Charleston School of Law

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.02.15

* Murder rates are up! OK. Except... barely. And only in a few cities. But, you know, SCARY! More importantly though, why devote the second paragraph of a post to a stupid, racist argument so easily debunked in the third paragraph? There's no reason to give it the imprimatur of credibility at all. This is the problem with "objective" journalism -- some ideas don't deserve a fair exposition. [ABA Journal] * Did Arizona Summit falsify data? Is the Pope Catholic? All pressing questions! [TaxProf Blog] * Speaking of Infilaw, the newly appointed president of Charleston School of Law -- and Infilaw National Policy Board member -- Joseph Harbaugh has resigned. But hey, he lasted longer than 8 days so that's an improvement. [National Law Journal] * Senator Lindsey Graham thinks that Kentucky clerk needs to comply with the law or resign. Because Senator Graham is all about law and order. And that's certainly the only reason Senator Graham feels strongly about this. [Huffington Post] * If you'd forgotten that Walter Mondale accomplished anything besides losing a historic landslide, here's a profile on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, which he authored. [Washington Post] * Arent Fox partner Robert Hirsch is doing double-duty as a nightclub owner in Montauk. Makes sense. Spoiled rich people embarrassing themselves every night... perfect fit for a bankruptcy partner. [The Am Law Daily] * Settlement approved in class action that accused the NHL of conspiring to increase broadcast fees like the inflated scoring with the two-line pass. [Law360]

By Joe Patrice
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 08.13.15

* The legal battle over the AIG bailout rolls into the Federal Circuit. [DealBook / New York Times] * What does a lawyer say when he gets caught swapping fees for oral sex? Claim sex addiction, of course! [Legal Profession Blog] * The New Orleans public defender office is a testament to underfunding. [Buzzfeed News] * Charleston School of Law loses a dean right before school resumes. Yep, nothing wrong here! [South Carolina Lawyers Weekly] * Neighbors sue 8-year-old girl for being kind to animals (or sues her parents anyway). [KIRO] * A friend remembers John Ralston Pate. [What About Clients?] * A counterargument to the suggestion of suspect classification for poverty (final item). [PrawfsBlawg] * The ABA is diving into the world of legal publishing, riding the success of Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link). [Chicago Tribune] * A domestic violence defendant got the first name of his judge tattooed on his neck. Paul Clement has similar ink that reads "Nino." Check out the pic. [North Carolina Lawyers Weekly] CMToR96UAAAKHQh.jpg-large

By Joe Patrice
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 08.04.15

* After two laid-off professors sued Charleston School of Law, a judge has issued an injunction reinstating professor Nancy Zisk. Things really aren't going Charleston's way, but remember to look on the bright side: they may get a Starbucks! [SC Lawyers Weekly] * Attorney's hit and run did not constitute a crime of moral turpitude because he was blackout drunk. One more reason to stay thirsty, my friends! [Legal Profession Blog] * Lawyers can't speak English good. [Lawyerist] * What should be required to vote on a Supreme Court decision? [Concurring Opinions] * There's never really a good excuse for handcuffing an 8-year-old like this school rent-a-cop did. Also, did you know the only way to handcuff an 8-year-old is to cuff his upper arms? You do after reading this. [Daily Mail] * As we hear more about the labor conditions building stadiums in Qatar, this white paper focuses on the unfortunately still modern challenge for in-house lawyers with an international reach: expanding due diligence to uncover slavery rings. [Thomson Reuters] * Douglas Kennedy's lawyers were disqualified for trying some funny business with their medical experts. [New York Personal Injury Attorney Blog] * Cravath partner turned screenwriter and playwright. As the play says, "the first thing we do, let's give giant bonuses to all the lawyers." [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * Useful practice tip: strive for excellence, not perfection. [What About Clients?] * Richard Hsu chats with Mark Cuban about something other than how terrible the NBA refs are. [Hsu Untied] https://soundcloud.com/hsu-untied/mcuban

By Joe Patrice
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.18.15

* It was First Amendment Day at SCOTUS this morning! Here's a recap. [PrawfsBlawg] * Exclusive report on the new CSOL president's meeting with students. He explained how Infilaw had a terrible track record and offered nothing to the school. Just kidding! But he did suggest introducing "a Boy Scout-inspired 'merit badge system'” to the school. So there's that. [SC Lawyers Weekly] * Facebook made this legislator vote the wrong way on a bill. #banBoomers. [Lowering the Bar] * Texas became the first state to ban fracking bans. Looks like they understand hierarchical government in some situations. [Breaking Energy] * Allegations of political influence peddling in Orange County pot industry. I didn't make it to the big ATL Business of Bud conference the other day, but this sounds scandalous. On the other hand, "drug trade influence peddling" used to involve fewer gavels and more Glocks, so this is a positive development. [OC Weekly] * Do you have strong feelings about FRCP 56(d)? You should. An excellent practice tip. [What About Clients?] * Tonight is the Family Violence Appellate Project's annual Battle of the Lawyer Bands. If you want to see bands from Google, O'Melveny, Latham, Jones Day, Lieff Cabraser, and Kirkland & Ellis -- and help a good cause -- then you'd best be in San Francisco and head over to 1015 Folsom. Buy tickets at the link. [Family Violence Appellate Project] * You know who aren't "Beliebers"? The Fourth Circuit. They swatted down Bieber and musical enabler Usher defending themselves against another artist's copyright claim. Read the full opinion on the next page. [Fourth Circuit]

By Joe Patrice
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.02.15

* Just days after a hard-fought reelection campaign, Sepp Blatter is resigning his post as President of FIFA. I wonder whose indictment is coming out next... [The Guardian] * The ABA is going to investigate the much-maligned Charleston School of Law. [SC Lawyers Weekly] * If you fancy yourself a trivia master -- or just want some free drinks and food -- sign up for ATL's Summer Trivia Showdown. Use the code "PLComp" to get in for free. [Above the Law] * A New Jersey judge gagged the Bergen Dispatch, leading to this incisive response from the paper and the judge quietly vacating her own order. As Walter Sobchak taught us, "The Supreme Court has roundly rejected prior restraint." [Boing Boing] * Not to diminish the serious electoral problems of the U.S., but check out how out of whack representation is in the United Kingdom. [Lawyers, Guns & Money] * If you're seeking a prosanity fix, a parent filed a federal lawsuit against local, state and federal education officials contending that the theory of evolution is functionally a religion and therefore teaching it is a violation of his kid's rights. [Charleston Daily Mail] * Seyfarth Shaw's Stephen Poor explains why he joined Twitter. He talks about innovation and leadership, but it was all about following @aplusk. [Bloomberg BNA / Big Law Business]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.26.15

* What Dewey think the leaders of this failed firm -- Steven Davis, Stephen DiCarmine, and Joel Sanders -- were doing during Memorial Day Weekend? Odds are at least one was working on his tan prior to opening arguments at tomorrow's trial. [American Lawyer] * Sofia Vergara will be heading back to court after a judge granted Nick Loeb, her ex-fiancé, permission to amend his complaint to seek custody over the couple's frozen embryos. "There is no legal issue. Embryos are not children," says her lawyer. [ET Online] * After making great hay of the school's apparently dire financial straits in a last-ditch effort to woo InfiLaw back into its lonely arms, Charleston Law will be enrolling new students after all. We'll have more on this desperate move later. [Post and Courier] * Cuba Libres for everyone! The Florida Bar is sending a parade of lawyers into Cuba to explore potential business opportunities while Biglaw firms are breaking into their stashes of Romeo y Julietas in preparation for an influx of post-embargo billable hours. [Reuters] * Students at Northern Kentucky Law may soon be doing time at a local jail to complete their educations, since the administration is considering moving the school there. At least they'll have practice for their residence in debtors' prisons in the future. [NKY.com]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 05.18.15

* Uber is building a 70-lawyer in-house group. Constantly going to outside counsel got too spendy after partners instituted surge pricing on all billable hours over 80/week. [Law and More] * Justice Ginsburg presided over a same-sex wedding yesterday. Could she have tipped her hand on the upcoming marriage equality decisions by consistently emphasizing the word "Constitution"? The article begins: "The groom and groom strolled down the aisle to the mellow strains of 'Mr. Sandman.'" The first time I read that I thought it said, "Enter Sandman," which, admit it, would be a much cooler wedding song. [New York Times] * Professor Rick Hasen, for one, thinks that might be exactly what RBG just did, noting her history of offering sly hints about the outcomes of unannounced decisions. [Election Law Blog] * Is there a legal solution to save Charleston Law? That's interesting, but the bigger takeaway from this piece is that one of the board members actually left the stage during commencement after the invocation denounced greed. You cannot make this stuff up. [Post and Courier] * Those pesky nuns. [Lowering the Bar] * Stanford's student commencement speaker crowdsourced her speech. It was all going along fine until the 3 minutes segment where she just yelled, "Baba Booey" over and over again. [Forbes] * California releases its February bar exam results. The only thing in California lower than those passage rates are the reservoirs, amiright? [Bar Exam Stats] * Richard Hsu talks with Henry Bushkin, Johnny Carson's lawyer and the author of a new book about the late "King of Late Night." [Hsu Untied] * Happy birthday to Professor Joseph Crea of Brooklyn Law School who celebrates his 100th birthday today at the school. [SF Gate]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.18.15

* Jose Baez of Casey Anthony trial fame gave the commencement address at Valparaiso Law this weekend and let graduates know that they, too, can be attorneys, even if they've been financially irresponsible. They're letting this man teach at Harvard Law now. [The Times] * Suffolk Law and Cardozo Law will have new deans this summer, and both are planning for smaller classes. Considering Suffolk's plummeting LSAT scores (and standards?), its new dean may have bigger problems to deal with than filling seats. [National Law Journal] * He "Pressure Drop[ped]" the ball: If you could take the LSAT or open for the Rolling Stones with Toots and the Maytals, which would you pick? This Paul Hastings partner took the test, and says it's his only regret about choosing law over music. [Am Law Daily] * Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev may have been sentenced to death last week, but it's highly unlikely that his punishment will be carried out any time soon, if at all. Instead, he'll be putting his lawyers to work for time ad infinitum. [WSJ Law Blog] * "[D]on’t let anyone say that Charleston School of Law was already in trouble." A local attorney says that this soon-to-fail law school only started circling the drain after its proposed sale to InfiLaw was announced. That's quite the indictment. [Post and Courier]

By Staci Zaretsky