Election 2012
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Bankruptcy, Clerkships, Crime, Drugs, Election 2012, Federal Judges, Guns / Firearms, Job Searches, Law Schools, Layoffs, Money, Morning Docket, Politics, Pro Se Litigants, Romance and Dating, S.D.N.Y., Sam Sparks, State Judges, Student Loans, Texas, Unemployment
Morning Docket: 08.13.12
* In case you’ve been sleeping under a rock, Mitt Romney picked Rep. Paul Ryan as his Vice Presidential running mate. Putting politics aside, this is a great pick, if only because Ryan is so handsome. Seriously, he’s a total stud. [Wall Street Journal]
* “How can I be the one guy with a good degree who is going to be chronically unemployed?” Sadly, many lawyers are still looking for jobs after (multiple) layoffs, but thanks to a lack of positions, employment is just “not in the cards” for them. [New York Times]
* Deadliest clerkship? The Washington, D.C. judge who presided over one of the most violent mass shooting cases in the nation’s capital was reportedly held up at gunpoint last week, with her law clerk in tow. [Fox DC]
* Something is rotten in the state of Denmark Texas. Judge Sam Sparks “know[s] the smell of bad fish,” and now wants to know why the USADA waited so long to bring charges against Lance Armstrong. [Bloomberg]
* After reversing a bankruptcy court’s decision that loan repayment would be an “undue hardship” for a law-school debtor, a judge took the time to rip law schools a new one over escalating tuition. [Oregonian]
* Match.com class-action plaintiffs found no love in court after a federal judge ruled that the dating website hadn’t breached its user agreement. Much like their love lives, their claims aren’t getting any action. [Reuters]
* A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client: 23% of all cases filed in the federal court for the S.D.N.Y. are brought by pro-se litigants, and the vast majority of them seem to have lost their minds. [New York Post]
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American Bar Association / ABA, Death Penalty, Election 2012, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Politics, R. Ted Cruz, Texas
Non-Sequiturs: 08.01.12
* The ABA is gearing up for its annual meeting in Chicago. I’ll note (with a lack of surprise) that I was not invited. [ABA Journal] * At that meeting, the ABA will once again consider accrediting foreign law schools. American lawyers have shouted down this idea twice before, but if the ABA has a chance to screw over its constituents it simply must keep trying. [National Law Journal] * Here, we see NYU’s Dean Richard Revesz defend the economic value of an “expensive” NYU Law degree without actually using any economic facts or statistics. [Constitutional Daily] * Please tell me this Ted Cruz character isn’t going to become an ongoing part of my life. [Mother Jones] * Only lawyers could complicate the word “shall” to the point that it loses all meaning. [Legal Blog Watch] * I thought casinos killed you with the expensive gambling, not the free alcohol. [Overlawyered] * Another positive review for Mark Hermann’s Inside Straight. [New York Personal Injury Law Blog] * An interesting conversation with NYU professor David Garland about the death penalty. It won’t kill you to check it out. [Cruel and Unusual] - Sponsored
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Biglaw, Election 2012, Politics, R. Ted Cruz, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks, Texas
Congratulations to Ted Cruz, Tea Party Favorite in Establishment Clothing
Congratulations to Ted Cruz, who just won a runoff election for the Republican Senate nomination in Texas. Let's take a look at his amazing résumé....
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Election 2012, Election Law, Health Care / Medicine, Hotties, Larry Lessig, Law Schools, Lawrence Lessig, Non-Sequiturs, Politics
Non-Sequiturs: 07.25.12
* Interested in going to law school this coming fall? It’s not too late to apply, frighteningly enough. [Inside the Law School Scam via Tax Prof Blog] * Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Even graduates of Harvard Law School wind up homeless. [Concurring Opinions] * Sorry, I don’t like bike dudes; so many cyclists are rude, irresponsible, and annoying, to both pedestrians and drivers. If I were king, they’d go to prison; but I’m not, so we’ll have to settle for reeducation. [New York Times] * What does Bruce Springsteen think of Obamacare? [Althouse] * A few jurisdictions have laws against “attractiveness discrimination.” Try to guess which ones, then click on the link. [What About Clients?] * Larry Lessig and Ilya Shapiro debate the value of disclosure requirements in the campaign finance context. [Lean Forward / MSNBC] -
Election 2012, Law Schools, Politics, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Mindy Meyer Is, You Know, She's Like, State Senate Material, or Whatever
Is Mindy Meyer more like Elle Woods or Kim Kardashian? Definitely the latter... -
Election 2012, Fabulosity, Law Schools, Politics
Meet Mindy Meyer! You’ll Remember Her...
Which Touro Law student is running for New York State Senate? This one, and she's fabulous... -
Antonin Scalia, Attorney Misconduct, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, California, Deaths, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Election 2012, Gender, Howrey LLP, Joe Biden, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, SCOTUS, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, Silicon Valley, Supreme Court, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 07.23.12
* Presidential campaigns for Election 2012 are focusing in on the Supreme Court and future appointments to the high court, and Vice President Joe Biden is really not a fan of Justice Scalia. [POLITICO]
* Dewey know what the ramifications of D&L’s $50M insurance policy will mean for the resolution of the failed firm’s bankruptcy proceedings? Well, Steve Davis is probably happy. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* Howrey going to pay off all of our creditors? Probably by dipping into the coffers of the 70 other law firms that took on our defectors. Have fun with all of those subpoenas. [Capital Business / Washington Post]
* The percentage of women in Biglaw partnership positions is up 2.8% since 2003, but the equity gender gap remains. At least some progress is being made. [National Law Journal]
* “I thought your papers were terrific, I just disagreed with them.” Kleiner Perkins isn’t a fan of backhanded compliments, so the firm is appealing a judge’s decision to keep Ellen Pao’s case out of arbitration. [Reuters]
* James Holmes, the alleged shooter in the Aurora movie-theater massacre, is scheduled to make his first court appearance today for an initial advisement. Thus far, he’s facing at least 71 charges. [Denver Post]
* The class action suit filed against Cooley Law over its allegedly deceptive employment statistics has been dismissed, much like the NYLS lawsuit before it. More on the dismissal to come later today. [WSJ Law Blog]
* “Sex isn’t going to buy me dinner.” Michael Winner, the attorney accused of offering “pro boner” assistance to female inmates, claims in an interview that the allegations against him are “just plain false.” [WSB-TV Atlanta]
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Antonin Scalia, Election 2012, Health Care / Medicine, John Roberts, Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
The Not-So-Young and the Restless: Drama at One First Street?
Are Justice Scalia and Chief Justice Roberts on the outs over Obamacare? And how has public opinion of the Supreme Court shifted in the wake of the Affordable Care Act decision? - Sponsored
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Bankruptcy, Barack Obama, Biglaw, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Election 2012, Football, Law Professors, Money, Morning Docket, Music, Partner Issues, White-Collar Crime
Morning Docket: 07.13.12
* “I think this is destined to fail.” People are not happy with the proposed settlement plan for former Dewey partners, but who are they kidding? These people don’t exactly like to part with money — not even to hand out bonuses. [Am Law Daily (sub. req.)]
* Andrew Levander, a partner at Dechert LLP, is representing ex-Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond. Diamond hasn’t been charged with anything, but this white-collar defense lawyer’s apparently been on his side since 2010. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Money talks: lawyers and law firms are the top donors by industry to presidential campaign funds, with Kirkland & Ellis leading for Romney, and DLA Piper for Obama. [Capital Business Blog / Washington Post]
* Escándalo! Louis Freeh’s report revealed that PSU’s “seriously deficient” counsel billed a whopping 2.9 hours on an incident involving Jerry Sandusky’s locker room shower with a young boy. [Centre Daily Times]
* But here’s where the football chatter comes in (not that I know a lot about football): legal experts say Freeh threw an “incomplete” with this report, because it didn’t go far back enough in time. [New York Daily News]
* Sorry, lady, but you didn’t need to attend a Justin Bieber concert for his music to allegedly cause permanent damage to your ears to the tune of $9M. All you really needed to do was turn on the radio. [Chicago Tribune]
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Barack Obama, Constitutional Law, Election 2012, Health Care / Medicine, John Roberts, Neal Katyal, Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Individual Mandate Survives; It's A Tax Now!
Roberts upholds the individual mandate as a tax, not as a use of commerce power... -
Barack Obama, Constitutional Law, Election 2012, Election Law, Health Care / Medicine, Immigration, Politics, SCOTUS, Sentencing Law, Supreme Court
While We're Waiting For Obamacare, It's All About The Dissents
When justices stop being polite... and start getting REAL. -
Benchslaps, Constitutional Law, Election 2012, Election Law, Health Care / Medicine, Immigration, Politics, SCOTUS, Sentencing Law, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court, Thomas Goldstein
What Happened at the Supreme Court Today?
What went down at the U.S. Supreme Court this morning? Still no Obamacare ruling, but there were a few other interesting decisions.... -
Election 2012, Law Schools, Women's Issues
What's Everyone's Favorite 'Slut' Up to These Days?(An Update on Georgetown Law's Sandra Fluke.)
Remember Sandra Fluke? Here's an update on everyone's favorite "slut"...
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Election 2012, Federal Judges, Non-Sequiturs, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Non-Sequiturs: 06.06.12
* Some say we need judges, not doormats, but I say we need our doormats to be more judgmental. [The Atlantic] * I wonder if the voters will like how Romney surrogate Donald Trump is now threatening beauty pageant contestants. [Dealbreaker] * Sure, the headline seems crazy: “mother arrested for cheering too loudly at high school graduation.” But honestly, some parents need to shut the hell up. There are lots of kids graduating. Your child can figure out that you are proud of her achievement without you ruining the experience for everybody. [MSNBC] * This week’s bro safety announcement. [Reuters] * This week’s professional safety announcement. [Not So Private Parts / Forbes] * This article on ten things law schools won’t tell you should be titled, “100 things Above the Law has told you over and over again but you won’t listen to because you refuse to learn.” Though, in fairness, that is a bit long for a title. [Smart Money] * D-Day. You know, the reason why the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee wasn’t celebrated as a government in exile. [What About Clients?] -
Baseball, Election 2012, Email Scandals, Jury Duty, Morning Docket, Texas
Morning Docket: 06.06.12
* Scott Walker, the not-exactly-beloved governor of Wisconsin who cut collective bargaining rights for most public workers, is still popular enough to survive a state recall election. In related news, the nation’s Republicans wish to report that, yes, they feel great this morning. [New York Times] * If they keep dismissing jurors in the Roger […]
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Bankruptcy, Barack Obama, Biglaw, California, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Dissolution, Election 2012, Federal Judges, Gender, Gloria Allred, Harvard Law Review, John Marshall Law School, Law Reviews, Law Schools, Marijuana, Money, Morning Docket, United Kingdom / Great Britain, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 06.04.12
* Dewey know how deep in the red D&L’s international operations were? Enough to make you shout bloody hell and sacré bleu: the U.K. and Paris offices had liabilities of at least $175M. [Financial Times (reg. req.)]
* “To the extent that we the estate have claims, we would like to settle those claims sooner rather than later.” The joke’s on you if you thought you’d be able to keep your Dewey defector money. [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)]
* According to the allegations in former Cravath associate Ellen Pao’s sex discrimination suit against venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, the “Mad Men” culture seems to be alive and well in Silicon Valley. [New York Times]
* Who will be the first to puff, puff, pass the vote — Obama or Romney? It looks like the path to the White House in Election 2012 might depend upon the legalization of marijuana in key states like Colorado. [Reuters]
* Apparently you can’t take the “duh” out of “Flori-duh” when it comes to voting laws without a fight in the courts. A federal judge has blocked portions of the Sunshine State’s “onerous” voter registration law. [Bloomberg]
* “People want to go to our school, and why should we say no?” Because they can’t get jobs? Northwestern Law is considering shrinking its class sizes; John Marshall Law, not so much. [Crain’s Chicago Business]
* Stop crying about coming in second in the U.S. News rankings, Harvard, because you can still brag about beating Yale in having the most-cited law review articles of all time… for now. [National Law Journal (reg. req.)]
* Gloria Allred is representing one of the Miami “zombie’s” girlfriends for reasons unknown. Maybe the zombie apocalypse is truly upon is and she saw an opportunity to stand up for undead women’s rights. [CBS Miami]
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9th Circuit, California, Election 2012, Facebook, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs, Privacy, State Judges, Transfer Students
Non-Sequiturs: 06.01.2012
* The bassist of The Vandals, an 80s punk band famous for songs like “Anarchy Burger (Hold the Government),” is running for judge in southern California. Man, I would love to see his campaign video. [The Atlantic] * Congratulations to Judge Morgan Brenda Christen, the first Alaskan woman to join the Ninth Circuit. [Courthouse News] * It’s hard out here for a transfer student. [Inside the Law School Scam] * Can a judge force you to turn over your Facebook status updates? Inquiring minds want to know when you ate your grilled cheese sandwich, and when you fed your cat. [The Volokh Conspiracy] * Do you think the Divorce Hotel takes a AAA discount? Are they available for corporate retreats? Do you need to book a separate bedroom for the kids? [Legal Blog Watch] * Take note, future political candidates: when the going gets tough, the tough get going change their legal name to a website URL. [Legal Juice] -
Election 2012, Harvard, iPhone, Politics, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Harvard Law Grads Are Prone to Typos
Apparently this Harvard-educated presidential candidate can't spell "America." Are you still with Mitt? -
Election 2012, Music, Politics, Rap, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners, State Judges, Videos, YouTube
Holy Moley, We Heard From Jim Foley (In Case You Forgot, He's Running For Judge in the City of Oly)
We check back in with Jim Foley, Washington state judicial candidate and star of a sweet campaign rap video. -
Election 2012, Music, Politics, Rap, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Videos, Weirdness, YouTube
This Is Either the Best or Worst Judicial Campaign Ad Ever
Holy moley, I hear Jim Foley is running for judge in the city of Oly!