Ben Brafman

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.24.19

* With Ben Brafman off the case, Harvey Weinstein is going with the Casey Anthony/Aaron Hernandez/Kobe Bryant defense team. For a New York courtroom. [New York Law Journal] * And some of these new Weinstein lawyers previously represented Rose McGowan on an unrelated matter. She is... less than pleased with this development. [Yahoo] * Reed Smith facing $500 million malpractice claim from Zombie Bear Sterns. [American Lawyer] * Deutsche Bank neck deep in global money-laundering inquiry. At least there's no way this could ensnare any major political figures. [Law360] * Federal judge strikes down Iowa's "we're banning abortion but not calling it that" law. [Jurist] * What will happen to the legal profession during the next recession? Well, it could well be quite the reckoning. [Forbes] * A deep dive into the crackdown on law schools that can't get graduates past the bar exam hurdle. [AZ Central]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.18.19

* Trump instructed Michael Cohen to lie to Congress, which was a rotten thing to do to America's hottest lawyer. [Buzzfeed] * Skadden settles with government over Manafort fiasco to the tune of $4.6 million. [NY Times] * Ben Brafman officially out as Harvey Weinstein's lawyer. [Law360] * Net neutrality case will press forward after the DC Circuit told the FCC it couldn't use Trump's shutdown as an excuse to delay the case. [National Law Journal] * Clients planning to spend more on tech and less on lawyers... this is how it begins, people. [International] * Lawyer contends that 51-year-old man who punched an 11-year-old girl was acting in self-defense. This is why our profession can't have nice things. [Huffington Post] * The top tech legal cases of the last 20 years. [Ars Technica]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.24.18

* For Tex McIver, love means never having to say you're sorry... for shooting your wife in the back. [Daily Report Online] * Vivia Chen wonders if my personal trolling that finally convinced Aaron Schlossberg to release a statement distancing himself from his racist tirade. The answer is yes. [American Lawyer] * Michael Avenatti got some bad news in court the other day when a judge ordered his firm to pay $10 million to a lawyer who used to work with them and alleged the firm shorted him on his share of the profits. [NY Post] * Ben Brafman's working overtime to convince federal prosecutors to stay out of the Harvey Weinstein matter. If successful, Brafman would just have to tell Cy Vance that Weinstein is rich and that should shut down the whole inquiry. [New York Law Journal] * Trump's continued attacks on federal law enforcement are... bad. Thankfully, trickster god Rod Rosenstein has a plan. [Atlantic] * The appeals court upheld the ruling striking down California's assisted suicide law. That's probably the right result in this case. [NPR] * AI is changing the legal sector. Especially when you realize that AI isn't what its hype men were selling a couple years ago. [Forbes] * MSU has a new lawyer and he'll have his hands full. [Corporate Counsel]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.09.17

* Harvey Weinstein is bringing on famed defense attorney Ben Brafman who is conveniently not representing the New York Times at the moment. [Reuters] * Appellate attorney spoke candidly about the lack of funding for his death penalty appeal, prompting the state quickly remedy the situation to avoid the specter of injustice. Nah, just kidding, they fired the attorney. [Salt Lake Tribune] * Texas judge ordered to take a class on listening. There are probably a few other judges that could use a refresher course on that. [Texas Lawyer] * There's a new GC at the NLRB and he's fired up and ready to begin dismantling the agency and turning a blind eye to the constituents he's supposed to serve. [Law360] * Election day swept some Biglaw lawyers into office. [National Law Journal] * Locke Lord hit with £500,000 over a London partner's "dubious" financial arrangements. [American Lawyer] * Companies continue to delay sweeping information governance changes. But soon they might be unavoidable if clients want to keep discovery costs down. [Legaltech News] * A $30 million lawsuit against Morgan Lewis for alleged conflicts will go forward. [Legal Intelligencer]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.12.17

* Biglaw's about to get hit hard by an economic downturn. [Law.com] * Looks like Ralph Baxter is announcing a run for congress this afternoon. [Am Law Daily] * Dewey think a 4 year sentence sounds fair? [Law360] * Judge calls fee request "attempted bank robbery." This is why you never request fees while wearing a rubber Nixon mask and carrying a shotgun. [Law.com] * Fascinating overview of the complex fight over Cravath's efforts to block victims from getting previously produced discovery materials. [Litigation Daily] * An interview with Ben Brafman, including a delightful explanation of why he has the hardest job in the world. [Coverage Opinions] * California moving to limit access of federal immigration officials to those in the state court system. [The Recorder] * What schools do the best job of placing AGs, SGs, United States Attorneys, and federal judges? The answer will absolutely not shock you at all. [Empirical SCOTUS]

By Joe Patrice
Crime

Is The ‘Perp Walk’ Contrary To Justice?

I’m sure that somewhere there is a gang of civil rights activists and defense attorneys saying, “So, we’re only going to talk about this if it happens to a rich European?” But hey, let’s not dwell on why the perp walk is suddenly generating some controversy, and instead embrace the fact that people are willing […]

By Elie Mystal