Discrimination
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 12.30.14
* An African-American Cleary Gottlieb project attorney is suing, claiming that the firm discriminated against him when he was fired. He alleges that white lawyers kept their jobs, but he lost his because he was black. [Legal Times]
* For law deans, hindsight is 180: This D.C.-area school “aggressively” raised tuition when everyone decided to go to law school to ride out the recession, and now its dean is admitting that doing so was a “mistake.” [Washington Post]
* “I want to bring blind justice to the Michigan Supreme Court.” Come New Year’s Day, Richard Bernstein — who has been legally blind since birth — will do just that when he’s sworn in to serve on the state’s highest court. Congratulations! [WSJ Law Blog]
* It’s important to learn the skill of entrepreneurship as part of today’s legal education since you never know when you’ll be forced to open your own practice because you can’t get someone else to give you a job. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]
* Associate bonuses aren’t the only charitable causes Biglaw firms are willing to throw money at in a given year. In fact, some firms dole out millions upon millions of dollars for the purpose of doing good and supporting their communities. [Am Law Daily]
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Supreme Court
Justice Scalia Tells Women What They're Worth. Spoiler: Not Very Much.
Oral argument in Young v. UPS revealed a lot about the justices. - Sponsored
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Law Schools
On-Campus With Elie: 3L Sues Firm For Being Elitist
Just because it's unfair doesn't make it illegal.
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Drinking, Federalist Society, Murder, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 11.17.14
* ADA complaint filed by former TV anchor fired for drunkenness. On behalf of the ATL staff, we’re watching this one closely. [Chicagoland Radio and Media]
* Some of these made their way into the pages of Above the Law before, but this is an excellent compilation of “12 Unbelievable Courtroom Moments Caught on Tape.” [Robert Reeves Law]
* Rhinos, sharks, and the Secretary of Commerce walk into an Elie post… [Redline]
* A look back at FedSoc’s 2014 National Lawyers Convention. It sounds like it ended with Bailey’s and hot chocolate with Justice Don Willett, so that can’t be bad. [Wonkette]
* Butthurt police detective suing defense lawyer for criticizing the investigation. [Washington Post]
* BP argues that fining them more than they’re willing to pay for poisoning the Gulf of Mexico would be “legal chaos.” As opposed to that regular chaos of dumping millions of barrels of oil into the water and getting a slap on the wrist for it. [Breaking Energy]
* Banker with ties to Linklaters, Skadden, and Latham & Watkins awaiting trial for murdering two prostitutes in Hong Kong. Just go ahead and put whatever American Psycho joke you think of here. [Roll on Friday]
* Should litigation financing be disclosed? [Litigation Funding Central]
* A collection of stories about the diversity issues at Harvard Law School. Sounds like a delightful place if you’re white, male, and heterosexual. [Socratic Shortcomings]
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Baseball, Sexual Harassment
Lawsuit Sez Baseball Team Sucks At Baseball, Life
It's not shocking to believe that any obstacles she encountered stemmed from incompetence in the front office and on the field. What is shocking are the allegations detailing the verbal and emotional abuse Castergine took from Wilpon and those acting under his management.... -
B for Beauty, Cars, Gender
Can't A Dude Put On Lipstick For The DMV?
A standard so discriminatory that South Carolina should blush. -
Boutique Law Firms, Defamation, Labor / Employment, Partner Issues, Plaintiffs Firms, Sex, Sex Scandals, Small Law Firms, Women's Issues
Alexandra Marchuk v. Faruqi & Faruqi: Bad News For The Defendants
What two blows have just been dealt to Juan Monteverde and Faruqi & Faruqi in this salacious litigation? -
Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Celebrities, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Drugs, Facebook, Gay, Labor / Employment, Marijuana, Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 07.23.14
* Yesterday afternoon, two of D&L’s former executives quietly settled a clawback suit filed by Alan Jacobs, the firm’s bankruptcy trustee. Dewey know how much Messrs. Sanders and DiCarmine had to pay the piper? [WSJ Law Blog]
* GrayRobinson is the latest firm to hop aboard the medical marijuana bandwagon by launching its own regulated products practice group. Lawyers will soon puff, puff, pass around those lovely billable hours. [Daily Business Review]
* Pain at the pump apparently extends to this gas giant’s résumé dumps. A suit alleging bias in ExxonMobil’s hiring moves forward thanks to the Illinois Human Rights Commission. [Washington Blade]
* Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg will be testifying against Paul Ceglia in court to prove that the alleged huckster faked a contract that claimed he owned more than half the company. Like. [Bloomberg]
* It seems that Kid Rock has been subpoenaed over a glass sex toy that was supposedly given to him by a former Insane Clown Posse employee. Kid Rock is probably thrilled to be in the news again. [MLive.com]
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Constitutional Law, Education / Schools
Easiest Way To Get Caught Plagiarizing? Forget You're White!
Law essay running along smoothly until a discussion of the author's personal identity as a black woman prompts teacher to note, "you're white." -
Boutique Law Firms, Labor / Employment, Lateral Moves, Litigators, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues, Plaintiffs Firms, Sex, Sex Scandals, Small Law Firms, Women's Issues
The Revolving Door Continues To Spin At Faruqi & Faruqi
Did Alexandra Marchuk's lawsuit against Faruqi & Faruqi help destabilize the entire firm? -
Election Law, Gay, Jury Duty, Marijuana, Non-Sequiturs, Securities and Exchange Commission, Supreme Court
Non-Sequiturs: 04.04.14
* DEA Administrator decides to up the ante on the stupidest argument against marijuana legalization ever: it’s harmful to dogs. The DEA’s plan to ban chocolate is still in draft. [The Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * Everyone’s up to date on the Florida lawyer and right-wing congressional candidate with the vampiric cosplay rape fantasies, right? Okay good. [Gawker] * Jurors say police used excessive force but that the beating didn’t injure the plaintiff. In other news, Florida has a senility problem. [The Florida Times-Union] * Did anybody notice that Chief Justice Roberts -- the author of Shelby County -- opened McCutcheon by labeling the right to participate in electing leaders as fundamental with absolutely no irony. [Reuters] * Anti-gay job discrimination may already be illegal. [Slate] * The bad economy pits criminal defense lawyers against each other. They shouldn’t do that. [Katz Justice] * The SEC doesn’t have to abide by the Brady rule and Mark Cuban’s not happy about it. [Wall Street Journal] -
Boutique Law Firms, Labor / Employment, Lateral Moves, Litigators, Money, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues, Plaintiffs Firms, Sex, Sex Scandals, Small Law Firms, Women's Issues
Faruqi & Faruqi: On The Prowl For Partners?
How much is this litigation boutique rumored to pay its partners? -
Boutique Law Firms, Labor / Employment, Lateral Moves, Litigators, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues, Plaintiffs Firms, Sex, Sex Scandals, Small Law Firms, Women's Issues
Alexandra Marchuk v. Faruqi & Faruqi: Are Lawyers Leaving The Faruqi Firm?
Is a controversial lawsuit causing lawyers to leave this high-profile boutique?
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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Biglaw, In-House Counsel, Kramer Levin, Morning Docket, Reality TV, Staff Attorneys / Discovery Attorneys, Television, Trendspotting
Morning Docket: 03.03.14
* If your firm has not yet given in to the demands of corporate clients for more reasonable billing structures, please be aware that a) your firm is behind the times, and b) you better be prepared to get your white shoes scuffed. [Boston Globe]
* Mirror, mirror, on the wall, which is the fairest firm of them all? According to the 2014 Acritas Brand Index survey, Skadden is the firm on everyone’s mind — for the third year in a row. They must be doing something right. Congrats! [Am Law Daily]
* Part of this former staff attorney’s discrimination suit against Quinn Emanuel was dismissed, but as our editor, Elie Mystal, mused when he first heard of this case, it’s likely “the only color Quinn cares about is green.” [New York Law Journal]
* Trendspotting: Because fast-growing technology equals fast-growing money when it comes to the law, LeClairRyan is the second firm in the U.S. to open up a drone practice group. [Richmond Times-Dispatch]
UPDATE (1:00 p.m.): Actually, Kramer Levin launched its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Practice Group back in December 2013, as noted by the ABA Journal and Bloomberg News.
* Bachelorette-in-waiting Andi Dorfman was granted an unpaid leave of absence from her job as an ADA to star in this summer’s edition of the reality show. We guess her boss gave her career a rose. [Daily Report]
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Boutique Law Firms, Drinking, Labor / Employment, Litigators, Oral Sex / Blow Jobs, Plaintiffs Firms, Sex, Sex Scandals, Small Law Firms, Women's Issues
Tasty Tidbits From A Salacious Summary Judgment Motion
What are the latest juicy revelations in Alexandra Marchuk's lawsuit against her former firm and one of its partners? -
Labor / Employment, Plaintiffs Firms, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Greatest Risk For Workplace Lawsuits In 2014 Remains 'Doing Illegal Stuff'
Businesses are told that plaintiff lawyers are out to get them. In reality, businesses need to do more to stay out of trouble in the first place. -
BuckleySandler, Contract Attorneys, Document Review, Pro Se Litigants, Staff Attorneys / Discovery Attorneys
Which Law Firm Is Getting Sued By A Contract Attorney Now?
A contract attorney sues a law firm, alleging everyone was out to get him. -
Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Harold Baer, Quote of the Day, Racism, S.D.N.Y., Samuel Alito, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Women's Issues
A Very 'Facetious' Reverse Benchslap Of Justice Samuel Alito
Sassy, classy, and a bit smart-assy? We like this judge's style. -
Animal Law, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Canada, Deaths, Gay, Gay Marriage, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Pets, Pornography, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court
Morning Docket: 11.21.13
* Justice Sonia Sotomayor thinks that the lack of diversity on the federal and state judiciaries poses a “huge danger,” one that might even be greater than her complete inability to dance. [Blog of Legal Times]
* Because “love [shouldn’t be] relegated to a second-class status for any citizen in our country,” Illinois is now the 16th state in the U.S. to have legalized same-sex marriage. Congratulations and welcome! [CNN]
* “His discrimination claim was not about discrimination.” After only 2.5 hours deliberating, the jury reached a verdict in John Ray III v. Ropes & Gray, and the Biglaw firm came out on top. [National Law Journal]
* One thing’s for sure: big city bankruptcies ain’t cheap. Detroit has paid about $11 million to Jones Day, emergency manager Kevyn Orr’s former firm, since this whole process kicked off. [Detroit Free Press]
* The entire judicial panel overseeing Judge Lori Douglas’s ethics inquiry just quit. Justice apparently wouldn’t be served by continuing to examine a middle-aged woman’s porn pictures. [Winnipeg Free Press]
* Baylor Law is being overrun by a colony of feral cats. Someone please tell the administration these kitties can’t be used as therapy animals before finals — students will have their faces clawed off. [Baylor Lariat]
* Guy Cellucci, managing partner of White & Williams who died unexpectedly, RIP. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
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Boutique Law Firms, Labor / Employment, Litigators, Plaintiffs Firms, Sex, Sex Scandals, Small Law Firms, Women's Issues
Alexandra Marchuk v. Faruqi & Faruqi: A Mental Case?
What's the latest news in the salacious case of Marchuk v. Faruqi & Faruqi?