Morrison & Foerster

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.15.19

* Today begins the national emergency of "not enough constitutional law scholars to fill every cable news interview slot." [NY Times] * Great when the new AG starts off his tenure with some light corruption. [Vanity Fair] * The Supreme Court's assault on the bar is unsurprisingly spreading. [National Law Journal] * The demands of in-house hiring folks can make them their own worst enemy. [Corporate Counsel] * Amazon has bailed on its NYC headquarters putting an end to one of the most comically obvious grifts in American history. [Law360] * Clients opening MoFo bills say, "motherf**ker!" [Texas Lawyer] * Define... rural. [Courthouse News Service]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.13.19

* Former Attorney General Eric Holder headed to Iowa earlier this week, but claims that he's still deciding whether or not he's going to throw his hat into the already crowded ring for the 2020 Democractic presidential nomination. [NPR] * Michael Cohen was supposed to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday, but his testimony was postponed for the third time this month, this time "due to post surgery medical needs." What's he getting done before jail? [CNN] * In the “mommy track” class-action lawsuit that was filed against Morrison & Foerster, the firm isn’t now claiming that its positive track record for supporting women and working parents contradicts claims that MoFo is actually discriminating against mothers and pregnant women behind closed doors. [The Recorder] * It is possible to survive -- and even thrive -- in Biglaw while living with depression and other mental health disabilities. Mark Goldstein, counsel at Reed Smith, tells the tale of how his firm supported him through it all with open arms. [American Lawyer] * Jones Day has once again been named by Acritas as the best law firm brand in the country. The firm was "proud" to take the top spot, but other firms like Skadden, which came in second place this year, are busy "catching up." [Big Law Business] * Carmel Prashker Ebb, the first woman to clerk for a federal appellate judge, RIP. [ABA Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.11.19

* “We take the allegations against Justin very seriously.” Justin Fairfax, the lieutenant governor of Virginia who’s embroiled in a sexual assault scandal, has taken a leave of absence from Morrison & Foerster, where he’s a partner, as the firm itself conducts its own investigation into the allegations. [National Law Journal] * High revenue and even higher demand resulted in law firms posting their best results since just before the recession, with Am Law 50 and niche/boutique firms outperforming the rest of their industry counterparts. Unfortunately, all of this good news could come to an end in 2020... [American Lawyer] * Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a former partner partner at Dorsey & Whitney and Gray Plant Mooty, has officially announced her candidacy for president, making her the fifth major player who’s a lawyer to join the Democratic race for 2020. [POLITICO] * Thanks to the PBS show “Finding Your Roots,” Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) recently learned that he’s not the only lawyer in his family. The show helped him discover that his third great grandfather — a 1786 law graduate of the University of Granada — graduated 210 years before he graduated from Miami Law. [Tampa Bay Times] * “This should be up to the highest court in the land. And she should stay out of jail until this case runs it course.” A lawyer for Michelle Carter, the Massachusetts woman who was convicted for involuntary manslaughter in her friend’s suicide-by-text, has vowed to take her case to the Supreme Court. [Boston Herald]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.10.18

* A quick primer on the key Judge Kavanaugh opinions to understand before this grueling process gets underway. [Law360] * Dianne Feinstein hiring MoFo to vet Brett Kavanaugh. [The Recorder] * After briefly flirting with looking outside the two schools, the Supreme Court will remain exclusively for people who attended either Yale or Harvard (including Justice Ginsburg, who transferred from Harvard). [Washington Post] * Uber brings in top Justice Department attorney. [Wall Street Journal] * Harvey Weinstein spared fate of living on Riker's Island after judge lets him out on bail. Just like any random person accused of raping three women would be! [Mercury News] * The Young Lawyer Editorial Board scolds profession for slow progress on diversity. This drive has to start somewhere and it may as well be at the firms since it's increasingly clear that the law schools don't have the courage to do it. [American Lawyer] * Ty Cobb going to scum punk shows now. I have no joke for this. [The Hill]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.07.18

* According to Rudy Giuliani, if special counsel Robert Mueller issues a subpoena, Donald Trump "[doesn't] have to" comply with it. After all, "[h]e’s the president of the United States. [He] can assert the same privileges other presidents have." And he has no plans to allow Trump to sit for an interview with Mueller -- Giuliani won't allow him to "walk him into a prosecution for perjury." Admitting during a TV interview that your client is a liar? Check. [Washington Post] * And that's not all, folks! According to Rudy Giuliani, although he has "no knowledge" of it having happened, Michael Cohen may have paid hush money to other women -- similar to money that was paid to Stormy Daniels -- to get them to stay silent about their alleged affairs with Donald Trump "if it was necessary." [CNN] * So, about Morrison & Foerster's $100 million "mommy track" lawsuit: The firm's managing partner, Larren Nashelsky, has commented on the allegations, stating that MoFo is "somewhere between disappointed and angry" because "[i]t’s just not who we are, it’s not what we value and it’s, in fact, not how we operate." [American Lawyer] * Of course a Biglaw partner owns the horse that won the Kentucky Derby. Congrats to both Justify and C. Edward Glasscock, chairman emeritus of Frost Brown Todd, on their big win during the first leg of this year's Triple Crown. [American Lawyer] * Sylvia Bloom, a legal secretary who retired from Cleary Gottlieb after working at the firm for 67 years, amassed a $9+ million fortune by purchasing the same stocks as her boss. In her will, she directed that the majority be donated for college scholarships. Be sure to thank your maybe-millionaire secretary today, everyone. [New York Times]

By Staci Zaretsky