Ashurst

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.16.16

* Former Berkeley Law dean Sujit Choudhry is suing the school, claiming that Berkeley discriminated against him by punishing him more harshly for alleged sexual harassment compared to white professors. [Law.com] * The family of Sandra Bland settles its lawsuit over her death for $1.9 million. [New York Times] * The Sixth Circuit, sitting en banc (and rather splintered), rules that the mental-health ban on gun ownership could violate the Second Amendment. [How Appealing] * Congratulations to Miami corporate partner Ira Coleman, who will replace Peter John Sacripanti and Jeffrey E. Stone as chair of McDermott Will & Emery in January. [Big Law Business] * Ashurst remains in a tailspin, with five partners (including two office heads) leaving in the span of 24 hours. [Ashurst] * In other U.K. law firm news, Freshfields is replacing "Dear Sirs" with gender-neutral salutations in all communications and legal documents. [The Lawyer via Big Law Business] * More exciting news for Bancroft: recognition for its pro bono work, which partners pledge will continue after they move over to Kirkland. [Law360] * Paging parents who left Davis Polk to raise their kids: here's a program to bring you back into Biglaw. [Law.com via ABA Journal]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.23.16

* We're very sorry about this, reporters, but Simpson Thacher & Bartlett partner Jeffrey E. Ostrow is not Ryan Lochte's lawyer. Stop contacting him seeking comments about Lochte's Olympic misdeeds. Get in touch with Jeffrey M. Ostrow of Kopelowitz Ostrow with your inquiries instead. [WSJ Law Blog] * Per a new report, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico pulled off what Vice President Joe Biden did back in his law school days by allegedly plagiarizing about a third of his law school thesis, chalking it up to some "style errors." We'll have more on this later today. [New York Times] * Transgender children, teenagers, and young adults returning to school will have one more thing to be anxious about now that an Obama administration policy that would have allowed them to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice has been blocked by a nationwide injunction. This issue may wind up before SCOTUS. [Reuters] * As it turns out, it's not just King & Wood Mallesons that's been holding off on paying profit distributions to partners. London-based Ashurst has also forced partners to wait to receive their quarterly due, citing a double-digit percentage drop in annual revenue and profits per equity partner careening to an 11-year low. Ouch! [Law.com] * Many first-year law students are kicking off their law school careers this week, and they seem to be very nervous. First things first: Calm down, and take a deep breath. Here are some tips and tricks to help you out as you try to adjust to your new lives in the hallowed halls of law schools across the country. :) [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

By Staci Zaretsky
5th Circuit

Morning Docket: 10.03.14

* SCOTUS justices added 11 cases to this term’s docket yesterday following their megaconference earlier this week. Alas, no same-sex marriage cases have been added yet. [New York Times] * The Fifth Circuit allowed Texas to enforce its new abortion clinic restrictions. The only thing that will stop its “devastating impact on abortion access” is SCOTUS intervention. [MSNBC] * Two more women just joined the ranks of the highest tier of Biglaw firm leadership. Congrats to Jami Wintz McKeon of Morgan Lewis and Therese Pritchard of Bryan Cave. [WSJ Law Blog] * Gibson Dunn poached a prominent partner from U.K. firm Ashurst following his fall from grace as its leader last year. He’s thrilled to work for “one of the strongest U.S. firms around.” [Am Law Daily] * The Thomas Jefferson School of Law may be “California’s worst-performing law school,” but it certainly performs well in terms of providing entertainment for those who are big fans of schadenfreude. [City Journal] * Many schools pay their grads to count them as employed — but not UNC Law. Its career services office is aware that “jobs don’t grow on trees,” but hey, at least they’re trying to be transparent. [Daily Tar Heel]

By Staci Zaretsky