Fashion

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.25.16

* Demand for legal services may be down, but to keep up appearances, law firms are raising their rates. Despite those rate increases -- which are driving revenue across most firms -- Wells Fargo Private Bank's Legal Specialty Group says, "We do not expect the results to match the record peak performance experienced in 2014.” At least you tried? [WSJ Law Blog] * In-house attorneys make a lot of money, but that won't stop them from being envious of their Biglaw colleagues. Per a new survey, 44 percent of in-house counsel say their compensation is “below or significantly below that of their peers," and 40 percent said they were likely to search for a new job because of comp issues. [Big Law Business] * If you missed it this weekend, Joan Biskupic had an excellent profile of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Though she once lamented that her decisions were "being dismantled," she's modest about how influential she was on the Supreme Court: "We [tried] to persuade by the strength of the argument. Everyone [had] a very key vote." [CNN] * "The current condition of the [Cincinnati College of Law may] not [be] good enough for [its] wonderful students,” but that doesn't mean it's getting a new building any time soon. The school's trustees just scrapped a plan to build a new law school at the downtown riverfront, opting to keep it on UC's main campus. [Cincinnati Enquirer] * "[B]ehind its façade of attainable elegance, Zara is engaged in a widespread practice of deceiving American consumers through a classic bait and switch." Clothing store Zara has been slapped with a $5 million federal suit for allegedly engaging in deceptive pricing tactics. The store typically only lists prices in euros in its U.S. stores. [Us Weekly]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.24.16

* Ivanka Trump has responded to a lawsuit filed by fashion house Aquazurra, which accused her of infringing upon the luxury brand's shoe designs. Trump repeatedly denied copying the shoe designs in question, and asked that the suit be tossed out like a pair of last season's pumps. Will this keep on kicking until after the election? [Huffington Post] * A federal judge tossed a rather absurd suit that was filed against Starbucks, which alleged the company put a deceptive amount of ice in its cold drinks, writing, "If children have figured out that including ice in a cold beverage decreases the amount of liquid they will receive, the Court has no difficulty concluding that a reasonable consumer would not be deceived." [WSJ Law Blog] * Bad Boies, bad Boies, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they finance you? The Boies/Schiller Film Group, a small film finance company started by law firm founder David Boies and Zack Schiller (son of law firm co-founder Jonathan Schiller), is fronting the cash needed for comedy movie based on reality show "COPS." [Law.com] * Turing Pharmaceuticals, the drug company once led by disgraced pharma bro Martin Shkreli, has been accused of retaliation following the alleged sexual assault of its chief commercial officer at the hands of its interim chief financial officer. For his part in this mess, Shkreli is accused of sexist and vulgar behavior. [DealBook / New York Times] * "The allegations of the suit are ridiculous. We are confident that the suit will be dismissed in short order." Cassidy Recruiting is suing Holland & Knight partner Dean Schaner over a failed law firm placement, and it's seeking between $200K and $1M in damages, all because Schaner used another recruiter to join the firm. [Big Law Business]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.26.16

* Could it be? Could she really do such a thing? Rumor has it that Amal Clooney may be quitting her law firm job at Doughty Street Chambers to become a fashion designer for the likes of fashion house Oscar de la Renta. We may have more on this later today. [Inquisitr] * Maryland's AG intends to contest a ruling granting "Serial" podcast subject Adnan Syed a new trial, saying that the state would "defend what it believes is a valid conviction." Syed has been servicing a life sentence for the murder of Hae Min Lee since 2000. [Baltimore Sun] * Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert may be behind bars for a 15-month term for attempting to conceal secret payments to his underage sexual assault victims in a cover-up scheme, but that doesn't mean he's not going to fight a lawsuit seeking the full $3.5 million he allegedly said he would pay to buy a victim's silence. [Chicago Tribune] * Vermont Law School, which was hit relatively hard by the recession in terms of its ability to fill its seats, has applied for a $15 million loan from the federal government to help restructure its debts. Unlike what its students face in terms of their debt, the law school may be able to get a good interest rate upon approval. [VTDigger / Valley News] * "[A]ttempting to fit the sale of Bitcoin into a statutory scheme regulating money services businesses is like fitting a square peg in a round hole." Congratulations (or perhaps condolences?) digital currency aficionados, because a judge just ruled that Bitcoin isn't money for the purposes of money-laundering statutes. [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky