Detroit

  • Morning Docket: 03.24.20
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 03.24.20

    * A lawyer for the Red Sox is adamant that the franchise is not guilty of sign stealing. But underhanded tactics is kind of a tradition for Boston-area teams… [Yahoo News]

    * A former staffer for Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign has filed a class action lawsuit alleging that numerous staffers were promised jobs through November and were actually laid off after Bloomberg suspended his campaign. [Hill]

    * A Detroit courthouse has been disinfected after an attorney who visited the courthouse tested positive for COVID-19. If Detroit’s courts are even open, they’re a few weeks behind New York and New Jersey… [Detroit Free Press]

    * The New Jersey Attorney General has said that citizens who break a stay-at-home order may face jail time or fines of up to $1,000. [Hill]

    * Goldman Sachs paid its top in-house lawyer over $8 Million last year. I’m in the wrong field. [Bloomberg Law]

  • Morning Docket: 03.17.20
    Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 03.17.20

    * A mistrial was declared in a criminal trial in New York City yesterday after one of the lawyers experienced an intense coughing fit. Please attorneys, don’t try this on purpose… [New York Post]

    * A Virginia lawyer has been charged with allegedly bilking a client out of over $400,000 in phony payments over a several year period. [VA Lawyers’ Weekly]

    * Lawyers are trying to argue that a Detroit rapper should not be jailed because of coronavirus fears. Gotta hand it to the attorneys for trying every argument. [Detroit News]

    * A lawsuit is attempting to secure the release of immigration detainees who may be at risk of contracting COVID-19. [Buzzfeed]

    * A California lawyer is stuck on a cruise to Antarctica because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Apparently, there are around 120 doctors on board, so this attorney is in decent hands. [Sacramento Bee]

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  • Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 03.13.15

    * Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams will officially be appealing the $7.4 million “Blurred Lines” verdict that was handed down against them earlier this week. Both musicians were likely decidedly unhappy about having to give up their spare pocket change to pay for a lawsuit they thought they should’ve won. [Hollywood Reporter]

    * Another law school is teaching a marijuana law class, and it’s scheduled on Fridays so students won’t take it as a novelty course. For potheads, having to drag your ass out of bed when you don’t have other classes is a disincentivizer. [Columbus Dispatch]

    * After reaping the benefits of serving as lead counsel in Detroit’s bankruptcy, Jones Day decided to pay the city back by opening an office. The firm will recruit for the new office internally. Raise your hand if you’re excited to move to Detroit, associates. [Am Law Daily]

    * “I don’t know where he is. I haven’t got a clue.” Paul Ceglia, the man who claimed he owned half of Facebook based on a faux contract and is now facing fraud charges, has suddenly and conveniently disappeared ahead of his May trial. Dislike. [Bloomberg]

    * If for some reason you’re still interested in applying to law school, here’s a timeline that will help you get through the application process. Step 1: Figure out if you actually need to go to law school. Step 2: Abandon the rest of the steps. [U.S. News & World Report]

  • Morning Docket

    Morning Docket: 01.21.15

    * Nothing is f*cked here, Judge: With first-class flights, alcoholic beverages, and hotel movies already nixed, lawyers who worked on the City of Detroit’s municipal bankruptcy case are now being forced to defend their multi-million dollar billables. [WSJ Law Blog]

    * “It’s important to have different perspectives in Congress. It really adds a lot to the mix.” That said, which law schools are the best at producing lawmakers? You may be surprised by some of the schools that made the list. [National Law Journal]

    * “Going to law school is still a great option,” says the dean of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, a school whose 25th percentile LSAT scores dropped by six points year over year. Toss UA Law a pity application. [Daily Wildcat]

    * Per the defense in the Aurora movie theater massacre case, the prosecutor’s “insistence upon the death penalty certainly seems politically motivated” — that, or maybe James Holmes deserves the death penalty for killing 12 people. [ABA Journal]

    * By now, everyone’s heard of the woman who’s planning to “marry” her biological father and move to New Jersey. Believe it or not, incestual adult relationships are actually legal in the Garden State thanks to a legislative screw-up. [NJ Advance Media]

  • 6th Circuit, Bankruptcy, Gay Marriage, Immigration, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Prisons, Racism

    Non-Sequiturs: 11.07.14

    * U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes approved the deal tossing about $7 billion of Detroit's debt. He declared that it was now time to restore democracy to Detroit. We'll see how that turns out. [The Detroit News] * How many law schools are in dire economic straits? Try 80. [TaxProf Blog] * Professors Eric Posner and Glen Weyl think the answer to global income inequality is low-paid migrant labor. It’s not entirely as crazy as it sounds. But it’s still kinda crazy. [The New Republic] * On the other hand, economic inequality could be greatly exacerbated by technology anyway. [Lawyers, Guns & Money] * Life imitates Shawshank. [Clarion-Ledger] * Attorney and author Lawrence Otis Graham explains how no amount of economic or educational privilege can fully shield African-Americans from racism. [Washington Post] ** A women's group pledges to stand up for victims of harassment on Twitter. Not to discount some of the vile stuff women are subjected to on Twitter, but it's possible that Twitter is rife with gender-neutral horribleness. [What About Clients] * That Sixth Circuit marriage equality opinion is… well, fundamentally wrong about how constitutional democracy works. [Detroit Free-Press]

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  • Abortion, Bankruptcy, Gay, Gay Marriage, Morning Docket, Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Texas, Tim Wu, Trials

    Morning Docket: 09.02.14

    * Could Columbia law professor Tim Wu become New York’s next lieutenant governor? He has a shot, according to the Times. [New York Times]

    * Which same-sex-marriage case is the best vehicle for Supreme Court review? [BuzzFeed]

    * A federal judge takes the wheel in steering Detroit into the future. [American Lawyer]

    * Is it “shameful” of the ALS Association to attempt to trademark the phrase “ice bucket challenge”? [ABA Journal]

    * Jury deliberations are expected to begin today in the corruption trial of former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell. [Washington Post]

    * Voter ID laws are back on trial, this time in Texas. [New York Times]

    * Speaking of Texas, the state seeks to stay a recent ruling that struck down the requirement that abortion clinics comply with standards for ambulatory surgical centers. [ABA Journal]

  • 10th Circuit, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Gay, Gay Marriage, Gender, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Rankings, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Women's Issues

    Morning Docket: 08.07.14

    * Let’s get ready to rumble! Not wanting to be left out of the party, Oklahoma has also asked the Supreme Court to take a look at its same-sex marriage statute which was recently slapped down by the Tenth Circuit. [National Law Journal]

    * Dewey know what financial restructuring adviser Joff Mitchell of Zolfo Cooper said to this failing firm’s partners right before it flopped for good? “Look, there is no way here to save this firm.” Ouch. That had to have sucked. [Forbes]

    * The examiner who was appointed to monitor law firm billing for the City of Detroit’s bankruptcy is now questioning Dentons’ fees of up to $27K per month to talk to the press. Whoa there… [Detroit Free Press]

    * Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers have released the latest ranking of the Top 50 Law Firms for Women. Vivia Chen feels “a bit dirty” after reading the list — and you probably should, too. [The Careerist]

    * Leisure Suit Larry’s successors are here to stay for a while: Case Western Reserve Law’s co-interim deans will stay on in their current positions for the upcoming school year. [Crain’s Cleveland Business]

  • Bankruptcy, Fashion, Federal Judges, Jury Duty, Law Schools, Minority Issues, Morning Docket, Sports, Video games

    Morning Docket: 06.10.14

    * Hmm, somebody didn’t review those documents quickly enough: the City of Detroit’s bankruptcy trial has been delayed for about a month’s time by Judge Steven Rhodes because the parties needed additional time to get their acts together. [Bloomberg]

    * The NCAA may have lost the battle in the Keller EA Sports video games case with its $20 million settlement offer, but it’s clearly out for blood to win the war in the O’Bannon case with its tough cross-examination tactics for the lead plaintiff. [USA Today]

    * GW Law, a school that recently increased its class size by 22 percent and allowed its average LSAT score to slip by two points, yoinked its new dean right out from under Wake Forest’s nose. [GW Hatchet]

    * The legal profession isn’t exactly diverse, and law schools want to change that — the more pictures of “diverse” students they can display on their websites, the better. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

    * Who really cares what prospective jurors wear when they show up for jury duty? The lawyers arguing that being turned away for wearing sneakers affected their clients’ rights in a case, that’s who. [WSJ Law Blog]

  • Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Celebrities, Commencement, Federal Judges, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Partner Issues

    Morning Docket: 05.29.14

    * Barnes & Thornburg’s managing partner is planning to step down after almost two decades in the firm’s top leadership role. His tenure ends on a high note: 2013′s gross revenue was up by 12% and PPP was up by 8.2%. [Am Law Daily]

    * “To terminate Jones Day at that point is an incredibly bad idea. I hope the mayor hears me.” Judge Steven Rhodes politely called Detroit’s mayor a moron after the city official declared he’d fire Jones Day in September. [Detroit Free Press]

    * “When you’re giving anything to a judge, you try to be careful about it.” In 2012, law schools paid federal judges almost $2M to teach and lecture. A useful way to spend tuition dollars? [National Law Journal]

    * San Diego Law School, a branch of San Francisco Law School, is open for business. It’s being marketed as a “fresh start” — if you failed out at another law school, come join the party here! [Daily Transcript]

    * If you weren’t aware, Mindy Kaling gave a commencement speech at Harvard Law this week. She praised the graduates’ dedication to tedium, and kindly reminded some that they were evil. [Boston.com]

  • Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Federal Judges, Football, Labor / Employment, Morning Docket, Native Americans, Partner Issues

    Morning Docket: 05.16.14

    * Congrats to Diane Humetewa, the first Native American woman to serve as a federal judge in United States history. You’d think this achievement would’ve already been reached. [Arizona Daily Star]

    * When your case is compared to a law school exam, and the judge uses the number “bazillion” to describe the problems that could happen, it sucks to be you, Detroit. [DealBook / New York Times]

    * Dewey know when this failed firm actually went belly up? It’s liquidating trustee says D&L was insolvent in 2009, and wants $22.5 million from ex-international partners in his latest clawback suits. [Am Law Daily]

    * The managing partner of Seyfarth Shaw refers to his firm as the “Costco of corporate legal services” because it’s a place where you can “get more for less.” What’s the membership fee? [Chicago Tribune]

    * The Buffalo Bills filed a motion to dismiss the wage and hour suit put forth by the disgruntled members of its cheerleading squad, the Buffalo Jills. You better hope that motion survives the “jiggle test.” [CBS Sports]