Books

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.06.15

* It's time to start shutting down law schools, but this clearly isn't something that the American Bar Association is ready to act on. After all, new schools keep popping up, and the ABA keeps accrediting them for reasons beyond understanding. [Bloomberg Business] * At the end of a landmark Term at the Supreme Court, some presidential candidates are fanning the flames of voters' fears. Linda Greenhouse asks, "[W]hat, exactly, are people supposed to be afraid of now? A same-sex married couple with affordable health insurance?" [New York Times] * Eric Holder will return to Covington & Burling, the Biglaw firm from whence he came, and he'll be there "until [he] decide[s] [he's] not going to be a lawyer anymore.” This crazy guy says he'd even turn down a SCOTUS nom to continue working there. [Am Law Daily] * Congrats to Skadden, the firm that ranked numero uno in worldwide deals according to Bloomberg's quarterly M&A league tables. Davis Polk finished $93 billion behind that, but hopefully the bonuses will be just as sweet this winter. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * If you're planning to enter law school at the end of the summer -- especially if you're a gunner in training -- there's no better way to spend your last months of freedom than to read one (or all of) these law prof-recommended books and papers. [Washington Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.22.15

* Amal Clooney's firm reportedly has a lawyer working for £1.50 an hour, which in U.S. dollars is "piddly squat." [Legal Cheek] * People are pretty worked up over raisins. [The Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * "A video shot in court shows a lawyer tussling with bailiffs and being forcibly removed in handcuffs from a foreclosure hearing." Go on... [Daily Business Review] * Maybe that outsourcing thing was a bad idea for Biglaw. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * Keith Lee reviews Lat's Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link). [Associate's Mind] * Yahoo! General counsel Ron Bell discusses the challenges and rewards of representing the tech giant. [Hsu Untied] * Speaking of Yahoo!, on the eve of Obergefell, here's a quick guide to the American government's war on gays. [Yahoo!] * Elizabeth Wydra, chief counsel at the Constitutional Accountability Center, discusses the Affordable Care Act with Bob Garfield. Listen now while the ACA is still a thing. [On The Media]

By Joe Patrice
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.09.15

* It's the 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta. Have you ever read it? Because it includes some stereotypically troubling thoughts on Jews. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch] * The lawyer from the Lady Chatterley's Lover obscenity trial is 100 years old. So... take that, "clean living." [Daily Mail] * Tennessee Law Review hosted a Third Amendment Symposium. Professor Reynolds waxes philosophic on whether the Third Amendment might limit government intrusiveness into domestic affairs in areas as diverse as computer spyware, “affirmative consent” laws, and childrearing. Sounds like one of them pinko commie "non-Originalist" readings to me. [Instapundit] * In a sign of the times, there's a new information service providing analysis of critical legal issues related to cybersecurity, data protection, and data privacy challenges. But since most lawyers still think "banning personal email" is the height of cybersecurity, it may be a bit advanced for you. [The Cybersecurity Law Report] * Davis Polk associate Elyssa Friedland has a new book titled Love and Miss Communication (affiliate link) about a Biglaw associate fired for sending too many personal emails at work. As we just wrote before, that won't be a problem at a lot of firms anymore. [Amazon] * We talked about lawyers meditating, so now let's talk about lawyers and taijiquan. [Katz Justice] * Kudos to Lucosky Brookman LLP for raising over $155,000 for Save a Child’s Heart with its Second Annual Charity Golf Outing. [Lucosky Brookman LLP] * Richard Hsu chats with Mark Lemley, Stanford Law professor and founder of Lex Machina, about playing video games. Something we understand here at ATL. [Hsu Untied]

By Joe Patrice
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.08.15

* There's a lot of constitutional law about booze. [PrawfsBlawg] * Republicans try to play some word games on the Affordable Care Act and get straight-up lawyered. Or as The New Republic described the exchange: a "succinct, pithy demolition." [MSNBC] * Oscar Pistorius could be headed home on parole in the next couple of months. Time to get back in that dating pool. [CNN] * Don't bring your mom to court. [Lowering the Bar] * Here's an interesting company at the juncture of law and technology -- 3D printing demonstrative exhibits for trial. [3D Printed Evidence] * Randy Spencer interviews American Pharoah [Coverage Opinions] * An interesting question from a lawyer doing his part to help the homeless: if a person can't get online, how do they even look for a job anyway? [What About Clients?] * A new novella from Jessica Pishko called A Trial for Grace (affiliate link) about a fallen, high-flying NYC attorney working a death penalty trial in North Carolina. [Amazon] * Consent explained with tea. [Vimeo] https://vimeo.com/126553913

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.27.15

* The job market may be "improving," but people aren't going to start applying to law school in droves any time soon. There's been a 40 percent drop in applicants since 2005, and according to LSAC's latest data, "the downward spiral is still… spiraling." [WSJ Law Blog] * Lines to see what could be one of the most historic arguments before the Supreme Court started forming last Friday, but the rest of the country will have to sit back and wait until June to see if a constitutional right to same-sex marriage will be declared. [Reuters] * Kris Jenner was just hit with a six-figure lawsuit thanks to model Kendall Jenner's 19th birthday party, which was allegedly complete with more than 100 guests and a male stripper. Don't worry, mom, the stripper already spanked your daughter. [Ministry of Gossip / Los Angeles Times] * The latest edition of the Am Law 100 rankings are out, and it looks like gross revenue, revenue per lawyer, and profits per partner are on the way up at most firms. You'll never believe which firm is the new No. 1. We'll have more on this later. [American Lawyer] * Hey, here's some info you've never heard before now! People who graduated from law school in 2010 are still screwed because they're drowning in debt and some have never worked as lawyers! Never fear, the New York Times is on it! [DealBook / New York Times] * “Obviously, the concussion affected my judgment — oops, I shouldn’t say that, given my day job." At 92 years of age, Judge Robert Sweet of the S.D.N.Y. splits his time between legal pirouettes in the courtroom and skating pirouettes on the ice. [New York Times] * "It’s time for restraint of the federal government’s over-aggressive weed warriors.” States that have legalized pot are tired of the Feds prosecuting their citizens, and that's what the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2015 aims to stop from happening. [High Times] * "[L]awyers are naturally drawn to writing because we spend our days working with words." If you're a lawyer thinking about writing a legal thriller in your spare time, you're not alone. Just ask Scott Turow and our very own David Lat. [National Law Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky