Blank Rome

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.22.16

* If there was ever a time to breach a contract, it would be now. A judge ruled that singer Kesha won't be able to escape from a six-album deal with Sony, despite the fact that her producer, Dr. Luke, is alleged to have psychologically abused her for a decade and raped her when she was an 18-year-old virgin. #FreeKesha [New York Daily News] * Justice Antonin Scalia's funeral offered DCers the chance to take a break from political wrangling, if only momentarily, to mourn a legend of the Supreme Court. It was "very non-Washington," and he "would have loved it." [Washington Post] * President Obama was spotted carrying a "thick binder filled with papers," presumably briefing documents from his staff related to potential SCOTUS picks to replace the late Justice Scalia. You can likely expect an announcement in the next few weeks. [Reuters] * Dickstein Shapiro's ex-chairman is blaming the media for his firm's demise, saying that since July, many of its partners' departures were "programmed" and had little to do with its performance. Don't stop believin', James Kelly. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * Judge Thomas Griesa plans to lift an injunction that was keeping Argentina from raising new capital. Holdouts on the country's defaulted debt seem pissed about this decision, but it could eventually turn out well for them. [DealBook / New York Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.17.16

* "There’s no unwritten law that says it can only be done in off years. That’s not in the constitutional text." Angering armchair constitutional scholars, President Obama vowed to appoint someone to replace Justice Scalia following his death, despite the fact that it's an election year. [New York Times] * "My gut tells me there is something fishy going on in Texas." The fact that Justice Scalia was found dead with a pillow over his head has made conspiracy theorists come out in droves. Some are "stunned" that an autopsy wasn't performed on the late justice. [Daily Intelligencer / New York Magazine] * Dickstein Shapiro partners were informed via letter that they'd face "the almost certain loss of all firm capital." For some equity partners, that's more than $1 million -- and the letter wasn't even signed "sincerely." How rude! [National Law Journal via ABA Journal] * Justice Scalia's passing could have an impact on the anti-marijuana legalization suit filed by Nebraska and Oklahoma against Colorado. The Court was supposed to discuss it this week, but the justices may not want to overpack their bowls, so to speak. [Guardian] * Troubled Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane will not be seeking reelection after her term expires in January 2017. With her license to practice law suspended and criminal charges pending, we'll see if she's even able to make it that far. [WSJ Law Blog] * Vigilante justice on the internet swift: Despite Google listing the firm as "permanently closed" and its brutal one-star Yelp rating, "Making a Murderer" prosecutor Ken Kratz assured reporters his law firm was still open, contrary to appearances. [Post-Crescent] * Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former U.N. Secretary General, RIP. [New York Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.12.16

* Riding high after his victory in New Hampshire, Donald Trump settled his $500 million lawsuit against Univision for the network dropping his beauty pageants. Ay dios mio, this must be some sort of a YUGE GRANDE ploy to win the Hispanic vote. [USA Today] * Dickstein Shapiro lawyers must be feeling pretty good about themselves right now. Their mass lateral move to Blank Rome isn't a merger, it's an "asset acquisition." You see that? You're all "assets"! Remember that next time a partner makes you cry. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * The ABA is considering toughening bar passage requirements for law school accreditation. Under the plan, schools would have to prove that 75 percent of graduates who took an exam within two years of graduation passed. Good luck! [ABA Journal] * Uh-oh! Are partners at large law firms getting screwed? Biglaw firms are asking for bigger capital contributions (30-35 percent of earnings on average), and holding on to that money for longer periods of time when those partners leave. [Am Law Daily] * Minnesota Law has been hit pretty hard by the law school crisis, with losses expected to hit $16.1 million by 2018. When the school's soon-to-be ex-Dean first started in 2008, "everything was good," but now, it's a huge sh*tshow. [Twin Cities Pioneer Press]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 02.11.16

* This sounds miserable: taking (and passing) the bar exam with an 8-week-old infant at home. [ABA for Law Students] * Maybe a new lawyer will be able to stiff-arm the DA’s office on LeSean McCoy’s behalf. [Buffalo Rumblings] * Dickstein Shapiro is “no longer engaged in the practice of law.” But don’t shed tears for the out-of-work attorneys just yet, the attorneys will move to Blank Rome in a wholesale lateral move. [National Law Journal] * Remember this case as you scramble for a last minute Valentine’s Day gift: a Valentine’s Day gift -- and the reaction to a terrible one -- can lead to a lawsuit. [Coverage Opinions] * Will the Bill Cosby case signal a change in the handling of sexual assault cases? [Huffington Post] * This is how police work can contribute to reasonable doubt. [Katz Justice] * Cheap furniture behemoth IKEA lost a trademark claim in Indonesia. Won’t somebody please think of the college students? [Jakarta Coconuts] * Sure diversity initiative may take hard work and trust, but, you know, they're still worth it. [Law and More]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.06.15

* Another American doctor is accused of illegally killing another lesser-known lion in Zimbabwe, but this time, Biglaw is in the doctor's corner. Apparently when you're a hunter who's become the hunted, you turn to Blank Rome. [Am Law Daily] * Where Dewey eat when allegedly conspiring to scam the firm's creditors about its financial situation? According to testimony in the D&L trial, criminal activity reportedly tastes better when paired with fine dining experiences. [WSJ Law Blog] * At some point in the very near future, it's likely that one or more new Supreme Court justices will need to be appointed, and some say that it's obvious that Justice Don Willett, the Tweeter Laureate of Texas, is plotting a course to be a nominee. #blessed [Forbes] * The Fourth Circuit handed down an important opinion on cellphone location records, and it looks like the police need a warrant. Thanks for the circuit split. Quick, someone write a law review note before SCOTUS takes it. [Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * For some would-be law students, applying early decision may not be the right choice. After all, if you think you can get into ALL of the T14 schools, we bet you'd probably like to see if your huge ego is correct. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.11.15

* Today's inspirational human being: An ordained minister in Alabama was arrested after offering to perform a same-sex marriage inside a probate judge's office. She says she'll do it again, even though she knows she'll likely be rearrested for doing so. [USA Today] * Meanwhile, Judge Callie V.S. Granade will hear arguments on whether she must order Alabama judges to issue marriage license to gay couples. Granade is the one who ruled the state's ban was unconstitutional in the first place. [New York Times] * Per Major Lindsey & Africa's 2014 Partner Compensation Survey, women partners have finally beaten men when it comes to law firm compensation. Wait, no, that's not true, it's just an "anomaly," and "[t]hese women might be outliers." [The Careerist] * Blank Rome's ex-chairman donated $5M to Villanova Law to establish an ethics and compliance center. You're a few years too late, pal. The school could've used an ethics and compliance center to avert its admissions scandal. [Philadelphia Inquirer] * "The legal profession can benefit from more diversity. Should those students only attend low-ranked law schools? Absolutely not." As we mentioned previously, law school diversity has improved, but only at the bottom. [National Law Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
9th Circuit

Morning Docket: 01.23.14

* The Supreme Court isn’t sure how to address restitution in this child pornography case, but the justices agreed that they didn’t like the “50 percent fudge factor” offered by a government attorney. [New York Times] * No, stupid, you can’t strike a juror just because he’s gay. By expanding juror protections to sexual orientation, the Ninth Circuit recently added a new notch on the gay rights bedpost. Progress! [Los Angeles Times] * The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board says the NSA’s domestic surveillance program is illegal and should be stopped. Sorry, Edward Snowden beat you to the punch on that one. [New York Times] * While Blank Rome was busy denying a possible merger with Nixon Peabody, it picked up 21 attorneys from two small firms in California to open a San Francisco office. Sneaky. [Philadelphia Business Journal] * Dennis T. O’Riordan, the ex-Paul Hastings partner who faked his credentials, was disbarred — not in New York, where he claimed he was admitted, but across the pond in the United Kingdom. [Am Law Daily] * The ABA Journal wants to know if your law firm considers law school pedigree during its hiring process. Please consider the law schools your firm shuts out from OCI, and respond accordingly. [ABA Journal] * Word on the street is UALR School of Law is trying to push an affirmative action program that’s “likely unconstitutional.” It might also be insulting to prospective minority students, so there’s that. [Daily Caller]

By Staci Zaretsky
Biglaw

Morning Docket: 12.30.13

* Exciting news: Justice Sonia Sotomayor will be leading the countdown on the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square. She’ll be the first SCOTUS justice to perform the task. You go girl! [New York Times] * Blank Rome and Nixon Peabody are reportedly in merger talks, but one firm’s managing partner says he “talk[s] to firms all the time,” it’s no big deal. No word on what guys from his high school do. [Reuters] * Sorry, Quinn Emanuel, but this limited discovery thing is going to happen. Judge Ronnie Abrams recently slapped down the firm’s attempt to appeal her MTD denial in this contract attorney’s suit. [Am Law Daily] * A state court judge from Texas stands accused of strangling his girlfriend over the balcony of his apartment and threatening to “f**king kill [her].” Romance in Texas has certainly got some of that je ne sais quoi. [Dallas Morning News] * A legal soap opera? An ex-prosecutor whose relationship with a judge landed her lover in hot water was found dead in her home hours after a judicial misconduct ruling came down. R.I.P. [Reno Gazette-Journal] * Take a look back at the legal profession’s year that was: from the highest of highs in gay marriages to the lowest of lows in law school enrollment, 2013 was a year for the record books. [National Law Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky