Attorney Misconduct
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Biglaw, Divorce Train Wrecks, Quote of the Day
When Biglaw Attorneys Get Divorced, The Results Aren't Pretty
A divorce battle between two Biglaw associates gets ugly -- very ugly. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 09.10.15
* “We saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and she just blew that tunnel up.” Massachusetts teen Michelle Carter was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of her boyfriend after she texted him numerous times, encouraging him to kill himself. If you haven’t seen them, her messages are chilling. [Associated Press]
* “If you are a lawyer thinking about having sex with your client, you better think first.” Go ahead, argue that your client’s 30-day suspension from practice was “just” because the woman kept coming back for more. Maybe your judge won’t be as sarcastic. [Knoxville News Sentinel]
* If you’re starting law school, you probably haven’t heard about the biggest law firm bankruptcy in history, and you likely don’t know what the Dewey & LeBoeuf criminal trial is about. Here’s a listicle of reasons to doubt the prosecution’s case. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Biglaw firms are rethinking their office space at the same time as they’re building up their posh amenities. At the end of the day, associates may be forced to move to cubicles, but it’s all for the clients’ benefit, so hooray for them. *golf claps* [Commercial Observer]
* Our congratulations go out to Alicia Ouellette, Albany Law School’s newest president and dean. We’re certainly hopeful that she’ll be able to handle the tenuous employment situation with the school’s tenured faculty better than her predecessor did. [Times Union]
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Legal Ethics, Television
Bill Your Clients For Watching TV? Seems Legit
It takes some gall to turn in a timesheet like this.
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Attorney Misconduct, Legal Ethics
Sexual Hypnosis Allegations Cause Lawyer To Surrender License
Legal career ends in the most bizarre manner possible. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 08.21.15
* Due to the speed at which she was driving, Caitlyn Jenner could face a vehicular manslaughter charge related to the fatal chain-reaction car crash she was involved in earlier this year. The ESPY-winning celeb’s fate is in the district attorney’s hands now. [NBC News]
* Surprise! David Sweat, one of the New York inmates who led authorities on a three-week manhunt after he escaped from prison in June, pleaded not guilty to felony escape charges at his arraignment. He’ll likely get a few years added onto his life sentence if he’s convicted. [Reuters]
* Oh baby: Valeant is buying Sprout Pharmaceuticals, the maker of the “female Viagra,” for a cool $1 billion. Skadden Arps and Sullivan & Cromwell, the firms repping the companies, must be turned on by the deal. [DealBook / New York Times; Am Law Daily]
* Prosecutors in the David Messerschmitt case are seeking a 25-year sentence for Jamyra Gallmon, the woman who stabbed the DLA Piper associate in a robbery-gone-wrong and left him for dead in a D.C. hotel room. Her attorney is asking for 18 years. [Legal Times]
* The Florida Bar is recommending disbarment for a group of attorneys accused of arranging a DUI arrest for a rival attorney during a high-profile trial. You’ve got to admit this set-up was a particularly bold move, even for Flori-duh lawyers. [Tampa Bay Times]
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 08.20.15
* You’ve heard about what it’s like to be a Supreme Court clerk, but we bet you’ve never heard about what it’s like to be a Supreme Court intern. It’s apparently the “opportunity of a lifetime” to do errands and prepare lunch and meals for Justice Sonia Sotomayor. [Supreme Court Brief]
* If you’re trying to file an effective brief with the Supreme Court, it’s best to write in “relatively short sentences, with a non-confrontational tone.” In other words, you really shouldn’t be trying to emulate Justice Scalia’s “jiggery-pokery” flair. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]
* Wachtell Lipton may interested in going “big brother” on its associates, but when it comes to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the firm wants to steer clear of such voyeurism by doing away with clients’ quarterly reports. [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)]
* This judge didn’t play “just the tip” when it came to piercing his corporate veil: Paul Hansmeier of copyright-troll firm Prenda Law must pay sanctions to the tune of $64,000 after he drained cash from another one of his firms and then dissolved it. [Ars Technica]
* Texas Tech Law is introducing a “brain-training” seminar for its first-year law students that will “maximize their brains’ performance.” One wonders if they took such a course before law school if they’d be enrolled in the same place. [Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]
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Attorney Misconduct, Crime
Selling Drugs Not A Great Way For Lawyers To Supplement Their Income
"Your go-to girl for criminal and DUI defense" has found herself in a bit of a legal pickle. -
Attorney Misconduct, Crime, Legal Ethics
Prominent Defense Attorney Uses Networking To... Hire A Killer?
One lawyer won't be winning any accolades for his legal ethics. - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 08.14.15
* Judge Lance Mason, who was suspended from his duties earlier this year, recently pleaded guilty to charges related to a brutal attack made on his wife. He’ll be sentenced in September, and faces up to 36 months in prison. [Northeast Ohio Media Group]
* No one will be getting lucky in Kentucky under this clerk’s watch: Two months after SCOTUS declared a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, this state court clerk is still turning away gay couples and refusing to issue marriage licenses. [New York Times]
* Per the latest report from Citi Private Bank’s Law Firm Group, even though this year started out well, the bank is revising its financial performance forecast, and not in a good way. Hopefully firms will be able to weather the latest monetary storm. [Am Law Daily]
* Starting in mid-October, lawyers and law firms will be able to purchase .law domain names. A few influential law firms — DLA Piper, Skadden Arps, and SCOTUSblog-affiliated Russell & Goldstein — have gotten first dibs on them. Congrats! [WSJ Law Blog]
* Law librarians at large and medium-sized firms feel underutilized and underpaid, and that’s unfortunate, because like Liam Neeson in Taken, they’ve got a very particular set of skills, skills they’ve acquired over a very long career. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]
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Attorney Misconduct, Crime
Attempted Murder Charge Puts A Real Crimp In Man's Tax Law Practice
Scary story about a lawyer's behavior results in immediate suspension. -
Attorney Misconduct, Drinking
Law Student Charged In Drunken 'Naut Guilty' Boating Accident
Which law school does he attend? -
Legal Ethics, Money
Rich Irony In Attorney Lawsuit
Client's reason for filing a lawsuit against his attorney could not be more perfect. -
Sex, Sex Scandals
A Wild Ruling In The Federal Judge, Lawyer, Criminal Defendant Love Triangle Case
Judge swats down the latest arguments in the legal drama surrounding this legal trifecta of a love triangle.
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Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
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Attorney Misconduct, Canada
The View From Up North: Prominent Canadian Lawyer Surrenders License To Practice
If you think something like this can’t happen to you, maybe you’re right -- but maybe you’re wrong.... -
Airplanes / Aviation, Partner Issues
Biglaw Partner Whose Mid-Air Meltdown Caused Plane Diversion Is Sorry
The Biglaw partner who committed several party fouls on a plane is on an apology tour. -
Airplanes / Aviation, Drinking, Partner Issues
Biglaw Partner Gets Wasted On Plane, Causes Mid-Atlantic Flight Diversion
Yikes! This partner sounds like she'd be an aggressive litigant. -
Attorney Misconduct, Crime
Harvard Law Graduate Arrested In Strange Kidnapping Scheme
In a bizarre case of kidnapping that police initially called a hoax, a Harvard Law grad is charged with the crime. -
Crime, Legal Ethics
Lawyer Arrested With A Whole Lot Of Cocaine Hidden In A Very Uncomfortable Place
This lawyer reportedly tried to go above and beyond for his imprisoned client. -
Attorney Misconduct, Kids, Pornography
Lawyer Allegedly Kept Kiddie Porn Treasure Trove In His Home
This attorney is currently being held on $100,000 bond. -
Attorney Misconduct, Biglaw, Legal Ethics
Biglaw Partner And Associate Destroyed Evidence, Suborned Perjury
What Biglaw firm is in hot water for ordering the destruction of dox?