When People Start Writing About You Destroying Your Firm, Things Aren’t Going Well
The New York Law Journal asks if Marc Kasowitz is hurting his firm. That's never a good sign.
Morning Docket: 06.14.17
* Several people were reportedly shot this morning at a GOP baseball practice, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who is now in stable condition. The gunman is in custody. We may have more on this later today. [The Hill] * The Supreme Court has granted Acting Solicitor General Jeff Wall more time to file papers in order to respond to the recent Ninth Circuit decision upholding a lower court decision which blocked President Donald Trump's travel ban. This means that any action taken by the high court on the administration's emergency pleas for certiorari will be even further delayed. [Reuters] * "I am protecting the right of the president to assert [executive privilege] if he chooses." Attorney General Jeff Sessions seemed to have no desire to speak about his interactions or conversations with President Donald Trump regarding James Comey's handling of the Russia probe during his Senate hearing yesterday, and didn't feel the need to provide a real legal basis for his refusal to answer questions on the topic either. [New York Times; Washington Post] * In the meantime, even though rumors have been swirling about President Donald Trump's supposed desire to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein says he has no reason to fire Mueller at this time: "If there were good cause, I would consider it. If there were not good cause, it wouldn't matter to me what anybody says." [Law360 (sub. req.)] * Marc Kasowitz may have taken a "career-defining" role representing the "predisent," but one wonders what will happen to his law firm while he pursues this ambitious undertaking. Kasowitz Benson could suffer when it comes to recruiting new talent to the firm thanks to its leader's choice of clientele, not to mention the fact that its revenue has been on the decline. [Am Law Daily] * In an effort to fight the "historic drug epidemic" that in no way involves marijuana, AG Jeff Sessions has asked Congress to roll back the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, which prohibits the DOJ from using federal funds to prosecute states that have instituted their own laws authorizing the "use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana." [Washington Post] * Herma Hill Kay, the first female dean of Berkeley Law, RIP. [The Recorder]
AI Is Reshaping Legal Practice—But Tools Aren’t The Real Differentiator.
Explore the mindset, cultural shifts, and training strategies that define the AI‑savvy lawyer, revealing why human judgment, standardized competence, and integrated learning—not technology alone—will shape the future of the profession.
Kasowitz Supposedly Taking Credit For Firing Preet Bharara
If this is true, it's a really bad move.
Is Marc Kasowitz Drunk On His Own Power?
Just because you can call the "Predisent" a client, doesn't mean you get to say this.
Kasowitz Reportedly Filing Complaint Against Comey Because Understanding Criminal Law Is Hard
This feeds the conservative Twitter trolls... but doesn't have much legal significance.
Marc Kasowitz Takes Break From Partying At Trump Hotel To Talk To The Press
Sending his lawyer to talk to the press is just the latest bizarre twist in the Russia investigation.
Schenck Price Competes Smarter With Lexis+ With Protégé
LexisNexis sat down with John Ursin, Managing Partner at Schenck Price, to learn how the firm is using legal AI to strengthen client service and daily legal work.
Morning Docket: 06.02.17
* Let's get ready to rumble: the Trump administration seeks Supreme Court review -- and rescue -- of its travel ban. [New York Times] * In other federal judicial news, the Ninth Circuit, sitting en banc, held that courts cannot routinely shackle defendants during proceedings; Judge Alex Kozinski wrote the majority opinion, and former Kozinski clerk Judge Sandra Ikuta wrote the dissent. [How Appealing] * Judge Nicholas Garaufis (E.D.N.Y.) -- who isn't shy about telling lawyers how he really feels -- has a new bee in his Article III bonnet: "I’m sick and tired of lawyers from white-shoe law firms marching into my courtroom and getting a deferred-prosecution agreement for their clients." [ABA Journal] * Why did President Donald Trump hire Marc Kasowitz to represent him in the Russia inquiry -- and could DJT already be second-guessing that decision? [Weekly Standard] * Speaking of the Russia probe, Robert Mueller is getting some high-powered help: outgoing Justice Department official Andrew Weissmann joins his former boss's team. [Law360] * Interesting new data from our friends at NALP: the $180K starting salary might not be as widespread as you think. [Law.com] * President Trump plans to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate deal -- but withdrawal can't be finalized until near the end of his term because of the accord’s legal structure and language. [Washington Post]
The 2017 Am Law 200: Keep Calm And Carry On
Reports of Biglaw's death are greatly exaggerated.
Marc Kasowitz… Will You Accept This Rose?
Trump choses Marc Kasowitz to defend him in the ongoing probe.
Morning Docket: 05.24.17
* President Donald Trump has hired his longtime lawyer, Marc Kasowitz of Kasowitz Benson, to represent him as his independent counsel in the investigation of claims that his campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. Is anyone really surprised that Trump chose to hire Kasowitz? Moreover, is anyone really surprised that he'd further complicate hiring Joe Lieberman as FBI director by doing so? [FOX Business] * In somewhat related news, despite having worked as a partner at WilmerHale -- a firm that represents former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort as well as Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner -- Robert Mueller has been approved by ethics experts at the Justice Department to go ahead as special counsel in the Trump/Russia investigation, as he did not participate in those matters. Things are about to start heating up. [NPR] * President Donald Trump's proposed 2018 fiscal budget includes a $1.1 billion cut in funding for the Department of Justice. The $27.7 billion request for the DOJ represents a 3.8 percent decrease from its current funding level, while the antitrust division's funding will remain the same, at just under $165 million. It makes you wonder which initiatives will be discontinued. [Big Law Business] * Speaking of the Trump budget, American Bar Association President Linda A. Klein has spoken out against it, criticizing its "egregious cuts to the Constitution’s promise of a fair legal process." Funding for the Legal Services Corporation and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program have been completely eliminated, and if the money is not reinstated, "severe damage [could be done] to the most vulnerable people in our society." [ABA Journal] * Convicted killer Dylann Roof, who was found guilty of 33 federal charges, including hate crimes and religious rights violations, has appealed his conviction and his death sentence to the Fourth Circuit. According to his lawyers, Roof wanted to appeal to drag the case on as long as possible, since he thinks white supremacists will eventually take over the country and pardon him. Wow. [AP]
Opus 2 Steps Up Its AI Game With Acquisition Of A Legal Tech Startup
With the addition of Uncover’s technology, the litigation software is delivering rapid innovation.
Morning Docket: 05.22.17
* Joe Lieberman is senior counsel at Kasowitz Benson, one of President Donald Trump's go-to law firms, and now that he's considered to be a frontrunner for FBI director, someone has been desperately trying to edit the firm's Wikipedia page to remove Trump from its list of notable clients. Gizmodo did some investigation as to who was trying to cover up the fact that Lieberman has a relationship with Trump's longtime lawyer, Marc Kasowitz. [Gizmodo] * Now that Robert Mueller has been appointed as special counsel in the investigation of possible Russian interference in the 2016 election, the DOJ is exploring possible conflicts of interest with his former law firm, WilmerHale. Coincidentally, the firm represents former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, but its GC says Mueller had nothing to do with those matters. [Washington Post] * "You ain't going to impeach nobody. Try it and we will lynch all of you. You'll be hanging from a tree." Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump on the House floor last week, and now he's being threatened. Green is unwilling to allow the racial hostility to deter him from doing the "right thing," which he believes, in this case, means proceeding with impeachment proceedings against the president. [Houston Chronicle] * Much has gone down in the $50 million Jane Doe/Proskauer gender discrimination case since we last checked in. It seems that one judge ruled that Doe need not be unmasked and may continue to use a pseudonym in her action against the firm, and another judge ordered that notes from Doe's mediation with the firm be preserved, as she claims that a fellow partner allegedly threatened to fire her because of her complaints while there. [ABA Journal] * "I’ve never known how many students didn’t come because of the old building. I’m quite certain that none came because of the old building." Twenty years and $80 million dollars later, and the University of South Carolina School of Law finally has a shiny new building to show off that the administration is hoping will not only entice new students to enroll, but also increase its U.S. News law school ranking next year. The school is currently tied for 88th place. [Post and Courier]
Non-Sequiturs: 05.17.17
* Congratulations to Erwin Chemerinsky, the next dean of Berkeley Law! [How Appealing] * Speaking of deans, this Yale dean -- note, not a dean at the law school -- "loves diversity, except for ‘white trash.’" [Instapundit] * The latest entrant into the FBI director sweepstakes: former senator Joe Lieberman, now senior counsel at one of Donald Trump's "go-to" law firms, Kasowitz Benson. [Newsweek] * "Americans like piece of paper? I have piece of paper!" [Althouse] * In case you were wondering, "Did Rosie O'Donnell ever study constitutional law?" [NewsBusters] * Legal nerds, let's get ready to rumble! Professor Gerard Magliocca asks: "Is Justice Story overrated?" [Concurring Opinions] * Shearman & Sterling partner (and podcaster) Richard Hsu is joining the Major leagues -- legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa, that is. [LinkedIn] * Randy Maniloff interviews celebrated lawyer/author Scott Turow, whose new book, Testimony (affiliate link), just came out. [Coverage Opinions] * An argument in favor of protecting your cellphone with your thumbprint and a password. [Katz Justice] * "If you had to choose a law partner from the characters in Better Call Saul, who would you choose?" [Guile is Good] * If you're a law student interested in ediscovery, check out this contest, sponsored by kCura. [kCura via PR Newswire]
Kasowitz Benson Loses Name Partner, Lots Of Money
The Trump administration will now have at least one "superior legal mind."
Morning Docket: 03.29.17
* Almost 2,000 lawyers have signed on to a complaint filed by the Lawyers for Good Government with the Alabama State Bar Disciplinary Committee which alleges that Attorney General Jeff Sessions violated the state's rules of professional conduct when he falsely testified under oath during his confirmation hearing that he "did not have communications with the Russians," and thus should be disbarred. [Alabama Political Reporter] * A superior legal defense from a superior legal mind? A former contestant on The Apprentice who accused President Donald Trump of groping her in 2007 is now suing him for defamation. Trump's lawyer, Marc Kasowitz of Kasowitz Benson, claims that the president is immune from private litigation thanks to the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. Perhaps he ought to take another look at Clinton v. Jones. [USA Today] * Sources say that Seyfarth Shaw partner Alexander Passantino is under consideration to run the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor. He served as deputy Wage and Hour Division administrator from 2006 to 2008, and if offered the job, he'll be in charge of overseeing some pretty major policy issues, like rolling back the Obama-era expansion of overtime pay to millions of American workers. [Big Law Business] * General counsel from 185 companies signed on to a letter delivered to Congress, beseeching lawmakers to continue to support the Legal Services Corp. which could go without necessary funds under President Trump's budget plan. They've requested that $450M be allocated to the organization in order to create a "level playing field for the many lower and moderate-income families who cannot afford a lawyer." [WSJ Law Blog] * Angelo Binno, a blind prospective law student who alleged that the LSAT's logic games test is discriminatory, was denied Supreme Court certiorari earlier this week. Not to worry, because his lawyer says that the fight will go on: "I’m not going to stop until he gets into law school because I know he will be a great lawyer even though he cannot diagram that on a test. This battle is far from over." [National Law Journal]
Morning Docket: 03.21.17
* Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it... especially when it's rumored that you were the inspiration for seminal 80s character Ferris Bueller and you're now under consideration to be Preet Bharara's replacement as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Edward McNally works for Kasowitz Benson now, but he's reportedly a leading contender for the job. [Wall Street Journal] * Preet Bharara, on the other hand, is now considering taking up teaching at a prestigious law school -- like Columbia, Harvard, or NYU -- or going into private practice at a prestigious Biglaw firm -- like Gibson Dunn or WilmerHale. Who knew being fired after refusing to resign could work out so well? [Wall Street Journal] * Sources claim that President Trump will nominate Makan Delrahim to lead the Justice Department's antitrust division. Currently employed as a deputy in the Office of White House Counsel, Delrahim previously served in the DOJ antitrust division from 2003 to 2005 as deputy assistant attorney general under President Bush. [Big Law Business] * "The noise about lawyers is much more positive right now. Before, it was just negative noise." Law schools may be thanking our president for something that's being referred to as the "Trump bump." Some speculate that applications will surge thanks to the legal profession's prominence in the turbulent early days of his reign. [National Law Journal] * "They say a woman’s place is in the house. I say it’s in the courthouse." The lawyers at New York firm Meyer-Kessler & Shulevitz refer to themselves "double trouble," claim they represent the "new feminism," and they wear bright pink designer outfits every time they go to court. We may have more on this dynamic duo later. [New York Daily News]