California
-
California, Education / Schools, State Judges
Tenure Itch: What's Bad (And What Isn't) About The Case Striking Down California Teacher Retention Laws
It would be awfully nice if Judge Treu, like California schoolchildren in math class, would show his work. -
Animal Law, California, Crime, Nauseating Things, Pets, Quote of the Day
Lawyer Keeps Documents In Fridge So Hundreds Of Cats Can't Pee On Them
This cat lady allowed her feline friends to take over her house -- crazy! - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Bankruptcy, Biglaw, California, Constitutional Law, Contract Attorneys, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Document Review, Drugs, Education / Schools, Marijuana, Morning Docket, Partner Issues
Morning Docket: 06.11.14
* This failed firm’s drama is the Biglaw gift that keeps on giving: Dewey & LeBoeuf’s bankruptcy trustee filed an amended complaint against Steve DiCarmine and Joel Sanders seeking the return of more than $21.8 million. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Norton Rose Fulbright elected someone who “love, love, love[s] the law firm” as U.S. managing partner, and she’s the first woman to ever serve as U.S. chair of its management committee. We love, love, love this news! [National Law Journal]
* According to a California judge, tenure laws are unconstitutional and are depriving students of the high quality of education they deserve. The end is nigh, law professors. Enjoy it while it lasts. [New York Times]
* Not all states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, but it’d be a lot cooler if they did. The tide is turning across the United States, and we’ll soon see which states’ drug laws go up in smoke. [Slate]
* “Document review attorneys are in demand now but the demand will gradually decrease.” Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the one job you were able to get soon won’t need or want you. [InsideCounsel]
-
Blogging, California, Crime, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Gay Marriage, Law Professors, Media and Journalism, Morning Docket, Politics, SCOTUS, Securities and Exchange Commission, Securities Law, State Judges Are Clowns, Supreme Court, Ted Olson
Morning Docket: 06.03.14
* “I don’t think the government should be in the credentialing business.” Thanks to the whims of politicians, SCOTUSblog is having trouble getting media credentials to continue its coverage of the Supreme Court’s cases. [New York Times]
* How you like me now? In Redeeming the Dream (affiliate link), a new book co-authored with David Boies, Ted Olson says he experienced “some blowback” when he announced he was taking on the Prop 8 gay marriage case. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Steve Davis and Steve DiCarmine of failed firm fame think it’s “unfair” they have to defend themselves in a criminal case and an SEC case at the same time. They want the SEC case to be halted. Dewey think the judge will say yes? [Law360 (sub. req.)]
* Back in 2011, Pillsbury decided to ship its back-office operations to Nashville, and now it’s hiring a small contingent of lawyers to work there. FYI, an Ivy League degree may not be necessary. [Washington Post]
* Only in Florida would a judge allegedly challenge a public defender to a fight out back during a hearing and start throwing punches. We’ll definitely have more on this fiasco later today. [WFTV Eyewitness News]
* Peter Mutharika, a former law professor who taught at Washington University in St. Louis Law for about 40 years, is now the new president of Malawi, where it’s illegal to fart. Congrats! [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
-
1st Circuit, Biglaw, California, Celebrities, Confirmations, Crime, Football, Gender, Lateral Moves, Law Professors, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, Texas, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Morning Docket: 05.23.14
* Congrats are in order for David Barron. The Harvard Law professor was confirmed to the First Circuit in a close vote (53-45), despite his apparent allegiance to our new drone overlords. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Another one bites the dust: Weil’s London banking leader Stephen Lucas decamped for Kirkland & Ellis. The firm retorted by saying: “We have got 40 finance lawyers left.” Aww, yay for you. [The Lawyer]
* We already know that state prosecutors are very poorly paid, but let’s go one step further and see if women are paid less than men. Shockingly enough, women are getting the shaft in Texas. [Texas Tribune]
* Dean Jack Boger of UNC Law is stepping down, but he’s proud of keeping legal ed affordable. “[B]y relative standards, we’re still doing that,” he said. It’s ~$39K for out-of-state students. [Chapelboro.com]
* O.J. Simpson’s lawyers submitted a gigantic legal doc in an attempt to get him a new trial for his armed-robbery case. Court word limit: 14,000. Words in the Juice’s motion: 19,993. Rules: LOL. [NBC News]
-
Biglaw, California, Department of Justice, Gay Marriage, Law Firm Mergers, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, Patton Boggs, Sexism, Television
Morning Docket: 05.21.14
* A DLA Piper partner was cleared by the firm in connection with a string of sexist emails exchanged with a client because real lads don’t get in trouble for such trifling behavior. We’ll have more on this later. [Am Law Daily]
* Patton Boggs partners started voting on the firm’s merger with Squire Sanders yesterday. Apparently there’s at least one partner who will not be allowed to join the new firm because of prior conduct. Sucks to be you, guy. [Reuters]
* “It’s the best way to prepare for a whole variety of things.” Right now is one of the best times to go to law school, say California law school deans who really need to get asses in empty seats. [Daily Transcript]
* ““We are a better people than what these laws represent.” Pennsylvania’s ban on gay marriage was struck down yesterday, making it the 14th victory in a row for the marriage equality movement. [Bloomberg]
* Showtime just bought a law firm comedy about “four smartass, workaholic associates” in Biglaw trying to make partner and avoid being murdered by the office serial killer at the same time. Uh, yeah. [Deadline]
-
9th Circuit, Associate Salaries, Biglaw, California, Education / Schools, Federal Judges, Gay Marriage, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Rudeness, State Judges
Morning Docket: 05.15.14
* The times are a-changin’ for Biglaw in many ways, and lawyers may soon see their starting pay take a dive because clients think they “continue to be too expensive.” [WSJ Law Blog]
* Foley & Lardner plans to shutter its San Diego shop, following in the footsteps of other Biglaw behemoths. Not to worry, no one’s been laid off — that we know of, that is. [Am Law Daily]
* Say hello to Alabama Law’s new dean, Mark Brandon. Maybe he’ll be the man to propel the school to a #5 ranking in a publication other than National Jurist. ROLL TIDE! [National Law Journal]
* Earlier this week, an Idaho judge struck down the state’s ban on gay marriage, and now she’s refusing to issue a stay. Good on you, judge, but the Ninth Circuit may put those marriages in limbo for a while. [NPR]
* Speaking of judges who’re refusing to stay same-sex marriage rulings, last night, the Arkansas Supreme Court turned down the state attorney general’s request to put a stop to marriage equality. [USA Today]
* A lawyer working as Board of Education president in Mahopac, New York, resigned from his position after calling a PTA volunteer a “chubby wubby” at a school board meeting. That’s not very nice. [Journal News]
-
1st Circuit, American Bar Association / ABA, Asians, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, California, Judicial Nominations, Jury Duty, Law Professors, Malpractice, Morning Docket, Politics, S.D.N.Y., Technology, Trials
Morning Docket: 05.06.14
* U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara wants to know more about why Governor Andrew Cuomo shut down an anticorruption commission. [New York Times]
* The ABA weighs in on the “unfinished business” controversy affecting bankrupt law firms, their lawyers, and their clients. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Better late than never: students and professors at UC Davis Law are pushing for the posthumous admission to the California bar of Hong Yeng Chang, who was denied a law license in 1890 solely because of his Chinese heritage. [Associated Press; South China Morning Post]
* Speaking of late, a robber sent to prison 13 years late because of a clerical error just got released. [ABA Journal]
* Drones could claim another victim: the First Circuit nomination of Harvard law professor David Barron. [How Appealing]
* Who still wants a landline phone? The jury foreman in the latest Apple-Samsung battle, who is sick and tired of cellphones after the month-long trial. [The Recorder (sub. req.)]
* Not such a Great Adventure: “Cadwalader To Pay $17M In Six Flags Malpractice Fight.” [Law360 (sub. req.)]
- Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Asians, Biglaw, Blog Wars, Blogging, California, Politics, Reader Polls, Weirdness, Women's Issues
An Update On Mayer Brown's Curious And Controversial Case
Should Mayer Brown be ashamed of taking this case? -
California, Layoffs, Midsize Firms / Regional Firms, Paralegals, Secretaries / Administrative Assistants, Staff Layoffs
Nationwide Layoff Watch: A Double-Digit Dump
Which firm just conducted a double-digit layoff? -
California, Job Searches
Lawyer, Too Poor To Network, Fears Homelessness
When you can't get legal work, it's okay to give up and get paying work. -
Airplanes / Aviation, California, Cocaine / Crack, Crime, Drinking, Drugs, Police, Quote of the Day
Public Defender Drunkenly Asks Police For Drugs, Sets Résumé On Fire
Sounds like this PD had one drink too many. -
Asians, Biglaw, Blog Wars, Blogging, California, Politics, Reader Polls, Weirdness, Women's Issues
A Biglaw Firm's 'Disgusting' And 'Despicable' Lawsuit?
Is this lawsuit, filed by a leading law firm, deserving of condemnation? Or is it just par for the Biglaw course?
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
-
Bar Exams, California, Screw-Ups, Technology
California Bar Software Gets Drunk
This is what happens when you don't take the bar in pencil. -
California, Celebrities, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Pictures
Anti-Paparazzi Law Effectively Meaningless
It should be interesting to watch the first prosecution under this law and any subsequent appeals. -
Boutique Law Firms, California, Small Law Firms, Technology
Pilot: When It Gets Real, It Gets Real -- Pistol Whippings and Maintaining Confidence
The technology industry is male-dominated. What happens when a firm run by two women gets involved? -
California, Craigslist, Job Searches, Kids, Law Schools
Parent Begs Firms To Hire Son -- Offers To Pay Part Of Son's Salary
Going on Craigslist to beg for a job for your son. -
Blogging, California, Celebrities, Crime, Media and Journalism
On The Merits Of Celebrity Legal Gossip
Why should lawyers care about celebrity gossip? New columnist Jenny Brandt explains. -
California, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Rudeness
Would-Be Law Student Weasels Acceptance Out Of Law School After Being Rejected -- By Suggesting He'll Sue
Getting rejected from law school can be traumatizing. Don't get mad, get even. -
Associate Salaries, Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, California, Fabulosity, Intellectual Property, Litigators, Money, Small Law Firms
The $160K-Plus Club: A Boutique With Biglaw-Beating Bonuses
Which litigation boutique pays base salaries and bonuses that handily beat Biglaw?