Celebrities

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.19.15

* Amal Clooney of Doughty Street Chambers, who happens to be married to George Clooney, is being heralded as an "exotic, luxe-brand Princess Diana upgrade." Lesson learned: marry a celebrity and your legal credentials look awesome. [New York Magazine] * If you're into fashion at the high court, this satirical news website managed to get an exclusive photo of all of the Supreme Court justices in their new spaghetti strap sun-robes. You know what Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg must be thinking about her colleagues: "Do you even lift?" [The Onion] * The William Mitchell Law professors who filed suit against the school to protect the tenure code after its merger with Hamline Law was announced have voluntarily dropped their case. Apparently no harm will come to the precious after all. [National Law Journal] * Vicente Sederberg, a firm that focuses on marijuana law, will sponsor a three-year professorship for marijuana law and policy at Denver Law. Sam Kamin will be the first to hold the position. Come see him at ATL's marijuana reception in June. [The Cannabist] * Everyone in the legal community likes to complain about the fact that law reviews are useless because no one reads them. We dare you to complain about an entire law review issue dedicated to the legal problems presented in AMC's Breaking Bad. [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.27.15

* The job market may be "improving," but people aren't going to start applying to law school in droves any time soon. There's been a 40 percent drop in applicants since 2005, and according to LSAC's latest data, "the downward spiral is still… spiraling." [WSJ Law Blog] * Lines to see what could be one of the most historic arguments before the Supreme Court started forming last Friday, but the rest of the country will have to sit back and wait until June to see if a constitutional right to same-sex marriage will be declared. [Reuters] * Kris Jenner was just hit with a six-figure lawsuit thanks to model Kendall Jenner's 19th birthday party, which was allegedly complete with more than 100 guests and a male stripper. Don't worry, mom, the stripper already spanked your daughter. [Ministry of Gossip / Los Angeles Times] * The latest edition of the Am Law 100 rankings are out, and it looks like gross revenue, revenue per lawyer, and profits per partner are on the way up at most firms. You'll never believe which firm is the new No. 1. We'll have more on this later. [American Lawyer] * Hey, here's some info you've never heard before now! People who graduated from law school in 2010 are still screwed because they're drowning in debt and some have never worked as lawyers! Never fear, the New York Times is on it! [DealBook / New York Times] * “Obviously, the concussion affected my judgment — oops, I shouldn’t say that, given my day job." At 92 years of age, Judge Robert Sweet of the S.D.N.Y. splits his time between legal pirouettes in the courtroom and skating pirouettes on the ice. [New York Times] * "It’s time for restraint of the federal government’s over-aggressive weed warriors.” States that have legalized pot are tired of the Feds prosecuting their citizens, and that's what the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2015 aims to stop from happening. [High Times] * "[L]awyers are naturally drawn to writing because we spend our days working with words." If you're a lawyer thinking about writing a legal thriller in your spare time, you're not alone. Just ask Scott Turow and our very own David Lat. [National Law Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.09.15

* Amal Clooney, the attorney who tamed George Clooney's heart and is now considered one of the most famous human rights lawyers in the world, will be teaching at a New York law school this spring. Which one? We'll have more on this fun news later today. [USA Today] * Talk about a Hail Mary play: The ACLU has decided to come to the defense of a very unlikely cause. Per a recently filed federal brief, the organization thinks that the USPTO's cancellation of the Redskins trademark was unconstitutional. [WSJ Law Blog] * According to a new BARBRI study, the vast majority of third-year law students think they're ready to go when it comes to practicing law, but the lawyers who have had the (dis)pleasure to work with new graduates don't seem to agree. [National Law Journal] * "Those kinds of jobs are never going to be enough to absorb the number of people graduating from law school over the next five or 10 years." Northeastern's dean laughs in Biglaw's face -- his grads measure their success in other ways. [Boston Business Journal] * Ellen Pao's "racy" gender discrimination lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins serves as a harsh criticism of the sexist culture of Silicon Valley. Luckily, jury members will be able to busy themselves with the case's more lurid details. [The Upshot / New York Times] * Kyle McEntee of Law School Transparency is working on a new podcast that will help prospective law students to see what working in the legal profession is really like. "I Am The Law" debuted in January 2015, and it's worth a listen. [U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky