Charleston Shooting

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.19.16

* Uh-oh! What's going on at Kirkland & Ellis? Sources say that the firm recently changed its framework for allocating equity partner profits, making deep cuts to some partners' shares. Litigation partners were reportedly hit so hard by these changes that multiple sources called the situation a "bloodbath." We'll have more on this later. [Am Law Daily] * Talk about a money shot: Attorneys Paul Hansmeier and John Steele, formerly of Prenda Law, have been charged in a "massive extortion scheme" after allegedly uploading porn videos they produced themselves to file-sharing websites so they could then sue those who downloaded the films for copyright violations. [NBC News] * Kerrie Campbell, the Chadbourne & Parke partner who sued her firm for $100 million over allegations of gender discrimination, has asked a court to dismiss C & P's counterclaim, referring to the claims therein as "in terrorem tactic" to silence other women at the firm and elsewhere who have similar bias claims. [Big Law Business] * Here's a question that far too many law school deans were faced with this fall: "What's the best way to share a school's bad bar exam results?" Some chose to be blunt and others chose to be empathetic, but at the end of the day, the news is devastating to recent graduates, so there's only so much one can really do to soften the blow. [ABA Journal] * Charleston church gunman Dylann Roof was convicted on federal hate crime charges and is now awaiting the punishment phase of his trial. In case you didn't know, he's also waiting to stand trial on state murder charges, which means he's the first person in the modern era to face the possibility of federal and state death penalty sentences. [Reuters]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.25.16

* Sorry to ruin your childhood, but a Pennsylvania judge found that there is enough evidence for Bill Cosby to stand trial for his felony assault charge in the Andrea Constand case. Cosby has waived his right to a formal arraignment, and could face up to 10 years in prison if he's convicted. Cosby has been free on $1 million bail since December. [Associated Press] * "You need to have order in a courtroom. And there needs to be proper decorum with attorneys." A Las Vegas Justice of the Peace ordered that a deputy public defender be handcuffed for interrupting him as she tried to represent a client. A tipster has referred to this judge as "demented." We may have more on this. [Las Vegas Review-Journal] * According to inside sources, Hunton & Williams is in advanced merger talks with Addelshaw Goddard, a London-based firm. These talks have reportedly been going on for months, and Addelshaw partners supposedly met last night to discuss the tie-up. If successful, the combined firm would have more than 1,300 lawyers. [Big Law Business] * Silicon Valley staple Fenwick & West is opening up an office outpost in New York City. The firm's clients in Manhattan include BuzzFeed, FanDuel, Blackrock, Citi, and JPMorgan. Associates will be working around the clock in the city that never sleeps -- with a roster like that, they won't be getting shuteye anytime soon. [WSJ Law Blog] * AG Loretta Lynch announced yesterday afternoon that the Justice Department would be seeking the death penalty against Dylann Roof, the suspect alleged to have gone on a shooting spree in a Charleston church last summer, killing nine and wounding numerous others. It's said Roof hoped to incite a race war as a result of the massacre. [USA Today] * Carl Buchholz, managing partner of DLA Piper's Philadelphia office, RIP. [Philadelphia Business Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 07.29.15

* Judge uses hearing to take out lost luggage irritation on airline appearing before him. [Legal Cheek] * Law schools should teach entrepreneurship, because students should be learning something they can apply when the job market turns up empty. [Tax Prof Blog] * Meet Dylann Roof's defense counsel, David Bruck. [The Marshall Project] * Lawyer quits law and opens a brewery. Good idea. [Click on Detroit] * Making "patently offensive racial, ethnic, homophobic, sexist, and other derogatory remarks to attorneys" nets a three-month suspension in New York. [Legal Profession Blog] * A new white paper on law enforcement and electronic communications, co-authored by Viet Dinh, the keynote speaker at our recent Technology & Law event. [Bancroft PLLC] * After Bruce MacEwen expressed doubts over the usefulness of the Am Law 200 as "a conceptual category," Kimberly Kleman, editor-in-chief of The American Lawyer, responds to the criticism. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=24&v=5_S9y8bHMlY

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.18.15

* You knew it was inevitable. The St. Louis Cardinals have lawyered up and are conducting their own internal investigation into allegations employees hacked Houston Astros databases. [Am Law Daily] * Real quick before you tweet that out -- New York has updated its ethical guidelines regarding social media. Are you familiar with the best practices? [New York Law Journal] * Norway has said goodbye to the old boys network -- at least when it comes to women's representation on corporate boards. The top down approach that was successful in Norway may not be politically palatable in the United States, but it certainly provides food for thought. [American Lawyer] * Recently released documents (thank you FOIA) reveal a years-long legal battle between the federal government and UnitedHealth Group over Medicare overbilling. [NPR] * If it walks like a tax hike and swims like a tax hike and quacks like a tax hike, it's probably a tax hike -- no matter what double talk Governor Sam Brownback tries to sell you. Seriously, what is the matter with Kansas? [Talking Points Memo] * Nine people are dead after a gunman attacked a historic black church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Among the dead is State Senator Clementa Pinckney. The gunman is still at large. Our heart goes out to the families of the victims. [New York Times]

By Kathryn Rubino