Law Firm Mergers

* President Trump doesn’t seem to be as enthusiastic about special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report being released to Congress and the public anymore, which is strange since it was a “complete and total exoneration.” [POLITICO]

* Meanwhile, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee seem to be divided over how quickly they want to subpoena the full Mueller report from Attorney General William Barr. Either way, a vote will take place sometime today. [Washington Post]

* Law firm merger activity has been really strong during the first quarter of 2019, with 27 firms combining thus far. Right now, this is on track with last year’s record-setting merger mania, when 106 firms officially tied the knot. [Big Law Business]

* New York real estate lawyer Adam Leitman Bailey, who once told a tenant he “should commit suicide,” has been suspended for four months after reportedly running into an arbitration hearing and swearing at a witness. [New York Law Journal]

* According to a report from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, lawyers once connected to Wynn Resorts — including two former GCs — allegedly helped conceal sexual assault and misconduct claims against Steven Wynn, the casino’s founder. [Corporate Counsel]

* Oopsie! As an FYI, in Texas, it’s completely possible to accidentally resign from your position as a judge. Don’t make the same mistake as this poor jurist. [Reuters]

* Eighty-three judicial ethics complaints against Brett Kavanaugh have been tossed out by the Judicial Council of the Tenth Circuit due to an “intervening event”: his SCOTUS confirmation. The Council, set up to fail by Chief Justice John Roberts, “[l]ack[s] statutory authority to do anything more.” [National Law Journal]

* The Senate passed the First Step Act in an 87 to 12 bipartisan vote, and now the sweeping criminal justice reform legislation will move on to the House for approval before being sent to the White House. This is a major victory. Thanks for the assist on this, Jared Kushner! [Washington Post]

* The tax man commeth, but not for Donald Trump. Judge Karen Henderson of the D.C. Circuit has denied a Freedom of Information Act request for the President’s IRS tax records, citing the agency’s confidentiality protections for all citizens. [CNN]

* Cross-border mergers are on the rise, and one firm has been responsible for the vast majority of them. In 2018 alone, with about 9,000 lawyers and counting, Dentons has completed more global mergers than all other U.S. firms. [American Lawyer]

* Brooklyn Law will have a new dean come July 1. Michael Cahill, who’s been serving as co-dean of Rutgers Law, will return to the place where he spent 13 years as a professor, associate dean, and vice dean. Congrats! [New York Law Journal]

* People and things in the legal profession dominated Google’s most searched for queries over the course of 2018, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Christine Blasey Ford’s SJC testimony, Aaron Schlossberg, and taking some top spots. [ABA Journal]

* Dr. Christine Blasey Ford says that she’s used some of the money in the GoFundMe account started by her supporters for security costs after her sexual assault testimony against then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh, but plans to donate the rest of the funds to trauma survivors. [Fox News]

* Of course Justice Department lawyers are going to appeal the ruling blocking the Trump administration’s new asylum restrictions and of course they want that ruling to be put on hold while the appeal is pending. Let’s keep teargassing kids while we’re at it. [CNN]

* Paul Manafort’s lawyers sure are acting strangely in the wake of new allegations from Robert Mueller. “You would expect them to be a little more bold and say, ‘This is untrue, he has cooperated,’” but that’s not what seems to be happening. [Daily Beast]

* “We’re very keen to do something in the U.S.” Hot off a three-way merger, U.K.-based CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang is looking for yet another merger partner, but this time, the firm’s leaders are looking across the pond. [ International]

* Sorry if you were planning to lateral up the in-house food chain from a Biglaw firm, but according to this survey from the Association of Corporate Counsel, most GCs were born and bred in corporate law departments. [Corporate Counsel]

* Robert Bowers, the suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that left 11 dead and six wounded, has been charged with 29 federal criminal counts including hate crimes and using a firearm to commit murder and 36 state criminal counts including homicide and ethnic intimidation. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those who lost their lives this weekend. [New York Times]

* According to the criminal complaint filed against Cesar Sayoc, the pipe bomb he allegedly tried to mail to former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was addressed to his office at a “certain law firm” — a certain law firm that’s better known as Covington & Burling. Good thing the package never made it there. [National Law Journal]

* When asked to reflect on the misconduct allegations against Yale Law School Professor Jed Rubenfeld, alumni from the school are not the least bit shocked. “It was not a surprise to basically any woman in my class that this investigation is going on,” said one 2015 graduate. Will the school take appropriate action? [Yale Daily News]

* Partners from Allen & Overy and O’Melveny & Myers are cozying up to each other as merger talks between the two firms continue, but there may be trouble in paradise. “There is some opposition in London,” said a former A&O partner, “but it’s fairly disorganised—there’s a lot of moaning but nobody leading a charge.” [International]

* In case you missed it, after the involuntary revocation of its accreditation, Arizona Summit Law School will eventually close its doors. But first, the school must finalize a teach-out plan for its remaining students, and when it’s all over, “that would be the life of the school.” What a sad little life. Farewell to AZ Summit Law. [Arizona Republic]

* You might not have known it, but the Michigan State University College of Law has been operating as a private school for all these years. Soon, the school will be fully integrated into the university, and you know what that means: in-state tuition costs will be coming to the MSU Law. Congratulations! [Lansing State Journal]

* RBG is my Patronus, and a course on Harry Potter and the Law is coming to a law school near you — if you live in India, that is. The National University of Juridical Sciences will be teaching the class, and muggles students are “expected [to] have already read all the books at least twice, if not more.” [The Guardian]

* Police questioned Brett Kavanaugh over a bar fight he and Chris Dudley apparently got into — wait, Chris Dudley? This whole “Brett + Alcohol = Violence” equation is becoming a pattern. And a pattern he lies about under oath. [NY Times]

* Department of Justice sues California over its net neutrality law. So much for states’ rights. [Courthouse News Service]

* Law firms are merging at a record pace. This should probably worry people more. [American Lawyer]

* This reads more like an exam question than real life. Is it a trademark violation to spell fiance as Feyoncé when selling engagement gifts? What if we add that they also sold stuff that references “Single Ladies”? [Law360]

* Sidley Austin earns less than the midlevel exception. Or about what Chris Dudley was worth. [American Lawyer]

* The Supreme Court is open for business. Will they further limit access to justice this Term? Probably, yeah. [National Law Journal]

* “SEC Suit Over Elon Musk’s Tweets Sets an Example for Execs Online.” Indeed: Don’t Date Grimes. [Corporate Counsel]

* Amid reports (from Fox News no less) that Mitch McConnell does not presently have the votes to confirm Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court took the precaution of removing several contentious matters from their long conference agenda lest. They’re hunkering down for another couple months at 4-4. [National Law Journal]

* Speaking of that Fox News report, let’s be honest about what’s happening here: Kavanaugh is refusing to withdraw and McConnell is covertly asking the network to convince Trump to withdraw the nomination. [Fox News]

* Almost half of the top 15 firms in the Global 100 are the product of a transatlantic merger. Should your firm follow suit? Probably not. [American Lawyer]

* Linda Burrow leaves Boies Schiller to Netflix and chill and then litigate. [Corporate Counsel]

* Judge seems to think Stormy Daniels doesn’t have a defamation claim against Trump over one of his Tweets. [Law360]

* PwC makes a deal with Fragomen. The Big 4 invasion of the legal sector continues unchecked. [LegalCheek]

* Lost in the shuffle of everything happening yesterday, Bill Cosby’s sentencing hearings kicked off. [Courthouse News Service]

* In case you missed it amidst all the craziness of last week, Monday was Constitution Day — and as Judge Don Willett reminds us, it’s up to us to keep our constitutional republic strong. [Wall Street Journal]

* The Supreme Court clerk class of October Term 2008: where are they now? Derek Muller has tracked them down. [Excess of Democracy]

* Senator Dianne Feinstein is under fire, and not just for her handling of the Kavanaugh nomination — but she’s still likely to emerge victorious in November, as Kashmir Hill reports. [Splinter]

* The past 12 months haven’t been easy for superlawyer David Boies — but he’s still very busy (and also a bit wiser), as he tells Jim Stewart. [New York Times]

* It’s only a matter of time before the Supreme Court has to address the rights of transgender students under Title IX, according to Justin Driver — who’s the author of a buzz-generating new book, The Schoolhouse Gate: Public Education, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for the American Mind (affiliate link). [Reason / Volokh Conspiracy]

* If you’re looking for advice about discipline, focus, happiness, and relationships — and who isn’t? — here’s a podcast you might want to check out. [University of Good / SoundCloud]

* Law firm mergers are notoriously hit or miss — so this new M&A intelligence tool from ALM could come in very handy. [Dewey B Strategic]

* Congratulations to the six new participants in LexisNexis’s third Silicon Valley Legal Tech Accelerator program! [Artificial Lawyer]

* Jeff Sessions assures people that the Justice Department won’t be intimidated by the administration. Trump responds with intimidation effort, blasting Justice for not doing enough about the “other side” and then just lists a bunch of Republicans he doesn’t like. [CNN]

* The White House is crowing over an unsealed Starr investigation report that “fully exonerates” Brett Kavanaugh… as a media leak. The collective delusion over there that being a leak is the worst possible sin, and not, you know sexual harassment issues, continues to astound. [National Law Journal]

* The Trump administration continues its efforts to raise taxes on Americans who didn’t vote for him. [Law360]

* After Debevoise offered a comically cozy report to help Ohio State keep winning football games, it’s worth remembering the school still has another internal investigation going on into sexual abuse claims against the wrestling staff. [Corporate Counsel]

* The Texas lateral market is making a whole lot of money. [Texas Lawyer]

* K&L Gates gets the go ahead on Singapore merger. [International]

* Ady Barkan, an ALS patient who has become an activist for patients, announced a campaign to raise money for Susan Collins’s next opponent if she supports the Kavanaugh nomination. Over the course of 3 days, he’s raised over $130K. [Crowdpac]

* RelativityOne announces Allen & Overy to its list of clients. [PR Newswire]

* Michael Cohen says he doesn’t want a pardon, but he may not have a choice. [National Law Journal]

* Now we’re going to have a needless semantic fight over the phrase “unindicted co-conspirator” because lawyers can’t help themselves. [Law360]

* How to make the most money as a general counsel. [Corporate Counsel]

* Paul Manafort wants the court to seal some portions of the transcript which doesn’t sound suspicious at all. [Courthouse News Service]

* If it feels like there’s been a lot of law firm mergers lately, that’s because there’s been a lot of law firm mergers lately. [American Lawyer]

* Eighth Circuit pick rejects Judge Kopf’s recent broadside against women seeking meaningful sexual harassment reform. [National Law Journal]

* Georgia State offensive lineman is also going to law school. [AJC]

* Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws when he made payments to women “in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office … for the principal purpose of influencing the election.” In response, Rudy Giuliani, who apparently prefers to look at the bright side of things and because the truth isn’t the truth, said, “There is no allegation of any wrongdoing against the president in the government’s charges against Mr. Cohen.” [New York Times]

* Oopsie… Rep. Duncan Hunter and his wife were indicted by a federal grand jury on 60 counts on charges related to the misuse of more than $250,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses (like family vacations and school tuition) and then trying to conceal it by filing false campaign finance records. [USA Today]

* Venable is merging with New York IP firm Fitzpatrick Cella, and the deal is expected to close on November 1. The combined firm will have 800 lawyers, a major presence in the Big Apple, and revenue that’s expected to top $620 million. [American Lawyer]

* We know that law school enrollment is up, but at some law schools, it’s really up. Several schools have seen their first-year enrollments climb by double-digit percentages, which is a welcome change for some schools. [Law.com]

* Speaking of law schools, if you’re trying to get into an elite school, then your GPA obviously needs to be really high. But how high are we talking here? All of the top 10 schools have median GPAs of 3.7 or higher. Good luck out there! [U.S. News]

* In response to President Trump’s “relentless assault” against the press, more than 300 newspapers published editorials denouncing his attacks and defending the freedom of the press. In response, Trump said he wants “true” freedom of the press, but without the “FAKE NEWS.” Come on, even the Supreme Court wants the press to remain free. [National Law Journal]

* Gallery Books and Simon & Schuster, the publishers of Omarosa Manigault Newman’s White House memoir, are hitting back hard against President Trump’s attempts to silence her and stop its publication. this letter from Davis Wright Tremaine partner Elizabeth McNamara is freakin’ fantastic. [Deadline]

* According to prosecutors, an argument over family financial matters is allegedly what caused John Gately III to fatally shoot his brother-in-law, Mayer Brown partner Stephen Shapiro. The Supreme Court star reportedly died in an attempt to protect his wife. Gately has been denied bond and plans to plead not guilty. [American Lawyer]

* ICYMI, two judges were just confirmed to the Fourth Circuit by margins we haven’t seen in a while. Meet Julius Richardson, a federal prosecutor who once worked at Kellogg Huber (81-8), and Judge Marvin Quattlebaum, a former Nelson Mullins partner who’s been a a federal judge for six months (62-28). [Courthouse News]

* Law firm merger mania: Stinson Leonard Street will be merging with IP boutique Senniger Powers to add some extra oomph to the firm’s “market-leading IP services.” The merger is expected to close on October 1, bringing Stinson Leonard’s total headcount to almost 500 attorneys. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

* Trinity Western University wants to open a law school so badly that the administration is now willing to drop the “community covenant” that would have forbidden gay students from having sex. That rule will now be optional for the student body at the Christian school. Would you want to enroll? [StarMetro Vancouver]

* Alex Kozinski, formerly of the Ninth Circuit, disappeared into the shadows after retiring in the wake of sexual harassment allegations. Less than seven months later, he’s back in the public eye, and three of his accussers, all lawyers, are none too pleased. [New York Times]

* In news that should shock absolutely no one, an attorney who was caught on tape insulting his paralegal on more than 30 occasions — where he was seen referring to her a “dirtbag” and a “ho” — has been suspended from practice for one year with six months stayed. [New York Post]

* Nelson Mullins recently finalized its merger with Broad and Cassel to create a “super-regional” firm. The new firm will have 25 offices, more than 750 attorneys, and a combined revenue of over $500 million. [American Lawyer]

* In other law firm merger news, Fox Rothschild has confirmed that it’s in talks with North Carolina firm Smith Moore Leatherwood. Mark Silow, the firm’s chairman, cautioned that nothing has been finalized yet. [Philadelphia Business Journal]

* Remember Dana Tapper, the UVA Law grad who won money to repay her law school debt on the Ellen DeGeneres Show? She was just sentenced to 20 years in prison (with all but three months suspended) after smuggling drugs and a cellphone in to an inmate serving time for murder. [Richmond Times-Dispatch]

* What will happen if SCOTUS were to overturn Roe v. Wade? For one, abortion wouldn’t automatically become illegal across America — that would be up to each individual state. In fact, some states have “trigger laws” ready to go to ban abortion if Roe is ever overturned. Hopefully this won’t happen any time soon, or ever. [BuzzFeed]

* The University of Illinois at Chicago is moving forward with its planned merger with John Marshall Law School to to establish the UI Chicago John Marshall College of Law. Dean Vikram Amar of Illinois Law wants to make very sure that everyone knows this is “not a joint enterprise in any way.” [News-Gazette; Chicago Tribune]

* Bless their hearts, but it looks like Winstead won’t be taking Troutman Sanders to the rodeo after all. According to inside sources, this Texas-sized merger was simply not meant to be due to billing rates and preferred clientele. [Texas Lawyer]

* All rise for new royalty at Dechert, for Sheila L. Birnbaum, the “Queen of Torts” is here! Her Majesty left Quinn Emanuel and brought 28 other lawyers and staff with her to form a product liability and mass torts team at the firm. [Big Law Business]

* The White House has named Steven Dillingham as its nominee to direct the U.S. Census Bureau. In case you weren’t aware, Dillingham has a law degree from the University of South Carolina. No word yet on whether he’s still practicing. [NPR]

* Proskauer tells the EEOC that there’s nothing “sinister” about employers demanding that sexual harassment victims sign away their legal rights to be railroaded through employer-chosen kangaroo courts and then forcibly silenced. Welcome to 2018. [National Law Journal]

* In emoluments news, Judge Peter Messitte asked the Justice Department if, based on their chosen defense, “Wouldn’t that be bribery?” which he seemed to think would be a bad thing as if the Supreme Court hadn’t legalized bribery in McDonnell. [US News]

* Chris Christie is starting his own law firm and somehow Rudy Giuliani has already managed to lie about that. [NJ.com]

* Betsy DeVos succeeded in keeping fraud victims indebted to the government. She was also ordered to stop pursuing collection actions against the victims, but she still gets to destroy their credit ratings, which is still a great day for kleptocracy. [Courthouse News Service]

* Nelson Mullins merging with Broad and Cassel as part of the growing trend of super-regional firms designed to keep the Am Law elite at bay. [Daily Report]

* In a lesson on putting carts ahead of horses, the former general counsel for Portland, Oregon’s public school district was just admitted to the bar… after the state bar lodged ethics violations against him for serving in that role without a law license in the state. [Portland Tribune]