William Birdthistle

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.17.18

* Are you paying too much in mutual-fund fees? If you're paying more than zero, then yes -- or so argue Professors William Birdthistle and Daniel Hemel in this interesting and persuasive op-ed. [Wall Street Journal] * James Comey, FBI director turned author (affiliate link), responds to the criticisms of him in the Inspector General's report. [Althouse] * It's complicated -- but just how complicated? Adam Feldman uses word counts and citations to measure opinion complexity during the current Term of the Supreme Court. [Empirical SCOTUS] * Judge Alex Kozinski (Ret.) pays tribute to the memory of his late colleague on the Ninth Circuit, Judge Stephen Reinhardt. [Concurring Opinions] * If you're confused by why the latest Obamacare litigation over the individual mandate matters, since the mandate was rendered toothless by the recent tax reform, Professor Ilya Somin can help. [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason] * Ethics expert Steven Lubet reviews Ryan Holiday's book (affiliate link) about the Hulk Hogan/Gawker case -- and argues that Peter Thiel's financing of the litigation might have violated legal ethics. [American Prospect via PrawfsBlawg] * Thomson Reuters, a leader in applying artificial intelligence in the law -- we're partnering with them on our Law2020 series, exploring how AI is affecting the legal profession -- also utilizes machine learning to help people trade cryptocurrencies (among many other use cases). [Artificial Lawyer]

By David Lat
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 08.25.16

* A lawsuit by New York Giants player Jason Pierre-Paul against ESPN will go forward. The firework enthusiast is mad ESPN reporter Adam Schefter tweeted out a pic of the x-ray of his hand after an accident last Fourth of July. [The Hollywood Reporter] * The Kardashians are changing their #sponsoredcontent ways. [Jezebel] * How lawsuits against Ivy League retirement plans could help you -- by William Birdthistle, author of Empire of the Fund (affiliate link). [Forbes] * A Republican Super PAC is going hard after Fordham Law professor and Congressional candidate Zephyr Teachout. [The Slot] * “I knew you would pull it off.” When clients help their lawyers with an impressive victory. [Katz Justice] * Exactly how readable are the decisions from the 2015 Supreme Court term? [Empirical SCOTUS] * Are immigration glitches hurting American farmers? [Huffington Post] * Should you feel sorry for Scott Brown because he wasn't named in a lawsuit? [Law and More] * This is how the Ivies bust unions. [Lawyers, Guns & Money]

By Kathryn Rubino
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 07.14.16

* Some thoughts from Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer of Microsoft, on his company's big win before the Second Circuit. [On the Issues] * Before the Second Circuit, Microsoft enjoyed a lot of support from amici -- which can make a difference before the U.S. Supreme Court, according to this analysis by Adam Feldman. [Empirical SCOTUS] * Nell Minow, the corporate governance guru (and sister of Harvard Law Dean Martha Minow), has some assigned reading for America's politicians: Professor William Birdthistle's Empire of the Fund: The Way We Save Now (affiliate link). [Huffington Post] * My former colleague Maura Grossman, ediscovery queen of Wachtell Lipton, has left the firm to open her own consulting practice and serve as a research professor. [Am Law Daily] * Social media for lawyers: it's all fun and games until someone loses their good reputation. [Reboot Your Law Practice] * If you are a lawyer between 24 and 49 who's currently working in the northeast, a Ph.D. student would like to talk to you about debt (which you most likely have lots of -- although none is needed to participate in the study). [Abby Stivers] * A final reminder for our L.A. readers that the law firm battle of the bands is taking place tonight -- so come out to support a good cause (and have a great time)! [Family Violence Appellate Project]

By David Lat
Bankruptcy

Lawyers & Economics: Student Debt

Welcome to the latest installment of Lawyers & Economics, our occasional video series on financial topics by Professor William Birdthistle of Chicago-Kent College of Law. Today's topic isn't going away anytime soon. If you have -- or are thinking of taking on -- student loans, keep reading....

By David Lat
Law Professors

Lawyers & Economics: The Greek Debt Crisis

Welcome to Lawyers & Economics, a new video series on financial topics by Professor William Birdthistle of Chicago-Kent College of Law. Professor Birdthistle, who teaches corporate law, has been preparing well-received videos for his students on a variety of subjects related to economics and finance. We’ve previously linked to some of his work, which received […]

By David Lat
Abortion

Non-Sequiturs: 11.01.11

* Next week, people in Mississippi are going to vote on whether a clump of cells is a “person.” Are we really going to put this into the hands of people who can’t even spell the name of their own state? [New York Times] * If you’re a trial lawyer, even imaginary friends will do. […]

By Staci Zaretsky
Gay

Non-Sequiturs: 03.28.11

* Over the weekend, while I was at the gym, I listened to this engaging and entertaining podcast, with Professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo. They discuss Libya, Obamacare, and — perhaps most interesting for ATL readers — the U.S. News law school rankings (around the 13-minute mark). [Ricochet (subscription); accessible for free for ATL […]

By David Lat
Sponsored Content

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