Labor / Employment

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.18.17

* Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer spent Monday with special counsel Robert Mueller's team, chatting about all sorts of things related to the Russia probe. They presumably spoke about more than Trump's choice of Russian dressing. [POLITICO] * During a meeting held at Debevoise & Plimpton's New York office, the members of the Weinstein Company's board ratified their decision to fire Harvey Weinstein from his own company. Every employment lawyer's worst nightmare later resigned from the board. [DealBook / New York Times] * "Democratic attorneys general are getting national injunctions to stop the Trump administration. In just two short years, the national injunction went from rare to routine." The Trump presidency has ushered in the era of nationwide injunctions, and not everyone seems to be a fan of this type of one-size-fits-all jurisprudence. [CNN] * In case you missed it, come 2019, there will be three legal genders in California: male, female, and non-binary. Under the Gender Recognition Act, citizens of the Golden State may select non-binary as an option on state-issued IDs, driver’s licenses, and birth certificates. Congratulations on this landmark legislation. [Esquire] * The number of this year's law firm mergers is set to break records, but you better get ready for MOAR MERGERS. Per Janet Stanton of Adam Smith Esq., deals are happening behind the scenes, and partner defections may serve as an indication of merger talks. Can you think of a firm that's been losing partners? [Am Law Daily]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.16.17

* Colin Kaepernick, who remains unsigned six weeks into the season, has filed a grievance against the NFL and its owners alleging collusion under the latest collective bargaining agreement, claiming that he's been deprived of employment in retaliation for "bringing awareness to peculiar institutions still undermining racial equality in the United States." [Bleacher Report] * Harvey Weinstein was planning to file suit against the New York Times for defamation, but Charles Harder, the hot-shot lawyer who brought down Gawker, has left the media mogul's legal team. Harder is the third lawyer to step away from this representation, following moves made by Lisa Bloom and Lanny Davis. [Deadline] * Attorney General Jeff Sessions has rolled back protections for transgender people in the workforce and in education, but the Department of Justice is taking a hard line when it comes to federal hate crimes that have been committed against the very people his policies have thrust into potential danger. [New York Times] * Harvard Law students and alumni want major improvements to be made to the school's public service loan assistance program, saying their alma mater has "fallen behind its peer schools" when it comes to supporting graduates who work in public interest. Will HLS act to preserve its stature, or to help its own? [Harvard Crimson] * Even though women account for more than 40 percent of the school's student body, there aren't enough women's bathrooms at the University of South Dakota School of Law, and students who've been forced to wait in long lines are pretty pissed that the administration has done such a piss-poor job of handling this issue. [Wichita Eagle]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.12.17

* Former tax partner gets two year prison sentence. Maybe he can claim a good behavior deduction. [New York Law Journal] * Chilling report on South Carolina's routine violation of constitutional norms. [New York Times] * Top in-house counsel share their thoughts on forging a privacy policy. As we all know, the first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club. [Law.com] * Austria's racism manages to punish a law student in a shark costume. It's the saddest moment for sharks since Left Shark. [Lowering the Bar] * Checking in on Rogers Stevens, the Blind Melon guitarist who now works as a mid-level Labor and Employment attorney at Ballard Spahr. [Coverage Opinions] * Experts say the Cowboys edict that the team will bench anyone who kneels during the anthem doesn't run afoul of the NLRA... yet. [Law360] * A conversation with Ellisen Turner, Irell & Manella's newly minted managing partner, about race and discrimination and the added pressure that comes with being a person of color in the legal industry. [Am Law Daily]

By Joe Patrice