ASU Law School

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.15.16

* In case you've been sleeping under a rock, Brendan Dassey -- one of the subjects of the Netflix hit documentary "Making a Murderer" -- had his conviction overturned on Friday. In his ruling, Judge William Duffin cited the misconduct of Dassey's trial lawyer as "indefensible." He'll be released from prison within 90 days. [Reuters] * "I wasn't a pedophile. I wasn't a preferential sex predator. I wasn't the monster I was made out to be." Seeking a new trial, ex-Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky is arguing ineffective assistance of counsel thanks to his lawyer's decision to keep him off the stand and allow him to take a televised interview with Bob Costas. [Philadelphia Inquirer] * Uh-oh! Even after an enormous partner capital call of $18.1 million, it seems that King & Wood Mallesons may not be out of the woods just yet. The firm failed to make any partner profit distributions at the end of the month in July, and it's "not painting a particularly positive picture" as to the overall health of the firm. [Big Law Business] * ASU Law's new school is set to open today in Phoenix, Arizona, and there will be a few special appearances from political and judicial hotshots to commemorate the very special occasion, including speeches from Senator John McCain and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the law school's namesake. Congratulations! [Downtown Phoenix Journal] * Meet Jerry Guerinot, the Texas defense attorney who's earned the honor of being referred to as the "worst lawyer in the United States." He's represented about three dozen capital murder defendants over the course of 40 years and he has a perfect record -- in that not a single one of his clients has been found innocent. [Houston Chronicle]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.11.15

* Ellen Pao, formerly of Cravath, won't be appealing her gender discrimination case against Kleiner Perkins. Did she settle? Hell no! "Settlement might have provided me with financial benefits, but only at the great cost of silence.” [Re/code] * During a time when first-year law school applications are still low, Arizona State Law claims to have just welcomed its "largest class" in law school history. Spoiler alert: The school is counting all of its LL.M. students in that figure. [ASU News] * BU Law teamed up with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for clinic offerings that will provide entrepreneurs from both schools free legal advice. MIT students might "change the world," and BU Law students might... get jobs? [Boston Business Journal] * Per the latest report from the Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform, East Texas is the nation's “least fair and reasonable litigation environment." With its huge tort awards, this pro-business lobby thinks it's simply the worst. Go figure. [WSJ Law Blog] * Leaford George Cameron, a man who allegedly practiced law without a license for more than a decade, has been indicted on federal charges. The "scary man" would-be lawyer reportedly defrauded clients across the country. [Daily Delco / Philadelphia Daily News]

By Staci Zaretsky
1st Circuit

Morning Docket: 09.25.14

* Per the First Circuit, plaintiffs who successfully challenge the Defense of Marriage Act in court aren’t entitled to attorneys’ fees. The Department of Justice had no comment. [National Law Journal] * Florida Coastal Law finished second-to-last in bar passage for the July 2014 exam, with 58% of grads passing. It was one of Florida Coastal’s worst performances to date. [Florida Times-Union] * ASU Law got a $10M donation, its largest ever. “The remarkable thing about it is we didn’t ask him for it,” says the dean, which is a slightly better response than Drexel’s dean had. [The Republic] * Much to his defense team’s chagrin, accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s trial will remain in Boston. The media spectacle is set to begin in January 2015. [New York Times] * Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino of Jersey Shore fame was indicted on tax fraud charges to the tune of $8.9M. He pleaded not guilty yesterday afternoon. There aren’t tanning beds in jail. :( [Asbury Park Press]

By Staci Zaretsky
Biglaw

Morning Docket: 04.15.13

* An attorney from Orrick with two SCOTUS clerkships under his belt will now be arguing a case before the high court. Seems standard, but the exciting part is that this guy’s still an associate. Congratulations! [Am Law Daily] * From Biglaw to Boutique, the Finnegan edition: five IP lawyers, including a member of the firm’s management committee, will be starting their own practice. We may have more on this later. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight] * Calling all wannabe government lawyers! Screw the sequester; the Department of Justice is planning to add more than 100 positions in 2014. Let’s hope these budget requests are approved. [Legal Times] * “I actually felt sick working him for him.” If you were a paralegal and your boss was allegedly trying to recruit you to be his “third wife,” you’d feel the same. Expect more on this on this later. [New York Post] * Here are 25 Northeast law schools ranked by employment rate. At least my school wasn’t ranked dead last on this list, and that’s something to be excited about… right? [Boston Business Journal] * Maybe more people will care about law schools when their credit ratings tank. Speaking of which, thanks to a 14% drop in enrollment, Standard & Poor’s has downgraded Albany Law. [Times Union] * Joseph Feller, an environmentalist and beloved professor at ASU College of Law, RIP. [ASU Law]

By Staci Zaretsky
Canada

Morning Docket: 12.26.12

* Another year, another round-up of the year’s legal highlights from the National Law Journal. Perhaps after a year that was wracked with destruction for this supposedly noble profession, we’ll actually see some substantial change in 2013. [National Law Journal] * Meanwhile in Iowa, failure to sleep with your horndog boss is “like having a Lamborghini in the garage and never driving it,” so if he’s irresistibly attracted to your exotic lady parts car, you better be ready, willing, and able to find yourself a new job. [Washington Post] * People were so pissed off about Instagram’s new terms of service that someone filed a class action suit. The app’s litigation filter must make exasperated attorneys and wasted dollars look shiny and happy. [Reuters] * “It is not the perfect path to wealth and success that people may have envisioned.” As we’ve been stating here at Above the Law for years, being a lawyer is no longer the golden ticket that it once was. [Bloomberg] * ASU Law will now offer a North American Law Degree that’ll prepare graduates to practice in the U.S. and Canada. Yes, ship your jobless grads north where there’s an articling crisis, great idea! [Associated Press] * Still thinking about applying to law school? That’s a funny joke. But if you’re interested in being a punchline in three years, follow this application season timeline. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report] * Jack Klugman, noted actor whose roles included that of Juror #5 in Twelve Angry Men, RIP. [New York Times] * Richard Adams, a plaintiff in the first suit seeking federal recognition of gay marriage, RIP. [New York Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
7th Circuit

Morning Docket: 12.12.12

* Munger Tolles & Olson recently announced a new partnership class, 75 percent of which is composed of women. Let’s hear three cheers for diversity in the practice of law! Oh, and uh… congratulations to the lone white guy, too. [The Careerist] * Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition: in an opinion penned by Judge Richard Posner, a divided three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit struck down an Illinois law banning the concealed carrying of loaded weapons outside the home. [Bloomberg] * Holy crap! Law students asked for change, and the Arizona Supreme court is giving them exactly what they wanted, which is impressive. 3Ls will now be able to sit for the February bar exam. [National Law Journal] * And speaking of Arizona, the Phoenix City Council and state Board of Regents have approved ASU Law’s plans to move its campus, and the city even threw in $12M to sweeten the deal. [Phoenix Business Journal] * Remember the defamation suit Cooley Law filed against a former student who anonymously criticized the school on his blog? His lawyer will defend his anonymity today in court. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight] * Nevermind the fact that he’s a “person of interest” in a homicide case, because a Guatemalan judge ordered that antivirus mogul John McAfee should be released due to his illegal detention. [Los Angeles Times]

By Staci Zaretsky