Bob McCulloch

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.09.15

* Bob McCulloch, the prosecutor who handled (mishandled?) the Michael Brown / Darren Wilson case in Ferguson, Missouri, was recently named as "Prosecutor of the Year" by the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. This probably wasn't a good idea. [Slate] * American Apparel filed for bankruptcy, and rather than Biglaw firms representing the embattled clothier, they're trying to snatch up fees. Skadden, White & Case, and Paul Hastings are each owed quite the pretty penny. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * Which law school dean was just named as senior counsel at Dentons, the largest law firm in the world? That would be Nicholas Allard of Brooklyn Law School. Perhaps this law dean's academic cash flow wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. [Brooklyn Daily Eagle] * "Unless the industry cleans itself up, we can expect more lawsuits like this in the future." In an interesting turn of events, the marijuana industry is now seeing its first product liability suit. A protip for growers: No one wants to smoke fungicide. [Los Angeles Times] * Just when you thought patent trolls couldn't get any worse, they started to harass members of the fashion industry. Copyright trolls (i.e., Stephen Doniger and Scott Alan Burroughs) are suing over textile prints left and right, and that's so last season. [Fortune]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.02.15

* "He said what he wanted people to hear and he didn’t fully answer questions." St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch of Ferguson infamy spoke at Missouri Law yesterday. We understand there was some sort of an "incident" with the SBA as well. We may have more on this later. [KBIA] * "Don't panic; you're bound to get something eventually." California had some of the worst employment statistics for law graduates after the recession. If you're a member of the Lost Generation, these stories may resonate with you. [California Lawyer] * New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez was federally indicted on corruption charges yesterday for allegedly accepting more than $1 million worth of gifts and campaign contributions in exchange for political favors. Way to do Jersey lawyers proud. [AP] * Jury selection begins on April 27 for the criminal trial against the former members of Dewey & LeBoeuf's top brass. The prosecution dropped three counts, but Joel Sanders and the Steves must still defend themselves against 100 others. Yikes! [New York Law Journal] * Gordon Smith, one of the writers for Better Call Saul, doesn't think the show's portrayal of lawyer life will inspire young people to "run out to become attorneys." After all, Jimmy McGill's home and office haven't exactly been depicted as "glamorous." [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.10.15

* "The reality is, the university has done a lot to be a part of the solution. This undoes a lot of that work." Students and professors at St. Louis University School of Law are up in arms because Bob McCulloch, the prosecutor in the Ferguson case, is coming to speak at an event on police practices. [ABC News] * "Travel by coach will make it impossible for the attorneys to work and or sleep effectively upon our arrival." Defense lawyers for three suspected terrorists motioned for a judge to give them business-class seats on a plane while federal prosecutors bum it back in coach. [New York Daily News] * SCOTUSblog has been denied a Supreme Court press pass, yet again. Lyle Denniston, the site's main reporter, had to go to great lengths in an attempt to circumvent the high court's new journalist credentialing process. [Associated Press] * “I would really think long and hard before defying a federal court order." SCOTUS declined to issue a stay that would keep gay marriage at bay in Alabama, but some judges are still refusing to marry gay couples. Thanks Roy Moore. [Los Angeles Times] * Paul Weiss: lookin' nice! In a look at some of the early numbers from the latest Am Law 100 rankings, the firm increased its gross revenue year over year by 10.9 percent, allowing Paul Weiss to finally break the billion-dollar mark in revenue. [Am Law Daily]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 12.16.14

* Law firm suffers Viagra hack. If it persists for more than four hours... [Legal Cheek] * An in-depth and frightening look at "Witness 40" in the Ferguson Grand Jury proceedings: a bipolar woman with a long history of making racist comments who lived nowhere near Ferguson and testified only after Officer Wilson's story was revealed -- which she parroted back. Bob McCulloch thought this was a stellar witness. Bob McCulloch is also bad at his job. [The Smoking Gun] * Charleston local government wants InfiLaw out of town. Is there anyone left who wants InfiLaw to take over Charleston? [TaxProf Blog] * Congratulations to U.S. Attorney Sarah Saldaña on her confirmation as head of ICE. [International Business Times] * Pet piercing will soon be illegal in New York, so get that dope nose ring for your dog today! [Lowering the Bar] * Canadian "band" Skinny Puppy demands $660,000 from the U.S. government for using their music as torture material without permission. As a compromise can we just pledge to strap Dick Cheney down and force him to listen to 15 consecutive hours of Skinny Puppy and call it a day? [Gawker] * Cleveland WR Andrew Hawkins pens a thorough, even-handed takedown of butthurt police union leaders demanding he apologize for taking the stance that police should try not to kill unarmed 12-year-olds. So apparently this is what the Browns are good at. [Talking Points Memo] * David chats about the backstory behind Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link).

By Joe Patrice