50 Cent

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.03.17

* 50 Cent is suing Reed Smith for malpractice. As they say, "Get Rich Or Sue Your Lawyers." [Law.com] * The federal government lags in cybersecurity because all the talent is going to the private sector. [New York Law Journal] * Nothing says, "politics as usual" better than the South Dakota legislature declaring an "emergency" to overturn an ethics law. [Huffington Post] * D.C. Circuit blocks state attorneys general from coming to the defense of the CFPB. [National Law Journal] * Kellyanne scolds America for not remembering the Bowling Green massacre. Admittedly it's easy to forget, what with it never happening and all. [CNN] * Trump plans to roll back the protections put in place after the financial crisis. Presumably next week he'll take action to eliminate airbags because, "hey my car isn't crashing right this second, why does anyone need these?" [Wall Street Journal] * NFL TE turned Wiley Rein associate Colin Cloherty has a hard time picking who to root for in the Super Bowl. [The Am Law Daily] * The NLRB's general counsel issued a memo recognizing college football players as employees, because they fit every conceivable definition of an employee. So obviously politicians -- of one party anyway -- are demanding his resignation. [Law360]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.08.16

* Professors at George Mason are outraged that administrators agreed to rename the law school after the late Justice Antonin Scalia without any input from the people who work or study there -- his opinions don't "reflect the values of our campus community." They're circulating a petition to denounce the name change, but thus far, none of its signatories are law professors. [NBC News] * "I would appreciate if we could keep things that are very serious here appropriately viewed that way." 50 Cent got yelled at by his bankruptcy judge because he brought his cellphone into the courthouse, took a picture of himself with a stack of fake cash, and posted it on Instagram. A motion to dismiss this wanksta is needed. [WSJ Law Blog] * SCOTUS will hear oral arguments on the appeal of securities fraud case Salman v. United States next term, and Eugene Ingoglia of Morvillo L.L.P. hopes the justices will provide some greater detail as to "what counts as a personal benefit." Let's just hope that they don't make insider trading's road any rockier. [DealBook / New York Times] * "The district court’s ruling errs in so many respects that it is hard to know where to begin.” You know that when an appellate holding begins with the prior statement, the trial judge is going to be in for a doozy of a benchslap. We'll have more on the First Circuit slapping around Judge Juan Pérez-Giménez (D.P.R.) later today. [BuzzFeed] * Jamie Wine, who was recently appointed as the chair of Latham’s global litigation and trial department, says even though L&W already has 610 litigators, she's looking to hire more of them in the firm's New York and London offices. If you think you want to lateral in, you should know you may be meeting with up to 50 partners. [Big Law Business] * Hiring for law school summer associates may be on the rise, but you shouldn't assume this means you'll automatically be able to land a job at a prestigious law firm. These firms tend to "put a high value on law school pedigree and grades," so if you happen to attend a lesser school, you'll need to be ranked very highly. [U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky
Sponsored Content

The Hidden Threat: How Fake Identities used by Remote Employees Put Your Business at Risk—and How to Defend Against This

Based on our experience in recent client matters, we have seen an escalating threat posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) information technology (IT) workers engaging in sophisticated schemes to evade US and UN sanctions, steal intellectual property from US companies, and/or inject ransomware into company IT environments, in support of enhancing North Korea’s illicit weapons program.

By Charles River Associates (CRA)
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.09.16

* According to a statement filed in court by 50 Cent, the cash the bankrupt rapper has been flashing in all of his Instagram photos isn't real. He claims the bills he was posing with were just props. Unfortunately, it seems that Fiddy is a wanksta, so he really needs to stop fronting. [Hartford Courant] * Not that she was a likely choice to begin with, but AG Loretta Lynch says that a Supreme Court nomination would "curtail her effectiveness in her current role," and has graciously asked that she not be considered for the vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia. [Associated Press] * "I am very concerned about the harm caused to the law school, our students, and our alums by the inaccurate info being put out there." Dean Michael Schwartz of Arkansas School of Law (Little Rock) seems worried about Professor Robert Steinbuch's FOIA lawsuit seeking access to the school's admissions data. Wonder why... [Campus Reform] * From the Big House to the White House: more ex-convicts are heading to law school and successfully starting their lives anew. Christopher Poulos, for example, used to be a cocaine dealer who did time in federal prison, but he recently completed an internship with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. [Washington Post] * "I never had a problem with the article. My problem is the videotape. It's on the Internet. It lives forever." Hulk Hogan (aka Terry Bollea) took the stand yesterday in his invasion-of-privacy case against Gawker, and his testimony became "extremely explicit" as his sex life and sex organs were discussed at length and in detail. [USA Today]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.24.16

* After being called to court by the judge on his bankruptcy case for flaunting cash on Instagram, 50 Cent posted a photo of himself in a room filled with money. When reached for comment, the allegedly bankrupt rapper had this to say: "I don't know what you heard about me, but this judge will write a benchslap about me." [New York Daily News] * Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee have said that they will refuse to hold any hearings on a Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia until the next President is sworn in on January 20, 2017. In fact, they won't even give President Obama's future appointee the courtesy of a meeting. Lovely. [WSJ Law Blog; New York Times] * According to a letter from Justice Scalia's doctor, the late jurist suffered from a number of ailments that could have contributed to his sudden death, like coronary artery disease, obesity, and diabetes, just to name a few. Coupled with the fact that he was a smoker, all of his conditions were "quite dangerous." Rest in peace, Your Honor. [Associated Press] * "If you look at the women-of-color research, the numbers are abysmal." Minority women are disappearing from Biglaw firms, and research has shown that it may be due to the fact that they receive less compensation than men and white women, they're denied access to assignments, and they receive fewer promotions. [ABA Journal] * Good riddance to bad rubbish: Robert Hosch Jr., the founder and former managing partner of Butler & Hosch -- the large, Florida-based firm that seemingly collapsed overnight, leaving hundreds of legal professionals jobless and 60,000 foreclosure cases in limbo -- has surrendered his license to practice law in Florida. [Orlando Sentinel]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.02.15

* Did 50 Cent's lawyers spend too much of the bankrupt rapper's money while representing him? With $123,455.92 in expenses, sex-tape plaintiff Lastonia Leviston says Fiddy's lawyers from Brewer Attorneys & Counselors were partying like it was their birthday throughout trial. [New York Daily News] * Roger Ailes, the chairman and CEO of Fox News, isn't laughing at ABC's news comedy called Fair and Balanced. Fox trademarked that slogan in 1997, and Ailes says ABC "wouldn't know fair and balanced if it hit them in the ass with a fish." [Adweek] * Following in Dentons' footsteps, yet another Biglaw firm has entered into a "strategic alliance" with a Chinese firm. McGuireWoods will create a referral network with FuJae Partners, but there's no talk of a merger -- yet. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * NJ Gov. Chris Christie says he's been researching legal action he can take against Syrian refugees who have been placed in his state. He's acknowledged it's a federal issue, but this would-be president is going to try to oust them anyway. [NJ Advance Media] * The Illinois Department of Corrections has been suing newly released inmates to recover the cost of their room and board while they were incarcerated. Lovely. This surely "raise[s] moral questions that legislators need to address." [Chicago Tribune]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.07.15

* Dewey know what Justice Robert Stolz will do now that the jury has declared itself deadlocked on most charges? Tune in later today. [American Lawyer] * A case brought by law student turned privacy activist Max Schrems has triggered a European court ruling that Facebook won't "like." [How Appealing] * King & Spalding associate Ethan Davis talks about how he prepared for his argument yesterday before the U.S. Supreme Court. [National Law Journal] * Thanks to sentencing reform, the Justice Department will release about 6,000 inmates from prison starting later this month. [New York Times] * Speaking of the DOJ, BP will settle Deepwater Horizon oil spill claims with the feds for a whopping $20 billion. [ABA Journal] * Elsewhere in news of embattled companies, Volkswagen is turning to Mayer Brown for help in dealing with the emissions scandal that stinks to high heaven. [American Lawyer] * 50 Cent's malpractice suit against his ex-lawyers seeks 7.5 billion cents. [Law360] * When legal recruiters sue each other, things can get ugly -- fast. [American Lawyer]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.27.15

* A jury has ruled that rapper 50 Cent must pay an additional $2 million in punitive damages to a woman whose sex tape he posted online, on top of the $5 million he already owes her. This wanksta better hope the judgment gets discharged in bankruptcy. [Associated Press] * California is America's breeding ground for unaccredited law schools, and "[m]ost jurisdictions simply don't allow [these] kind of law school[s] to exist at all. Period." Nearly all students (about 9 out of 10) drop out before graduation. How much money is being wasted? [Los Angeles Times] * Since 2007, the pay gap between the highest- and lowest-paid positions in many specialized fields has widened -- but that isn't the case when it comes to the legal profession. Unfortunately, not as many people are making it rain. [New York Times] * "[M]aybe legislation should fix this. Not the court." A San Diego judge has suggested that he'll likely dismiss a right-to-die lawsuit filed by Christy O'Donnell, a civil rights attorney who's fighting a battle against lung, brain, spine, rib, and liver cancer. [NBC San Diego] * You've seen reactions to Harper Lee's portrayal of Atticus Finch as a racist in Go Set A Watchman (affiliate link) from everyone and their mother and their dog, but maybe you haven't seen reactions from law professors yet, so have a look. [National Law Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.22.15

* "Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys potheads." Country singer-songwriter and OG stoner Willie Nelson says marijuana will be legal in all 50 states within the next decade. Who knows, maybe his cannabis-crazed dreams will come true. [San Antonio Express-News] * Where do lonely hearts go? To court. This ex-Illinois Law student was accused of stalking a classmate and barred setting foot on campus for a two-year time period. A new trial was ordered, and now he may be able to graduate. Yay? [National Law Journal] * Law firms of all sizes are merging at a record pace, but that doesn't mean that it's going to continue like this ad infinitum. Eventually, all of the fun is going to stop, and it'll likely because there isn't any more profitability to be had for these firms. Womp. [Am Law Daily] * Corporate legal departments are pushing for more diversity among their ranks, with companies like Xerox leading the way. NAPABA is hopeful that we'll see 20 Asian-American lawyers as general counsel of Fortune 500 companies by 2020. [WSJ Law Blog] * For a man who wanted to "get rich or die tryin," things don't seem to be working out so well: Bankrupt rapper 50 Cent was busy denying ownership of many of his luxury items in court this week. He says he rents, borrows, and leases most of his bling. [Associated Press]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.17.15

* "I don't know what you heard about me, but a bitch can't get a dollar out of me." Truer lyrics have never been rapped. 50 Cent's legal team will face off in bankruptcy court against lawyers for a woman owed $5 million thanks to a sex-tape scandal. [Business Insider] * You may be happy that income-based loan repayment exists and is saving you from defaulting on your law school debts, but in a few decades, you're probably going to get F'd in the A by a ticking tax time bomb. [Student Loan Ranger / U.S. News] * If you missed it, James Eagan Holmes, the shooter in the Dark Knight movie theater massacre in Colorado, was convicted for killing 12 people and wounding 70 others. Next up is the sentencing phase of his trial, and the death penalty is on the table. [Denver Post] * The head honchos at Goldman Sachs are sad their second-quarter profits were reduced by ~half thanks to protracted litigation stemming from the financial crisis. The bank had to put away $1.45B for “mortgage-related litigation.” [DealBook / New York Times] * The stars at night may be big and bright deep in the heart of Texas, but Berg & Androphy, led by attorney David Berg, is trying its hand at big city life in New York. It got the hang of things, y'all: B&A has already poached two Kasowitz partners. [Lawdragon]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 07.13.15

* 50 Cent has declared bankruptcy. Forthwith, he shall be known as "The Secured Creditors' Half-Dollar." [Business Insider] * Nina Totenberg talked with Justice Ginsburg and learned the reason the so-called liberal wing of the Court wrote so few separate opinions: they have agreed to speak with one voice as much as possible. As Justice Ginsburg put it, "If you want to make sure you're read, you do it together, and you do it short." [NPR] * Are you licensed in Texas? Frequent contributor Dan Hull of Hull McGuire is looking for local counsel. [What About Clients?] * Academics are planning to hold onto their jobs past retirement age because you can take their jobs from their cold, dead, tenured hands. [TaxProf Blog] * How are you using LinkedIn? Because if you use it only as a connections catalog, you're missing out on an opportunity to publicize your practice. [Law and More] * The opposite of saved by the bell: man free on bond sent to jail cell when fire alarm disrupts hearing. Then the judge leaves the building, stranding the guy in a cell. [Times-Picayune] * Richard Hsu chats with author Brad Meltzer about his new book and weathering the rejection he experienced over his first novel. And stay tuned, because there's more Richard Hsu coming up later. [Hsu Untied] * Kaye Scholer’s Managing Partner Michael Solow talks about the firm's new digs at 250 West 55th Street. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKfjssLrOm0

By Joe Patrice