Charlotte School of Law

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.28.17

* Third-year students who are still enrolled at the Charlotte School of Law will be graduating in about two weeks, and despite the fact that administrators assured them their funding would be released, they still haven't received any federal loan disbursements. We'll have more on this later today. [ABA Journal] * Yesterday, we gave our readers the big-picture rundown on the 2017 Am Law 100 rankings. This morning, we'll offer our readers a little fun fact. Three firms were newcomers to the Am Law 100 ranking this year thanks to their outstanding revenue growth: Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, Husch Blackwell, and Shook Hardy & Bacon. Congratulations to all three! [Big Law Business] * As it turns out, President Trump's losing streak in court when it comes to his would-be travel ban and sanctuary city punishments can be blamed on tactics conservative judges used during the Obama administration to thwart efforts to expand health care, shield immigrants from deportation, and protect transgender students. [New York Times] * "A president does not have the authority to rescind a National Monument." Upscale outdoor apparel company Patagonia has vowed to file suit against the Trump administration if any attempt is made to reverse the Obama-era designation of Bears Ears -- a 1.35-million-acre tract of land in Utah -- as a National Monument. [HuffPost] * How much is a personal injury claim worth once it's gone viral globally? After taking "full responsibility for what happened ... without attempting to blame others," United Airlines has reached a settlement for an undisclosed sum with David Dao, the man who was forcibly dragged from an overbooked flight earlier this month. [Reuters]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.27.17

* Guess who gets to take advantage of President Donald Trump's new tax plan? Lawyers and their law firms -- which are largely organized as pass-through entities -- will likely benefit greatly, as they'll be able to reduce their tax rate from 39.6 percent to 15 percent. [ABA Journal] * The Charlotte School of Law may be on the brink of collapse, but the school is heading to court to try to shake off three of the four federal class-action lawsuits that were filed by current students and recent graduates with motions to dismiss. We'll have more on this later today. [Law.com] * The Trump administration didn't seem to fare very well during oral arguments in an immigration case yesterday. Chief Justice John Roberts certainly wasn't impressed, and Justice Anthony Kennedy seemed even less so, dropping this benchslap: "It seems to me that your argument is demeaning the priceless value of citizenship." [Reuters] * Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will propose a rollback of the Obama-era net-neutrality rule that regulated broadband internet providers as common carriers. Critics aren't pleased: "It makes no sense. We cannot keep the promise of net neutrality openness and freedom without the rules that ensure it." [Big Law Business] * Four third-year students at Harvard Law have demanded that the administration provide clarification as to how it assesses applicants who have been accused or convicted of sexual assault. "We put forth a call for transparency and affirmative efforts demonstrating the school takes sexual assault seriously." [Harvard Crimson]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.25.17

* Who says you can never go home again? Neil Eggleston, White House Counsel under President Obama, return to Kirkland & Ellis. [Law.com] * The Biglaw scandal that just keeps giving and giving and giving... The Dewey retrial nears its end. [New York Law Journal] * North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has opened up an investigation into the troubled Charlotte School of Law. We'll have more on this story later today. [Politico] * The Republican controlled North Carolina General Assembly is trying to mess with Democratic Governor Roy Cooper's ability to appoint judges to their state courts. But Judge J. Douglas McCullough -- a Republican -- has at least one trick up his sleeve to thwart the plan. [Slate] * The NRA is ramping up its legal strategy in California as they anticipate the future political direction of the courts there. [LA Times] * The excuse "the Russians did it" just doesn't fly in the world of tax law... not even if you are Sotheby's. [New York Times]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.22.17

* "When anyone criticizes the honesty, integrity, the motives of a federal judge, I find that disheartening. I find that demoralizing, because I know the truth." During the tail end of the second day of his marathon confirmation hearing, Judge Neil Gorsuch let it be known for the first time publicly that he wasn't pleased with President Trump's attacks on his judicial colleagues. [CNN] * While the legal world was preoccupied with Judge Gorsuch's confirmation hearing yesterday, SCOTUS was still on the job, with the justices busy putting the kibosh on some presidential appointment powers. In the future, a person will be unable to serve as the acting head of a federal agency once the president nominates him to permanently serve in the role if it is a position that requires Senate confirmation. [Reuters] * After four years, Dean Jay Conison of the beleaguered Charlotte School of Law has stepped down. The for-profit school had seen some of its worst days under his leadership, including its graduates' plummeting bar exam passage rates and its students' loss of access to the federal loan program this past December. While loans seem to have been restored for students this semester, the school may yet close. [Charlotte Observer] * This could explain the firm's humungous national bonuses: Vinson & Elkins had its best year ever in 2016, posting record gross revenue, net income, revenue per lawyer and profits per partner. Now that the firm is playing with the big boys, it's paying like the big boys. As noted previously, V&E has officially committed to paying the new, Cravath-inspired $180K starting salary in every market where it has an office. [Texas Lawyer] * "It truly is an embarrassment." Philadelphia DA Seth Williams has been indicted on corruption and bribery-related charges. He stands accused of accepting a trip to Punta Cana, a Jaguar convertible, a custom sofa, and other gifts in exchange for fixing cases for friends. The City Law Department was paying an attorney from Morgan Lewis to represent Williams, but now refuses to continue to do so. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

By Staci Zaretsky