* I’m bringing up the Carrie Fisher story just to say that it would have been nice if people called for this kind of respect in the face of drug use after Whitney Houston died. [Variety] * This is a very good breakdown of what’s at stake when the Supreme Court looks at partisan gerrymandering […]
* What are the best way for working moms to level up their childcare (assuming you have the money to do so)? [CorporetteMoms] * It was great that Justice Thomas sided with the majority in the North Carolina gerrymandering case, but here's the skinny on why Justice Kennedy didn't sign on as well. [Election Law Blog] * Louis Vuitton is gearing up to have its day in front of the Supreme Court. [The Fashion Law] * Is "business casual" in its death throws? [The Atlantic] * Megyn Kelly is taking on 60 Minutes. [Law and More] * The latest Moot Court rankings. [TaxProf Blog]
Explore the mindset, cultural shifts, and training strategies that define the AI‑savvy lawyer, revealing why human judgment, standardized competence, and integrated learning—not technology alone—will shape the future of the profession.
* Guess who gets to take advantage of President Donald Trump's new tax plan? Lawyers and their law firms -- which are largely organized as pass-through entities -- will likely benefit greatly, as they'll be able to reduce their tax rate from 39.6 percent to 15 percent. [ABA Journal] * The Charlotte School of Law may be on the brink of collapse, but the school is heading to court to try to shake off three of the four federal class-action lawsuits that were filed by current students and recent graduates with motions to dismiss. We'll have more on this later today. [Law.com] * The Trump administration didn't seem to fare very well during oral arguments in an immigration case yesterday. Chief Justice John Roberts certainly wasn't impressed, and Justice Anthony Kennedy seemed even less so, dropping this benchslap: "It seems to me that your argument is demeaning the priceless value of citizenship." [Reuters] * Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will propose a rollback of the Obama-era net-neutrality rule that regulated broadband internet providers as common carriers. Critics aren't pleased: "It makes no sense. We cannot keep the promise of net neutrality openness and freedom without the rules that ensure it." [Big Law Business] * Four third-year students at Harvard Law have demanded that the administration provide clarification as to how it assesses applicants who have been accused or convicted of sexual assault. "We put forth a call for transparency and affirmative efforts demonstrating the school takes sexual assault seriously." [Harvard Crimson]
* According to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, it's highly likely that we'll have another Supreme Court vacancy this summer. Word on the street is that a justice is thinking about retiring, and all eyes are on Justice Kennedy, the high court's swing vote. Hmm, we thought we'd already put this rumor to bed. [The Hill] * After years of accepting incoming students with questionable academic qualifications followed by unsurprisingly dismal bar exam results, another law school will be closing soon. We all knew it would happen eventually, but it was just a matter of which one it would be. We'll have much more on this later today. [Orange County Business Journal] * Kerrie Campbell, the Chadbourne & Parke partner who filed a $100 million gender discrimination suit against her firm, will learn later this morning whether she's been ousted from the Chadbourne partnership. Campbell, who is out on medical leave, says her removal from the partnership would be financially ruinous. [Am Law Daily] * Former pharma bro Martin Shkreli and his former attorney, former Kaye Scholer partner Evan Greebel, will have separate trials this summer thanks to this ruling. After all, Greebel turned on his former client months ago, and his lawyers planned to "assert a defense that [would] be an ‘echo chamber’ for the prosecution." [WSJ Law Blog] * When Big Weed meets Biglaw: In honor of 4/20, the mainstream media has finally caught on and realized that marijuana law is an up-and-coming practice area. This article focuses on some of the well-known law firms that have adopted marijuana practices, like Thompson Coburn, Fox Rothschild, and Much Shelist. [Chicago Tribune]
* The Republicans hold on to the House seat vacated by CIA director Mike Pompeo; state treasurer Ron Estes defeated James Thompson, a Wichita civil rights lawyer. [New York Times] * So it seems the FBI did obtain a FISA warrant to monitor the communications of a Trump adviser (foreign policy adviser Carter Page). [Washington Post] * In a time when many firms are closing offices, Adams and Reese is opening new ones, in Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale. [Law.com] * The retirement buzz around Justice Anthony M. Kennedy persists -- and stems from conversations Kennedy has had with people close to him. [Bloomberg and CNN via How Appealing] * As for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, has she been enjoying Opus One yet again? [New York Daily News] * Yes, it's possible for an in-house legal department to be too cost-conscious -- just ask Wells Fargo. [Big Law Business] * A professor accused of sexual harassment by a student and a staff member just lost his case before the Sixth Circuit. [Law.com] * Speaking of things sexual... don't write "sexual favors" in the check memo line when paying your taxes. [Billings Gazette]
You might have missed this fun moment.
LexisNexis sat down with John Ursin, Managing Partner at Schenck Price, to learn how the firm is using legal AI to strengthen client service and daily legal work.
* Nine months from now, look for the Gorsuch effect. [Clickhole] * Welcome to the Supreme Court, Neil. [Huffington Post] * Will Justice Kennedy take the retirement bait? [Slate] * A blueprint for getting Trump's tax plan done by August. [The Hill] * Technology's role in reducing drunk driving. [Law and More] * Good news for Planned Parenthood out of Maryland. [The Slot]
* According to reports, Donald Trump is "obsessed" with his next possible Supreme Court nomination, and it seems like the president is trying to use their sons' friendship to remain in Justice Kennedy's good graces -- after all, he's banking on the high court's swing justice to retire. [POLITICO] * The new year has not been kind as far as employment in the legal profession is concerned. Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the legal sector took a beating in March, losing about 1,500 jobs. This is the third month in a row that the legal sector has lost jobs. Ouch. [Am Law Daily] * Ajit Pai, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, is planning to repeal Obama-era landmark net neutrality rules in the hope of internet providers volunteering to maintain an open internet, and then binding them to compliance through their terms of service. Let's see how well this works out... [Reuters] * Remember Shon Hopwood, the bank robber who won a SCOTUS case as a jailhouse lawyer, went to law school, and clerked for the D.C. Circuit? He's got a new job as a Georgetown Law prof. Talk about a remarkable career path. Congrats! [Seattle Times] * "SCOTUS judge, feminist icon, Bubby. Notorious." Believe it or not, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg won a March Madness bracket. Click the link to see what we mean. [Jewcy]
This is incredibly depressing.
I wonder who Justice Kennedy was talking about...
Law firms and legal departments are writing the future of the profession in separate rooms. What happens when they actually work together?
* Is this the future of immigration? [Slate] * Jeff Sessions faces a difficult choice. [Huffington Post] * Don McGahn may find himself caught up in the Mike Flynn/Russia scandal. [Law and More] * Neil Gorsuch could be the most conservative justice on the Court.[Washington Post] * Justice Kennedy wants us all to be more polite. [Sacramento Bee] * Tiffany & Co.'s copyright problem. [The Fashion Law]
Don't count on any justice retiring before the end of next Term.
Wherein we dispel the latest rumors about a justice leaving the Supreme Court.
* "He has always said he’s given to politicians his entire career and he thinks the system is broken. A review of Donald Trump's political donations show that the Republican presidential candidate has made campaign contributions to several to state attorneys general while they weighed decisions affecting his business, particularly in New York. What's that about a "rigged" system? [Wall Street Journal] * Carl Ferrer, the chief executive officer of Backpage.com, was arrested last night on in Houston, Texas, on a California warrant for criminal charges including pimping. If you recall, Backpage.com was recently in the news thanks to a Senate investigation into allegations that the site was helping to facilitate child sex trafficking. [Reuters] * Per a report publish by Altman Weil, law firm merger and acquisition activity was way down in the third quarter of 2016. Last year at this time, the merger market was 40 percent more active. Why are so dormant? "[F]irms are waiting on the sidelines seeing if it will all work: 6,000-lawyer law firms and that type of thing." [Big Law Business] * "Congratulations to the 'Nino' Scalia Law School for memorializing, for celebrating this most remarkable judge and teacher." Justices Kagan, Kennedy, Thomas, Breyer, Alito, and Sotomayor -- attended the dedication for the school named after Scalia, while Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Ginsburg attended a dinner in his honor. [USA Today] * "If students are graduating and they can't pass the bar, that's a big problem." Law schools are coming around to the fact that it's now a buyer's market for students, and some will even allow 0Ls to "vet" their schools to evaluate the teaching methods being used. You can even check out professors' résumés. [U.S. News & World Report]
The end of a most unexpected Term.