Morning Docket 02.20.12
In today's Morning Docket: updates on the Justice Breyer robbery, security for the Supreme Court justices, and the Stolen Valor Act goes to SCOTUS.
A Portrait of the Accused as a Young Man (Plus a reader poll: innocent?)
Revelations continue to spill forth regarding Stephen McDaniel, the recent Mercer Law School graduate accused of killing his former classmate and neighbor, Lauren Giddings. Was he framed? Is he innocent? Take our reader poll and find out more....
Opus 2 Steps Up Its AI Game With Acquisition Of A Legal Tech Startup
With the addition of Uncover’s technology, the litigation software is delivering rapid innovation.
Non-Sequiturs: 07.19.11
* Urging people to kill the president is protected speech, according to the Ninth Circuit. So if you are playing along at home, judges think that talking about killing judges is wrong, but they don’t care if you threaten the executive branch. [Wired] * Did anyone start Dewey & LeBoeuf in their Dodger lawyers fantasy […]
A Closer Look at Paul Bergrin, Former Federal Prosecutor Accused of Murder-for-Hire
Paul Bergrin, the New Jersey federal prosecutor turned notorious criminal defense attorney, just may be the most scandalous alumnus of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark. Our very own David Lat pretended to be a woman while he wrote a mildly snarky blog about federal judges, but what Bergrin stands accused of doing is much, much worse.
Lawyer of the Day: Las Vegas Drug Prosecutor Arrested for… Drugs
Maybe it’s time for us to have a national conversation about legalizing drugs. It’s interesting to see how many folks in charge of enforcing and administering our nation’s drug laws seem to have drug problems themselves. We all recall the sad story of former federal judge Jack Camp. After years of sending offenders off to […]
Former Federal Judge, Caught in Drug and Prostitution Scandal, Cites Brain Damage and Depression
It was quite shocking last October when word first surfaced that then-federal judge Jack Camp, at the time a senior judge for the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta), might have indulged in cocaine, marijuana, and sex with a prostitute. The charges were hard to believe, especially given Judge Camp’s judicial office. But, as it turned […]
AI Is Killing Legal’s Billable Hour. It’s Also Repeating Its Worst Mistake
Law firms and legal departments are writing the future of the profession in separate rooms. What happens when they actually work together?
Biglaw Blind Item: What Does It Look Like When A Partner Gets Fired?
We’ve already shown you what it looks like when an associate gets laid off from a law firm. It’s not pretty. What does it look like when a law firm fires — or tries to fire — a partner? Well, that is even uglier….
Did Judge Jack Camp Pay for Coke, Pot — and Sex?
The allegations against Judge Jack Camp (N.D. Ga.), which we mentioned earlier today, are far more salacious than we expected. In fact, they’re hard to believe. “Learned Paw” posted this tongue-in-cheek comment, inspired by Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, on our earlier post: I am not surprised by the bust of […]
The Shaggy/Paris Hilton Defense, Supercharged
Last month, Marin broke down the Paris Hilton defense to a drug possession charge. Put simply, saying “it wasn’t me” when confronted with drugs found on your person strains credulity. Especially if those drugs are found in your ass. Which is what happened to a Florida man over the weekend…
Lawyer of the Day: Taking a Performance Enhancement During Trial Lands a Lawyer in Jail
Would you want your lawyer to do everything in his power to zealously represent you during your trial? What if doing all he can involves snorting a line during your trial? Hey, don’t be too quick to judge. Coke heads tend to be alert and aggressive — and those are good qualities for a trial […]
Schenck Price Competes Smarter With Lexis+ With Protégé
LexisNexis sat down with John Ursin, Managing Partner at Schenck Price, to learn how the firm is using legal AI to strengthen client service and daily legal work.
Judge of the Day: Rudolph Randa
It’s hard out here for an immigrant. Arizona has immigrants in the crosshairs, as we all know. Immigrants might also be unable to clerk for federal judges (or at least get paid for it). And when they commit crimes and get sentenced, immigrants are sometimes subjected to snide remarks by judges. The Seventh Circuit recently […]
Fame Brief: Paris Hilton and the Shaggy Defense
As you’ve probably heard, last week Las Vegas cops arrested partying hag Paris Hilton for cocaine possession, after pulling her over in a Cadillac Escalade that was trailing marijuana smoke. And as you’ve probably also heard, the police would have never found the coke in the first place if Paris hadn’t been such a vain […]
ATL Contest: Akin Gump Has the Coolest Holiday Card
Congratulations to Akin Gump, winner of Above the Law’s inaugural holiday card contest. Check out their very funny and clever card over here. The voting wasn’t even close. There were seven entrants, but Akin walked away with over 44 percent of the vote. It was the commenters’ favorite, too: “I work at HayBoo [Haynes and […]
I Hear That ‘Magic Circle’ Powder Is Killer
Back in the eighties, the popular myth was that all Manhattan attorneys had a leather briefcase, a good blue pen, and a Scarface-sized bowl of cocaine on their desk. Sadly, by the time I got to Biglaw the briefcase had been replaced by a canvas bag with a gaudy firm emblem emblazoned on the side […]