Appalachian School of Law

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.11.17

* "[W]e will do whatever we have to do to properly protect his rights vis a vis the company." Film producer and accused rapist Harvey Weinstein has hired Hollywood power lawyer Patricia Glaser to represent him in his fight against his own company. [Hollywood Reporter] * Hogan Lovells has been in the legal press a lot lately for its decision to shut things down, like careers. Now, the firm has decided to shut down an office in a far away land called Ulaanbaatar that you've likely never heard of before. [Legal Week] * What's the easiest way to get a new practice group running? By acquiring a boutique firm that's got an "innovative approach." That's what LeClairRyan did when it swallowed up Pizzo & Haman, a workers' compensation firm which is unique in that... its attorneys charge more than others in the same practice area. [Am Law Daily] * Enrollment has gone up in a major way at the Appalachian School of Law. The school's new 1L class is about 86 percent larger than last year's entering class, and its overall enrollment has increased by almost 40 percent. Considering that the school has been struggling in recent years, this must be nice for everyone in Grundy. [WCYB] * "What Could Equifax CLO John Kelley Have Done Differently?" Literally, anything. [Corporate Counsel]

By Staci Zaretsky
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By Barbri
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.13.17

* Art Linkletter hosted Kids Say the Darnedest Things. Well, the FBI is saying that Linklaters associates say the darnedest things. [Am Law Daily] * How do you know you're in Appalachia? When a law schools says intimidating professors with guns is just obnoxious teasing. Boys will be boys! [Law.com] * Keker suing the Trump campaign over the DNC hack because when it rains it pours. [National Law Journal] * Seventh Circuit upholds Wisconsin's starve the unions law. [Reuters] * Justice Breyer talks about changing his mind [Law360] * MasterCard is helping lead the way in promoting law firm diversity. [Big Law Business] * "He is a monkey." [L.A. Times]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.19.15

* Earlier this week, Justice Elena Kagan went back to the law school she used to call her home to discuss statutory interpretation. It seems the former Harvard Law School dean fancies herself a "textualist" these days, just like her hunting buddy. Gee, thanks for that, Justice Scalia. [Harvard Crimson] * A recent graduate of Appalachian School of Law with an affinity for criminal law has been accused of murder after shooting his uncle's girlfriend in the chest and killing her. He waived his preliminary hearing, and the charges he's facing will now go straight to a grand jury. [WV MetroNews] * As Election 2016 inches closer, Biglaw firms are beginning to show their political stripes. Paul Weiss is holding a big old fundraiser for Hillary Clinton tonight. Look out, big spenders, because tickets for this event cost $2,700 each. [Washington Free Beacon] * After nearly three decades as chairman, Gary LeClair of LeClairRyan is stepping down and letting someone else take over -- three someone elses, to be precise. The firm's leadership structure is changing completely. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * A senior analyst at BrownGreer was the recent victim of a carjacking. He was forced by his assailant to lead police on a chase, and was later shot in the head. He was last listed as being in critical, but stable condition. We wish him well. [Richmond Times-Dispatch]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.06.15

* “It’s unconscionable, and I believe they have breached the fiduciary duty to the law school, to the students and to the public.” Appalachian Law is struggling, and some believe its trustees are preventing the school from saving itself. Will this be the first school to fold? [Inside Higher Ed] * “We were all running this ATM machine called big law firms." Before 2008, it was easier for large law firms to make money, but now, there's an "insurmountable gap" in revenue between the industry's heavy hitters and the rest of the pack. [Wall Street Journal] * You'll pry their job security from their cold, dead hands: William Mitchell Law professors know that layoffs may be coming thanks to the school's planned merger with Hamline Law, and have filed suit to protect the Tenure Code. [Minnesota Public Radio News] * Bonus season isn't the only thing that Davis Polk has cornered the market on. According to the latest Bloomberg M&A rankings, the firm came out on top during the first quarter of 2015 when it came to advising on major deals. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * "Whatever happened to The New York Times' fact-checker?" Here's yet another harsh critique of Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon’s cringeworthy defense of law schools, and this time it's from a fellow law professor. Ouch. [The Belly of the Beast via Am Law Daily] * Jay Edelson of Edelson PC may be the "most hated person in Silicon Valley," but he probably doesn't care about being Liked -- after all, he recently filed suit against Facebook over the social networking company's face recognition software. [New York Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.19.15

* A Connecticut attorney was cited for dropping two ounces of weed on a courtroom floor, and he blames it on his client's son. They were apparently going to stage an embarrassing intervention, but it was the attorney who wound up being embarrassed. [Hartford Courant] * While Charleston School of Law bides its time and attempts to resist a buyout from the InfiLaw System, the school has offered many of its existing faculty members buyouts. We'll have more on this interesting development later today. [Charleston Post & Courier] * Pace Law is going to slash its tuition for incoming students with qualifying GPAs and LSAT scores to match the tuition of the in-state public law school of the student's home state. Sorry, folks, but this tuition "fire sale" is only for new students. [WSJ Law Blog] * Hiscock & Barclay is "dating," "not engaged," and "not even close to to getting married" to Damon Morey. There may not be "anything close to official," but this seems like the very hesitant precursor to an arranged marriage, if I do say so myself. [Buffalo Law Journal] * Per a recent study, the closer your law firm is to your law school, the more likely it is that you'll make partner. In fact, it doesn't even matter if you went to an elite law school -- you're still more likely to make partner if your alma mater is nearby. [New York Times] * Appalachian Law may be a "fourth tier" school, it may be much smaller than it once was, and it may have lowered its admissions standards, but you better believe the little law school that could is going to be just fine. Don't stop believin', Appalachian! [WCYB]

By Staci Zaretsky