Baker Donelson

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.09.18

* Matt Whitaker thinks Marbury v. Madison should be overturned. We truly live in the dumbest timeline. [National Law Journal] * Heightened security as Kavanaugh formally joins the Court. That's a good idea, he seems like a dangerous man. [NPR] * Amazon really excited about its new role as a leader in wrongly convicting people. [The Verge] * Baker Donelson is just a big Skinner Box for tech adoption now. More firms should follow suit. [American Lawyer] * Google is ending its practice of forcing sexual harassment claims into arbitration in another advancement spurred by the #MeToo movement. [Law360] * Bryan Cave unveils new tech service to help clients evaluate the value of pursuing litigation. [Corporate Counsel] * The Justice Department put out a new rule limiting asylum claims in violation of international law because that's how this country rolls now. [Reuters] * Voter suppression tactics don't work as well after the votes are cast. [The Hill]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.08.18

* Okay, let's get this straight: Roy Moore's Jewish lawyer isn't Richard Jaffe, the one who voted for Doug Jones; no, Roy Moore's Jewish lawyer is Martin Wishnatsky, the one who "has accepted Christ" as his savior. [Washington Post] * In our last Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch, we focused a bit on the fact that rumored retiree Justice Anthony Kennedy hired a full set of clerks for OT 2018, but in case you missed it, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg already has a full set of clerks for OT 2019. The Notorious one isn't going anywhere anytime soon. [Newsweek] * Lawyers for the Department of Justice who are attempting to defend the Trump administration's rescission of the DACA program have asked Judge William Alsup, who is handling the case, to ignore our "very stable genius" president's recent tweets regarding the immigration policy. [The Recorder] * Evan Greebel, pharma bro Martin Shkreli's ex-lawyer, is facing hard prison time for conspiracy, but one of the juror's who convicted him is having second thoughts. The former Biglaw partner better hope that Judge Kiyo Matsumoto decides to reopen his case. [Big Law Business] * In what may have been some sort of a Christmas miracle, the legal sector witnessed a very slight uptick in jobs in December. Beggars can't be choosers, so a gain of 600 jobs is better than nothing at all. Employment in the profession is still nowhere near where it once was before the recession. [American Lawyer] * Lewis Donelson, cofounder of Baker Donelson, RIP. [Memphis Business Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.01.16

* Is there a constitutional right to smoke weed? This defendant says he was prescribed medical marijuana to help him kick an opioid addiction, and his bail conditions must be revised to allow him to keep smoking it, lest his Sixth Amendment right to participate fully in his own defense be impaired. How high were the Katten Muchin lawyers who thought up this creative defense? [Reuters] * Baker Donelson plans to merge with Ober Kaler to create one of the largest Biglaw firms in the country. Effective January 1, the firm will have more than 800 attorneys, and one of the largest health law practices in America. The $400+ million in revenue expected to be brought in by the merger isn't too shabby, either. [Big Law Business] * "[N]o one is dragging their feet here. The Justice Department is committed to working with the FBI to move the case forward." AG Loretta Lynch and Deputy AG Sally Yates are trying to get FBI Director James Comey to wrap up his renewed interest in the Hillary Clinton email probe as quickly as possible before the election next week. [Politico] * "You haven’t been able to do it with trademark law. You haven’t been able to do it with patent designs. We are now going to use copyright law to kill the knockoff industry. I don't know that that's bad. I'm just saying." Differing opinions about the fashion industry emerged during oral arguments in the Star Athletica case. [New York Times] * "We are all feeling a little less confident. ... [T]here is an incredible amount of uncertainty that comes with this." Some U.S. firms with offices in London and Europe are contemplating what Brexit's effects will be on their business -- or if Brexit will have any effect on their business at all. At this point, no one knows. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

By Staci Zaretsky