Berkeley Law

  • Non-Sequiturs: 05.17.17
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 05.17.17

    * Congratulations to Erwin Chemerinsky, the next dean of Berkeley Law! [How Appealing]

    * Speaking of deans, this Yale dean — note, not a dean at the law school — “loves diversity, except for ‘white trash.’” [Instapundit]

    * The latest entrant into the FBI director sweepstakes: former senator Joe Lieberman, now senior counsel at one of Donald Trump’s “go-to” law firms, Kasowitz Benson. [Newsweek]

    * “Americans like piece of paper? I have piece of paper!” [Althouse]

    * In case you were wondering, “Did Rosie O’Donnell ever study constitutional law?” [NewsBusters]

    * Legal nerds, let’s get ready to rumble! Professor Gerard Magliocca asks: “Is Justice Story overrated?” [Concurring Opinions]

    * Shearman & Sterling partner (and podcaster) Richard Hsu is joining the Major leagues — legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa, that is. [LinkedIn]

    * Randy Maniloff interviews celebrated lawyer/author Scott Turow, whose new book, Testimony (affiliate link), just came out. [Coverage Opinions]

    * An argument in favor of protecting your cellphone with your thumbprint and a password. [Katz Justice]

    * “If you had to choose a law partner from the characters in Better Call Saul, who would you choose?” [Guile is Good]

    * If you’re a law student interested in ediscovery, check out this contest, sponsored by kCura. [kCura via PR Newswire]

  • Morning Docket: 04.18.17
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 04.18.17

    * Tyann Sorrell, the woman who accused the former dean of UC Berkeley Law of sexually harassing her, was none too pleased with the settlement that was recently announced by the school. She says the deal, which leaves Sujit Chaudry with tenure and benefits, “insults all who suffer harassment at the hands of those with power and privilege.” [Law.com]

    * “I liked being a judge, but I loved being a lawyer.” Judge Kevin Sharp of the Middle District of Tennessee has turned in his robes to become a partner at plaintiffs-side employment and civil rights firm Sanford Heisler, which will now be known as Sanford Heisler Sharp. He’s expected to play a critical role in the firm’s gender discrimination suit filed against Chadbourne & Parke. [New York Law Journal via ABA Journal]

    * “I have no problem calling people out in meetings. It’s so bizarre, the excuses people give me why there are not more women in the room, never mind diversity of gender, race or religion.” PayPal’s top lawyer will quickly find a way to never have to work with your firm ever again if it seems like those who are in charge haven’t gotten the message that “a room full of white men” isn’t going to get or retain her business. [Big Law Business]

    * If you’re trying to find a way to differentiate your firm from all of the rest, then why not experiment with the fine art that’s decorating your office walls? If you want your firm to be branded as home to rebellious lawyers without a cause — of action? — then some “naughty” restroom art is in order, like at Phipps Anderson Deacon. [Huffington Post]

    * Uh-oh! You’ve been accepted to law school but now it looks like you’ll need to defer. This is a pretty useful guide on how to go about navigating a deferral of admission, and it even includes come fun facts, like the schools that won’t grant deferrals except for extremely extenuating circumstances. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

  • Morning Docket: 04.17.17
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 04.17.17

    * Settlements have been reached between Berkeley Law, the school’s former dean, and the dean’s former assistant. If you recall, then dean Sujit Chaudry was accused of sexually harassing his assistant, and as part of the settlement, he’ll have to pay $100K in fees and charitable donations, but will be considered to be on “sabbatical” until May 2018, keeping all of his benefits. Hmm, do we think this is fair? [Mercury News]

    * “We have not livestreamed before, but that’s not to say that won’t happen in this case.” The Fourth Circuit is considering livestreaming oral arguments for travel ban 2.0, much like what the Ninth Circuit did with oral arguments for Trump’s first travel ban. Maybe you’ll be able to do some “professional development” billing… [National Law Journal]

    * “Arkansas does not intend to torture plaintiffs to death.” Judge Kristine G. Baker (E.D. Ark.) has halted a whirlwind series of eight executions — the state’s first executions scheduled since 2005 — citing a “threat of irreparable harm” if the drug midazolam is used as part of the lethal injection drug protocol and somehow fails. [New York Times]

    * More and more out-of-state Biglaw firms are flocking to Houston, Texas, to open their own offices, which has inspired many lawyers to leave their current firms for greener pastures — in terms of both money and opportunities. But is there enough legal work to go around with all of the new competition? Only time will tell. [Houston Chronicle]

    * Ten Harvard Law student affinity groups are gunning for Professor David B. Wilkins to become the next dean of the school after Martha Minow steps down at the end of the year. They’ve written a letter to the university president, imploring him to take their advice and select their dean candidate for the position. Check it out. [Harvard Crimson]

  • Morning Docket: 10.13.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 10.13.16

    * According to a new survey published by legal search firm Major Lindsey & Africa, on average, female Biglaw partners make 44 percent less than male Biglaw partners, and the pay disparity is largely due to who receives origination credit for business. We’ll have more on this study later today. [DealBook / New York Times]

    * Uh-oh! This Australian law firm may be going even further down under… Following a restructuring and several rounds of layoffs, Slater & Gordon, the world’s first publicly traded law firm, has found itself on the receiving end of a class-action securities case on behalf of its shareholders over its continually tumbling share prices. [WSJ Law Blog]

    * “Today’s ruling marks an end to Mr. Paxton’s almost year-long attempt to avoid being judged by a jury of his peers.” Even though a federal judge tossed out similar charges last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will face trial on state securities fraud charges. Paxton’s lawyers plan to appeal the ruling to a state appellate court. [Big Law Business]

    * The last time your jeans were cool was when they were a lyric in “My Humps”: After falling out of fashion, True Religion has hired Kirkland & Ellis to explore some debt restructuring options. With about $500 million in debt to deal with, the company may have to file for bankruptcy or hope for kind negotiations with its lenders. [Reuters]

    * “What is he thinking? Already his conduct is going to make him a pariah in many law school contexts — and this just fuels the flames.” Former Berkeley Law Dean Sujit Choudhry’s next court hearing for his racial discrimination case is on November 3. What is the law school’s latest argument against his claims? [San Francisco Chronicle]

    * Jack Greenberg, former leader of NAACP Legal Defense Fund, RIP. [New York Times]

  • Morning Docket: 09.16.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 09.16.16

    * Former Berkeley Law dean Sujit Choudhry is suing the school, claiming that Berkeley discriminated against him by punishing him more harshly for alleged sexual harassment compared to white professors. [Law.com]

    * The family of Sandra Bland settles its lawsuit over her death for $1.9 million. [New York Times]

    * The Sixth Circuit, sitting en banc (and rather splintered), rules that the mental-health ban on gun ownership could violate the Second Amendment. [How Appealing]

    * Congratulations to Miami corporate partner Ira Coleman, who will replace Peter John Sacripanti and Jeffrey E. Stone as chair of McDermott Will & Emery in January. [Big Law Business]

    * Ashurst remains in a tailspin, with five partners (including two office heads) leaving in the span of 24 hours. [Ashurst]

    * In other U.K. law firm news, Freshfields is replacing “Dear Sirs” with gender-neutral salutations in all communications and legal documents. [The Lawyer via Big Law Business]

    * More exciting news for Bancroft: recognition for its pro bono work, which partners pledge will continue after they move over to Kirkland. [Law360]

    * Paging parents who left Davis Polk to raise their kids: here’s a program to bring you back into Biglaw. [Law.com via ABA Journal]

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  • Morning Docket: 09.09.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 09.09.16

    * “In the past, law school was often times seen as a safe haven in a bad market, and that’s just not the case given the jobs that are available.” Applications may be down, but given the state of the job market, more and more students are flocking to law schools without any desire to practice law, intending to pursue alternative career paths instead. [Wisconsin Bar]

    * Former Berkeley Law Dean Sujit Choudhry returned to campus this semester after resigning from his post thanks to a sexual harassment lawsuit, but a letter he penned on the subject that was published in the school paper didn’t have the results he expected; instead, about 100 law students protested the professor’s presence on campus. [SFGate]

    * The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the Investment Advisers Modernization Act of 2016 today, a bill that private equity firms hope will chip away at Dodd-Frank’s requirements on what information the industry must report to regulators. The White House has threatened a veto if it’s passed. [DealBook / New York Times]

    * Can this group of general counsels from Fortune 100 companies save the legal profession from becoming a haven for old white men and turn it into a melting pot of opportunity across all demographics? That’s what they’re hoping to do by hiring and firing outside counsel based on their diversity. Best of luck! [Big Law Business]

    * Subway’s “footlong” class-action suit is now before the Seventh Circuit, with Ted Frank of the Competitive Enterprise Institute arguing that the lawyers who settled the sandwich-size discrepancy gave themselves too much credit, calling them, along with the class representatives, “the only beneficiaries of the case.” Ouch. [WSJ Law Blog]

  • Non-Sequiturs: 09.07.16
    Non-Sequiturs

    Non-Sequiturs: 09.07.16

    * Following the lawsuit against him alleging sexual harassment, former Berkeley Law Dean Sujit Choudry writes an open letter to students. [Daily Cal]

    * Thanks to the internet we all have information overload — so how do you get through to a jury? [Katz Justice]

    * Here are the changes to how the Multistate Bar Exam will be testing evidence. [Excellence in Law School]

    * He may not be on the Court (yet), but Judge Garland is already impacting SCOTUS decisions. [Empirical SCOTUS]

    * Who are the real winners and losers? [Guile is Good]

    * Is your hard drive keeping you in the past? [Law and More]

    * Everything you need to know about social media marketing before you go solo. [Reboot Your Law Practice]

  • Morning Docket: 04.26.16
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 04.26.16

    * John LaTorre, the former chief financial officer of Barry Law School, recently pleaded guilty to second-degree grand theft after spending tens of thousands of dollars on school corporate card to finance his Hooters outings and pay his utilities bills. LaTorre faces up to 10 years of probation and will have to pay the school $24,838 in restitution in monthly payments of at least $175. [Orlando Sentinel]

    * Professor Sujit Choudhry may have resigned from his position as dean of Berkeley Law School after being accused in a sexual harassment scandal, but now he says the school is trying to strip him of his tenure, and he’s not going to go down without a fight. In a grievance letter, Choudhry claims school officials smeared him in the press and violated his due process rights. We’ll have more on this development later today. [WSJ Law Blog]

    * This “sets back every blind person who wants to be a lawyer out there”: Three blind law students have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against BARBRI, alleging that the bar exam test preparation company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to properly accommodate them with usable study materials, thereby “preventing them from fully, equally, and adequately preparing for the bar exam.” [Dallas Morning News]

    * Just when you thought this ugly legal dispute couldn’t get any messier, one of Dennis Hastert’s sexual assault accusers decided to sue the former Speaker of the House for breach of contract. Identified as James Doe in his pleadings, he alleges that Hastert agreed to pay him $3.5M in hush money for keeping quiet about the abuse he endured when he was a teen, but thus far, he’s only seen $1.7M of those funds. [CBS Chicago]

    * It’s late April, and if you’re still looking for advice on your personal statement for your law school applications, then you’re probably already in trouble. However, if you’re desperate for a helpful hint even this late in the game and your law school of choice has a late submission deadline, you may want to try including a thesis — it’ll keep your essay from becoming a regurgitation of your résumé. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

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