Akin Gump

* Bernie Madoff’s investment strategy may yield a billion dollar return… for the trustee. [American Lawyer]

* Lanny Davis is now representing Michael Cohen, which certainly doesn’t bode well for Trump. [Bloomberg]

* The fiance of Princess Mako of Japan is going to Fordham next year. [Japan Times]

* Federal judge rules that sanctuary city policies aren’t obstacles to immigration policy because standing aside is not the same as standing in the way. [NY Times]

* A disturbing look at the border crisis through the eyes of an immigration lawyer. [Mother Jones]

* Job opportunity: the Senate is looking for special counsel to grease the wheels on the effort to roll back decades of jurisprudence. [National Law Journal]

* Akin Gump is representing a woman separated from her children by the Trump administration. The representation comes as part of a public-private venture backed by the state of New York. The story is the latest testament to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s deeply held moral conviction that people shouldn’t vote for Cynthia Nixon. [Journal News]

* The head of Arizona Summit Law School thinks the school’s been treated unfairly. The nerve of these people. [KJZZ]

* While Michigan State zeroes in on another NCAA Tournament run, the Board of Trustees zero in on saving their hides in the fallout of the Larry Nassar revelations. The Board announced bringing on Akin Gump as the scandal grows. [Detroit News]

* Speaking of Akin, former Akin partner Jeffrey Wertkin’s criminal trial ends with a 30-month prison sentence. [Reuters]

* When Wesleyan’s commencement speaker Daniel Handler suffered a series of unfortunate sexual harassment allegations, the school reached out to Anita Hill in possibly the most clutch last-minute rescheduling ever. [Chronicle of Higher Education]

* Donald Trump apparently keeps asking witnesses in the Mueller probe about their testimony. So it’s safe to say he’s not even trying to heed the advice of counsel. [NY Times]

* Meaning Trump may soon be asking Erik Prince about his testimony, because that guy appears to be in hot water with Mueller now. [Vox]

* Another look at the Lewis & Clark Law protest that kicked off this week. [Big Law Business]

* Rhode Island considers banning free porn in an effort to ensure that the only opiate of the masses remains crippling opioid addiction.. [NPR]

* Pepperdine Law had faculty dunk tanks yesterday. Just California’s friendly reminder to the East Coast that we’re living wrong. [TaxProf Blog]

* “On the surface it looks like you covered this up,” is never the most encouraging message to hear from the federal judge on your case. [The Recorder]

* Jeffrey Wertkin, the former Akin Gump partner who sold whistleblower complaints to targeted companies, pleaded guilty. [Reuters]

* Juror dismissed from FIFA corruption trial for falling asleep, proving a trial about soccer is just as thrilling as a game of soccer. [Law360]

* The highest paid GCs in America. [Corporate Counsel]

* Jones Day continues its drive to scoop up SCOTUS clerks by the bushel. [American Lawyer]

* Neal Katyal has passed Thurgood Marshall as the minority lawyer with the most Supreme Court arguments. [Litigation Daily]

* It looks like justices from both ends of the philosophical spectrum will come together to rule that the DOJ still needs to get warrants. Glad we can all come together to agree on this very, very low bar. [National Law Journal]

* 41 Cat Pictures That Prove Beyond All Doubt That Being BuzzFeed’s GC Is Freaking Awesome. [Big Law Business]

* Jeffrey Wertkin, the ex-Akin Gump partner accused of trying to sell whistleblower complaints while in disguise, plans to plead guilty later this month. As he said upon arrest, maybe his life really is over… [The Recorder]

* Professor Stephanos Bibas of Penn Law was confirmed to the Third Circuit by the Senate in a 53-43 vote. According to the law school’s dean, Bibas “possesses all the skills to excel on the federal bench.” Congratulations! [Philadelphia Inquirer]

* Justice Joan Larsen of the Michigan Supreme Court was confirmed to the Sixth Circuit by the Senate in a 60-38 vote. If you recall, Larsen was on the original version of President Trump’s Supreme Court shortlist, and was one of his top five finalists for Justice Neil Gorsuch’s position. Congratulations! [Detroit Free Press]

* Cozen O’Connor’s lobbying affiliate, Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, poached a five-lawyer team of lobbyists from Manatt, and now Manatt no longer has a lobbying practice. [New York Law Journal]

* “Nothing about recent events or any of these actions of the special counsel has altered the president’s determination to support the special counsel and fully cooperate and that is where we are,” said White House lawyer Ty Cobb, twirling his mustache as he presumably wondered how to extricate himself from this situation. [Big Law Business]

* An Akin Gump partner who initially refused to testify before the grand jury in Paul Manafort’s case was ordered to do so under the “crime fraud” exception to attorney-client privilege. She’s (understandably) not responding to media requests for comment at this time. She’s already said her fair share. [National Law Journal]

* The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary gave Eighth Circuit nominee Leonard Steven Grasz, who happens to be a Husch Blackwell partner, a “not qualified” rating because its members were concerned he wouldn’t be able to follow precedent due to his “passionately-held social agenda.” [ABA Journal]

* Foley & Lardner is in merger talks with Gardere Wynne Sewell. Last we heard, the firm was in merger talks with New York boutique Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman. While the firm claims that a final decision on the merger hasn’t been made yet, they’ve already set up a new website. That’s probably just a coincidence. [Am Law Daily]

* Speaking of mergers, the one between Womble Carlyle and Bond Dickinson is now official, and the combined firm, Womble Bond Dickinson, is now one of the world’s 100 largest. More than 1,000 lawyers work for the new firm across 24 offices in the U.S. and U.K. As with most mergers, some layoffs could be ahead. [Chronicle Live]