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Courts
With His Former Lawyer Facing Jail Time, The President Responds With Jokes
The president took to his favorite medium this morning to crack a good ol' fashioned lawyer joke. -
Technology
Can You Serve A Subpoena Over Twitter? Yes, And It Just Happened To WikiLeaks
A little birdie tells me this is possible. - 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… -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 08.06.18
* You know your client sucks when…: This weekend, President Trump admitted on Twitter that his eldest son’s 2016 Trump Tower meeting was held to “get information on an opponent,” not to discuss “a program about the adoption of Russian children,” as he’d dictated in his son’s earlier account. His lawyer, Jay Sekulow, then had to walk back a statement he’d made earlier to get in line with Trump’s comments, because “over time facts develop.” [Daily Beast]
* A federal judge has ruled for the second time that the Trump administration’s decision to end the DACA program was unlawful, referring to the DHS’s reasoning as “a hodgepodge of illogical or post hoc policy assertions.” Not only that, but the judge ordered that DACA be restored. Ouch. [National Law Journal]
* In other immigration news, a federal judge has rejected the Trump administration’s request that the ACLU locate deported parents for reunification with their children, noting that “for every parent who is not located, there will be a permanently orphaned child, and that is 100 percent the responsibility of the administration.” [USA Today]
* Dean Elizabeth Magill of Stanford Law School will be leaving her job at the end of the upcoming academic year to become the provost of the University of Virginia. Stanford will begin the search for her replacement in September. [The Recorder]
* After news of the class of 2017’s success in the job market comes last month’s loss of 2,100 jobs in the legal sector. Sorry ‘bout that, class of 2018. For those not entering Biglaw, you better hope those were all administrative jobs. [American Lawyer]
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Courts
Above The Law Goes To The Supreme Court
Check out this very interesting cert petition, just filed by Paul Clement. -
Labor / Employment, On The Job
Roseanne, Twitter, And Free Speech For Employees
What free speech rights exist in the workplace? -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 06.06.18
* Simpson Thacher isn’t increasing associate salaries to the $190K scale (yet), but it is partnering with Columbia Business School to launch a new associate training program. We bet your incoming associates are “STBReady” … for higher salaries. Click here to see all the firms that have raised salaries thus far . [New York Law Journal]
* President Trump is appealing the decision that says he can’t block people on Twitter based on their political views to the Second Circuit (because of course he is). He already had to unblock the seven plaintiffs in the case, and he likely wasn’t very happy about it because of glorious follow-up tweets like this. [BuzzFeed]
* After reportedly being rejected by several candidates for the associate attorney general position — one that would oversee the Mueller investigation if Rod Rosenstein were to suddenly depart — the Trump Administration is giving up on trying to fill the job for the moment, and focusing on other vacancies. [Wall Street Journal]
* In the wake of allegations of sexual harassment against former Ninth Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski, the federal judiciary’s working group on sexual harassment has released 24 recommendations, specifying three areas that need change to make circuit courts an “exemplary workplace.” [Big Law Business]
* The American Bar Association wants out of this whistleblower suit, ASAP. ABA officials claim that former Charlotte Law professor Barbara Bernier only added the law school regulatory group to her suit against the defunct law school and its owner, InfiLaw, as a “last-ditch effort” to keep her action kicking in court. [Law.com]
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Copyright
Twitter And Trump, And Twitter, Trump And Trevor Noah
There's plenty of good news regarding Twitter and Trump this week. -
Government
Judge Rules Trump Twitter Feed A Public Forum, President Can Mute, But Not Block, Users
Hey look, it's an actual application of the First Amendment - 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… -
Government
A Wachtell Lipton Lawyer Who Speaks His Mind
Even if it involves tweeting critically about his wife's current boss, President Donald Trump. -
Technology
That Time I Got Suspended On Twitter For Calling Kanye West An 'Uncle Tom' And Other Things
My first Twitter suspension is not a First Amendment issue, just a Twitter being stupid issue. -
Government
White House Lawyer Insists Trump Won't Fire Mueller
There may be a constitutional crisis brewing here, but this lawyer says not to worry. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 03.19.18
* “This is crazy.” Donald Trump reportedly had members of his White House senior staff sign nondisclosure agreements that are supposed to last beyond his presidency. This raised some brows, but dissenters concluded that the contracts weren’t likely to be enforceable, so they signed on the dotted line. Yes, crazy. [Washington Post]
* With quotes from “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” President Trump’s personal lawyer, John Dowd, said — first on behalf of the president as his counsel, and later, on behalf of only himself (oopsie?) — that it’s time for the Mueller probe to end. [Daily Beast]
* And following a tweet storm about Mueller this weekend, it certainly seems like President Trump is gearing up to fire the special counsel. Congressional Republicans are less than pleased with the president’s behavior, and have issued a few stern warnings, urging Trump not to cross the “massive red [Mueller] line,” because “that would be the beginning of the end of his presidency.” [New York Times]
* Are you ready for legal sports betting? Your bookie might not be, but America’s four major U.S. sports leagues are preparing for anything and everything that could happen as a result of the Supreme Court’s forthcoming ruling. [Washington Post]
* “What’re you in for?” “A law degree.” According to a report from the ACLU, debts “from medical bills to car payments to student loans” are being criminalized, and courts across the country are issuing arrest warrants. [Idaho Statesman]
* Christopher Tripp Zanetis, NYFD fire marshal, U.S. Air Force captain, Debevoise associate, RIP. We’ll have more on his passing later today. [American Lawyer]
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 03.16.18
* Vanessa Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, filed for an uncontested divorce against Donald Trump Jr. Apparently Jr.’s controversial tweets destroyed their marriage. At least they’re not destroying a country. [Page Six]
* Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was forced to plead with senior officials at the Justice Department not to fire him just days before his expected retirement. This man has a pension, and he wants to keep it, even if he has to beg. Let’s see if he was able to change anyone’s mind. Cross your fingers… [Washington Post]
* The late Justice Antonin Scalia’s judicial legacy is being quietly erased each time members of the Supreme Court examine legislative history. The legal legend absolutely, positively hated using legislative history to interpret laws, and it’s been happening more frequently since his death. [New York Times]
* Never could’ve seen this coming: Mossack Fonseca, the law firm behind the Panama Papers, will be closing by the end of the month. “The reputational deterioration, the media campaign, the financial siege, and the irregular actions of some Panamanian authorities have caused irreparable damage” to the firm. [American Lawyer]
* If you haven’t been following @LadyLawyerDiary on Twitter, you should start. It’s a community for women lawyers to talk about exactly what’s going on behind closed doors in the legal profession by “outing stupid sexist stuff” and celebrating women’s successes. It’s a great place to find support, so join up soon. [Big Law Business]
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 03.09.18
* The 2018 Go-To Law Schools rankings are out — where should you go to law school if you want a job at a top firm? Spoiler: not Arizona Summit. [Law.com]
* According to a new study, justices spend more oral argument time grandstanding today than they did 20 years ago. So give Clarence Thomas credit for at least not falling into this trap. [National Law Journal]
* A fascinating interview with George Pataki covering his path to politics, his current practice, and his concern over the rise of celebrity candidates. For our younger readers, George Pataki was the tall guy in last election’s GOP junior varsity debate that you didn’t watch. [Coverage Opinions]
* John Dean and Preet Bharara are among the amici listed in a new brief from Project Democracy challenging the administration’s role in the AT&T merger. Their argument is outlined at Lawfare. [Lawfare]
* Dean Erwin Chemerinsky lays out the big Fourth Amendment cases to watch this Term. [ABA Journal]
* Suing over vaccination programs? Check. Cracking down on protestors in the name of free speech? Check. Harassing schools over affirmative action? Check. Prosecuting corporate criminals? Not so much. [Forbes]
* Oh. And add “defending the right to block people on Twitter” to the legal fights Justice is taking up rather than prosecuting corporations. [Law360]
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Law Schools
Law Professors Get Drawn Into Twitter Nerd Fight
If you're going to make legal threats, you should at least know the law. -
Biglaw, Technology
‘The Snapchat Story’ Has All The Salacious Details Legal and Tech Nerds Will Love
If you are a legal and tech nerd, then you will thoroughly enjoy Gallagher’s new book. -
Technology
Federal Judge Ruined The Internet Yesterday
It's a Copyright Act violation to embed a Tweet now. Ugh. -
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Non-Sequiturs
Non-Sequiturs: 01.19.18
* When it comes to the retrial of sexual-assault charges against Bill Cosby, there are many women — 19, to be exact — willing to testify #MeToo. [Jezebel]
* Best friends: which organizations file the most amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court? [Empirical SCOTUS]
* Judicata just ranked the brief-writing skills of 20 top California law firms; how did your firm fare? [Dewey B Strategic]
* How will artificial intelligence transform society? Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer of Microsoft, and Harry Shum, executive VP of Microsoft’s AI and research Group, share their insights. [Microsoft]
* Speaking of AI, how will it affect the world of legal practice? Jake Heller, CEO of AI pioneer Casetext, has answers.
[Artificial Lawyer]* Professor Noah Feldman identifies the shortcomings of Twitter as a forum for legal discussion (but has some kind words for legal blogs, including the one you’re reading right now). [Bloomberg]
* Message boards are also valuable resources — like this one, “where all the unemployed lawyers go to cry.” [The Outline]
* Marc Randazza is a commendably fierce defender of the First Amendment, but this latest case might be a bridge too far. [Huffington Post]
* Check out this fascinating profile of a Mormon lawyer who lost his faith searching for an archaeological site. [Science]
* Why do we need people from s**thole countries? Meet five lawyers who prove the merits of immigration. [Lawfuel]
* Think twice before asking your accountant buddy to do your taxes for you. [Going Concern]
* Speaking of taxes, we’ve finally uncovered the real victims of the new tax scheme — partners who want a break on sports tickets. [Accounting Today]
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Small Law Firms
Internet Troll Revealed To Be Lawyer Because Obviously
Notorious Kentucky fan outed as an attorney.