Joan Larsen

And check out the odds on each of them getting the nod.

But is Senator Lee actually a serious contender?

The field is narrowing, but the situation remains fluid.

All four of these names appear on President Trump's shortlist of 25 contenders.

The nominee will -- and should -- be one of these two very well-credentialed, highly regarded, experienced federal judges.

* 41 Cat Pictures That Prove Beyond All Doubt That Being BuzzFeed’s GC Is Freaking Awesome. [Big Law Business]

* Jeffrey Wertkin, the ex-Akin Gump partner accused of trying to sell whistleblower complaints while in disguise, plans to plead guilty later this month. As he said upon arrest, maybe his life really is over… [The Recorder]

* Professor Stephanos Bibas of Penn Law was confirmed to the Third Circuit by the Senate in a 53-43 vote. According to the law school’s dean, Bibas “possesses all the skills to excel on the federal bench.” Congratulations! [Philadelphia Inquirer]

* Justice Joan Larsen of the Michigan Supreme Court was confirmed to the Sixth Circuit by the Senate in a 60-38 vote. If you recall, Larsen was on the original version of President Trump’s Supreme Court shortlist, and was one of his top five finalists for Justice Neil Gorsuch’s position. Congratulations! [Detroit Free Press]

* Cozen O’Connor’s lobbying affiliate, Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, poached a five-lawyer team of lobbyists from Manatt, and now Manatt no longer has a lobbying practice. [New York Law Journal]

The August recess offers a good opportunity to evaluate the state of play in judicial nominations.

What are the chances of these folks getting confirmed?

They really want to see her get confirmed.

We were right about a number of nominees; let's look ahead to the next batch.

Names, names, and more names, for federal judgeships around the country.

It looks like it's down to two: Judge Diane Sykes and Judge Bill Pryor.

* According to CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford, sources have said that President-elect Trump has narrowed his list of potential Supreme Court nominees down to five candidates: Bill Pryor (Eleventh Circuit), Thomas Hardiman (Third Circuit), Steve Colloton (Eighth Circuit), Diane Sykes (Seventh Circuit), and Joan Larsen (Michigan Supreme Court). Which judge do you think the PEOTUS will choose? [Face the Nation / CBS News]

* President-elect Trump isn’t just inheriting a Supreme Court vacancy — he’s inheriting much, much more. Thanks to an “unprecedented level of obstruction” on the part of Republican senators when it came to President Obama’s federal judicial nominees, there are more than 100 judicial vacancies, which will give the Trump administration the leeway to reshape the judiciary through lifetime appointments. [Washington Post]

* Is the end near for the European and Middle Eastern branch of King & Wood Mallesons? As other Biglaw firms poach partners, the firm has filed a notice to appoint administrators, and according to a spokesperson, this legal move was “designed to protect the firm from its creditors … as it continues to explore all available options.” The firm is not expected to file for pre-pack administration until January. [Am Law Daily]

* There is a dire shortage of rural lawyers in flyover country, and it’s causing the justice gap to become even wider in some states. For example, Nebraska has 93 counties, and 11 of them are without a single lawyer. This is a problem that’s left other lawyers traveling far and wide to see clients and potential clients attempting to handle their legal matters themselves — which has caused errors in business matters, divorces, and wills. [NPR]

* If you’ve applied to law school, you may be wondering how you can best prepare for a recorded video interview. You may think it’s tough to impress an admissions committee through such impersonal means, but if you prepare for this as if it were a live interview, keep your answers short and sweet (think one minute or less), and be yourself, you’ll have this one in the bag. You can review some of these practice questions. [U.S. News]

Reflections on the powerful and distinctive writing style of Justice Antonin Scalia.

These 11 potential justices are well within the mainstream of conservative legal thought.

In response to our recent request for information about academic salaries, a number of you reminded us that the salaries of many professors at state law schools are already publicly available. We had a vague recollection of this, but were too lazy to dig up links. Thankfully, a number of you did that for us. […]