Kirkland & Ellis

Bancroft founder Viet Dinh explains why he and his colleagues are making the move to Kirkland.

Whoa -- this is some big Biglaw news!

Congratulations to this worthy winner, which demolished the competition just like it trounces opposing counsel in the courtroom.

Six great nominees; time to cast your vote!

A Q&A with the Biglaw partner who gave it all up to be a novelist.

Congratulations, Katie! We can't wait to see you win more gold medals at the Rio Olympics!

Who are the American Lawyer Top 10 A-List firms?

The multiple choice memo that makes every co-worker want to beat you with a club.

There's a new most prestigious firm in town.

Which lawyers make the list of those able to charge $2,000 an hour?

All U.S. offices will be getting a raise!

* A ray of light for Madonna as the Ninth Circuit hands her a victory in a long-running copyright infringement case, creating a circuit split in the process. [Billboard]

* The New York Court of Appeals overturns the $17.2 million award Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder earlier won against Cadwalader at summary judgment. Life’s hard for billionaires who beg regular people pay their bills for them. [Law360]

* Kirkland & Ellis plays hardball with departing partner, forcing him to repay a $120K bonus before walking out the door. [Legal Week]

* This is why we can’t have nice things. Literally. Intellectual property concerns threaten customizable goods. [Corporate Counsel]

* Texas AG Ken Paxton’s still gonna have to face those criminal fraud charges. [Courthouse News Service]

* Industry groups come out of the woodwork to challenge a Department of Labor rule requiring retirement advisors to act in the best interest of their customers. Crocodile tears abound as the groups claim they agree with the sentiment of the rule but just want the SEC to write it — knowing full well that the SEC isn’t going to write it. [Wall Street Journal]

* Add ABA President Paulette Brown to the list of people outraged that Donald Trump is criticizing a federal judge for, among other things, being of Mexican descent. [Law360]

* Irell gets sneaky in this copyright win over pre-1972 songs. [Litigation Daily]

These are the firms that work to allow distressed corporations a fresh start.

In figuring out which Biglaw firm will bring us the next pay raise, it's important to consider the concept of leverage.

* Florida public defender disbarred over sex and drugs with inmates. Amazingly, this is not just an update of this story about… a Florida public defender allegedly caught banging an inmate. What’s going on with these Florida public defenders? [NY Daily News]

* Law firms know they need to radically change their model and yet haven’t done anything about it. But they’re telling GCs it’s the clients’ fault for not pushing firms harder to change. Holy blame the victim, Batman. [Law360]

* As some of you may have heard by now, Milbank Tweed is ditching its downtown home for relatively law firm-free Chelsea. Cue Steve Winwood: “Back on the High Line again…” [Real Estate Weekly]

* Law school rechristening its building over its namesake’s KKK ties. Political correctness run amok — remember when you could support lawless acts of terrorism against minorities and be venerated by institutions of higher learning? [CBS News]

* Judge Alan Simon has already received a suspension after a commission found a “history of bullying and verbally abusing court staffers” and now he may be losing his job. [Law360]

* Cass Sunstein explains the Constitution with Darth Vader’s help. As it turns out he’s got a book about it too (affiliate link). [National Law Journal]

* A panel discusses the labor and employment implications of legalized marijuana. Pretty sure Afroman already covered these when he intoned: “I was gonna go to work but then I got high/I just got a new promotion but I got high/now I’m selling dope and I know why yea hey/cause I got high/cause I got high/cause I got high.” [Corporate Counsel]

* A breakthrough, “gotcha” moment on cross-examination in a big case is such a holy grail achievement of Matlockian proportions that we should celebrate it whenever it happens. Skadden managed to net one in a $2.1 billion suit this week. [Litigation Daily]

* Kirkland & Ellis offering “emotional fitness training” at its offices. Pretty sure the curriculum for Biglaw attorneys should be a primer on Wheaton’s Law and this video with the word “baseball” replaced with “law.” [Kirkland & Ellis]

There's a new champion law firm when it comes to headcount.

* Polsinelli has gutted Novak Druce by hiring away 44 lawyers from the firm in a mass lateral move, including two of its name partners. The suffering IP boutique will shutter its doors and wind down its legal practice for good. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

* A source says that Judge Jane Kelly of the Eighth Circuit is being vetted as a potential nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. The Iowa judge could make Senate Republicans squirm since she was confirmed unanimously just three years ago. [New York Times]

* “You’re making a commitment that has very little room for escape.” Kirkland & Ellis increased its notice period to 120 days, and partners are wondering whether other firms will follow suit and make it even harder for them to leave. [Crain’s Chicago Business]

* SCOTUS watchers say the justices appeared “deeply divided” during oral arguments in the Whole Woman’s Health case, but some think Justice Kennedy may decide to punt it — perhaps giving time for Justice Scalia’s replacement to be confirmed. [USA Today]

* Attention sports fans: The NFL’s Hail Mary appeal of the Deflategate case will be heard by a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit today. At an estimated $20 million total, the legal bill on this action could be one for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Louisiana is a state with notoriously harsh punishments for marijuana-related crimes, but it may be considering legalizing weed for recreational use. Dealing drugs seems like it’d be a quick and easy way for the state to get out of its $850M debt. [Daily Beast]

Can the Windy City blow NYC out of its traditional top perch in M&A work?

Who has the best law firm brand? And what embarrassing ATL stories have they overcome to keep it?

Happy campers at this Biglaw firm, who learned yesterday afternoon that most of them would be taking home bonuses that their peers can only dream of.