Books

Non-Sequiturs: 01.28.15

* SWAT team called in to break up a poker game between a bunch of rich people. The militarization of the police seems like it's going great. [Washington Post] * The SPLC is lodging an ethics complaint against Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore after he explained that he intends to defy federal law. He's such a delight. [WAAY TV] * Rutgers-Camden's student evaluation controversy unfortunately fits right into the grand scheme of legal industry misogyny. [Salon] * South Carolina has finally vacated the convictions of the Friendship Nine -- protesters busted for sitting at the diner counter who pioneered the "jail, no bail" strategy that dominated the 60s civil rights movement. It only took 54 years. [Huffington Post] * Another day, another embarrassing development for the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell. This time it's former Senator Ben Nelson who Obamacare challengers cite for their claim that the Senate never intended subsidies to go to states without their own exchanges. Well, Senator Nelson wrote his own brief blowing this theory out of the water. This is basically SCOTUS's version of the Marshall McLuhan scene. [Washington Post] * A list of upcoming books about the Supreme Court. [SCOTUSBlog] * An enterprising law office discovered that the courts in Oklahoma publish social security numbers all the time. [Wirth Law Office] * D.C. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett talks clerking diversity. [National Law Journal] * UC Hastings Law student Hali Ford is competing on the 30th season of Survivor. Her interview video is below. [TV Grapevine] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8ydBekmEOw

alt.legal: The New Law Firm Taxonomy, And One That’s Doin’ It Well

Biglaw is changing rapidly, and this is how one firm bet big to prevent itself from becoming obsolete.

Non-Sequiturs: 01.13.15

* From the "Why the hell didn't you settle this?" file: Now that Alexandra Marchuk's case against Faruqi & Faruqi and Juan Monteverde has gone to trial, it seems the firm is getting all sorts of publicity -- mostly negative. [New York Post] * Supreme Court justices are really just like us... they show up late to work, too. Because Justice Antonin Scalia was stuck in traffic this morning, Chief Justice John Roberts had to summarize two of Scalia's opinions from the bench. Oops! [NPR] * Speaking of Justice Scalia, the Supreme jurist managed to sneak in a citation to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in his opinion in Whitfield v. United States to show the common usage of the word “accompany." [Volokh Conspiracy / Washington Post] * Remember Dennis Doyle, the lawyer who lost his job and dropped $25K to see every single Knicks game this season? He said this of his tragic endeavor: "I can’t shut it down. I’m in too deep. ... I’ll see it through—if it doesn’t kill me first." [Bleacher Report] * An Idaho prosecutor is having regrets over the fact that he chose to issue an arrest warrant for a 9-year-old boy on gum-stealing charges, calling it “a mistake under the circumstances.” That kid must be the coolest on the playground. [ABA Journal] * "Trying to suppress [the value of parody] with violence is a fool’s errand." In the wake of the horror of the Charlie Hebdo shootings, it's worth recognizing that here in the U.S., we owe much to rappers who have capitalized on free speech. [LinkedIn]

Standard Of Review: Grisham’s Latest Is A Dull Read

Overall, Gray Mountain is a fairly mediocre addition to Grisham’s body of work. You'd probably be better off re-reading one of his classics.

Non-Sequiturs: 01.07.15

* This editorial must have been so much fun to write. Local newspaper tees off on petty local politician who threatened to sue them for using his name without his permission. Like, in a story about him. Welcome to First Amendment 101, dude. Professor Volokh has some fun commentary. [The Frederick News-Post] * A new Congress gets down to business today, and they begin by proposing a solution to the biggest issue in America by floating a national abortion ban. Well, they have to talk about something now that Obama's got the Dow around 18,000. [ThinkProgress] * Not really legal, but Archer's back. Holly Anderson talks to the executive producer about this season. [Grantland] * Harold Hamm's ex-wife rejected a $974 million check. I just want to know what purchase she wants to make that has her saying, "Eh, I've got to pass on that $974 million." [The Oklahoman] * Keeping politics out of King v. Burwell is like making a Fast & Furious movie without Vin Diesel. Sure you can do it, but it's gonna suck. [The New Republic] * What the future holds for "just-in-time" workers like Alex Rich. [Law and More] * The minds behind the Notorious R.B.G. meme have a book deal! And it's a Justice Ginsburg biography. Bring it on. [New York Magazine] * David keeps on touring America talking about Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link) -- and also much, much more (including revelations about his personal life). This time it's an interview with WHYY in Philly. [WHYY] https://soundcloud.com/whyy-public-media/david-lats-supreme-ambitions-legal-blogs-and-the-supreme-court

Non-Sequiturs: 01.06.15

* Governor Chris Christie was worried America didn't realize he has no respect for his constituents and is a complete fake, so he's publicly rooting for the Dallas Cowboys over any of the three teams real New Jersey residents root for. He's also possibly violating ethics rules. [The Legal Blitz / ATL Redline] * Screech is going to trial. [Associated Press / Yahoo! News] * New dean at USC. Who is it? [USC Gould School of Law] * As the Supreme Court stares down the barrel of some highly political cases, will Chief Justice Roberts live up to his promise of non-partisanship? [Chicago Sun-Times] * Judge Richard Kopf reviews our own Mark Hermann's book, The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law (affiliate link). The verdict? It's curmudgeon-y. [Hercules and the Umpire] * David appeared on MSNBC's The Docket today to discuss Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link). [MSNBC] * The GOP is very, very against using the popular vote to elect a president which they characterize as an effort to "steal the presidency." Seriously. [Concurring Opinions]

Non-Sequiturs: 01.05.15

* Justice Scalia's audition tape released including "rigorous mock hearings and jurisprudence drills, as well as a cold read from a randomly chosen amicus curiae brief." [The Onion] * Jesus, Harvard professors are frigging babies. Now they're complaining about Obamacare because they have to pay $20 co-pays... like everyone else in the world since seemingly forever. [Lawyers, Guns & Money] * Don't try to blow up ATMs. [Lowering the Bar] * Professor Thane Rosenbaum reviews Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link). While he adds to the accolades, he also drops this curious description: "Think Bartleby, The Scrivener meets The Devil Wears Prada." Um, "I prefer not to"? [Huffington Post] * It's time for the Careerist Awards! [The Careerist] * Which law school in California provided the most "value add," as measured by most improved bar passage rate over expectations? [TaxProf Blog] * Shearman & Sterling partner Richard Hsu's continuing interview series sits down with another former Shearman attorney, Drew Shoals, now the drummer for Train. Otherwise known as "that band drunk 20-something white girls love." [Hsu Untied]

Morning Docket: 12.18.14

* Many Biglaw firms seem to be dragging their feet to match Davis Polk's generous bonus scale. Why's that? According to one partner, these bonus matches have cut into his firm's profits by about 4 percent. Yikes! [The Economist] * Total 1L enrollment in law school is the lowest it's been since 1973, when there were 53 fewer schools. The next step would be to reduce tuition to 1973 levels, and then no one would have any more complaints. [DealBook / New York Times] * Just because Bingham McCutchen bit the big one, it doesn't mean that all of its pro bono cases will have to suffer the same fate. Not only did Morgan Lewis rescue most of the firm's attorneys, but it's also saving 500 of its pro bono cases. [Am Law Daily] * Now that President Obama has decided to reopen diplomatic relations with Cuba, lawyers are champing at the bit for more business opportunities. Love Cuban cigars? Well, lawyers love trademark disputes involving those cigars. [National Law Journal] * Greenberg Traurig reminds Florida clerks that if they issue gay marriage licenses, they could be criminally charged. Plaintiffs' attorneys remind Florida clerks that if they refuse to issue gay marriage licenses, they could be sued. [Tampa Bay Times] * Our managing editor, David Lat, sat down with Vivia Chen to dish about some of his favorite things, from his new book, Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link), to his new fiancé. Her book review: "I liked it! It's a fun, breezy read." Hooray! [The Careerist]

An Outsider’s Perspective: A Review Of David Lat’s Supreme Ambitions

Why should someone who will have a hard time relating to the duties of a federal law clerk read Supreme Ambitions?

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).

From The Career Files: It Ain’t Easy

Successful lawyers don’t make it to the top through social media and search engine optimization. They get there by working hard. So says Brian Tannebaum in his recent book, The Practice...

8 Mistakes Your Law Firm Might Be Making

If you're doing any of these things, you're doing it wrong.

From Lawyer To Blogger To Novelist: An Interview With David Lat, Author Of Supreme Ambitions

According to the New York Times, "for an elite niche," Supreme Ambitions "has become the most buzzed-about novel of the year."

Morning Docket: 12.08.14

* A student at Barry Law claims someone stole her phone and used it to call an African-American blogger an N-word on Instagram. We'll have more on this believable story later. [Miami Herald] * Mark Wahlberg wants to be pardoned for a crime committed before he was known as Marky Mark. He should also consider asking to be pardoned for The Happening and Planet of the Apes. [CNN] * The job market was flat last month, and in 2014, the legal sector lost 3,000 jobs. Don't worry, you'll get a job eventually, per the hopes and prayers of your career services employees. [Am Law Daily] * Shine bright like A. Diamond: Howrey's bankruptcy trustee says he'll have a confirmed creditor-repayment plan "well before" the end of next year. [WSJ Law Blog] * iF*ckedUp? The last named plaintiff in the Apple iPod class action may not have bought an iPod during the time period at issue in the suit. [Bits / New York Times] * We suppose that with new tech comes new logos, because Covington & Burling is dropping the "& Burling" for global branding purposes. [National Law Journal] * David Lat, ATL's founder and managing editor, doesn't "think [he's] defamed anyone" in his book, Supreme Ambitions (aff. link). Yay! We'll have more on this later. [New York Times]

Morning Docket: 12.05.14

* A former Cleary Gottlieb associate will be a very rich man after The Lending Club, the company he founded post-Biglaw, completes its IPO. [American Lawyer] * Marriage equality won't arrive in Mississippi just yet. [How Appealing] * The federal civil rights investigation into the death of Eric Garner could complicate Loretta Lynch's nomination to serve as attorney general. [New York Times] * In other news about excessive use of force by police, the U.S. Department of Justice just blasted Cleveland's department for abysmal record-keeping about such incidents. [Cleveland Plain Dealer] * And what does possible 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton think about police abuses? [New York Times] * Non-random appellate panels in the federal courts are far more common than you might think, reports Alison Frankel. [Reuters via How Appealing] * A smart and thoughtful review by Rosemarie Yu of my new book, Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link). [New York Law Journal] * Eugene Ingoglia, one of the S.D.N.Y. prosecutors who helped send Harvard Law cheater Mathew Martoma to prison, will be joining Morvillo LLP as a partner. [DealBook / New York Times] * Former federal government lawyer Michael Richter: "It’s Not Top-Secret If You Can Google It." [Wall Street Journal] * Congratulations to eBrevia, a legal technology company we've previously profiled, on raising $1.5 million in seed funding. [Law Technology News]