Jonathan Lippman
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Law School Deans, Law Schools
Meet A New Law School Dean: An Interview With Judge Gail Prudenti
Hofstra Law's new leader describes her plans for improving bar exam passage and job placement. -
Deaths, State Judges
Body Of First Muslim, African-American Woman Judge Appointed To New York Court Of Appeals Found In Hudson River
A terrible blow for the legal community. - Sponsored
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 10.20.16
* A law school peeping tom? Police have arrested and charged 30-year-old Yiyan Wang with 15 counts of voyeurism for allegedly videotaping women inside a bathroom in UConn Law’s library. He allegedly placed his phone beneath the stall walls to film them. He is currently being held on $250,000 bond, and will face a judge in early November. [FOX 61 Connecticut]
* “Walmart is the new marketplace. It’s where people go. It makes sense to be there.” Look out, Missouri, because The Law Store is coming to a Walmart Supercenter near you. The firm has three locations now, and COO Kurt Benecke says the firm is priced to compete with LegalZoom, charging flat fees without any hourly rates. [Springfield News-Leader]
* Zucker Goldberg & Ackerman, a defunct New Jersey foreclosure law firm which laid off hundreds of its employees last year, is now suing Wells Fargo, with the bankrupt firm claiming that the bank’s extreme delays in correcting its robo-signing problems and its refusal to pay $2.5M for work performed caused the firm to fail. [Wall Street Journal]
* “Justice shouldn’t be about the money in your pocket. Justice has to be the same for everybody, no matter your station in life, color of your skin or resources in your pocket.” Jonathan Lippman, who recently retired as Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, will lead Fordham Law’s new justice initiative. Congrats! [Big Law Business]
* Judge Vicente Bermudez, a Mexican federal jurist who handled appeals in several cartel cases, including those of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the jailed leader of the Sinaloa cartel, and Miguel Trevino, the former leader of the Zetas cartel, was assassinated at his home on Monday. Descanse en paz, Su Señoría. [Reuters]
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 01.08.16
* Remember Andrew and Alecia Schmuhl, the husband-and-wife lawyers who allegedly tortured and almost killed a law firm partner? Now Andrew may claim involuntary intoxication as one of his defenses. Damn you, NyQuil! Damn you, Benadryl! [NBC Washington]
* You may not agree with Ted Cruz’s politics, and you may not like Canada for some reason, but that doesn’t mean he’s ineligible to run for president just because he was born there. Like it or not, it appears constitutional law scholars more or less tend to agree on this point. [ABC News]
* Dentons isn’t finished collecting lawyers yet. The megafirm is kicking off 2016 with yet another acquisition, but this time it’s a lateral raid from British firm Matthew Arnold & Baldwin. Dentons will welcome a 45-lawyer banking and finance team. [Am Law Daily]
* That was quick! Jonathan Lippman recently turned in his robes after retiring from his post as chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals, and he’s already found a new job. He’ll join Latham & Watkins, where he’ll work in an of counsel role. [WSJ Law Blog]
* New York just launched its new medical marijuana law, which is likely the strictest of all such laws in the country. People aren’t fans: “[I]t seemed like the priority was to make it as limited as possible, instead of focusing on what is best for patients.” [Al Jazeera]
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 01.04.16
* Guess what? Science says political incorrectness is an insincere sham. Sounds about right to me. [The Denver Post]
* How are Law and Order: SVU and law school exams the same? The both desperately try to wedge current events into their same old, boring fact patterns. In related news, expect both to soon feature the issue of spousal privilege when the wife of a celebrity accused of rape is forced to give testimony against him. [The Guardian]
* Can the Netflix show Making a Murderer actually lead to a pardon? Probably not, but it’ll make you feel better about the binge watching you did over the holidays. [Time]
* This is why China’s new counterterrorism law is terrifying for tech companies doing business there. [Slate]
* The ABA has released the full, school-by-school bar passage rates for 2014. Which school was the best? More interestingly, which was the worst? [Bar Exam Stats]
* Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman of the New York State Court of Appeals is retiring. He took a larger view of the law, where getting justice was not about money. [Guile Is Good]
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Bar Exams, Biglaw, Christopher Christie, Gay, Gay Marriage, Health Care / Medicine, Law Schools, LSAT, Morning Docket, New Jersey, Pro Bono, Sexual Harassment, State Judges, Utah
Morning Docket: 02.12.14
* Sedgwick is the latest Biglaw firm to jump on the back-office bandwagon. The firm will be moving all of its administrative operations — from HR to IT — to Kansas City, Missouri. Don’t be sad, it’s probably better than West Virginia. [Am Law Daily]
* Lawyers may be pecking at Biglaw’s rotting carcass, but at least there are lessons to be learned for Big Med, the next profession supposedly on the brink of implosion. It’s time to stop obsessing over revenue and rankings. [The Atlantic]
* Ten states rushed to help Utah defend its ban on gay marriage using “pretty embarrassing” arguments, but Nevada just washed its hands of its own appeal, saying its ban was “no longer defensible.” [Bloomberg]
* Here’s something that’ll make you love or hate Chris Christie even more: he once made Bristol-Myers Squibb donate $5 million to Seton Hall Law to avoid securities fraud charges. Yep. [Washington Post]
* Faruqi & Faruqi doesn’t want its attorneys’ compensation information to be disclosed to Alexandra Marchuk in her sexual harassment case against the firm. A kinder, gentler firm, huh? [Law 360 (sub. req.)]
* Soon you’ll be able to take the bar before you graduate in New York, but only if you do pro bono work during spring semester of your 3L year — and you’ll likely have to pay to complete it. [New York Times]
* If you just took the LSAT, you’re cutting it pretty close, buddy. Guesstimate your score so you can avoid sending out applications that will make admissions officers laugh. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]
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Election Law, Guns / Firearms, Intellectual Property, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 11.15.13
* A Pennsylvania newspaper just retracted its 1863 editorial panning the Gettysburg Address. Civil War CYA is all the rage these days. First Mississippi outlaws slavery, now this. [NBC News] * “Man fired cannon during dispute.” That sums it up. [My FoxNY] * Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker indicted for the murder of an elderly lawyer. His defense should invoke his maxim “even if you make mistakes you’re lovable.” [Huffington Post] * The man who shot and killed Renisha McBride was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, and a felony firearm charge. [CBS Detroit] * Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman needs to give up this dumb quest to change New York law to keep his job. [Overlawyered] * Anti-religious jury tactics in intellectual property cases. Jesus! Or, not Jesus. Or, whatever. [Patently-O] * Law is complex and nuanced and that’s a good thing. [Popehat] * A follow-up on a previous item. Election fraud complaint dismissed in the case of Machiavellian Alabama Greeks. [Chronicle of Higher Education] * Speaking of the Gettysburg Address, here’s how it would go down with modern political consultants per the great Bob Newhart. Routine after the jump… [YouTube] - Sponsored
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Attorney Misconduct, Breasts, Facebook, Guns / Firearms, Job Searches, Law Professors, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Old People
Morning Docket: 11.08.13
* A proposal to raise the retirement age for judges in New York was crushed by voters, but Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman has vowed to continue fighting the requirement — just like a stubborn old man. [New York Law Journal] * Which law schools have the highest percentage of graduates working as corporate directors or executive officers of companies? You might be surprised by some of the results. Or you might not. [National Law Journal] * Dean Lawrence Mitchell of Case Western Reserve Law wants parts of the retaliation suit that’s been filed against him tossed for being “scandalous” and “salacious.” But those are the best parts. :( [Cleveland Plain Dealer] * Thanks to a $25 million donation from an alumnus and his wife, Yale Law School is going to be getting dormitories for law students in the very near future. The thought of all of those coed nerdgasms between future SCOTUS clerks is a thing of beauty. [Fox News] * Clark Calvin Griffith, the former adjunct professor at William Mitchell Law, has been suspended from practicing law for 90 days after exposing his penis to a law student. Stiff punishment. [Pioneer Press] * If you were thinking of giving away guns on Facebook, then you should think again. The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun on the internet is with slideshows of the 572 best kitty cat gifs. [Corporate Counsel] * A police officer in Arkansas ordered a woman to flash him her boobs while she was at work, and when she refused, he allegedly Tasered her repeatedly. She’s obviously suing now. [New York Daily News] -
Judge of the Day, Judicial Divas, Old People, Politics, State Judges
How Old Can Your Judges Be? Decide Today In New York.
New Yorkers: go vote today, there are lots of interesting ballot issues in play. -
In-House Counsel, Pro Bono, State Judges
House Rules: A Warning For In-House Counsel In New York
If you work in-house in New York, you better register with the state, or else you might be criminally charged. -
Affirmative Action, Biglaw, Disasters / Emergencies, Election Law, Gay Marriage, Insurance, Job Searches, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Pro Bono, Real Estate, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Morning Docket: 05.29.13
* This year, like every year before it, SCOTUS is saving the best cases (read: most controversial) for last. We’ll likely see opinions on voting rights, affirmative action, and gay marriage in June. [WSJ Law Blog]
* We know of at least one Biglaw firm that will be putting its increase in gross revenue to work. Boies Schiller is planning to open its first office outside of the United States in the “near-term.” [Am Law Daily]
* If you’d like to get paid under a terrorism insurance policy for your damages in the Boston bombings, you’ll have to wait; the bombings haven’t been certified as acts of terror yet. [National Law Journal]
* Mandatory pro bono work is now required for bar admission in New York, but it’s still not enough to close the justice gap. Now Chief Judge Lippman wants to give non-lawyers a chance to provide legal services. [New York Law Journal]
* Arizona Law recently made the announcement that interim dean Marc Miller has been instated as the school’s permanent dean. What’s not to like about a “new” dean and new tuition cuts? [UANews]
* As many of our readers know, the job market is rough, but apparently if you take some compliance classes in law school, you’ll magically become employable. Great success! [Corporate Counsel]
* Brooklyn Law, do you remember what your old dorm looked like? It’s different now that it’s been transformed into an apartment complex that’s no longer stained with the tears of law students. [Curbed]
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2nd Circuit, Abortion, Bar Exams, Barack Obama, Biglaw, Books, Crime, Disasters / Emergencies, Holland & Knight, Job Searches, Joe Biden, John Roberts, Law Professors, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Parties, Politics, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Student Loans, Supreme Court, War on Terror
Morning Docket: 01.22.13
* “Given health care, I don’t care if he speaks in tongues.” Chief Justice John Roberts botched Barack Obama’s presidential oath at his first inauguration, but this time he managed to get it right. [New York Times]
* What was more important to Justice Sonia Sotomayor than swearing in Joe Biden as VP at noon on Sunday? Signing books at Barnes & Noble in New York City. Not-so wise Latina. [Los Angeles Times]
* D.C. Biglaw firms — like Holland & Knight, Covington, K&L Gates, and Jones Day — allowed others to bask in their prestige at their swanky inauguration parties. [Capital Business / Washington Post]
* It’s been 40 years since SCOTUS made its ruling in Roe v. Wade, and this is what we’ve got to show for it: a deep moral divide over women being able to do what they want with their own bodies. [Huffington Post]
* The latest weapon in the fight against terrorism is the legal system. The Second Circuit recently issued a major blow to those seeking to finance militant attacks in secret. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* “Firms don’t just hire a body anymore.” The 2012 BLS jobs data is in, and if you thought employment in the legal sector was going to magically bounce back to pre-recession levels, you were delusional. [Am Law Daily]
* Three months have come and gone since Hurricane Sandy rocked law firm life as we know it in Manhattan, but firms like Fragomen and Gordon & Rees are still stuck in temporary offices. [New York Law Journal]
* This seems like it may be too good to be true, but it looks like New York’s chief judge may be on board to grant law students bar eligibility after the completion of only two years of law school. [National Law Journal]
* Law professors may soon be in for a nasty surprise when it comes to their salaries if their schools follow Vermont Law’s lead and remove them as salaried employees, paying only on a part-time basis. [Valley News]
* Resorting to a life of crime in order to pay off your law school debt is never a good thing — unless you’re doing it while waring a Bucky Badger hat. We’ll probably have more on this later. [Wisconsin State Journal]
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Entertainment Law, Free Speech, Nude Dancing, State Judges, Tax Law
New York Judges at Opposite Poles Over Tax Treatment of Nude Dancing
The New York Court of Appeals just ruled on whether strip clubs can claim a sales tax exemption for admission and lap dance fees. What did the court decide? -
American Bar Association / ABA, Law Schools
Law School Litigation Update: Will New York's Chief Judge Be Able To Fix The Legal Academy's 'Systemic Failure'?
If the ABA won't do anything about the legal academy's "systemic failure," maybe the chief judge of New York's highest court will... -
Bar Exams, Law Schools, Pro Bono, Public Interest, State Judges
New York's Pro Bono Requirement Unlikely To Close The 'Justice Gap'
New York's new pro bono rule might not have as great of an impact on the "justice gap" as Chief Judge Lippman thought... -
Bar Exams, Pro Bono, Public Interest, State Judges
New York Announces the Specifics of the New Pro Bono Requirement -- and They're Actually Not That Bad!
Chief Judge Lippman unveiled the details of his pro bono plan. What's in store for future applicants to the New York State Bar? -
Entertainment Law, Free Speech, Labor / Employment, Nude Dancing, State Judges, Tax Law, Texas
Stripper Law: A Potpourri of Pleadings From the Pole
Some sad news, from New York and Texas, for strippers and strip club aficionados... -
Law School Deans, Law Schools, Pro Bono, Public Interest
New York's New Pro Bono Requirement Succeeds in Pissing Off Law Schools Nationwide
Will New York's new pro bono requirement for bar admission cause law school tuition to rise? -
Bankruptcy, Biglaw, California, Celebrities, Defamation, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Law Schools, Lindsay Lohan, Michael Jackson, Money, Morning Docket, Partner Issues, Pro Bono, Rap, Small Law Firms, Unemployment
Morning Docket: 08.16.12
* Dewey have some false expectations of success for this partner settlement agreement? Only one in four affected partners have signed on the dotted line, but advisers think the plan will win bankruptcy court approval. [Am Law Daily]
* “There comes a point where the prospects of substantially increasing your income just outweigh everything else.” Even on his $168K salary, this appellate judge wasn’t rich in New York City, so he quit his job. [New York Law Journal]
* The middle class needs lawyers, and unemployed law school graduates need jobs. The solution for both problems seems pretty obvious, but starting a firm still costs money, no matter how “prudent” you are. [National Law Journal]
* “This is a time when law schools are trying to look carefully at their expenses and not add to them.” New York’s new pro bono initiative may come at a cost for law schools, too. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* Much to Great Britain’s dismay, Ecuador has announced that it will grant political asylum to Julian Assange of Wikileaks fame. Sucks for Ecuador, because Assange is known to not flush the toilet. [New York Times]
* A smooth criminal gets a break: Michael Jackson’s father dropped a wrongful death suit against Dr. Conrad Murray. It probably would’ve been helpful if his attorneys could actually practice in California. [Washington Post]
* Did Lindsay Lohan’s lawyers plagiarize documents from internet websites in their defamation filings against Pitbull? You can deny it all you want, but his lawyer is out for blood and sanctions. [New York Daily News]