Charlotte School of Law
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 08.14.17
* James Alex Fields Jr., the 20-year-old accused of ramming his car into a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing one and injuring numerous others, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count related to leaving the scene of an accident. [NPR]
* Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old woman who was killed in Charlottesville this weekend, was a paralegal at a small law firm where she managed the bankruptcy department. She was described as woman willing to stand up against “any type of discrimination.” We’ll have more on this tragic news later today. [New York Times]
* After being urged by Senator Ted Cruz to “prosecute this grotesque act of domestic terrorism,” the Department of Justice has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the deadly white supremacy rally that occurred this past weekend in Charlottesville, as the events that unfolded there “strike at the heart of American law and justice.” [Independent Journal Review; The Hill]
* “Evidently that’s not going to happen.” Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is walking back comments that he made back in April about the likelihood of a Supreme Court justice (i.e., Justice Anthony Kennedy) retiring this summer. Maybe he’ll get his wish next summer. [Reuters]
* Classes are supposed to begin at Charlotte Law in three weeks, but according to a spokesman from the University of North Carolina system, the school’s temporary license to operate has expired. The dean of the troubled law school, on the other hand, says the license hasn’t expired. Hmm… [Charlotte Observer]
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Law Schools, Student Loans
Charlotte Law's Access To Federal Student Loans May Be Reinstated By Department Of Education
A law school seemingly on the brink of closure received some very unexpected news... - Sponsored
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 07.28.17
* The Senate rejects the latest GOP effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act — with Senator John McCain casting the decisive “no” vote. [Washington Post]
* Riley Safer Holmes and Cancila continues its rapid expansion, adding 13 new lawyers — including eight from Bryan Cave, led by former managing partner Joseph McCoy. [Law360]
* More bad news for the LGBT community from the Trump administration: the Justice Department takes the position that Title VII doesn’t cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. [How Appealing]
* Meanwhile, civil rights and LGBT groups get ready to file suit if President Trump’s plan to ban transgender people from the military becomes a reality (which is not yet the case). [National Law Journal]
* And these groups might just prevail — Michael Richter and Anna Pohl, chairs of the New York City Bar Association’s Military Affairs and LGBT Rights Committees, lay out the case for why the transgender ban is unconstitutional. [The Hill]
* Stephanie Francis Ward takes a long, hard look at the woes of Charlotte School of Law — and the rest of the beleaguered Infilaw consortium of law schools. [ABA Journal]
* Closing statements in the Martin Shkreli case paint very different pictures of the infamous “Pharma Bro.” [Law.com]
* Nuisance claims, or nuisance suits? Judge James Donato (N.D. Cal.) seems skeptical of a purported class-action case targeting Pokémon GO (which recently added Legendaries to the game). [The Recorder]
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Law Schools
Much-Maligned Law School In Very Serious Danger Of Losing Its License To Operate
This could sound the death knell for the embattled school. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.22.17
* Donald Trump told a rally that “the time has come” for a law banning immigrants from getting welfare. Now all he needs is a time machine to go back to 1996 when this law was actually passed. [The Hill]
* If you’re hoping to score an in-house legal position, it looks like you’re in luck — corporate counsel offices expect to keep hiring as they continue to internalize more and more work. [Law.com]
* Texting while driving is now legal in Colorado. OMG. LOL. [Explosion Emoji] [Fox 31]
* Companies should continue their efforts to comply with the FCPA even though Trump called the law “absolutely crazy.” Because you should take him seriously not literally or what have you. [Corporate Counsel]
* Here’s how important a website is to your small or solo legal practice — this firm didn’t even exist and it got clients because of its web design. [Houston Chronicle]
* Charlotte School of Law has until August to prove that it’s financially viable. [News & Observer]
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Law Schools, Student Loans
Some Charlotte Law Students Now Have Even Heavier Debt Burdens
Not all students were saved when the Department of Education released federal loans... -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 05.23.17
* Trump’s reportedly close to selecting outside counsel. According to these reports, the top contenders are Robert Giuffra Jr., Marc Kasowitz, Theodore Olson and Reid Weingarten. [The Hill]
* Speaking of Trump, he’s asking the D.C. Circuit to delay a ruling on health care subsidies because throwing markets into chaos is the new normal. [NY Times]
* Sessions suggests that sanctuary cities will lose Justice and Homeland Security funds if they don’t affirmatively prove that they’re deputizing themselves to federal immigration officials. That really puts in the proper perspective exactly how committed this guy is to actually keeping people safe from crime. [USA Today]
* La La Anthony has hired a top-notch divorce lawyer. “Carmelo is still in denial and thinks he can fix his marriage.” Well, he still thinks he can fix the Knicks too so…. [Page Six]
* Dorsey & Whitney is out and Proskauer is in, much to the judge’s dismay. [Law360]
* DOE releases some loan money to Charlotte Law students. [ABA Journal]
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Law Schools
Charlotte Law’s License Is Under Review
The latest, logical step in the saga of the troubled school. -
Law Schools, Student Loans
Troubled Law School To Hold Transcripts, Transfer Packets, Degrees Hostage Unless Students Pay Up
This is all terribly unfair. -
Law Schools, Student Loans
Troubled Law School May Hold Graduates' Degrees Hostage, Hires Lobbying Group To Secure Federal Student Loans
This situation gets worse by the day. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.28.17
* Third-year students who are still enrolled at the Charlotte School of Law will be graduating in about two weeks, and despite the fact that administrators assured them their funding would be released, they still haven’t received any federal loan disbursements. We’ll have more on this later today. [ABA Journal]
* Yesterday, we gave our readers the big-picture rundown on the 2017 Am Law 100 rankings. This morning, we’ll offer our readers a little fun fact. Three firms were newcomers to the Am Law 100 ranking this year thanks to their outstanding revenue growth: Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, Husch Blackwell, and Shook Hardy & Bacon. Congratulations to all three! [Big Law Business]
* As it turns out, President Trump’s losing streak in court when it comes to his would-be travel ban and sanctuary city punishments can be blamed on tactics conservative judges used during the Obama administration to thwart efforts to expand health care, shield immigrants from deportation, and protect transgender students. [New York Times]
* “A president does not have the authority to rescind a National Monument.” Upscale outdoor apparel company Patagonia has vowed to file suit against the Trump administration if any attempt is made to reverse the Obama-era designation of Bears Ears — a 1.35-million-acre tract of land in Utah — as a National Monument. [HuffPost]
* How much is a personal injury claim worth once it’s gone viral globally? After taking “full responsibility for what happened … without attempting to blame others,” United Airlines has reached a settlement for an undisclosed sum with David Dao, the man who was forcibly dragged from an overbooked flight earlier this month. [Reuters]
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.27.17
* Guess who gets to take advantage of President Donald Trump’s new tax plan? Lawyers and their law firms — which are largely organized as pass-through entities — will likely benefit greatly, as they’ll be able to reduce their tax rate from 39.6 percent to 15 percent. [ABA Journal]
* The Charlotte School of Law may be on the brink of collapse, but the school is heading to court to try to shake off three of the four federal class-action lawsuits that were filed by current students and recent graduates with motions to dismiss. We’ll have more on this later today. [Law.com]
* The Trump administration didn’t seem to fare very well during oral arguments in an immigration case yesterday. Chief Justice John Roberts certainly wasn’t impressed, and Justice Anthony Kennedy seemed even less so, dropping this benchslap: “It seems to me that your argument is demeaning the priceless value of citizenship.” [Reuters]
* Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will propose a rollback of the Obama-era net-neutrality rule that regulated broadband internet providers as common carriers. Critics aren’t pleased: “It makes no sense. We cannot keep the promise of net neutrality openness and freedom without the rules that ensure it.” [Big Law Business]
* Four third-year students at Harvard Law have demanded that the administration provide clarification as to how it assesses applicants who have been accused or convicted of sexual assault. “We put forth a call for transparency and affirmative efforts demonstrating the school takes sexual assault seriously.” [Harvard Crimson]
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Law Schools, Student Loans
Troubled Law School, Under Investigation By State Attorney General, Hopes Betsy DeVos Will Come To Its Rescue
You'd think that nothing else could possibly go wrong for this embattled law school -- but you'd be wrong. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.25.17
* Who says you can never go home again? Neil Eggleston, White House Counsel under President Obama, return to Kirkland & Ellis. [Law.com]
* The Biglaw scandal that just keeps giving and giving and giving… The Dewey retrial nears its end. [New York Law Journal]
* North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has opened up an investigation into the troubled Charlotte School of Law. We’ll have more on this story later today. [Politico]
* The Republican controlled North Carolina General Assembly is trying to mess with Democratic Governor Roy Cooper’s ability to appoint judges to their state courts. But Judge J. Douglas McCullough — a Republican — has at least one trick up his sleeve to thwart the plan. [Slate]
* The NRA is ramping up its legal strategy in California as they anticipate the future political direction of the courts there. [LA Times]
* The excuse “the Russians did it” just doesn’t fly in the world of tax law… not even if you are Sotheby’s. [New York Times]
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Law School Deans, Law Schools
Dean Of Struggling Law School Quits After Less Than A Month On The Job
The law school seems to be on the brink of disaster. -
Bar Exams, Law Schools
Law Schools Duel For The Worst Bar Exam Passage Rates Ever
Yikes! This is pretty bad. -
Law Schools
Is InfiLaw Trying To Dump All Of Its For-Profit Law Schools?
It may be time to take the money and run... -
Law Schools
Charlotte Plans To Go Non-Profit While Still Paying Profits To InfiLaw Or Something
The troubled law school plans to partner with "a northeastern university." Any guesses?