Ashley Higginson

* In case you haven’t been keeping score like we have, these are the firms that recently raised salaries: Foley Hoag, Patterson Belknap, Venable (officially), and Seward & Kissel. If you’re worried you’ve missed any of our coverage on pay raises, you can check out our omnibus 2016 salary chart where we collect these stories. [2016 Salary Increase / Above the Law]

* Thanks to the power of “a phenomenally strong public interest created by modern media” and an attorney who “fell below the standard of a reasonable professional judgment” in handling the case, Adnan Syed, whose murder conviction was the subject of the acclaimed first season of the “Serial” podcast, has been granted a new trial. [NPR]

* First comes raises in the United States for the third-largest law firm by headcount, then comes yet another merger. DLA Piper is combining with Grönberg Advokatbyrå, a 21-lawyer Swedish boutique that practices litigation, corporate, and compliance work. If all goes well, the merger is expected to close in October 2016. [Big Law Business]

* This list of the world’s wealthiest lawyers includes several Biglaw celebrities, a few current and former television judges, a handful of ex cons, and even people who have been disbarred. Some lawyers have higher net worths, but they don’t use their law degrees, so they weren’t included on the list. [Money Inc. via ABA Journal]

* What’s it like to train for the Olympics and complete law school at the same time? Ask Ashley Higginson, who recently graduated from Rutgers Law. Today, the steeplechaser will be competing to qualify for the Rio Olympics. Best of luck from all of your friends here at Above the Law! You can do it! [NJ Advance Media for NJ.com]

* Ted Cruz never should have left the courtroom, it’s the only place where his personality didn’t get in his way. [Slate]

* Meet Olympic hopeful Ashley Higginson. A track and field steeplechaser, she is a recent graduate of Rutgers Law School (which she got into after a personal plea to the dean) and has already passed the New York bar. Go Ashley! [Sports Illustrated]

* I may have disagreed with him about Seattle’s most infamous sports fan but Marc Randazza just secured a big win for TMZ getting wealthy Instagram porn-star tosser Dan Bilzerian’s claim dismissed AND making Bilzerian cover TMZ’s 22K legal bill. [The Dirty]

* Good news! The Virgin Islands Supreme Court just found that calling a lawyer a liar is not defamatory. Conduct yourself accordingly. [Legal Profession Blog]

* Ferguson prosecutor Stephanie Karr is being removed as city attorney after the DOJ’s report on the city singled out her role in numerous constitutional violations. [St. Louis Post Dispatch]

* A French worker sues his employer over boring work. Sounds like a fascinating caszzzzzzzzz… [Law and More]