from the hospital with a clean bill of health. It looks like he won’t have to go to one of those Obamacare death panels after all! [Washington Post]

    * “The trajectory of an associate in a law firm has changed irreversibly.” Ain’t that the truth. But seriously, what happened to all of the Biglaw lawyers who were Lathamed way back in 2009? Here are some of their stories. [Am Law Daily]

    * More law schools are trying to convince students to attend by offering scholarships. Tulsa will toss you cash if you’re from the sticks, and TJSL will guarantee you money if you’re smart. [National Law Journal]

    * A trial date has been set for accused Colorado movie theater shooter James Holmes. Get ready to see this crazy face on HLN 24 hours a day while Nancy Grace offers her ever insightful commentary. [CNN]

    (Keep reading to see the now legendary Supreme Court oral argument protest footage.)

  • Associate Advice, Drinking, Job Searches, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Technology, Trials

    Non-Sequiturs: 08.07.12

    * A great, great piece by Kashmir Hill on what happens to your Facebook data when you are suspected of murder. [Not So Private Parts / Forbes] * So now the Tulsa law dean is making it sound like the babysitting gig was just one of the many heroic efforts Tulsa undertakes to make sure students can make ends meet while in law school. This from a school that charges $32,056 per year plus another $7,993 for room and board for the privilege of attending the #99 law school in the land. Oh, but presenting babysitting opportunities is a way that the administration can help. [TU College of Law Blog] * This is how 90% of my conversations go when somebody asks me if they should go to law school. The other 10% end in fisticuffs and comfort eating. [Constitutional Daily] * If a law professor uses a hypo this fall based on 50 Shades of Grey (affiliate link), please whip it out (your camera phone) and give us a load (of that hilarious video). [Law Librarian Blog] * Apple and Samsung: they kind of need each other to bring balance to the force. And don’t forget to check out Chris Danzig’s Twitter feed for more trial updates. [iDownloadBlog] * What does one Jones Day hiring partner think interviewees should never do at lunch? Check out his interview on Bloomberg Law below…
  • Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Drugs

    Time to Lay Off the Meth: Attorney Gets Kicked Out of Court During Her Own Arraignment

    Small-firm attorney Amy McTeer is back in the news with yet another arrest. This time, McTeer was charged with methamphetamine possession, public intoxication, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia after allegedly telling the police that a trucker had poisoned her pipe. If you think this trainwreck of a story can't get any worse, you're wrong. Let's take a look at what happened during McTeer's arraignment, and view a compilation of McTeer's photos in our Faces of Meth: Lawyer's Edition....