SNR Denton

Antitrust

Morning Docket: 03.18.13

* Today is the 50-year anniversary of the SCOTUS decision in Gideon v. Wainwright establishing the right to counsel in criminal cases, but we haven’t got much to show for it except for a still broken system. [National Law Journal] * “I am 57 years old. Don’t you think it’s time for things to change?” This from a woman whose desegregation lawsuit is still pending after 48 years in federal court. That’s not funny; it’s absurd. [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)] * Anheuser-Busch InBev and the Department of Justice are buying their second round in an attempt to work out their antitrust problems with regard to the company’s planned purchase of Grupo Modelo. [Bloomberg] * Attention Biglaw partners: if you’re looking for a quick way to boost your profits, just follow SNR Denton’s lead — the firm’s profits rose by 12 percent after trimming the fat of underperforming equity partners. [Am Law Daily] * A random dude wants to pay Casey Anthony $10K in exchange for her promise never to tell her story. OMG, please don’t take the money! I live for the day when Lindsay Lohan plays you in the movie! [New York Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
11th Circuit

Morning Docket: 05.03.12

* With the SNR Denton merger talks dead, partners waiting only to be paid before they leave, and sad, empty tables at events, LeBoeuf seems to be cooked. [DealBook / New York Times; Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)] * A gem from the Eleventh Circuit: if you believe it’s newsworthy, it is. Even naked pictures of dead girls. Now stop hoping a hot girl dies, sickos. [CNN] * If there’s one thing federal judges are good at, it’s keeping their law clerks white. They’ve made zero progress in increasing diversity. [National Law Journal] * Some law school grads bitch and moan about the “student loan scam,” but others just do what they went to school for, and sue about it. [ABC News] * The social media machine that is Mark O’Mara can’t be stopped — judge’s orders. And George Zimmerman is going to like and retweet that until the cows come home. [Boston Herald] * Here’s infringing on you, kid. British fashion house Burberry insists that a California company stop Bogarting its rights to Humphrey’s trademark and likeness, all for the sake of promotional materials. [Bloomberg]

By Staci Zaretsky
Biglaw

Where’s LeBoeuf? An Update on Doings at Dewey

What's going down at Dewey? Some claim the firm is experiencing financial difficulties, and there have been some partner departures and reports of associate layoffs. But Dewey claims that it's really just business as usual over there. Let's tackle the question: Where's Le Boeuf?

By David Lat
Biglaw

Biglaw Perk Watch: Has the Gay Gross-Up Hit the Tipping Point?

It’s late October, so Biglaw bonus news could drop any day now. In 2010, Cravath didn’t kick off the season until November 22. But back in 2009, Cravath announced bonuses on November 2. And in 2007 — yes, the glory days, before the Great Recession — Cravath announced bonuses, regular and “special,” on October 29. […]

By David Lat
Biglaw

Biglaw Perk Watch: More Firms Adopt the Gay Gross-Up

We have been tracking which leading law firms offer the perk we've nicknamed the gay gross-up. If you're inclined towards formality, you can call it the "tax offset for domestic partner health benefits." For an explanation of what this perk is all about, read this prior post. Since our last round-up, additional prominent law firms have adopted this policy. Let's check out the latest list....

By David Lat
Biglaw

3M v. Lanny Davis: For the Record

Last night we wrote about a high-profile lawsuit: 3M v. Lanny Davis. Yes, that’s right: the maker of Post-its and Scotch tape is going after Lanny J. Davis, the noted D.C. lawyer and lobbyist, along with his client, Porton Capital (a group of private investors). It’s a strange lawsuit, but the allegations in it aren’t […]

By David Lat
Biglaw

Lawsuit of the Day: 3M v. Lanny Davis

D.C. power broker Lanny Davis has been hit with a federal lawsuit by, oddly enough, one of America's largest corporations: 3M, the Fortune 100 company and Dow Jones Industrial Average component that's famous for such products as Post-it Notes and Scotch tape. When you see a large corporation suing a prominent attorney like Davis, you might expect a malpractice claim. But that's not the case here....

By David Lat
Crime

Quote of the Day: A Passing Grade for Cyrus Vance

Mr. Vance performed well. The collateral damage to the career of Mr. Strauss-Kahn, who resigned in disgrace from the I.M.F., was clearly unfair, but that was caused largely by his sensational arrest, which Mr. Vance had no choice about effecting…. Given the attention paid to Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s arrest, Mr. Vance deserves enormous credit for pulling […]

By David Lat
Biglaw

Biglaw Perk Watch: The Gay Gross-Up Is All the Rage

Here in the great state of New York, marriage equality is the order of the day — as it is in five other states, plus D.C.. But due to the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal tax code does not recognize same-sex unions. As a result, as explained by the law firm of McCarter & […]

By David Lat
Biglaw

More Proof That Lawyers Will Fight Over Anything

Sometimes you just have to whip it out and wait for somebody to bring over a ruler. That’s just a part of life. But some lawyers seem to sit around all day just waiting for an opportunity to drop drawers and call for the chains. Don’t believe me? Take a look at this guy from […]

By Elie Mystal