Hogan Lovells

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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 08.16.19

* According to a new report, “personal attacks and language that politicizes or otherwise casts doubt on the judicial branch as a whole has the potential to cause significant damage to our democracy.” Thanks, Trump. [Big Law Business]

* Why are there so few minority law clerks?
California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu and Federal Judicial Center director Jeremy Fogel are trying to solve this “mystery” in conjunction with the ABA. [National Law Journal]

* A former IRS staffer has pleaded guilty to unlawfully accessing Michael Cohen’s confidential financial information and distributing it to Michael Avenatti, who once represented Stormy Daniels. He faces up to five years in prison and up to $250K in fines. [New York Post]

* With hundreds of flights canceled, Hong Kong’s airport had been at a complete standstill due to protestors clashing with police until this Biglaw firm managed to intervene. Be sure to thank Hogan Lovells for getting an injunction on airport protests. [American Lawyer]

* In case you’ve been wondering about what bar pass rates and law school debt have looked like for the past decade or so, you can see it in some stunning graphics right here. [Law.com]

* Thanks to the Lousiana Supreme Court, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell won’t have to testify just yet in the Rams-Saints NFC Championship game lawsuit. Everything is on pause while the state’s high court decides whether the case should be allowed to continue at all. [NBC Sports]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 07.18.19

* The Stormy Daniels documents are about to be released and that should be a big political story for about 5 minutes before Trump sends ICE to deport Nancy Pelosi or something. [Reuters]

* Because Europe isn’t America and still understands antitrust law, the EU has opened an investigation into Amazon for allegedly using market data it collects from sellers to then go out and undercut them. It’s a practice Elizabeth Warren recently broke down in baseball terms as, “you can be the umpire or you can own a team, but you can’t do both.” [Law.com]

* Alex Acosta tried to save his job by touting that he got Jeffrey Epstein jail time. Lawyers now claim that Epstein was having sex with underaged girls during his sentence. [ABC News]

* Can virtual law firms close the gender pay gap? Probably not a good sign when pay equity can only come from a knockoff brand. [American Lawyer]

* Neal Katyal is giving young associates real opportunities to better train the next generation of Supreme Court advocates. [National Law Journal]

* In moving tribute to Justice Stevens, the courts prepare to dismantle his landmark decision. [Law360]

* With all the problems in the world, state legislatures want you to know they’re all over that the Sharia law problem that literally no one has. [USA Today]

By Joe Patrice
Biglaw
Biglaw Senior Associate Recovering After Stabbing

Our thoughts are with the associate for a speedy recovery.

By Kathryn Rubino
Biglaw
Associate Bonuses You're Sure To Love

More good bonus news for associates.

By Kathryn Rubino
Biglaw
Biglaw Partner Suspended For Watching Porn At Work

Each and every part of this story is disgusting.

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 07.17.18

* Michael Cohen is publicly attacking Trump over being a Russian stooge. So much for earning a pardon. [NY Daily News]

* Speaking of Cohen, his adversary Michael Avenatti is now fighting for immigrant kids. I guess hating Trump makes strange bedfellows. [Daily Beast]

* Hogan Lovells is tasked with saving Papa John’s in the post-Papa John world. But can they make that awful stuff edible? [American Lawyer]

* Kushner family under investigation for harassing tenants hardly surprising anyone. [Law360]

* Tesla’s stock takes a hit as the guy Elon Musk randomly called a pedophile threatens to sue. [CNBC]

* The Brexit campaign succeeded by breaking election law. A massively disastrous electoral result brought on by improper electoral meddling? Welcome to the club. [TechCrunch]

* Town finally gets rid of its Footloose law. Spoiler alert: the town is in the South. [Allentown Morning Call]

By Joe Patrice
Biglaw
The Friday Night Associate Raise Party Is In Full Swing

Great way to start the weekend!

By Kathryn Rubino
Biglaw
Performance Reviews Suck, But This Biglaw Firm Is Trying To Change The Game

If 'flash feedback' is the start of innovation in the employer-employee relationship, then bring it on.

By Jill Switzer
Biglaw
Biglaw Firm Scraps Their Old Performance Reviews

HoLove says the old system was 'broken.'

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.13.18

* Hooooo boy, this just got even better! President Trump and his attorney Michael Cohen plan to file a motion to stay the Stormy Daniels suit on the grounds that in the wake of the FBI raid on Cohen’s office and the ensuing criminal investigation, continuing the Daniels litigation could violate Cohen’s right not to incriminate himself under the Fifth Amendment. [THR, Esq. / Hollywood Reporter]

* In other news, President Trump is set to pardon Scooter Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney‘s former chief of staff, who was convicted in 2007 of lying to the FBI and obstruction of justice in the investigation into the leak of former CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity. [ABC News

* When the AP was investigating a $30K payout that American Media Inc. made to a doorman to keep quiet about a rumor involving President Trump’s love child with a former employee, reporters had some trouble with a Biglaw firm that was recently involved in another sexual misconduct case — Boies Schiller. [American Lawyer]

* HoLove learning to show love? The firm is ditching its “broken” associate performance review system for its new “Pathways” program, which will provide them with “flash feedback” from partners about how they’re doing on a year-round basis. [National Law Journal]

* Your tuition dollars actually at work: Georgia State Law is using predictive modeling and data analytics to identify students who may be at risk for failing the bar exam after their first year of studying law. Administrators at the school want to be able to help students before it’s too late. [Daily Report Online]

* Savannah Law School may not be closing after all? It seems that talks are underway to donate the law school’s charter to another college or university, like Savannah State and Georgia Southern. Savannah Law’s new owner would get everything but the law school building itself. [Fox 28 Media]

By Staci Zaretsky