Davis Polk

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.06.19

* Roger Stone left early from his trial yesterday because he complained of food poisoning. At least this is better than R. Kelly's infected toenail excuse... [CNN] * An attorney alleged to have smuggled a hit list out of jail has been denied the reinstatement of her law license. [East Bay Times] * Attorneys for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes have filed a motion to withdraw from the case, stating that they haven't been paid for more than a year. Holmes has come a long way from paying numerous attorneys hefty fees to go after Theranos whistleblowers. [CNBC] * The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda has asked that Harvard Law make reparations to that country for the impact Antiguan slave labor had on the creation of Harvard Law School. [Toronto Star] * A celebrated cellist has won $11M in a slip and fall lawsuit against an upscale food market. That's a lot of cheddar. [New York Post] * Kentucky elected its first African American attorney general last night. [The Hill] * The Supreme Court yesterday seemed to frown upon North Carolina's use of copyrighted images of a pirate ship that sunk off its shores. If you want to see good images of a pirate ship, there's a ride you should check out... [USA Today]

By Jordan Rothman
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.06.19

* President Donald Trump has officially objected to special counsel Robert Mueller testifying before Congress via Twitter (obviously), putting himself at odds with his own Attorney General Bill Barr, who previously said he’d have no problem with Mueller’s testimony. [New York Times] * Justice Clarence Thomas, the high court’s longest-serving justice, may finally be having his moment in the sun. As a member of the more conservative SCOTUS majority, his views are finally being given more credence as he “drags the court in his direction.” If he holds true to his refusal to retire, in 2028, he could become the longest-serving justice in history. [Associated Press] * “I don’t have anything to hide. This guy Cohen has muddied the record and tried to muddy our reputation. I won’t let that happen.” Michael Cohen’s ex-defense attorney says that not only has his former client sullied his name, but that he still owes $43K in legal fees. [New York Law Journal] * Meanwhile, Michael Cohen is heading to a prison today that’s been referred to as “a great place for white-collar Jewish guy,” with a menu that includes matzo ball soup and gefilte fish. Plus, he’ll get to hang out with Mike Sorrentino of Jersey Shore and Billy McFarland of Fyre Festival. [Reuters] * Greg Andres, a senior prosecutor on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team who served as lead trial lawyer in Paul Manafort’s case, is headed back to Davis Polk. [Big Law Business] * According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy added 263,000 jobs last month, but it looks like the legal profession was left out of all the fun, declining by 0.7 percent. Just in time for graduation... [American Lawyer]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.04.19

* Was Michael Cohen involved in any talk about potential pardons? Lawmakers are now very interested in exploring this topic to find out if anyone was allegedly obstructing justice. [Washington Post] * As we've been hearing for a while now, special counsel Robert Mueller will submit his final report soon, and it's going to turn into a political firestorm. [Bloomberg] * Meanwhile, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, says it’s "very clear" that President Trump obstructed justice in Mueller's probe, and he’s sending out document requests for his own investigation. [Chicago Tribune] * Thomas Reid is out as the managing partner of Davis Polk after accepting the role of general counsel at Comcast. Congratulations and best of luck! [Corporate Counsel] * No one could have possibly seen this one coming: After his stint as White House counsel, Don McGahn will be returning to Jones Day. [National Law Journal] * Michael Cohen was disbarred just days ago, but it's possible he could practice law again the future. It won't be easy, of course, but it could happen. [Big Law Business] * Yay, more law schools... Concordia Law and Lincoln Memorial Law were granted full accreditation by the American Bar Association this weekend. [KTVB 7; WATE 6]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.11.17

Uh-oh! Trouble in paradise? It looks like Martin Shkreli's lawyer -- who also happens to be his co-defendant -- has turned on him. * Florida has released the results from its administration of the February 2017 bar exam, and they were not pretty. The percentage of those who passed dipped a bit since 2016, but students at both Orlando law schools were more likely to have failed. But which law school did the worst of all? We'll have more on this later. [Orlando Sentinel] * Trouble in paradise? Martin Shkreli's former lawyer, Evan Greebel -- who also happens to be his co-defendant -- has turned on him, accusing the pharma bro of submitting false documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission and engaging in illegal stock trading. Greebel, of course, now wants to be tried separately from Shkreli. [Bloomberg] * "I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be back." Five women who once worked at Davis Polk and had been gone for at least two years to raise their families have returned to the firm for one-year stints with a program called "Davis Polk Revisited." If all goes well, they may be able to return for a longer period of time. [WSJ Law Blog] * A former Hunton & Williams partner who spent 20 years on the lam as a fugitive has finally been caught. Scott Wolas, who was disbarred in 1999, was most recently accused in a $1.5 million real estate investment fraud scheme. Over the course of his alleged criminal career, Wolas reportedly assumed a number of other aliases. [Am Law Daily] * Each year around Easter, the ABA Journal hosts a Peeps in Law diorama contest. It's time to cast your vote for your favorite, and this time around, the competition is pretty stiff. We're particularly partial to the entry that's been dubbed "State of Peepington v. Trump," but "Peepsburg and Sugarmayor" is also very cute. Vote! [ABA Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky