Terrorism
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Constitutional Law, Crime, War on Terror
The Lawyers Representing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
Thank God for public defenders... -
Benchslaps, Facebook, In-House Counsel, Non-Sequiturs, Politics, Sports, Susman Godfrey, Tax Law, Technology, Videos, Women's Issues
Non-Sequiturs: 04.22.13
* Forget playing with Wade. LeBron took his talents to South Beach to avoid tons of state taxes. [The Legal Blitz] * Steve Susman of Susman Godfrey just completed the 180-mile trek from Houston to Austin by bike. Susman took part in this MS fundraiser with his grown kids and 35 other Susman Godfrey team members. Kudos. [National MS Society] * The Obama administration is entering a showdown over its use of the “state secrets” privilege. The government is concerned that if it cannot shield “no-fly list” paperwork, it might chill their frank discussion of racial profiling. [Politico] * A new in-house tool to replace outside counsel? Sure it may be cheaper, but can a computer get you playoff tickets? [Associate's Mind] * Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead (affiliate link), received a good deal of praise, but her model of “trickle-down feminism” is a tad suspect. [JDs Rising / Minnesota Lawyer] * We have a follow-up to the earlier Nevada benchslap. Now we have video of the judge handing out contempt charges for no reason. Wow. That’s some hardcore abused discretion. [Las Vegas Law Blog] * Remember the L.A. Law puppets video from a couple weeks ago? Well, it’s now a series. Watch Episode 1 after the jump…. - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Antitrust, Attorney Misconduct, Biglaw, California, Celebrities, Deaths, Department of Justice, Divorce Train Wrecks, Drinking, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Mergers and Acquisitions, Morning Docket, New Jersey, Pro Bono
Morning Docket: 04.22.13
* With the capture of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, many legal questions are being asked, like if he’ll be Mirandized, where he’ll be tried, and if he’ll be considered an enemy combatant. [New York Times]
* Thanks for kicking this keg, Mr. Baer: the Department of Justice and Anheuser-Busch InBev have settled their antitrust differences with respect to beer brewery’s planned acquisition of Grupo Modelo. [Legal Times]
* Which firm has a “generous tuition reimbursement” program? And by “generous,” we mean 100% of law school tuition, which is awesome. We may have more on this later today. [Capital Business / Washington Post]
* Stan Chesley, the “master of disaster,” is retiring — not because he wants to, but because he’s disbarred in Kentucky and surrendered his Ohio license before the state could take it from him. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* California may soon follow in New York’s footsteps when it comes a pro bono mandate before bar admission, but the New Jersey Bar Association has an active hit out on the idea. [National Law Journal]
* In an effort to avoid a trial that would’ve lasted longer than their sham marriage did in the first place, fauxlebrity Kim Kardashian and NBA player Kris Humphries settled their divorce last week. [Reuters]
* Morris Kramer, an M&A pioneer and part of Skadden’s “Fab Four,” RIP. [DealBook / New York Times]
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Biglaw, Insurance, Law Schools, Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 04.19.13
* The surviving bomber is still on the loose. [Boston Herald] * The bombers’ uncle put his disdain for their actions bluntly: they’re “losers.” [Gawker] * The attacks may not qualify under the the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, meaning insurance companies may not be required to pay out. [RT] * On a related note, some […] -
Disasters / Emergencies, Immigration, Quote of the Day
This Senator Thinks It's a Great Time to Be Afraid of Foreigners
Because there's nothing like exploiting a tragedy to try to make your point. -
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Crime, Disasters / Emergencies, Law Schools, Social Media, Social Networking Websites, Twittering, Violence
Is Suspect #2 in the Boston Bombings a Law Student?
A fake Twitter account briefly gave law students a bad name. -
Media and Journalism, Morgan Stanley, Murder, Texas
Morning Docket: 04.19.13
* Fast moving developments in the Boston case. The FBI wanted your help finding these guys. Now it says one is already dead and the other is on the run. [New York Times] * Wow. The accused ricin mailer is messed up. [Washington Post] * Lawyer turns down an $8M settlement and wins $130M. If […] - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Constitutional Law, Crime, Disasters / Emergencies
Do I Really Need To Explain To Fox News Why Miranda Warnings Are Important?
Today's homework is that you have to remind a non-lawyer friend that Miranda warnings are how we achieve justice, not how we frustrate it. -
Courthouses, Disasters / Emergencies
Federal Courthouse in Boston Evacuated Due to Bomb Threat
This is a developing story, and we'll update you as we learn more. -
Crime, Running, Sports, Violence
Explosions Hit the Boston Marathon
At least two people have been killed and 22 people have been injured. -
Food, Insurance, War on Terror
Produce Giant Told 'You Can't Accidentally Hire a Terrorist'
You run a major produce company and you look at your books and realize, "Oops, I've accidentally funneled millions of dollars to terrorist groups." What can you do when you get sued? Don't turn to your insurance carrier.... -
American Bar Association / ABA, Antonin Scalia, Bankruptcy, Biglaw, Civil Rights, Department of Justice, Election Law, Federal Government, Gay, Gay Marriage, Gender, Labor / Employment, Lindsay Lohan, Loeb & Loeb, Money, Morning Docket, Paul Clement, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Ted Olson, Trusts and Estates, Women's Issues
Morning Docket: 03.19.13
* President Obama nominated Thomas Perez, the head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, to be the next secretary of labor. Republicans, of course, are all butthurtt, calling this a “needlessly divisive nomination.” [New York Times]
* Let’s get ready to RUMBLE! Be prepared to see some legal heavyweights next week when the Prop 8 and DOMA cases are argued before the Supreme Court, including Paul Clement and Ted Olson. [National Law Journal]
* How appropriate that Justice Scalia should break out the Spanglish for an Arizona voter registration law that requires proof of U.S. citizenship. Our beloved Wise Latina probably wasn’t too thrilled by this. [New York Times]
* To promote pay equity in law firms, the ABA is encouraging bar groups to hold conferences on the topic. The question on everyone’s minds, of course, is whether those conferences are billable. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* Law schools aren’t the only places where transparency is lacking. Jeh Johnson, the DOD’s former general counsel, thinks the secrecy swirling around drone strikes is bad for the government. [At War / New York Times]
* The members of Debevoise’s displaced trusts and estates practice team have been picked up by Loeb & Loeb. Enjoy your new home, and your new — presumably lower — compensation package. [Am Law Daily]
* Lindsay Lohan took a plea deal yesterday, and instead of going to jail, she’ll be going to rehab to be kept under lock and key for 90 days. I’d say this is bad for her career, but who are we kidding? [Los Angeles Times]
* Casey Anthony’s trustee just answered my prayers. He wants the ex-MILF to sell her story to pay off her debts. I demand that LiLo be cast in the role! She’s the only one broken enough to pull it off. [Washington Post]
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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9/11, American Bar Association / ABA, Anthony Kennedy, Benchslaps, Biglaw, Football, Law Professors, Law Schools, Morning Docket, Privacy, SCOTUS, Sports, Supreme Court, Technology, Trademarks
Morning Docket: 03.08.13
* In case you didn’t catch this yesterday when it was announced, Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, is currently being held for trial in New York City. This will be the most unbiased jury in the world. /sarcasm [New York Times]
* According to Justice Anthony Kennedy, democracies shouldn’t depend “on what nine unelected people from a narrow legal background have to say.” Well then! I suppose we should look forward to the uprising. [The Big Story / Associated Press]
* Cooley and Winston & Strawn are working on the $600 million sale of everyone’s favorite store for slutty Halloween costumes, Hot Topic. Apparently that store still exists. I had no idea. Good to know! [Am Law Daily]
* Proskauer Rose is now the most powerful Biglaw firm in the sports world. It just goes to show that even if you’re too awkward to play ball, it doesn’t mean you can’t hit it out of the park in court. [Sports Illustrated]
* “I would love to blink and wake up in 10 years and see where all this ends.” Unemployed law grads are probably saying the same thing, but hopefully these law school law firms will be beneficial. [New York Times]
* A group of legal heavy hitters — “The Coalition of Concerned Colleagues” — submitted a cutting letter to the Task ABA Force on Legal Education. Next time, try “The Law School Avengers.” [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)]
* If it’s proven that enough Native Americans find the Redskins team name offensive, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board may cancel the mark. Would it be offensive to call the TTAB Indian givers? [National Law Journal]
* An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but benchslaps are another thing entirely. Sorry, Gibson Dunn, but your document production “mistake” was “unacceptable” in Judge Paul Grewal’s courtroom. [Bloomberg]
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9/11, Airplanes / Aviation, Travel / Vacation
Weapons On A Plane? TSA Says 'Sure!'
The TSA continues to make rules based on emotion and appearances rather than passenger safety. -
2nd Circuit, Abortion, Bar Exams, Barack Obama, Biglaw, Books, Crime, Disasters / Emergencies, Holland & Knight, Job Searches, Joe Biden, John Roberts, Law Professors, Law Schools, Money, Morning Docket, Parties, Politics, SCOTUS, Sonia Sotomayor, Student Loans, Supreme Court, War on Terror
Morning Docket: 01.22.13
* “Given health care, I don’t care if he speaks in tongues.” Chief Justice John Roberts botched Barack Obama’s presidential oath at his first inauguration, but this time he managed to get it right. [New York Times]
* What was more important to Justice Sonia Sotomayor than swearing in Joe Biden as VP at noon on Sunday? Signing books at Barnes & Noble in New York City. Not-so wise Latina. [Los Angeles Times]
* D.C. Biglaw firms — like Holland & Knight, Covington, K&L Gates, and Jones Day — allowed others to bask in their prestige at their swanky inauguration parties. [Capital Business / Washington Post]
* It’s been 40 years since SCOTUS made its ruling in Roe v. Wade, and this is what we’ve got to show for it: a deep moral divide over women being able to do what they want with their own bodies. [Huffington Post]
* The latest weapon in the fight against terrorism is the legal system. The Second Circuit recently issued a major blow to those seeking to finance militant attacks in secret. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight]
* “Firms don’t just hire a body anymore.” The 2012 BLS jobs data is in, and if you thought employment in the legal sector was going to magically bounce back to pre-recession levels, you were delusional. [Am Law Daily]
* Three months have come and gone since Hurricane Sandy rocked law firm life as we know it in Manhattan, but firms like Fragomen and Gordon & Rees are still stuck in temporary offices. [New York Law Journal]
* This seems like it may be too good to be true, but it looks like New York’s chief judge may be on board to grant law students bar eligibility after the completion of only two years of law school. [National Law Journal]
* Law professors may soon be in for a nasty surprise when it comes to their salaries if their schools follow Vermont Law’s lead and remove them as salaried employees, paying only on a part-time basis. [Valley News]
* Resorting to a life of crime in order to pay off your law school debt is never a good thing — unless you’re doing it while waring a Bucky Badger hat. We’ll probably have more on this later. [Wisconsin State Journal]
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Airplanes / Aviation, Holidays and Seasons, Traffic Accidents, Travel / Vacation, War on Terror
Has The TSA Won?
We enter another holiday season under the yoke of our transportation overlords... -
Biglaw, Gay Marriage, Holland & Knight, Law Schools, Morning Docket, NALP, New Jersey, Sentencing Law, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Morning Docket: 02.17.12
* Chris Christie, you’re making me ashamed to be a Jersey girl. Please allow our state be known for something besides the disgrace that is the Jersey Shore. Just sign the damn bill. [New York Times] * A Biglaw firm that’s got some Seoul: Clifford Chance is the first firm from the United Kingdom — […]
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Constitutional Law, Contracts, Fabulosity, Fashion, Fashion Is Fun, Fashion Victims Unit, Gay Marriage, Law Schools, Morning Docket, New Jersey, Police, Securities Law, Wall Street
Morning Docket: 02.14.12
* A bill to legalize gay marriage in New Jersey has passed in the state Senate. If this passes in the state Assembly, will Chris Christie put the kibosh on it? Someone better make him a faaabulous offer he can’t refuse. [Wall Street Journal] * They might not be the most stylish bunch, but without […]
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American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Football, Law Schools, LSAT, Morning Docket, Tax Law
Morning Docket: 12.21.11
* Most Americans can look forward to a tax increase in 2012 because our elected officials would rather bicker with each other than do their jobs. Happy freakin’ New Year! [Los Angeles Times] * Duncan Law’s dean sheds some light on why the ABA might have denied the school provisional accreditation. Come on, what’s not […]