Violence
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Violence, Wall Street
Finance Flack Not Interested In Commenting On Story About Him Allegedly Smashing A Beer Bottle Over A Woman's Head
Is he simply waiting to give one of his former media outlets an exclusive on the story? -
Attorney Misconduct, Crime
'Muffy, He’s Murdering Me': Law Firm Managing Partner Testifies Against Lawyer Accused Of Slitting His Throat
That one lawyer could allegedly do such things to two members of the bar is disturbing. - Sponsored
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 05.24.16
* “Next thing I know he knocks me over backwards, puts the pillow over me and he cuts my throat and stabs me.” Law firm partner Leo Fisher testified yesterday in the trial against Andrew Schmuhl, the lawyer accused of abducting and maliciously wounding him. We’ll have more on this horrifying testimony later. [Washington Post]
* In a move that’s sure to attract attention (and ire) from the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Bayer has offered to buy Monsanto for $62 billion. This may be the largest all-cash takeover in history, so we wonder which law firms will have the pleasure of reaping all the rewards that come with so huge of a deal representation. [Reuters]
* “Can citizens sue the government over climate change?” Great legal minds are divided over the answer to this question. Constitutional law scholar Erwin Chemerinsky says yes, but international law savant Eric Posner says no. Whatever you think is the right answer, it’s time we get more aggressive on this issue. [Room for Debate / New York Times]
* With Ted Olson quarterbacking Tom Brady’s request for an en banc hearing of his four-game Deflategate suspension before the Second Circuit, perhaps this case has a fighting chance. Patriots fans should be praying, because an en banc hearing could result in their QB’s suspension being stayed for the start of the season. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Victims of the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood attack have filed suit against the clinic, claiming the shooting was both “predictable and preventable.” They say that given the past history of threats of violence against places where abortions are performed, patrons should’ve been alerted that they were at risk of injury or death. [Denver Post]
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 05.13.16
* “Congress is the only source for such an appropriation, and no public money can be spent without one.” The House was successful in its suit over the improper funding of an Obamacare subsidy program, but this victory may serve as a setback to those who have come to rely upon it. You can expect the Obama administration to appeal. [POLITICO]
* The Ninth Circuit will allow attorneys who secured a victory in the Stetson BARBRI antitrust case to get a second chance to score the nearly $2M in attorneys fees they originally requested before Judge Manuel Real shot them down. Due to his prior “erroneous findings and conclusions,” the Ninth Circuit has essentially removed Judge Real from the case. [Courthouse News Service]
* “People are turned off on legal education because of a lack of suitable paying jobs.” Even while facing a dearth of applicants, Minnesota Law has decided to scale back on the size of its first-year class — taking in less of the tuition income that it needs to survive — in order to preserve its standing as a top law school. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Former partners of the dearly departed Dickstein Shapiro will no longer have to worry about that $8.4 million sublease lawsuit filed by Sullivan & Worcester after they left the firm’s New York office to lateral en masse to Blank Rome. Both sides have amicably resolved their dispute, but we wonder how much it cost to do so. [Big Law Business]
* A grand jury has upgraded the charges against Ryan Petersen, the man alleged to have shot 23-year-old law firm clerk Chase Passauer to death in his office chair. Peterson had been charged with second-degree murder in Passauer’s death, but now faces a charge of premeditated first-degree murder for the commission of the crime. [Star Tribune]
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Deaths, Murder, Small Law Firms
Law Clerk Mistaken For Attorney, Murdered By Angry Client
He’d worked for the firm for just under one year’s time, and was considering applying to law school in the future. -
Politics
Is The Criminal Case Against Trump's Campaign Manager Hitting A Bump?
Bad news if you think Trump's campaign manger will face consequences for his behavior. -
State Judges, Trials, Violence
Judge Admits Trial By Combat Is Available In New York... Then Declines To Order It
The litigation over the right to trial by combat in New York rages on! -
Crime, Violence
Criminally Yours: Self-Defense -- Or Is It?
If you get in a fight and are the victor -- meaning the other guy gets hurt worse -- whether he started it or not, you'll likely be the one to get arrested. - Sponsored
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California, Crime
Attorney Brutally Pummeled In Courthouse Beating
An investigator for the D.A.'s office and a defense attorney got in a fight, and the defense attorney came away much worse for wear. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 03.01.16
* Senior White House adviser Brian Deese has assembled a crack team to help President Obama choose a Supreme Court nominee who will be able to win confirmation before an angry Senate to replace Justice Scalia. Let’s see which way the 2009 Yale Law School graduate steers this important project. [Reuters]
* Australian law firm Slater & Gordon is feeling the pain of being the world’s first publicly traded law firm after a $958.3 million first-half loss. The firm, which is now being referred to as a “corporate catastrophe,” hopes to lay out a restructuring plan in the next few months amid the likelihood of multiple shareholder suits. [Herald Sun]
* Texas State District Judge Julie Kocurek returned to court this week after a shooter opened fire on her in November 2015 in what police are now calling an assassination attempt. She lost a finger during the shooting, but says she feels “very lucky that is all [she] lost.” Welcome back to the bench, Your Honor! [Austin American-Statesman]
* Sorry, FBI, but a judge has ruled that Apple doesn’t have to help the security service unlock an alleged New York drug dealer’s iPhone. This isn’t binding precedent for the tech company’s San Bernardino case, but you can bet your ass its legal team will try to convince the judge handling the order at issue that it should be considered. [NBC News]
* If you’ve been waitlisted at the lowest-ranked law school you applied to this admissions cycle, it doesn’t mean you’ll be rejected from every other school you applied to this admissions cycle — it just means you may have to work a little bit harder on all of your letters of continued interest. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]
* Law firms aren’t the only businesses that go through break-ups; the communications firms that represent these elite firms apparently have rocky relationships, too. Spencer Baretz and Cari Brunelle of Hellerman Baretz Communications have split to found their own firm, and they took the entire HBC team with them when they left. [Business Wire]
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Crime, Police, Violence
Lawyer Shot, Killed By Police After Attacking Family With Knife
He's said to have viciously attacked his family members with a knife and beat them with a baseball bat. -
Guns / Firearms, Violence
Two Dead After Shooting Spree That Began At Law Firm
There are still many unanswered questions in this case. -
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Politics
When The White House Left America's Best Behind
Here are five questions about Benghazi that an effective cross-examination would address.
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
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Deaths, Guns / Firearms, Law Schools
Law Student Tragically Shot To Death During Winter Break
This law student was shot twice in the neck and torso after repeatedly banging on the wrong door. -
Law Schools, Violence
Top Law School Closed Today Due To Threat Of Violence
Looks like law students at one T14 school are getting an extra day of vacation... except it isn't for a reason anyone would wish. -
Police, Racism
When Cops Do Their Jobs, Black People Die
I'm thankful i haven't been shot by a cop... yet. -
Politics, Racism
Lawyer Writes Stupid Defense Of Ignorance In The Wake Of Paris Attacks
Why do Americans grieving for Paris have such a hard time caring about victims in other countries? -
Biglaw, Deaths
Biglaw Associate Is First Confirmed Fatality Of The Paris Attacks
His firm describes the 26-year-old victim as "a talented lawyer, extremely well liked, and a wonderful personality in the office." -
Crime, State Judges
Judge Shot In Her Driveway, Retaliation Suspected
Was this judge shot in retaliation for a case before her? -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 11.09.15
* On Friday night, Judge Julie Kocurek, the presiding felony judge for Travis County, Texas, was shot outside her home. Her condition has been upgraded from critical to stable, and some say that she may have been a target of retaliation. We may have more on this terrible news later today. [American-Statesman]
* Apparently it takes podcast stardom to get a post-conviction hearing these days: A Maryland judge has agreed to reopen the case against Adnan Syed, the man whose murder conviction received an in-depth look during the first season of “Serial.” [CNN]
* Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the legal sector added 700 jobs in October, bringing the industry to its highest level of employment all year. Don’t get too excited — we’re still a long way from reaching pre-recession era glory. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]
* It took almost 10 years without putting anyone to death, but California has finally proposed a one-drug alternative to its three-drug lethal injection protocol after it was struck down as unconstitutional in 2006. Was this worth the wait? [WSJ Law Blog]
* Following a much-deserved public excoriation from our very own Elie Mystal, Mizzou Law’s Student Bar Association has decided to do away with its absurd social media policy. In a media statement, the SBA even agreed that it was “poorly written.” [Huffington Post]