Law School Deans

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.04.15

* It's only been two weeks since Charlie Sheen's HIV reveal, and the lawsuits are already starting to roll in. The actor's ex-fiancée is suing him for big bucks and claims he failed to disclose his status to her before having unprotected sex, which is a felony in California. [Deadline] * When you somehow avoid jail time by asserting an improbable "affluenza" defense after killing people in a drunk-driving wreck, it figures that your downfall comes via tweet. Start out your day by checking out the video of "ya boy ethan couch [allegedly] violating probation." [Dallas Morning News] * Remember the law prof who was banned from SUNY Buffalo Law's campus for allegedly violating its workplace violence policy and then sued the former dean for defamation? A judge has recommended that the case be dismissed. [Buffalo News] * Biglaw attorneys are descending upon the 21st annual Conference of the Parties (COP 21), because after all, they'll be able to entertain clients with tales about the legalities of renewables to cut greenhouse gas emissions. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * Law school admins are confident the number of applicants will increase, and while fee waivers still abound, pre-law students are expecting the cycle to be "competitive." A pulse AND the ability to sign loan docs will now be required. [Daily Pennsylvanian]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.01.15

* It seems that Dentons didn't have its fill after fattening itself up with a Luxembourg firm over Thanksgiving, so now the megafirm is considering feasting upon two Latin American firms -- Cárdenas & Cárdenas and López Velarde Heftye y Soria -- for its dessert. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * Election 2016 is a year away, but it's easy to see the makeup of the Supreme Court will continue to be an issue for presidential candidates, especially since both parties know "[w]e are one justice away" from a liberal or conservative majority. [MSNBC] * Dean Martha Minow says Harvard Law will create a committee to investigate whether the school's shield should be changed due to its ties to a cruel slaveowner. Send your comments, questions, and complaints to [email protected]. [Harvard Law Today] * Robert Lewis Dear, the alleged gunman behind the Colorado Planned Parenthood shootings, is expected to be charged with first-degree murder next week. It's not yet been disclosed whether he'll be charged with federal domestic terrorism. [Los Angeles Times] * This turkey won't be pardoned: The Thanksgiving Day White House fence-jumper who draped an American flag over the fence while gripping a U.S. Constitution pocket guide in his teeth was criminally charged after ruining the Obamas holiday. [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.30.15

* While you were feasting upon turkey this Thanksgiving, Dentons -- otherwise known as the largest Biglaw behemoth in the world -- was busy gobbling up yet another law firm. The megafirm will combine with 33-lawyer OPF Partners out of Luxembourg. [WSJ Law Blog] * According to a survey from AlixPartners, over the past 12 months, GCs have reported more "bet the company" lawsuits compared to last year. Don't get too excited, though, because growth in litigation spend hasn't quite caught up yet. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * You really can do anything with a law degree -- including things that have absolutely nothing to do with the law! Patrick Hobbs, dean emeritus of Seton Hall Law, has been tapped to become the athletics director at Rutgers University. [NJ Advance Media] * What would happen if one of the largest publicly traded plaintiffs firms in the world went under? Ever since its stock price plummeted by 52 percent, industry analysts have started to wonder whether Slater & Gordon is on the verge of collapse. [ABC News] * In the wake of the defacement of black faculty portraits and the administration's apparent "ongoing failure" to address racism on campus, Harvard Law alumni are being asked to stop making donations to the school until changes are made. [Boston Globe] * One of 92-year-old Sumner Redstone's exes filed a probate suit questioning his mental competence and ability to run Viacom and CBS. His attorney from entertainment law powerhouse Loeb & Loeb essentially called her client's ex a gold digger. [CNBC]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.23.15

* Will it ever be easier to meet the challenge of proving you've got an undue hardship so you can discharge your law school student loan debts in bankruptcy? Your fate may rest in the hands of this indebted Florida Coastal Law grad and his petition for certiorari at the Supreme Court. [US Law Week Blog / Bloomberg] * Hate crimes still happen, even at this prestigious law school: Amid increased racial turbulence on campus, the Harvard University Police Department is now investigating the defacing of black law professors' portraits as a hate crime. [ABC News] * UVA Law recently joined the minority of law schools that have women serving as dean. Pop your collars with pride, because legal historian Risa Goluboff will take over as the school's first female dean this July. Congratulations! [Richmond Times-Dispatch] * Gordon Rees has settled its lawsuit against Alex Rodriguez over the baseball player's outstanding legal bills, totaling more than $380,000. The terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, but we have a feeling that the firm hit it out of the park. [NBC New York] * Try before you buy or a bid to increase tourism? Alaska is making bold moves now that it's legalized marijuana for recreational use. It'll be the first state to allow the social use of the drug "in public," i.e., inside pot dispensaries that have yet to open. [Cannabist]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.02.15

* Despite the fact that people seemed to have been losing their minds over court packing, according to Judge Sri Srinivasan of the D.C. Circuit, President Obama's appointment of four new judges on the powerful court had little to no impact on the outcome of cases. [POLITICO] * “Americans are actively being deprived of their rights.” In this excellent longread on arbitration, we learn it's the best for big companies, but for plaintiffs who are forced into it, it amounts to the "privatization of the justice system." [DealBook / New York Times] * Uh oh! Disgraced plaintiffs' lawyer Stan Chesley -- perhaps better known as the "Master of Disaster" -- had a warrant issued for his arrest last week after he failed to appear for a hearing related to his refusal to pay a $42 million judgment. [Louisville Courier Journal] * Florida A&M University College of Law has a brand new dean. We'd like to wish a warm welcome to Angela Felecia Epps, whose salary of $252,000 is likely more than any of the school's recent and barely employed graduates can hope to make. [Orlando Sentinel] * A 30-year-old New Jersey man has been sentenced to a 16-year prison term for aggravated arson after the fires he set last year damaged a local law firm (one that was representing him at the time) and the county prosecutor's office. [Associated Press]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.09.15

* Bob McCulloch, the prosecutor who handled (mishandled?) the Michael Brown / Darren Wilson case in Ferguson, Missouri, was recently named as "Prosecutor of the Year" by the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. This probably wasn't a good idea. [Slate] * American Apparel filed for bankruptcy, and rather than Biglaw firms representing the embattled clothier, they're trying to snatch up fees. Skadden, White & Case, and Paul Hastings are each owed quite the pretty penny. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * Which law school dean was just named as senior counsel at Dentons, the largest law firm in the world? That would be Nicholas Allard of Brooklyn Law School. Perhaps this law dean's academic cash flow wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. [Brooklyn Daily Eagle] * "Unless the industry cleans itself up, we can expect more lawsuits like this in the future." In an interesting turn of events, the marijuana industry is now seeing its first product liability suit. A protip for growers: No one wants to smoke fungicide. [Los Angeles Times] * Just when you thought patent trolls couldn't get any worse, they started to harass members of the fashion industry. Copyright trolls (i.e., Stephen Doniger and Scott Alan Burroughs) are suing over textile prints left and right, and that's so last season. [Fortune]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.08.15

* Remember the judge who challenged a public defender to a fistfight in court? He was suspended by the Florida Supreme Court, and has 20 days to explain why he should keep his job. With all due respect, your great right hook isn't a good enough reason, Your Honor. [Florida Today] * Screw the historic SCOTUS decision, because this Alabama probate judge really doesn't want to issue same-sex marriage licenses. In fact, he doesn't think any judges in the state should have to do so. He wants the federal government to issue them instead. [AL.com] * In the wake of the latest daily fantasy sports scandal involving DraftKings, FanDuel has hired the kind of legal representation that you'd want on your team for a Hail Mary play. Hut! Hut! Hike! Time to suit up, Debevoise and Kirkland. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * The University of Chicago Law School has a new dean. We'd like to wish a warm welcome to Thomas Miles, a "rookie dean" who likely has enough prestige points under his belt to lead one of the best law schools in the nation with great ease. [Crain's Chicago Business] * Today is the 25th Annual National Depression Screening Day, so if you're a lawyer or a law student who's feeling anxious or depressed, please feel free to take an anonymous online screening quiz. There are people and programs who can help you. [Am Law Daily]

By Staci Zaretsky