ABA

  • Morning Docket: 10.31.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 10.31.16

    * The ABA Forum on Communications Law will publish First Amendment lawyer Susan Seager’s Donald Trump “libel bully” article, despite its reservations about doing so — reservations that resulted in a media firestorm. The ABA said the following: “Hopefully, this matter will shine a light on the problem of frivolous lawsuits that turn the justice system into a weapon that has a chilling effect on free speech.” [ABA Journal]

    * Uh-oh! Following the abrupt departure of four of its senior partners, King & Wood Mallesons has opted to pause its partner recapitalization plan in order to reassess its financial footing. The firm believes it will take about four weeks to complete that process. “If I was a partner there I would be pretty worried,” said a former partner. [Legal Week]

    * “I never thought that my restroom use would ever turn into any kind of national debate.” The Supreme Court has taken up its first true transgender rights case. Many fear that the justices may return a 4-4 deadlock decision that will not create a nationwide precedent, but in that case, the Fourth Circuit’s decision would be left in place. [Reuters]

    * “If these guys think they’re going to stonewall the filling of that vacancy…, then a Democratic Senate majority will say, ‘We’re not going to let you thwart the law.'” Vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine says that should he and his running mate win the election, then his party will try to eliminate SCOTUS filibuster rules. [Huffington Post]

    * The Justice Department and “election year sensitivities”: Some people are wondering why FBI Director James Comey decided to announce he’d essentially reopened the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails — but had he waited to disclose the information, the FBI’s credibility could have been called into question. [WSJ Law Blog]

    * James Gilliland Jr., Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton intellectual property litigation partner, RIP. We’ll have more on his untimely death later today. [CBS San Francisco]

  • Non-Sequiturs: 08.09.16
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 08.09.16

    * Did Cadwalader make the wrong move in canceling its summer program? [Law and More]

    * The American Bar Associate needs to embrace change or be “left in the dust,” ABA executive director Jack Rives declared at the organization’s annual meeting. [ABA Journal]

    * If your legal practice includes international arbitration, get ready to head to India. The Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA) begins proceedings this month and hopes to attract corporations as a popular arbitration destination. [Forbes]

    * The Paul, Weiss investigation into Roger Ailes that has grown in scope is uncovering all manner of interesting tidbits about the cable news giant. [Vanity Fair]

    * Looking to elevate your Foreign Corrupt Practices Act skillz? [FCPA Professor]

    * How did this Supreme Court Term fare in terms of transparency? [Fix the Court]

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  • Morning Docket: 02.19.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 02.19.16

    * According to Harry Reid, Obama should have a Supreme Court nominee within the next three weeks. As everyone knows, the senior Senator from Las Vegas sets the official line on these things. [Huffington Post]

    * Cravath people bitching about their jobs is now the leading cause of insider trading. [Law360]

    * Students using the moniker of “Reclaim Harvard Law School” have occupied the student center to protest the school’s continued use of the family crest of a slave trader and the lack of faculty diversity. I’d be sympathetic, but it was Harvard’s terrible diversity policy that brought some of my favorite professors to NYU Law so it worked out pretty well for me. [Daily Princetonian]

    * Sir Nigel Knowles is stepping down as the global co-chair of DLA Piper. I would say it’s time to relax and take a cruise, but that sounds like work for DLA Piper people. [Am Law Daily]

    * The ABA has pulled out of its joint venture with Rocket Lawyer to provide a cheap initial consult service. [Am Law Daily]

    * Hey, hey, hey. Lawyer claims that Bill Cosby comes off as a bully for suing his accuser. [Associated Press via Trib Live]

    * The ACLU is challenging a Kansas voter suppression law requiring proof of citizenship. Seems like now is a good time to bring that case. [New York Times]

  • Non-Sequiturs: 01.04.16
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 01.04.16

    * Guess what? Science says political incorrectness is an insincere sham. Sounds about right to me. [The Denver Post]

    * How are Law and Order: SVU and law school exams the same? The both desperately try to wedge current events into their same old, boring fact patterns. In related news, expect both to soon feature the issue of spousal privilege when the wife of a celebrity accused of rape is forced to give testimony against him. [The Guardian]

    * Can the Netflix show Making a Murderer actually lead to a pardon? Probably not, but it’ll make you feel better about the binge watching you did over the holidays. [Time]

    * This is why China’s new counterterrorism law is terrifying for tech companies doing business there. [Slate]

    * The ABA has released the full, school-by-school bar passage rates for 2014. Which school was the best? More interestingly, which was the worst? [Bar Exam Stats]

    * Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman of the New York State Court of Appeals is retiring. He took a larger view of the law, where getting justice was not about money. [Guile Is Good]

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