Above the Law

CMS Lowers MA Premiums Amid Insurer Plans To Grow Offerings

CMS is lowering the average premium for MA plans to $19 per month in 2022 from about $21 this year. The news comes as several insurers announce new MA plan offerings for 2022, including Humana, which said it will launch 72 plans.

Cravath Invites New York And London Employees Back To The Office For ‘Soft Return’

They've spent so much time on their 'soft return' plan that they forgot to give me a 'soft callback'. Yeah. That's it.

Britney’s Lawyer Developing Bizarre Cult Following

Can we just appreciate the man's work without getting creepy?

‘Suspicious Vehicle’ In Front Of Supreme Court; Suspect Is In Custody

In-person hearings are scheduled in the courthouse for today.

How Litigation Finance Aligns With A Comprehensive Legal Operations Strategy

Litigation funding can help your law department achieve its peak performance. 

Top Biglaw Firm Plans To Bring Associates Back To The Office 1-2 Days Per Week, Starting In November

The firm will continue to allow remote flexibility through the end of the year.

6 Questions For A Legendary Former SDNY Judge (Part I)

Judge Shira Scheindlin's thoughts on the topic of litigation finance.

Biglaw Associate Charged With Murdering Mom

Tragic news.

Judge Refuses To Get Vaxxed, Gets Barred From Courthouse, Chambers

Yeah, this is a problem.

Morning Docket: 10.05.21

* Whistleblower claims Facebook encourages hate speech to make money. Might explain why yesterday was so much calmer. [The Verge]

* Todd Akin died of cancer. I thought that the body had ways of maintaining health in cases of “legitimate illness.” [NBC News]

* Grimes’s ex’s company ordered to pay former employee $137M because of racism. [NBC News]

* Pfizer’s COVID vaccine is very effective in the first six months, but it drops off after that. Relatable. [Washington Post]

* The Pandora papers have opened a box of… you get it. Greek mythology joke. Here’s a summary of why it’s important. [CNN]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. Before that, he wrote columns for an online magazine named The Muse Collaborative under the pen name Knehmo. He endured the great state of Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected].

Not Looking Before Vaulting — See Also

The Most Unecessary Vault Since Kerri Strug: Vault has a decades-long reputation in the legal industry… so they’ve decided to rebrand to something you’ve never heard of.

Maybe YOU Should Cease And Desist: Alan Dershowitz trades more credibility for spot on “cease-and-desist letters are bad” lawsuit.

For Your Rolodex: People you can call before dragging the police into it.

Well, Since Facebook Is Down: Donald Trump would very much like to go back to Twitter, please.

Another Thing Millennials May Be Killing? Biglaw.: And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

When Law School And Art Meet

Proving there's a role for the aesthetic in law school.

In Expansion Of Its Breach Response Capabilities, Integreon Adds Cyber Incident Notification Services

These services are designed to provide clients with expert assistance in meeting international, national, and state data privacy and consumer regulations deadlines and compliance requirements.

Google’s DeepMind Faces Suit Over Access To NHS Patient Records

London-based firm Mishcon de Reya said it filed a claim in the U.K.’s High Court, alleging that Google’s access of 1.6 million people’s medical records broke privacy rules. NHS’ Royal Free London had struck an agreement with DeepMind in 2015 to build a system for alerting clinicians.

Clarence Thomas Speaks First In Supreme Court’s First In-Person Session Since COVID Began

The justice remained silent for years before the pandemic, but now he likes to talk -- a lot.