Rajat Gupta
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 01.08.19
* Judge Dabney Friedrich proves every stereotype about joyless judges by throwing a fit over Reed Smith’s practice of writing actually engaging briefs, prompting the firm to muse whether or not the judge is trying to get the firm’s almost certainly Putin-allied client to fire him right when we were about to learn the truth of the nude selfies. [Courthouse News Service]
* Federal judiciary trying desperately to keep the lights on one week later than initially reported. [National Law Journal]
* The big winner of Brexit? Ireland’s lawyers who firms are stockpiling in advance of Britain’s departure. [International]
* Rajat Gupta’s conviction upheld by the Second Circuit. [Very Seinfeld voice] Newman! [Law360]
* Supreme Court declines to enter the Skakel murder case because try as they might, they couldn’t find anything about the case that would result in disenfranchising poor people. [Boston Herald]
* In a total shock, sexual harassment claims went up as soon as America stopped immediately dismissing sexual harassment claims out of hand. Amazing! [Corporate Counsel]
* Roger Stone continues to wait in torturous limbo for a decision on whether or not he’ll be indicted while burning through cash on lawyers. Yeah… that’s how this process works. Welcome to white-collar crime. [ABC News]
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Crime, Hedge Funds / Private Equity
Judges No More Interested In Restoring Rajat Gupta’s Good Name Than They Were His Freedom
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Barack Obama, Constitutional Law, D.C. Circuit, Defamation, Drugs, Gay, Gay Marriage, Insider Trading, Law Schools, Marijuana, Morning Docket, Murder, Paul Clement, Trials
Morning Docket: 01.23.13
Ed. note: We apologize for getting such a late start today, but we were experiencing some technical difficulties. Thanks for being patient with us.
* Barack Obama made some bold statements about marriage equality in his inaugural address, but the jury is still out — literally — on whether he thinks laws banning same-sex couples from marrying are constitutional. [BuzzFeed]
* You can smoke pot for sh*ts and giggles in several states, but the D.C. Circuit is siding with the DEA on this one. Marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I drug in the eyes of the (federal) law. [National Law Journal]
* With claims of prejudicial evidence, Rajat Gupta is trying to get his insider trading conviction overturned. We’ll wait for more on this story from note passer field correspondent, Benula Bensam. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* Here are some tips on how you can refine the résumé that will accompany your law school application — but make sure you get the accents aigus right, or else. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]
* “Why are all high school teachers freaks in the sacks?” Sarah Jones, the cheerleader-cum-sexy teacher, cried over phrases like that yesterday during testimony in her defamation case against The Dirty. [ESPN]
* George W. Huguely V, the UVA lacrosse bro who was convicted of killing his sometimes girlfriend, has got one hell of an appellate lawyer. Perhaps famous litigator Paul Clement is a friend of the family. [Bloomberg]
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Admin, Announcements, Attorney Misconduct, Barack Obama, Biglaw, Cardozo Law School, Contests, Cozen O'Connor, Crime, Depositions, Dewey & LeBoeuf, Drinking, Email Scandals, Federal Judges, Health Care / Medicine, Jed Rakoff, John Roberts, Kids, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Partner Issues, Pregnancy / Paternity, Reader Polls, Rudeness, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Texas
Above the Law's 2012 Lawyer of the Year Competition: The Finalists!
Who should be Above the Law's Lawyer of the Year for 2012? Please vote in our poll! -
2nd Circuit, ACLU, Biglaw, China, Insider Trading, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Prisons, Religion, Sentencing Law, Solo Practitioners, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Student Loans, Weddings
Morning Docket: 12.05.12
* Mirror, mirror, on the wall, which is the fairest firm of them all? According to the 2012 Acritas Brand Index survey, the current leader of the Global 100 is the most powerful Biglaw brand for the fifth year in a row. [American Lawyer]
* But that might not last for long, considering the dilemma Baker & McKenzie is facing when it comes to joining the Shanghai Bar Association in China. The firm is one of the first to indicate that it’ll take the plunge. [Wall Street Journal]
* Thanks to the Second Circuit, Rajat Gupta will be a free man on bail pending the appeal of his insider trading conviction. We wonder what Benula Bensam would have to say about this new twist. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Jason Smiekel, the lawyer who pleaded guilty in a murder-for-hire plot involving a former client, was sentenced to eight and a half years in federal prison. The things men will do for HHHBs. [Chicago Tribune]
* Student loan payments: coming to a paycheck deduction near you! Congress is considering an overhaul of the country’s student debt collection practices, and Rep. Tom Petri has some interesting ideas. [Bloomberg]
* The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law is the latest school to hop aboard the solo practice incubator train, but graduates will have to rent their office space from the school. Nice. /sarcasm [National Law Journal]
* “We didn’t file this complaint lightly.” Sorry, Judge Norman, but as it turns out, you can’t just sentence a teenager to attend church for 10 years as a condition of parole without pissing off the ACLU. [Tulsa World]
* When your alterations cost more than your wedding gown, it’s pretty much a given that you’ll have some problems — ones worth suing over, if you’re a true bridezilla (like moi). [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
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Biglaw, Department of Justice, Federal Judges, Football, Insider Trading, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Patents, Politics, Sentencing Law, Sex, Sports
Morning Docket: 10.25.12
* Covington, Skadden, and Proskauer really like representing professional sports leagues: from 2010 to 2011, the NHL paid a combined total of $8.8M to all three, and Covington received $16.3M from the NFL over the last three years. [Am Law Daily]
* The Department of Justice sued Bank of America yesterday for doing the “hustle.” No, not the popular disco disco dance, but rather, a supposed elaborate scheme to defraud the government out of billions of dollars. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Rajat Gupta was sentenced to a whole two years behind bars for insider trading, but my colleague Elie Mystal thinks that the more appropriate punishment would’ve been to force him to reenact the seminal 80s film, Trading Places. [HuffPost Live]
* Unfortunately, Siri wasn’t able to be helpful with this one. A federal judge had to recuse himself in a patent case involving the Siri voice assistant app because of his “interest” in Apple (likely stock ownership). [CNET]
* Was Wednesday the day of departing deans? NYU’s Richard Revesz said farewell, and so did Sydney Beckman of Duncan Law, but the latter flat out quit amid accreditation uncertainty. [Knoxville News Sentinel]
* “We’ll fight another day. This is not over.” While a jury declared that Teresa Wagner wasn’t a victim of Iowa Law’s political bias, a mistrial was called as to her equal protection claim against the school. [Press Citizen]
* Somebody really should’ve told Lawrence Taylor that when testifying in an underage sex trafficking case, it’s probably not a good idea to mention that your accuser was “very, very pretty” and “very sexy.” [Associated Press]
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Biglaw, Crowell & Moring, Insider Trading, Intellectual Property, Job Searches, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Morning Docket, Sentencing Law
Morning Docket: 10.18.12
* Conflict of interest? What conflict of interest? We didn’t have a conflict of interest! Covington & Burling is appealing its disqualification from representing Minnesota in a suit against former client 3M. [Capital Business / Washington Post]
* “If I sent my résumé through the firm, I wouldn’t get looked at.” Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear is hiring so many awesome associates that the firm’s managing partner doesn’t even know if he’d stand a chance. [National Law Journal]
* Doug Arntsen, the ex-Crowell associate who stole $10.7M in client funds and spent it at strip clubs, was sentenced to four-to-12 years in prison. [New York Law Journal]
* Music to Benula Bensam’s ears? In a case of dueling sentencing memos, prosecutors want Rajat Gupta to spend 10 years in prison, but his own lawyers want him to be sent to Rwanda. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Donald Polden, the dean of Santa Clara Law, will be stepping down at the end of this academic year. Hope they’ll be able to find a new dean, because every “influential” school needs one. [San Jose Mercury News]
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Cardozo Law School, Federal Judges, Law Schools, S.D.N.Y., U.S. Attorneys Offices
Law Student Doesn't Totally Get Shut Down In Quest To Make Her Note-Passing Mistake Live On Forever
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Bad Ideas, Cardozo Law School, Federal Judges, Jed Rakoff, Law Schools, S.D.N.Y., Trials, U.S. Attorneys Offices
Some Law Students Learn From Their Mistakes; Others Sue The U.S. Marshals Over A Cell Phone
Some people learn from their mistakes. This isn't one of those times... -
Holidays and Seasons, Insider Trading, Jonathan Lee Riches, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 06.15.12
* America’s favorite serial litigant, Jonathan Lee Riches, wants to make an appearance as former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s lawyer. [Detroit News] * You better run and hide, because the vacuum bandit is coming to town. [Legal Juice] * A Chicago reporter fell into in the Chicago sewer system River. He is currently on a respirator, and another court reporter has set up a relief fund for him. Get well soon, Andrew Pitts. [Kruse Reporters Blog] * Speaking of Chicago, this could be an Odd Couple reboot: The drug dealer and his roommate, a local prosecutor. What goofy hijinks will they get into next? [Chicago Tribune] * This Australian reporter says the American legal system has evolved to conceal truth, not reveal it. See how long you can read this before smoke starts coming out your ears. [The Atlantic] * Happy Father’s Day! Even to all the famous, lawbreaking dads out there. [Attorney Fee] -
Biglaw, Canada, Food, Football, Gambling, Gambling / Gaming, Insider Trading, Lateral Moves, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Trials
Morning Docket: 06.15.12
* The first day of jury deliberations in the Rajat Gupta insider-trading case ended without a verdict. Benula Bensam’s boredom is epic — the poor girl can’t even blog about the trial anymore. [Bloomberg]
* Baker & McKenzie is celebrating its 50th year in Toronto, Canada by handing out spring bonuses luring in lateral hires. Welcome aboard to Kent Beattie, formerly of Slavies Davies. [Globe and Mail]
* You can run, you can hide, but you can’t escape Sandusky’s love. Alleged Victim No. 9 testified that he screamed for help in vain while staying in the former coach’s allegedly “soundproof” basement. [CNN]
* It’s hard out here for a shoeshiner: Cooley Law grads suing their alma mater over allegedly misleading employment statistics may face an “uphill battle” when it comes to fraud allegations. [WSJ Law Blog]
* The CEO of Caesars Entertainment has proclaimed that he has “tremendous confidence” that online poker will become legal in the near future. So much for keeping your poker face on that one, eh? [MSN Money]
* Imagine my surprise when I found out that a yet another man in Springfield, MA, was arrested for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Here’s the surprise… the dangerous weapon was wasabi sauce. [TIME]
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Bad Ideas, Cardozo Law School, Federal Judges, Law Schools, S.D.N.Y., Trials
Unemployed Cardozo Gunner Receives Public Lesson From Jed Rakoff
Wherein an unemployed Cardozo Law School student decides to give evidentiary advice to Judge Jed Rakoff.... -
Bail, Fashion, Fashion Is Fun, Fast Food, Food, Insider Trading, Intellectual Property, Morning Docket, Pornography, Prostitution, Trademarks
Morning Docket: 04.20.12
* George Zimmerman will appear before Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. today to request bail. What kind of evidence will the prosecutor have to present for bond to be denied? [Miami Herald]
* Should prostitution be legalized? 70% of our readers think it should be (and not just because it’d mean they’d be employed nine months after graduation). But let’s get some more input from others on this topic. [Room for Debate / New York Times]
* “Bring me Solo and the Wookiee. They will all suffer for this outrage.” Rajabba the Hut seems to have had a second Goldman Sachs tipper. Say hello to Rajat Gupta, who has pleaded not guilty. [Bloomberg]
* Counsel in the Gucci v. Guess trademark case wrapped up their closing arguments in court yesterday. It’s generally not a good thing when the judge interrupts you to question your late filing. [Businessweek]
* Uh, apparently there’s a legal battle concerning intellectual property having to do with a Three Stooges porn parody. I personally shudder to think of how Curly is portrayed. [Hollywood, Esq. / Hollywood Reporter]
* After taking a blow from that fake beef lawsuit, Taco Bell’s sales are up thanks to its Doritos taco. Because getting your fingers covered in orange crap totally makes up for the “taco meat filling.” [Washington Post]
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 03.11.11
* How lawyers in Tokyo were affected by the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan. [Am Law Daily] * Former Judge Jack Camp gets 30 days in prison — even less time than Paris Hilton. That’s some weak sauce. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution] * An interesting account, by former Dealbreaker editor (and Skadden lawyer) John Carney, of […] -
Celebrities, Goldman Sachs, Insider Trading, Morning Docket, Religion
Morning Docket: 03.02.11
* He might be a “litigious little man,” but I still dig Prince. Patterson Belknap just wants his billable time and his [insert guitar riff here] kiss. [New York Daily News] * Star Magazine says that Katie Holmes is a drug addict. Which drug? Scientology. She might win the libel lawsuit, but her ultimate judge […]