Legal Ethics
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Labor / Employment, Litigators, On The Job
1 Weird Trick to Avoid Sanctions
Courts around the country are rapidly losing patience with boilerplate objections to written discovery requests. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.11.17
Uh-oh! Trouble in paradise? It looks like Martin Shkreli’s lawyer — who also happens to be his co-defendant — has turned on him.
* Florida has released the results from its administration of the February 2017 bar exam, and they were not pretty. The percentage of those who passed dipped a bit since 2016, but students at both Orlando law schools were more likely to have failed. But which law school did the worst of all? We’ll have more on this later. [Orlando Sentinel]
* Trouble in paradise? Martin Shkreli’s former lawyer, Evan Greebel — who also happens to be his co-defendant — has turned on him, accusing the pharma bro of submitting false documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission and engaging in illegal stock trading. Greebel, of course, now wants to be tried separately from Shkreli. [Bloomberg]
* “I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be back.” Five women who once worked at Davis Polk and had been gone for at least two years to raise their families have returned to the firm for one-year stints with a program called “Davis Polk Revisited.” If all goes well, they may be able to return for a longer period of time. [WSJ Law Blog]
* A former Hunton & Williams partner who spent 20 years on the lam as a fugitive has finally been caught. Scott Wolas, who was disbarred in 1999, was most recently accused in a $1.5 million real estate investment fraud scheme. Over the course of his alleged criminal career, Wolas reportedly assumed a number of other aliases. [Am Law Daily]
* Each year around Easter, the ABA Journal hosts a Peeps in Law diorama contest. It’s time to cast your vote for your favorite, and this time around, the competition is pretty stiff. We’re particularly partial to the entry that’s been dubbed “State of Peepington v. Trump,” but “Peepsburg and Sugarmayor” is also very cute. Vote! [ABA Journal]
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Crime, Legal Ethics, Trials
Sheriff Joe's Lawyers Withdraw Over Ethics Issue On Eve Of Trial
Even Sheriff Joe's lawyers don't want anything to do with him.
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Legal Ethics
Anti-Gay Lawyer Can Lawyer (In Michigan) No More
An update on a lawyer who rose to Above the Law infamy in 2010. -
Benchslaps, Federal Judges, Legal Ethics, Litigators
Federal Judge Benchslaps Lawyer For 'Frivolous,' 'Smoke And Mirrors' Recusal Motion
Don't make this judge angry; you won't like him when's angry.... -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.04.17
Even conservatives are concerned about the damage that invoking the nuclear option for Judge Gorsuch’s SCOTUS nomination will do.
* “This is going to haunt the Senate, it’s going to change the judiciary, and it’s so unnecessary.” Senate Democrats have secured the votes to filibuster Judge Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court nomination, all but ensuring that Senate Republicans will invoke the nuclear option, and even conservatives are concerned about the damage it will do. [New York Times]
* It turns out that the Wallace Global Fund tried hire another Biglaw firm to replace Morgan Lewis & Bockius prior to kicking the firm to the curb over its representation of President Donald Trump. Apparently Arnold & Porter “would have been perfect,” but that firm represents Trump too, so it was a “deal killer.” [Big Law Business]
* “It’s like a marriage but infinitely complex. In the beginning, it was appealing, but as you went along you see the synergies are not there.” Following a short romance, it looks like Crowell & Moring and Herrick Feinstein are breaking off their engagement before wasting their time getting married and going through a messy divorce. [New York Post]
* You give
lovelegal ethics a bad name: Remember Tara Lenich, the ADA who was accused of forging judges’ signatures to wiretap a love interest and a coworker in a “love triangle gone wrong”? She pleaded guilty to two charges of illegal wiretapping, and could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. [Brooklyn Daily Eagle]* If you’re a prospective law student with a learning disability or attention disorder, you may be worried about keeping up with the rigors of legal study. Don’t let it get you down. Request an accommodation, but make sure you do so before it’s too late or you may screw yourself out of getting the help you need. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]
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Social Media, Technology
This Week In Legal Tech: Stupid Lawyer Tricks, Facebook Edition
Lawyers -- especially lawyers in Florida -- do some pretty stupid things on this ubiquitous social-networking site. - Sponsored
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Benchslaps, Federal Judges
The Ninth Circuit Has No Patience For This Ethically Challenged Attorney
Nice try, counselor. -
Continuing Legal Education / CLE, Sponsored Content
Getting Ahead On Diversity In An Industry That Lags Behind
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Biglaw, Donald Trump, Justice, Politics
Should Lawyers And Law Firms Pay A Price For Normalizing The Trump Regime?
At what point are lawyers complicit in Trump's attempts to destabilize American democracy? -
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Small Law Firms, Social Media, Solo Practitioners, Technology
Are Solos Still Being Told Not To Use Social Media?
Are we still cautioning solos about using social media -- in 2017? -
Drugs, Health / Wellness
I Think My Boss Is A Cocaine Addict. Now What?
What are your obligations as an attorney if you discover information like this? -
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Job Searches, Legal Ethics
On The Role Of Bar Counsel, Guardians Of The Legal Profession: An Interview With William Slease
Learn more about this interesting area of the law, with ample career opportunities. -
Job Searches, Labor / Employment, On The Job
4 Tips for Not Getting Sued When Changing Jobs
As lateral hiring picks up, here's what not to do before and after leaving your current employer. -
Litigation Finance, Sponsored Content
A Litigation Finance Ethics Primer
Results from a new survey reflect the growing norm of litigation funding. -
Canada, Technology
Another State Adopts Duty of Technology Competence — And Canada May Also
How many states have adopted a duty of technology competence for lawyers?