Attorney Misconduct
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American Bar Association / ABA, Attorney Misconduct, Deaths, Divorce Train Wrecks, Gay, Gay Marriage, Health Care / Medicine, Law Professors, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Tax Law, Trials, United Kingdom / Great Britain, Video games
Morning Docket: 07.03.13
* The Obama administration has decided to delay the employer health care mandate until 2015. What does that mean for you? Well, since you’re not a business, you still have to purchase health insurance by 2014. Yay. [Economix / New York Times]
* Untying the knot is harder than it looks: Gay couples stuck in loveless marriages they’ve been unable to dissolve due to changing state residency may be able to find new hope in the Supreme Court’s recent DOMA decision. [New York Times]
* Clinical professors are pushing the ABA to amend its accreditation standards to require practical skills coursework. Amid faculty purges, they’re committed to do whatever it takes for additional job security. [National Law Journal]
* If you’re heading to a law school recruitment forum and want to get ahead in the applications process, make your mark by acting professionally, not by dressing like a d-bag. [U.S. News & World Report]
* “As a parent we’re not always proud of everything they do.” Of course there’s a prosecution inquiry being made into the Don West ice cream cone picture that ended up on Instagram. [Orlando Sentinel]
* Lawyerly lothario Zenas Zelotes has been suspended from practicing law for five months. He should take his own advice, find an ethics attorney, and make her his girlfriend. [Connecticut Law Journal]
* When you’re arguing about a video game — online or anywhere — you should probably leave talk of murdering children out of the conversation. You could wind up in jail for months like this guy. [CNN]
* John Tiley, one of the United Kingdom’s most preeminent tax law professors, RIP. [The Telegraph]
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Attorney Misconduct, Biglaw, Lateral Moves, Legal Ethics, Money, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues, Weirdness
Mystery Departure Solved: Ex-Sidley Austin Partner Hit With Ethics Charges
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Attorney Misconduct, Barack Obama, Biglaw, Crime, Election Law, FTC, Guantanamo Bay, Immigration, Lateral Moves, Law Firm Mergers, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Minority Issues, Morning Docket, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 06.18.13
* Just like he said in 2008, President Barack Obama says that he’s going to close Guantanamo Bay, and this time, he means it. No, really, he appointed a Skadden partner to handle it, so we know he means business now. [Blog of Legal Times]
* The Supreme Court just invalidated Arizona’s proof-of-citizenship voter registration law, so of course Ted Cruz wants to add an amendment to the Senate immigration reform bill to require citizenship to vote because, well… duh. [Politico]
* According to a Pew Research survey, a majority of Americans think Edward Snowden should be prosecuted for his NSA leaks. It’s also likely that same majority don’t even know what Edward Snowden leaked. [USA Today]
* It looks like Jon Leibowitz, the FTC’s ex-chairman, got some great birthday presents this week. Davis Polk partnership and a SCOTUS victory aren’t too shabby. [DealBook / New York Times]
* They don’t give a damn ’bout their bad reputation: malpractice claims filed against attorneys and firms were up in 2012, and some say mergers and laterals are to blame. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* If you’re worried about your low GPA when applying to law school, you haven’t been reading the news. You’ll get in everywhere you apply. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]
* ¡Ay dios mío! The Hispanic National Bar Association is hoping that a week spent in law school will inspire minority high school students to become lawyers in the distant future. [National Law Journal]
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5th Circuit, Attorney Misconduct, Bar Exams, Biglaw, California, Divorce Train Wrecks, Edith Jones, John Roberts, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, Patents, Pro Bono, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 06.14.13
* When SCOTUS cases involve public companies and rulings are misinterpreted, it can lead to some pretty volatile stock performance, as was evidenced by yesterday’s highs and lows for Myriad Genetics of BRCA1 patent fame. [Washington Post]
* The ethics complaint against Judge Edith Jones of the Fifth Circuit has been transferred to the D.C. Circuit after receiving a blessing from the Chief Justice of the United States. Uh oh, that’s serious business if Roberts is involved. [Times-Picayune]
* The number of women working in the NLJ 350 is sad. They make up only one-third of all attorneys working in Biglaw, and we’re stuck celebrating the tiniest positive changes. Sigh. [National Law Journal]
* Proskauer Rose’s former CFO, Elly Rosenthal, settled her $10M disability discrimination suit against the firm in anticlimactic fashion, “without costs to any party as against the others.” [Am Law Daily]
* California is obviously trying to one-up New York with this one. In addition to a 50-hour pro bono requirement, they’re pushing for 15 hours of real-world training before bar admission. [The Recorder]
* Try to stop a man from throwing a pie in your husband’s face and in return you’ll be served with your wifely walking papers a few years later. Aww, Rupert Murdoch is such a kind old man. [Bloomberg]
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Art, Attorney Misconduct, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Books, Clerkships, Headhunters / Recruiters, Howrey LLP, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, New Jersey, Privacy, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 06.10.13
* Edward Snowden, the computer technician who leaked details on the programs the NSA didn’t want you to know about, sacrificed his life to save your privacy’s soul. Thanks a bunch, Technology Jesus! [CNN]
* While we wait for Fisher, DOMA, and Prop 8, if you’d like some background info on the people behind the most controversial and talked about SCOTUS cases of the term, give this one a read. [NBC News]
* If a justice claims he’s never met a homosexual and he’s got a gay law clerk, telling him to “look around [his] chambers” to find one is the NKI. My, how times have changed since the mid-80s. [New York Times]
* In 2012, Justice Sotomayor earned $1.9 million in royalties from her memoir, My Beloved World (affiliate link). Yeah, her world is probably so beloved because she’s rolling around in money. [Blog of Legal Times]
* Howrey going to make use of this empty wall space? If you’re in the market for some art, this bankrupt firm’s decor will be up for auction in D.C. later this week. [Bankruptcy Beat / Wall Street Journal]
* When you’re dealing with the most beautiful people in Biglaw, the price for pretty is high: Davis Polk was slapped with a million-dollar lawsuit over a recruiter’s fee. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* Gerald Shargel, criminal defense attorney to the Mafia stars, is retiring his shingle to join Winston & Strawn. Biglaw better keep him entertained — he gets bored easily. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Cory Booker, one of everyone’s favorite Yale Law School grads, announced his candidacy for a New Jersey Senate seat over the weekend. Best of luck in the special election! [The Note / ABC News]
* The feds are seeking a four-year sentence for former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in his campaign funds misuse case. No MJ memorabilia is worth prison time, no matter how big a fan you are. [The Hill]
* “[I]f you ever call me on my cellphone again, I’ll strangle you.” Yikes. Looks like this Kentucky judge won’t have the chance to wring his hands around lawyers’ necks any time soon. [Courier-Journal]
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Attorney Misconduct, Boutique Law Firms, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Litigators, Plaintiffs Firms, Politics, Small Law Firms
Disgraced Plaintiffs' Lawyer Stan Chesley: He's Baaack....
Stan Chesley -- the "Master of Disaster," the "Prince of Torts" -- is not going gently into that good night. -
Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Hotties, Legal Ethics, Prostitution, Sex, Sex Scandals, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners
Lawyer Ethics Commission Accuses Reema Bajaj of Trading Sex for Office Supplies
What would Reema do for a ream of office paper? Here are the latest allegations against an attractive attorney who pleaded guilty to prostitution. -
Attorney Misconduct, Benchslaps, Divorce Train Wrecks, Kids, Legal Ethics, Practice Pointers, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners
How Not To Answer the 'Order to Show Cause That You Shouldn't Be Disbarred'
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Abortion, Attorney Misconduct, Judge of the Day, Legal Ethics, Pregnancy / Paternity, Quote of the Day
Judge McCree Gets Off On Robbing Cradles
Heeeeeee's baaaack. Everyone's favorite Judge of the Day testified at his misconduct hearing. -
Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Hotties, Legal Ethics, Pornography, Prostitution, Sex, Sex Scandals, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners
Reema Unchained: Attorney Who Pleaded Guilty To Prostitution Sues A Slew Of Local Lawyers
Reema Bajaj, the comely young Illinois lawyer who pleaded guilty to prostitution, is back -- with a vengeance. -
Attorney Misconduct, Bad Ideas, Biglaw, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Legal Ethics, Partner Issues, Summer Associates, Women's Issues
Lawyer Claims His 'Slut-Shaming' Is Protected By the First Amendment -- Just Like the Founders Intended
Hell hath no fury like a patent practitioner romantically scorned. -
Attorney Misconduct, Legal Ethics, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Texas
Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged (By an Ethics Panel)
Which came first, the power-crazed judge or the power-crazy person running for judge? -
Antitrust, Attorney Misconduct, Biglaw, California, Celebrities, Deaths, Department of Justice, Divorce Train Wrecks, Drinking, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Mergers and Acquisitions, Morning Docket, New Jersey, Pro Bono
Morning Docket: 04.22.13
* With the capture of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, many legal questions are being asked, like if he’ll be Mirandized, where he’ll be tried, and if he’ll be considered an enemy combatant. [New York Times]
* Thanks for kicking this keg, Mr. Baer: the Department of Justice and Anheuser-Busch InBev have settled their antitrust differences with respect to beer brewery’s planned acquisition of Grupo Modelo. [Legal Times]
* Which firm has a “generous tuition reimbursement” program? And by “generous,” we mean 100% of law school tuition, which is awesome. We may have more on this later today. [Capital Business / Washington Post]
* Stan Chesley, the “master of disaster,” is retiring — not because he wants to, but because he’s disbarred in Kentucky and surrendered his Ohio license before the state could take it from him. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* California may soon follow in New York’s footsteps when it comes a pro bono mandate before bar admission, but the New Jersey Bar Association has an active hit out on the idea. [National Law Journal]
* In an effort to avoid a trial that would’ve lasted longer than their sham marriage did in the first place, fauxlebrity Kim Kardashian and NBA player Kris Humphries settled their divorce last week. [Reuters]
* Morris Kramer, an M&A pioneer and part of Skadden’s “Fab Four,” RIP. [DealBook / New York Times]
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Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Legal Ethics, Sexual Harassment
Attorney Accused of Groping Client's Mother
Not groping people shouldn't be difficult. -
Attorney Misconduct, California, Quote of the Day, Rudeness, State Judges
The Record Should Reflect... LOUD NOISES!!!
Apparently this lawyer thought it was acceptable to get into a shouting match with a judge. -
Attorney Misconduct, Copyright, Intellectual Property, Legal Ethics, Pornography
Prenda Law's Plight: Porn Copyright Lawyers Plead The Fifth When Asked About Dirty Dealings
You can do so much with a law degree, including porn production… wait, what? -
Attorney Misconduct, Judge of the Day, Legal Ethics, Sex, Sex Scandals, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns
Judge of the Day: Sex Was On the Docket in His Chambers
Let's see if this judge has got any "shame in [his] game" now, shall we? -
Attorney Misconduct, Boutique Law Firms, Federal Judges, Lawyer of the Day, Legal Ethics, Legal Fee Voyeurism, Litigators, Plaintiffs Firms, Small Law Firms
Lawyer of the Day: Stan Chesley, Disbarred Husband of a Federal Judge
What got this prominent plaintiff-side lawyer into trouble? Hint: it's all about the benjamins.... -
Attorney Misconduct, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Constitutional Law, Facebook, Federal Judges, Guns / Firearms, Insider Trading, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, Partner Profits, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 03.22.13
* If you’re looking for an easy résumé line, then consider joining the Supreme Court bar, an elite organization that doesn’t check to see if its members are still alive. All you need is three years of practice, two signatures, and $200. [Associated Press]
* Stanley Chesley, the master of disaster himself, was disbarred for his “shocking and reprehensible” conduct in a fen-phen case. His wife, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Dlott of the Southern District of Ohio, must be oh so pleased. [Courier-Journal]
* Howrey like dem apples now? Some of Howrey’s former partners, including ex-chairman Robert Ryuak, all lined up to make deals to delay lawsuits from firm’s bankruptcy trustee, Allan Diamond. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* This Biglaw firm’s future was just a little bit dimmer in 2012, with a 4.9 percent dip in profits per equity partner. This is unexpected from Milbank, a number 3 seed in our March Madness competition. [Am Law Daily]
* The NRA’s New York affiliate filed suit challenging the state’s new gun laws, claiming that ban on assault weapons violates the Second Amendment — because this is clearly what the founders intended. [Reuters]
* Raj Rajaratnam’s younger brother, Rengan Rajaratnam, was indicted yesterday in a federal insider-trading scheme tied to the Galleon case. You can’t fault the guy, he was just trying to keep it in the family. [Bloomberg]
* Sorry, Dean Boland, but you’re not going anywhere. A judge denied the attorney’s request to withdraw from Paul Ceglia’s Facebook case. He must be wishing there were a dislike button now. [Law 360 (sub. req.)]
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American Bar Association / ABA, Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Crowell & Moring, Federal Government, Law Schools, LSAT, Money, Morning Docket, Texas
Morning Docket: 03.21.13
* The Senate approved a bill that will keep the government running through September, and it will likely pass in the House, but much of the sequester is still in place. I think we’re supposed to be excited about this. Uh… yay? [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)]
* Douglas Arnsten, the former Crowell & Moring associate who embezzled $10.7M in client funds and spent it at fancy restaurants and strip clubs, has been officially disbarred in New York. But he was just trying to support single moms. Sigh. [Am Law Daily]
* Sorry, folks, but you’re going to have to continue taking the LSAT in order to get into law school because the ABA says so. Drop that $118 into the burgeoning money pit that is law school, stat! [National Law Journal]
* For all of that work allegedly spent trying to protect their yield rate, UVA Law didn’t even make the Top 10 list of the most popular schools. You might be surprised at some of the schools here. [U.S. News & World Report]
* You must remember that time when the University of Texas Law School Foundation authorized $5.5M in forgivable loans to faculty. Well, now the regents are calling for a probe. Yikes! [San Antonio Express-News]