Jury Duty

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 01.26.16

* Harvard Law professor Larry Lessig is now depending on a future President Trump to enact the campaign finance reforms he built his failed presidential bid upon. He'll be waiting for a while. [The Crimson] * Ted Cruz has pretty much always been a douche. [Funny or Die] * The People v. O.J. Simpson explores racism, sexism, and more -- all through costume. [Fashionista] * U.S. Senators: They're just like us! Claire McCaskill live-tweets her jury duty experience. [The Slot] * How can you avoid burnout as a lawyer? [Associate's Mind] * Why are embattled public defender offices actually excited about the lawsuits against them? [Christian Science Monitor] * Practical advice for taking advantage of the opportunities that are staring you right in the face. [Guile is Good] * Get the inside scoop on why Rudy Giuliani jumped ship to Greenberg Traurig. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dso0lnNsoRA&feature=youtu.be

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 12.02.15

* The trial of William Porter, the cop accused of killing Freddie Gray has begun and you are already asking the wrong question. This is how spectacles begin. [Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle] * Did this Tiger Mandingo ever stand a chance in court? Not if his lawyer can help it. [Gawker] * This is what it's like when you're at jury duty and a lawyer. [Associate's Mind] * The Supreme Court will tackle tribal jurisdiction and there'll be a rally on Monday in support of  the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. [Native News Online] * A chat with Harrison Dillon, founder of Solazyme. [Hsu Untied] * Lessons learned from a failed attempt at carving out a niche practice. [Reboot Your Law Practice]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 11.30.15

* Delaware bucks the trend of declining bar passage rates! Not such good news for Ohio. [Bar Exam Stats] * Yeah, you've got tax law to blame for the terrible Star Wars prequels. [Federal Tax Blog] * A second juror in the Sheldon Silver case tries to get out of jury deliberations. Judge denies it, the juror will do their "best or whatever." [Wall Street Journal] * The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court just named 5 attorneys as public advocates. Get the scoop on who they really are. [Ars Technica] * Ayelette Robinson, a former corporate lawyer turned actress, is featured on a new podcast. [Hsu Untied] * You wanna fix the problem of chronic overwork, stress, and dissatisfaction in Biglaw? Then LEAVE. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.22.15

* Brush that dirt off your shoulder: Jay-Z may have 99 problems, but this copyright lawsuit about his song "Big Pimpin'" is no longer one of them. The suit filed against the rap mogul in 2007 was dismissed on standing grounds, but the plaintiff says he plans to appeal. [Los Angeles Times] * When it comes to the death penalty, Justice Antonin Scalia says that it "wouldn't surprise [him]" if the Supreme Court were to strike it down as unconstitutional. It seems that a capital punishment case could become the next SCOTUS blockbuster. [CBS Minnesota] * No one is a fan of the Securities and Exchange Commission's in-house court system, and legislation to give financial defendants the right to opt out will be introduced in Congress later this week. Would you rather face trial before a federal judge or jury? [WSJ Law Blog] * Earlier this week, a state-court judge brought a live grenade to the courthouse, but only because he wanted to have it properly disposed of by police. The jurist currently remains unidentified, which is a good thing, because this is pretty embarrassing. [CBS Los Angeles] * Jurors in New York are paid $40 per day for their service, so you may be wondering how the confused members of the jury in the Dewey & LeBoeuf (mis)trial were able to survive on only $2,920 after five months spent in the courtroom. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.07.15

* Dewey know what Justice Robert Stolz will do now that the jury has declared itself deadlocked on most charges? Tune in later today. [American Lawyer] * A case brought by law student turned privacy activist Max Schrems has triggered a European court ruling that Facebook won't "like." [How Appealing] * King & Spalding associate Ethan Davis talks about how he prepared for his argument yesterday before the U.S. Supreme Court. [National Law Journal] * Thanks to sentencing reform, the Justice Department will release about 6,000 inmates from prison starting later this month. [New York Times] * Speaking of the DOJ, BP will settle Deepwater Horizon oil spill claims with the feds for a whopping $20 billion. [ABA Journal] * Elsewhere in news of embattled companies, Volkswagen is turning to Mayer Brown for help in dealing with the emissions scandal that stinks to high heaven. [American Lawyer] * 50 Cent's malpractice suit against his ex-lawyers seeks 7.5 billion cents. [Law360] * When legal recruiters sue each other, things can get ugly -- fast. [American Lawyer]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.06.15

* While we're loath to continue giving this woman airtime, it turns out that infamous Kentucky clerk Kim Davis's law firm, Liberty Counsel, was recently declared a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. This fits the overall narrative here quite nicely, don't you think? [Salon] * After 12 days of deliberation, the jury in the criminal trial of Dewey & LeBoeuf's former execs has shown no signs of reaching a verdict, but instead, signs of exhaustion. In fact, one juror needed medical attention because she deliberated too hard. [Am Law Daily] * This seems to be a common phrase lately: law firm mergers are breaking records again. Altman Weil says more firms announced mergers in the first three quarters of 2015 than in the first three quarters of any year in almost a decade. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * "I was left to reflect on what I would want in the face of my own death." Thanks to Governor Jerry Brown, California is now the fifth state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. The End of Life Option Act will take effect sometime in 2016. [Los Angeles Times] * If you're an undergraduate student who's planning to go to law school, then you better be building relevant lawyering skills. Master the art of bullsh*tting before you graduate and you'll be ahead of the game. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.05.15

* Today's the first Monday in October, and we all know what that means. The Supreme Court starts its Term as disapproval of its work reaches a new high for recent years. [Gallup via How Appealing] * And here's Adam Liptak's excellent overview of the new Supreme Court Term, so you can sound smart at cocktail parties this month. [New York Times] * In other SCOTUS news, Senator Bob Menendez is fighting the bribery charges against him by relying upon a high court decision he once condemned -- can you guess which one? [The Record How Appealing] * Which presidential candidates get the most in campaign contributions from Silicon Valley lawyers? The second-place finisher might surprise you. [The Recorder] * Elsewhere in presidential politics, Hillary Clinton will announce new gun-control proposals later today. [New York Times] * Don't rush off to law school just yet, but the legal sector did gain a few thousand jobs last month, layoffs notwithstanding. [American Lawyer] * Dewey have any idea of when this jury will reach a verdict? [Law360] * Super-mediator Kenneth Feinberg's latest challenge: pension reform. [National Law Journal]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.01.15

* Vatican officials confirmed -- or rather, didn't deny -- that Pope Francis did, in fact, have a secret meeting with infamous Kentucky clerk Kim Davis. Hmm, apparently all it takes is denying people their newfound civil rights to get an audience with the Pope. [WSJ Law Blog] * The ABA Accreditation Committee will recommend that the ABA approve the merger between Hamline and William Mitchell. The merger byproduct could be operational in 2016 if all goes well. Is this something we should be excited about? [Hamline University] * On the ninth day of deliberations in the criminal trial of Dewey & LeBoeuf's former executives, jurors were still unable to come to a consensus, and one juror mentioned she'd have to leave early on October 9. Oy vey! Dewey think this jury is hung? [Am Law Daily] * Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin stayed the execution of Richard Glossip -- you may recognize his name from his recent unsuccessful Supreme Court case -- because the drugs the Corrections Department received didn't match protocol. Figures. [Associated Press] * "We are heartened the district attorney has agreed that even a misdemeanor charge would be inappropriate." Prosecutors will not be charging Caitlyn Jenner with vehicular manslaughter in the fatal car crash she was involved in earlier this year. [USA Today]

By Staci Zaretsky