WilmerHale

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.10.17

* The confirmation hearings for Jeff Sessions to serve as U.S. attorney general get underway today; here's what to watch for. [How Appealing] * Biglaw faces big challenges today, and even top law firms need to up their game. [DealBook / New York Times] * Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law (and also holder of an NYU Law degree), will serve as senior adviser to President Trump; Kushner's lawyer, Jamie Gorelick of WilmerHale, dismissed nepotism and conflict-of-interest concerns. [Washington Post] * Speaking of conflicts, it's probably a wise idea for Supreme Court justices to unload their holdings of individual stocks -- as a recent snafu involving Chief Justice John Roberts suggests. [New York Times] * Speaking of SCOTUS, the Court heard arguments yesterday in a case about a Colorado law making it more difficult for criminal defendants whose convictions get overturned to obtain refunds of fines and restitution they previously paid. [How Appealing] * Here is Chris Geidner's assessment of the where the Court is right now -- and how it might change after President Trump's first appointment, to be announced sometime after inauguration. [BuzzFeed] * And here is a detailed dossier on one of Trump's SCOTUS finalists, Judge Neil Gorsuch of the Tenth Circuit. [U.S. Law Week / Bloomberg BNA] * What can we expect from the SEC if Sullivan & Cromwell partner Jay Clayton is confirmed as chair? Thoughts from Peter J. Henning. [DealBook / New York Times]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.06.16

* Rudy Giuliani will be taking a "voluntary leave of absence" from Greenberg Traurig thanks to his activities related to Donald Trump's campaign for the presidency. Is Giuliani's move truly voluntary, or was the prominent partner forced to take a break as Election 2016 draws closer and the race for the White House becomes even more heated? We'll have more on this development later today. [Observer] * In 196 deals with a total volume of $379.6 billion, White & Case is ranked No. 1 on Bloomberg’s M&A charts for global deals in the first three quarters of 2016. The firm surpassed the likes of SullCrom (No. 2), Wachtell Lipton (No. 3), Davis Polk (No. 4), and Skadden (No. 5). This time last year, Skadden was leading the pack. [Big Law Business] * In one of the first cases related to race that SCOTUS grappled with this Term, some say it appeared as though the justices may side with a black death row inmate in search of a new sentence because his own lawyer used an expert witness at trial who testified that the man was more likely to be dangerous in the future because of his race. [Reuters] * Government lawyers continue to flock to Biglaw firms, and this time, the lateral hire is a "true patriot, who believes in service to the nation as a calling." WilmerHale welcomes Alejandro Mayorkas, a former U.S. Attorney who has worked for the the past three years as No. 2 at the Department of Homeland Security. Congratulations! [WSJ Law Blog] * "I just hope that when people think the rules don’t apply to them, they will think twice before they abuse their power." Thanks to a California law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, it is now a felony punishable by up to three years in prison for state prosecutors to tamper with evidence or hide exculpatory material from the defense. [Los Angeles Times]

By Staci Zaretsky