The law firm of Latham & Watkins has lots of things going for it: eye-popping profits, ample prestige, and a promise of no layoffs. What more could you ask for?

How about.... a powerful and glamorous client, with deep connections in Hollywood? Reported over at Radar Online:

Recently, Radar reported on Scientology's short-lived attempt to beat its Guy Fawkes mask-clad antagonists "Anonymous" at their own game: scary YouTube videos. A clip posted by a Sciento associate under the name "AnonymousFacts" displayed the names and personal information of several supposed Anonymous members and accused the group of violent threats and terrorism. YouTube quickly took the video down and suspended AnonymousFacts. But the hassle for at least one of the three men shown didn't end there.

A little more than a week ago, Jonathan (he asked his last name not be repeated again), who'd joined a Facebook group called "I Support Anonymous" and attended their protests, answered a knock at the door of his parents' L.A.-area home, where he lives while attending community college. A mustachioed man in a suit and claiming to be from the law firm of Latham and Watkins was holding a "file" and asked to speak to Jonathan's parents by name, he recently told Radar. He told the mystery man his parents weren't available and offered to take the package for them. "No," the man said. "I can't legally give this to you." Jonathan shrugged and told him to come back later. That's when things got weird.

Later a friend of the family came over and said Mr. Mustachio was hanging out in front of the house and had asked her if she was Jonathan's mom. When she said no, he waited until Jonathan's parents did arrive, then handed them the file and said, "This is a courtesy letter. No charges are being filed yet. But your son may be involved in terrorist activity." And then he left. Inside the package was a letter accusing Jonathan of terrorism and a DVD copy of the YouTube video, he says.

Sounds like a pretty fun assignment for a junior associate -- anything to get out of the office. But the "Church" denies this ever happened:

A Church of Scientology spokesperson says the group does employ various lawyers across the country to deal with what she tells Radar are "acts of violence, terrorism, and death threats," but adds, "It is not true that lawyers from any firm representing the Church have visited anyone. If anyone is suggesting otherwise, that is false."

We've contacted Latham for comment. We'll let you know if and when we hear back from them.

Update: We have our doubts about the firm's involvement. Writes a commenter:

It is highly unlikely that the person hounding this kid is actually from Latham. Scientologists have a policy (called the "Fair Game" policy) that allows them to lie, cheat, impersonate, physically threaten/assault, etc. if it will further the aims of the "church". Although that policy was ostensibly cancelled at some point (in name only), scientologists continue to live by it in practice. It's pretty much guaranteed that the man with the file was not from Latham but was instead a scientology poser.

Seriously--would an associate from Latham actually serve papers on anyone? F**k, no. We use process servers!!

We feel bad for Latham. Some imposter is going around making it look like they represent the Church of Scientology. And their lawyers have mustaches.

Further Update: Or maybe Latham DOES represent the Church of Scientology? See here. (Gavel bang: commenter.)

We have reiterated our inquiry to Latham concerning whether or not the firm represents the Church of Scientology. We'll let you know what we find out. (They did not respond to an earlier request for comment on this subject.)

Final Update: Read more in this update.

'Anonymous' Kid Outed by Scientologists Gets House Call [Fresh Intelligence: Radar Online]

As we mentioned in passing on Friday, we've been mysteriously banned from Facebook, the popular social networking website. Our account was disabled without notice or explanation. We have not been informed of the allegations against us that led to the suspension of our account, nor have we been given the opportunity to confront our accusers.

To be sure, the Bill of Rights does not apply to Facebook. But being kicked off the FB still makes us sad. We're going through their appellate process now, but they're taking their sweet time in disposing of our appeal.

Professor Dan Solove has some interesting thoughts on Facebook and due process over here. Also, if you use Facebook, you might want to check out this interesting post, which lists some reasons people get banished from Facebook. Some of the rules are so vague that you could end up violating them without even knowing it.

Update (1:25 PM): Yay!!! We've been reinstated. More details, after the jump.

Further Update (3/5/08): We wrote more about our Facebook expulsion for the New York Observer.

* A PSA for Blackberry Pearl users on the T-Mobile network. Also, Theresa sounds deliciously evil. [PrawfsBlawg]

* "Senator Obama, we knew Jack Kennedy, and you, Senator, are--well, dude, you were two-years-old...." [What About Clients?]

* "Lessons from Mary-Kategate: Why Lawyers Should Not Engage in Media Relations." And we agree wholeheartedly with this statement: "the ability to get under powerful people’s skin. If ever there was a talent valued among tabloid journalists, that’s got to be it." [Starkman & Associates]

* DLA Piper to launch an in-house version of Facebook. But can you play Scrabulous on it? [Legal Blog Watch]

* It's hard out here in a courtroom for a pimp, proceeding pro se. [11Alive.com]

* Oregon Supreme Court puts kibosh on unkindest cut. [Blogonaut]

* Blawg Review #144, with a Lord of the Rings theme. [Cyberlaw Central via Blawg Review]

So what's going on with everyone's favorite beauty queen turned law student turned alleged kidnapper, Kumari Fulbright?

First, she's still suspended from the University of Arizona's law school. As reported yesterday in the UA student newspaper, The Wildcat (yes, The Wildcat -- how apropos):

On Jan. 7, Fulbright and her lawyer, Marc Beginin, met with UA officials and Fulbright was placed on interim suspension by the Dean of Students Office, said Johnny Cruz, a university spokesman.

"There's no designated end date as to when the status will change," Cruz said Thursday. "Any student on interim suspension cannot be on campus."

Beginin pointed out that the suspension is a mandatory part of school policy. "It's only an administrative suspension that is an automatic function when someone's involved in an investigation," he said Thursday. "It wasn't a decision based on merits of the case."

Second, on a much more exciting note: Kumari Fulbright has contacted us! Since the scandal broke, she hasn't been speaking with the media, letting her lawyer to do the talking. So we were thrilled and honored to receive this message from her, via Facebook:

You forgot a quote of mine on your blog.....

"God gave you 2 ears and 1 mouth.... Take the hint"

With all that Ivy League education under your belt that should be reasonably self explanatory... but maybe not.

Well, God also gave us two (2) hands, with which to type up blog posts. Anyway, back to Kumari:

Also, where is your country of origin? In the United States we believe in innocent until proven guilty.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!

Do you have a Scrabulous problem? Are you addicted to the online version of Scrabble, which you can play via Facebook?

We had a Scrabulous addiction for a while, until we forswore the game. We're finishing up current games; in fact, we just scored a bingo right before posting this ("OPERATED" -- see board at right). But we are not starting or participating in new matches.

If you've been finding your own productivity impaired by Scrabulous, however, you may not need to give up the application. It may be taken out of your hands, over your protest. From the BBC:

Facebook has been asked to remove the Scrabulous game from its website by the makers of Scrabble. The Facebook add-on has proved hugely popular on the social network site and regularly racks up more than 500,000 daily users. Lawyers for toy makers Hasbro and Mattel say Scrabulous infringes their copyright on the board-based word game.

The move has sparked protests by regular fans of Scrabulous keen to keep the add-on running. Scrabulous is currently one of Facebook's ten most popular applications - little programs that Facebook members can add to the profiles they maintain on the site....

The Scrabulous add-on was not created by Facebook but was built for the site by Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla - software developers based in Kolkata.

Apparently Hasbro and Mattel don't look kindly on outsourcing to India -- unlike, say, law firms. We'll keep you posted about the fate of this game.

Facebook asked to pull Scrabulous [BBC]

Time for an update on everyone's favorite law student cum beauty queen cum accused kidnapper, Kumari Fulbright. If you're not familiar with her story, click here, and read through the ATL archives.

First, from an observant reader, some sad news for those of us who were her Facebook friends:

It looks like Kumari finally realized we weren't all her friends. Her Facebook page is gone.

Darn it, now we're down a friend. And just as we're closing in on the 1,000 friend mark!

Second, poor Kumari Fulbright has been temporarily suspended from the University of Arizona law school. Getting indicted on kidnapping and assault charges will tend to do that to you. One UA alum, who brought the news to our attention, observed:

Well, it took the alma mater long enough to react. I've been forwarded this godd**ned story from everyone I know across the country, all with some variation of either (a) UA law students are stupid / crazy or (b) girls in Tucson are ugly / felonious. Stay classy, Arizona.

We object -- strenuously. The "felonious" part is not established; she's been indicted, not convicted. And the "ugly" part is belied by the record evidence. Even though her Facebook profile is gone, we'll always have that screenshot (above right), which amply demonstrates Kumari's overwhelming hotness. The way you become a beauty queen is by being beautiful. Who'd have thunk it?

Our Arizona tipster adds:

[T]his story's insane... It's been killing me at happy hours or other lawyer gatherings here in Phoenix... Everyone has been taking their swipes at the U. of A law school for the past two weeks!

The school hasn't made many statements, and I really doubt they will. They're all touchy-feely down there. I'm surprised they didn't try to cure her with hugs.

More about the suspension, plus links to news articles, below the fold.

Just half an hour ago, in our exegesis of her Facebook profile, we observed -- and yes, we'll 'fess up, our feelings were a trifle hurt -- that Kumari Fulbright hadn't returned our Facebook poke.

Our apologies to the fabulous Ms. Fulbright. It seems that we poke -- er, spoke -- too soon:

Oh noes! Where do we go from here? Send her a spare roll of duct tape as a "gift"? Bite her and turn her into a "zombie" -- because she's not fearsome enough already?

Facebook can be so confusing!

Earlier: Brief Reflections on the Facebook Profile of Kumari Fulbright

As we mentioned in our earlier post about Kumari Fulbright, the former beauty queen and current law student indicted on charges of kidnapping her ex-boyfriend, we poked her today on Facebook. She has not yet returned our poke. But, surprisingly enough, she did add us as a friend.

(We also asked her, via Facebook message, if she had any comment on her case. But we haven't heard back from her, even though she has been online for most of the day.)

Update: Exciting news! Kumari Fulbright has poked us back. See here.

Now, although we've been added as a friend, we're not in very exclusive company. Since her story broke, Ms. Fulbright has been rapidly acquiring friends -- over 50 in the last 24 hours. Can you imagine if (1) social networking sites existed at the time of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and (2) that curvaceous beauty was on MySpace or Facebook? She would have picked up "friends" faster than her blue Gap dress picked up presidential DNA.

Anyway, as a Facebook friend of Kamari Fulbright, we have access to her profile. We offer some observations and advice, after the jump.

Sure, it might feel really good to (1) bite your ex-boyfriend on the arm, hand and ear; (2) hold a butcher knife to his head; and (3) threaten to kill him. Just imagine how satisfying that bunny-boiling must have been for Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) in Fatal Attraction.

But if there's any truth to the allegations against Arizona law student, former judicial extern, and ex-beauty queen Kumari Fulbright, and if her experience is at all representative, it won't do wonders for your looks:

More about the alleged misadventures of the Fulbright scholar -- who was indicted last month on charges of kidnapping, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, among other things -- below the fold (i.e., click on the "Continue reading" link below).

* John Carney on backdating: "Although it was billed as the latest financial crime of the century, backdating is turning out to have some very minor results. Few prosecutions, stalled or failed lawsuits..." [DealBreaker]

* Glenn Reynolds on the Omaha mall shooting: "[W]e've reached the point at which a facility that bans firearms, making its patrons unable to defend themselves, should be subject to lawsuit for its failure to protect them." [Instapundit]

* Ann Althouse on Hillary Clinton: "The resistance I feel toward Hillary has to do do with her advancement under the aegis of a powerful man — a powerful man who seems to have diminished quite a number of women." [Althouse]

* Dan Solove, author of The Future of Reputation, on breaking up with someone via Facebook. [Concurring Opinions]

* Michael Dimino on SOC: "Justice O'Connor's status as the first woman on the Court makes it easy to praise her. I cannot imagine that she would be receiving the praise that she gets from the country if she were male." [PrawfsBlawg]

* Valerie Plame, whose exposure as a CIA agent launched lengthy legal proceedings, on the prospect of posing in Playboy: "I'm a mother of twins, are you kidding me?" [Washington Examiner / Yeas and Nays via Gawker]

As you know from our extensive coverage of Laptopgate, we follow bar exam controversies quite closely. So we can't ignore what's going on down in South Carolina (especially since we've been on a southern kick as of late, what with all our coverage of Emory Law School).

A very juicy possible scandal is brewing down in the Palmetto State. We believe the story was first broken by FITSNews. But for those of you who like your news sources older and more MSM-y, here's an article from The State:

The state’s top court has changed the grades for 20 people — including the children of a prominent state lawmaker and a longtime circuit judge — who earlier flunked the test required to practice law in South Carolina.

The S.C. Supreme Court in last week’s order said the wills, trusts and estates section of the July exam would “not be considered” in determining a test-taker’s overall score, though the justices gave no reasons for their decision.

The students include the daughters of state Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Richland, chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee; and Circuit Judge Paul Burch of Pageland, The State confirmed Thursday in interviews with the two men.

More after the jump.

That's the question we tackle in our latest column for the New York Observer. Here's an excerpt:

Among associates at large law firms, Facebook passed the tipping point sometime over the summer. Since the site opened to the public last year, adults everywhere have been joining—there are 40 million people already on Facebook, and about a million more every week. But lawyers seem to be particularly enamored of it (as is Microsoft, which is reportedly considering an investment that would value Facebook at as much as $10 billion).

It’s an expensive love affair.... Next year, the AmLaw 200 law firms are expected to hire 10,000 new associates. Let’s estimate, conservatively, that half of them spend one billable hour a week on Facebook. If we assume (again conservatively) an average hourly billing rate of $200, that comes to about $50 million a year in lost billable hours—and partner profits. Fifty million bucks will buy you a lot of Hermès ties.

You can read the rest of the piece by clicking here.

From Bluebook to Facebook: Social Site Seduces Firmland [New York Observer]

* More lawyers -- no, not Nixon Peabody -- have a bone to pick with YouTube. [Michael Geist]

* UK study: "Workers who spend time on sites such as Facebook could be costing firms over £130m a day." [BBC via Dealbreaker]

* Speaking of Facebook, here's some advice that's so obvious, yet so frequently ignored: "[I]f you don't want a hiring partner to see it, it probably shouldn't be up on the web." [PrawfsBlawg]

Update: As noted by a commenter, the first comment to the PrawfsBlawg post is pretty great.

* New Yorkers, take note: Could Wall Street Woes Sink NYC Real Estate? [DealBreaker]

* Blawg Review #125 is up. [Real Lawyers Have Blogs via Blawg Review]

* Have a question you're dying to ask Jeffrey Toobin, author of The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court? Here's your chance. [SCOTUSblog]

Are you addicted to Facebook? You're not alone.

Hopefully the site's legal troubles will not interfere with its continuing viability. Facebook withdrawal could be almost as severe as Blackberry withdrawal (which loomed until the RIM litigation was settled).

If you're an ATL reader and Facebook user, check out a top ten list of recommended Facebook groups, after the jump.

From a reader who uses MySpace (no, not a 14-year-old girl in Manassas):

Totally random, and not necessarily newsworthy, but the attached MySpace profile appeared randomly on my "cool new people" list when I logged in.

Strange, huh?

(Random spam like this, in the form of fake profiles -- usually of attractive women from ex-Soviet republics, but apparently now of people who follow Charney v. S&C -- is one of the many reasons we prefer Facebook.)

facebook is better than myspace group [Facebook]

Because he's not THAT Aaron Charney. No relation. He swears!

Here's a Facebook exchange that we reprint with permission of our correspondent:

Poor guy. When you see a résumé from Aaron Charney next spring, before you toss it in the circular file, please double check: Are you sure it's from the right -- or wrong, as the case may be -- Aaron Charney?

In other Charney news, Keeping Up With Jonas has created a Charney v. S&C Superstar Poll. To cast your vote, click here. (We know how we're voting, but we'll keep it to ourselves.)

Aaron Charney [Facebook]
Charney v. Sullivan & Cromwell Superstar Poll [Keeping Up With Jonas]