Jones Day

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.13.18

* Trump tabs Skadden partner Michael Scudder for Seventh Circuit seat. Here's some quotes from James Comey praising Scudder, so we know the Deep State must be happy. [National Law Journal] * Yes, it's accurate to say that the specific job of sheriff has an "Anglo-American heritage." And, yes, given that it's entirely unnecessary to do so -- when terms like "common law" exist -- the fact that someone would use that phrasing is indicative of racial bias. In fact, if anyone drops "heritage" when talking about white people it's probably a bad sign. [Washington Post] * All 56 Attorneys General are asking Congress to end forced arbitration in sexual harassment cases. Florida's Pam Bondi stepped out of her usual ethical cloud to say, "decades of private arbitration proceedings regarding sexual harassment have had the unintended consequence of protecting serial violators." You can go ahead and delete "regarding sexual harassment" and only improve the accuracy there. [Daily Business Review] * DLA Piper has a new senior partner, which I believe grants him the official title of "Pied Piper." [International] * ABA looking to make online education easier. [Inside Higher Ed] * Jones Day continues to have the top law firm brand according to the annual Acritas survey of clients. [American Lawyer] * One of the tourists killed in the Grand Canyon helicopter crash this weekend was a lawyer. [American Lawyer]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.11.17

* Sitting en banc, the Seventh Circuit reinstated the conviction of Making a Murderer's Brendan Dassey in a split decision. If you recall, Dassey's conviction was overturned by a federal magistrate in June 2016, and that ruling was later affirmed by a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit this June. [ABA Journal] * Dean Blake Morant says GW Law enrolled a smaller incoming class this fall in order to stop its downward slide in the U.S. News rankings. Because of the smaller class, some programs are being cut and there's a freeze on staff hiring. Yikes. [GW Hatchet] * What is special counsel Robert Mueller's legal endgame in this Russia probe? Some think that this could turn into an obstruction of justice case, while others think this could turn into a conspiracy case. What'll it be? This investigation has no end in sight, so we'll have to wait a bit longer to find out. [NPR] * Kevin McIntyre, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's new chairman, has given us a little $1.8 million peek into the Jones Day black box in his financial disclosure. [National Law Journal] * The legal profession had something to be thankful for this November: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the legal sector grew by 600 jobs. [American Lawyer]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.30.17

* "On the surface it looks like you covered this up," is never the most encouraging message to hear from the federal judge on your case. [The Recorder] * Jeffrey Wertkin, the former Akin Gump partner who sold whistleblower complaints to targeted companies, pleaded guilty. [Reuters] * Juror dismissed from FIFA corruption trial for falling asleep, proving a trial about soccer is just as thrilling as a game of soccer. [Law360] * The highest paid GCs in America. [Corporate Counsel] * Jones Day continues its drive to scoop up SCOTUS clerks by the bushel. [American Lawyer] * Neal Katyal has passed Thurgood Marshall as the minority lawyer with the most Supreme Court arguments. [Litigation Daily] * It looks like justices from both ends of the philosophical spectrum will come together to rule that the DOJ still needs to get warrants. Glad we can all come together to agree on this very, very low bar. [National Law Journal]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.03.17

* The Supreme Court declined to hear a case about vending machines and the ADA. This isn't such a big deal right now, but with tech gurus trying to turn America into a vending machine hellscape, this was a good opportunity for the Court to get out ahead of the curve. But we all knew that wasn't going to happen. [Law.com] * I think this is supposed to sound heroic, but the story of lawyers in Fort Lauderdale racing against Hurricane Irma to close a deal just seems like a cautionary tale about becoming a lawyer. But, you know, good for them for getting it done. [Daily Business Review] * Trio of top-flight prosecutors leave the SDNY to form Krieger Kim & Lewin LLP. That's 30 years of combined talent walking out of the SDNY all at once. And some impressive stories. Plots to assassinate ambassadors? The bin Laden case? A bevy of corrupt state officials? Hey guys, things might be a little less exciting for a couple months. [NY Times] * Meanwhile, the former EDNY U.S. Attorney, Robert Capers, joins Arent Fox. [Wall Street Journal] * Novel takes on a fantastic premise: a likable Biglaw protagonist. [Amazon (affiliate link)] * A group of lawyers are driving an anti-gay agenda? What firm did they crawl out from? Oh... right. Obviously. [The Careerist] * If you didn't catch it over the weekend, WNYC's More Perfect is back taking a deeper dive into Supreme Court. Check out Elie Mystal interviewing Judge Posner in this episode on Korematsu. Wow, Judge Posner is astoundingly nihilistic about courts. [More Perfect]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.01.17

* The gaggle of Jones Day lawyers who joined the Trump administration received a blanket waiver from ethical rules because what's the point when there's no integrity left to protect? [National Law Journal] * The ABA is discussing a massive overhaul of its law school accreditation regime in order to appease critics from the Department of Education (at least the former DOE). Hey, DOE... we already solved this problem for you! [Law.com] * Historically the Silk Road connected China to Europe. According to the Second Circuit it connects Ross William Ulbricht to a life sentence. [Law360] * Because it wasn't big enough yet, Dentons opens an office in Myanmar. [Legal Week] * In-house counsel complain that they receive too much marketing material. But that's not stopping firms from piling on more, because in-house lawyers don't know what's good for them. [Am Law Daily] * George Mason students have filed a lawsuit accusing the school of violating public records law in an effort to obscure funding the school -- especially ASS Law -- may receive from the Koch brothers. [Courthouse News Service] * "Lawyer who killed lover’s dog blames being lone Jew at boarding school." I'm just going to leave this here. [NY Post]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.16.17

* Was your firm disabled by a cyberattack? Probably not if you're still reading this. [Am Law Daily] * All these "classified intelligence" headlines miss the point. It's not like Trump told them the nuclear codes or anything -- he warned them about a possible terror plot. The problem is that haphazard handling of secrets could mess up future intelligence gathering and put sources at risk. And, of course, that Trump's going to address a burgeoning national security scandal on Twitter. [Courthouse News Service] * If you think movie theaters are a racket, well, the Department of Justice thinks that's worth looking into. [Law.com] * Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why firing James Comey didn't spark a constitutional crisis -- but that's about the only good thing he has to say about the administration. [Newsweek] * German law enforcement's search of local Jones Day offices was legal. VW plans to turbocharge an appeal. [Reuters] * This may come as a shock, but Arizona Summit Law School isn't doing well. [Arizona Central] * Conan has to go to trial on joke theft allegations. [New York Times] * What to know about the Supreme Court's latest arbitration decision. Besides "y'all are screwed," of course. [Law360]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.11.17

* Johnson & Johnson pushing back against the baby powder cancer verdicts. I thought J&J was the one that wasn't supposed to cause tears. [Law.com] * Nine percent tuition hike in store for this law school. [Inforum] * While the Comey story has sucked up a lot of attention, civil libertarians are watching West Virginia, where a reporter was arrested for asking a question of the Trump administration. [US News & World Report] * What was Putin wearing when he gave his thoughts on Comey's firing? (A) A bear costume; (B) A Russian Air Force Uniform; (C) MAGA Hat; (D) Hockey Gear; (E) Shirtless. [Huffington Post] * German authorities laugh off Jones Day complaints. [Am Law Daily] * Fewer meetings makes for a better team. This... apparently isn't obvious to people yet. [Corporate Counsel] * Chinese hackers have to pay up for breaches at Cravath and Weil Gotshal. [Big Law Business] * Judge Kaplan was attacked by a pit bull, but he's all right now. [Law360]

By Joe Patrice