Gibson Dunn

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.16.15

* DraftKings and FanDuel aren't going to take a knee and allow New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to rip away their gamblers clients. Both daily fantasy sites have refused to stop conducting business in New York, and have instead filed suit against Schneiderman with some hefty Biglaw backing. [WSJ Law Blog] * During a recent speaking engagement at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, Justice Antonin Scalia explained why he writes such scathingly quotable dissents: "I’m writing dissents mainly for you guys—for law students. I know it will be in the casebooks." [University of St. Thomas NewsRoom] * SCOTUS granted cert in a challenge to Texas abortion laws, and some wonder how this decision will affect other states' laws. If the justices don't think these restrictions represent an undue burden, then women may as well hang up their ovaries and go home. [Reuters] * We'll have to rely on old faithful, Justice RBG, to raise the torch for women. She recently sat down for tea with Gloria Steinem to discuss women's rights. "Ruth is better at getting along with people with whom we profoundly disagree," says Steinem. [New York Times] * The "least sexy" part of a merger? If you want to know what took the Dentons / Dacheng merger so long to be formalized, Dentons CEO Elliott Portnoy says it had to do with website, logo, communications, and marketing issues. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.23.15

* In a story we've been following for years, a federal judge has put down the most notorious copyright troll in the world: "Happy Birthday To You" is now in the public domain. [LA Times] * Former SMU Dean John Attanasio, hit with a prostitution arrest back in February, is looking at a pre-trial diversion program if he's willing to admit the charge. [CBS DFW] * Just weeks after his brother took over hosting duties on The Late Show, Edward Colbert has been named managing partner of Kenyon & Kenyon LLP. [Law360] * The Republic of Guinea may have to cough up a lot of guineas in unpaid legal fees to Dentons after Judge Royce Lamberth rejected its sovereign immunity request. [Legal Times] * Honestly, who doesn't bring a couple dildos along when visiting a Rent-A-Center? [Courthouse News Service] * Dewey know what horrors await law firm managers if convicted? It's more than a little troubling that a couple million people face this fate, but we only get glossy coverage of these conditions when some millionaire lawyers might end up there. [The Am Law Daily] * Gibson Dunn under fire for not keeping original notes of its Bridgegate interviews because defense lawyers don't know how these new-fangled "computer" things work. [The Record]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.25.15

* Baker & McKenzie was dethroned by DLA Piper as the the Biglaw king of gross revenue. The firm is blaming its poor performance -- a 4.3 percent drop -- on "currency fluctuations." Better luck on snatching back glory next year. [Am Law Daily; Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * It's hard out here for a pimp with an allegedly small peen: Terrence Howard's divorce settlement was overturned by a judge after evidence was brought forward to suggest the actor was coerced into signing it. Apparently his ex was blackmailing him over the size of his manhood. [ABC News] * There's a new sheriff judge in town, and he's cleaning up the Ferguson, Missouri, courts. His first order of business was to wipe out all arrest warrants issued before December 31, 2014, in the wake of the Michael Brown police shooting last August. [Reuters] * Dean Philip Weiser of Colorado Law has announced that he'll be stepping down from his position in July 2016. He'll be remembered for keeping costs low and putting asses in seats during a time when it was difficult to do both concurrently. [Denver Business Journal] * “On one level I give them kudos for playing hide the ball." Gibson Dunn is fighting a subpoena issued by defense attorneys for computer metadata related to its Bridgegate report that cleared New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie of all wrongdoing. [Bergen Record]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.05.15

* Per Dean David Herring, applications have tanked at New Mexico Law (ATL #18) -- we're talking a 30% drop over the past five years. Wait, no, nevermind, the school's assistant admissions dean says things are great. Oops? [Albuquerque Journal; Albuquerque Business First] * Gov. Chris Christie thought he was through with the Bridgegate scandal, but oh, how wrong he was. His former deputy chief of staff's lawyers want to subpoena Gibson Dunn's work product, but the firm claims it doesn't exist. [Talking Points Memo] * ¡Ay dios mío! This week, a New York appellate court ruled that Cesar Vargas, an undocumented immigrant, should be eligible to practice law in the state, completely sidestepping federal law and a Justice Department brief to the contrary. [WSJ Law Blog] * Concordia Law is getting a second chance at obtaining provisional accreditation from the ABA. This would've been way more helpful before the majority of its third-year students transferred to an accredited school so they could take the bar exam. [Idaho Statesman] * The ex-GC of Zara has filed a discrimination suit against the fashion retailer, claiming that he was fired because he's Jewish, American, and gay. Apparently senior executives used slurs as ugly as the company's clothes. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 05.28.15

* Nebraska banned the death penalty. Does this signal a new conservative opposition to the practice? Well, is there a way this can make private prison lobbyists more money? Because then, yes. [FiveThirtyEight] * The best way to sway a Supreme Court justice? Represent clients that the justices have financial stakes in. [Fix the Court] * Pharmaceutical companies are peeved that lawyers are using Facebook to identify class action plaintiffs. Why aren't people content to suffer grievous injury for the sake of profits anymore? [Bloomberg Business] * Now you can know for sure if your job will be replaced by a robot. Good news, lawyers! Unfortunately, I don't think this thing's taking into account document reviewers. [Postgrad Problems] * Jawbone is accusing Fitbit of poaching workers to steal its technology. Ten points to the tipster for the line: "Think this will all work out?" [Slate] * Two Biglaw partners from rival firms have joined forces on a new challenge Native American adoption rules. It helps that they're married to each other. [National Law Journal] * An interesting perspective: "innovation" is more than technology, and it starts with debt relief. [Rawr] * A former state senate candidate charged with witness tampering. At least he's got experience with the system -- his dad's political career ended in a hail of guilty pleas too. [Nashoba Publishing] * Brace yourselves for a shocker, but Biglaw is failing women. [The American Lawyer] * David Gans on the upcoming "one person, one vote" claim. The proposition at issue, that representation is based on "voters" not "persons," is so laughably unconstitutional the Court is clearly just trolling us at this point. I mean, putting aside the horrible racism, isn't the 3/5ths compromise pretty compelling evidence that the Founders meant to count people who didn't vote? [Constitutional Accountability Center]

By Joe Patrice