Confirmations

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
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.24.15

* Justice Anthony Kennedy says that while the Supreme Court is trying to attract more minority law clerks, lower court judges have it easier because they can recruit from local schools. Some justices have an Ivy League addiction, and thus, a diversity problem. [Legal Times] * The next step in the confirmation process for Loretta Lynch, the lawyer who will someday be the first black woman to serve as U.S. attorney general, isn't likely to occur until at least mid-April. Why the wait? SENATE SPRING BREAK, WOO! [Reuters] * Give me maple syrup, or give me death: According to legal experts from the National Constitution Center, even though Republican candidate Ted Cruz was born in Canada, he still counts as a "natural born citizen" who's eligible to be president. [WSJ Law Blog] * Foley & Lardner partner Howard Shipley avoided a supreme spanking from SCOTUS over his submission of a garbled cert petition last year, but the high court took the opportunity to remind all lawyers to write "in plain terms." [National Law Journal] * How badly do you want to go to a top law school? Exactly how desperate you are to feel the warm and gentle embrace of prestige? How hard can you gun? Would you be willing to take the LSAT three times? [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.18.15

* An Ohio attorney was charged with making bomb threats at two state courthouses, but only after he was indicted for allegedly making bomb threats at a third courthouse. Wow, it's almost like this guy didn't do his homework motions or something. [Northeast Ohio Media Group] * Loretta Lynch, our would-be replacement for Eric Holder as attorney general, still hasn't been able to get confirmed, and the delay -- which is being blamed on our Senate Majority Leader's "inept leadership" -- is now being referred to as "unconscionable." Lovely. [CNN] * What’s happening at #ATLConverge today? Check out our Twitter feed! [Converge] * Earlier this week, Morgan Lewis combined with Singapore firm Stamford Law Corp. Effective April 1, ML&B will become one of the largest Biglaw firms in the world, rivaled only by the likes of Baker & McKenzie and Dacheng Dentons. [Philadelphia Inquirer] * More federal prosecutors are stepping down from their jobs and returning to their former Biglaw homes in private practice. Once you realize government work is a giant revolving door, soon enough, it'll be your turn to leave. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * If you're still making a decision about which law schools to apply to, you can use the U.S. News rankings to help yourself. In the alternative, you can use the ATL Top 50 rankings to see if you'll be able to get a job after graduation. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.19.15

* "Let’s face it: There are some people here that will not vote for her unless she says what they want her to say, that the president committed an illegal act by these [immigration] executive orders." Loretta Lynch is having a tough time making Republican friends. [The Hill] * Some new details have been released on the investigation into DLA Piper associate David Messerschmitt's death. Per police records, he was stabbed in the back, and was found in his hotel room with "lubricant and condom" and an "enema." We'll have more on this development later today. [Legal Times] * The rankings are coming! THE RANKINGS ARE COMING! Rankings guru Bob Morse, the man who holds law school deans' jobs in his hands, says the 2016 U.S. News Law School Rankings will be out on March 10. [Morse Code / U.S. News & World Report] * A patent lawyer with Asperger's syndrome is suing Patterson & Sheridan for discrimination. In his suit, he claims that a prominent partner was allowed to continually harass him in a purported quest to drive him out. Ah, law firm life. [The Recorder] * The case against the ex-leaders of Dewey & LeBoeuf hinges on the testimony of the failed firm's former employees. Defense attorneys, of course, are trying to get things barred from admission -- including one defendant's link to a mob member. [New York Law Journal] * “We’re still in the same position we’ve been in. There’s progress, but things are moving at a snail’s pace.” As we mentioned earlier this week, according to NALP, the percentage of women associates in law firms is up... but not by much. [DealBook / New York Times] * One of the best law schools in the country will have a brand new dean come this summer. Congratulations to Theodore Ruger, a longtime law professor who will assume the deanship at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in July. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.13.15

* Amanda Knox, everyone's favorite convicted/acquitted/convicted murderess, just got engaged to a musician she's known since middle school. Aww, that's cute and nice, but what we'd really like to know is where she's registered for cutlery. [People] * Loretta Lynch's confirmation vote was postponed because per Chairman Chuck Grassley, she apparently submitted dissatisfying answers to the Senate Judiciary Committee's post-hearing questions. Some says that she's being held to a double standard... likely because she is being held to a double standard. [National Law Journal] * Yesterday afternoon, Judge Callie V.S. Granade ordered that probate judges in Alabama issue same-sex marriage licenses. Sorry Chief Justice Roy Moore, but you better get ready, because the tide of gay marriage is gonna roll. ROLL TIDE ROLL! [National Law Journal] * Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she's not going to give up on women's rights cases at the Supreme Court, despite the fact that she's got male colleagues who "don’t fully appreciate the arbitrary barriers that have been put in women’s way.” [Bloomberg] * According to the latest report from Citi Private Bank Law Firm Group, Biglaw firms, "across the board," are doing better than they were last year, but the biggest Biglaw firms are doing the best, of course. We'll have more on this later today. [WSJ Law Blog] * A Texas lawmaker has proposed a bill that would appoint legal representation to a fetus if its mother is brain dead. “You’ll hear what the family wants, and you’ll also give the pre-born child a chance to have a voice in court at that same time." [Dallas Morning News] * New York Law School is launching a two-year law degree program, and students will only have to pay two-thirds of the $147,720 that they normally would have had to. For the record, not all two-year degree programs are cheaper. [Crain's New York Business]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.11.14

* According to the results of the latest Citi Private Bank Law Firm Group survey, law firm managing partners are slowly but surely growing more confident with how the legal industry is turning out as time goes by. Hooray! [Am Law Daily] * For what it's worth, Ben Edelman's threatening emails to Sichuan Garden weren't his first time at the rodeo of douchebaggery. A few years back, the Harvard-educated lawyer sent similar emails to a sushi restaurant. Fun times. [Boston.com] * The American Bar Association would like to know what you think the most successful law firm merger in history is. There are so many fantastic failures to rule out, but so few true triumphs in comparison. What're your thoughts? [ABA Journal] * The Senate has delayed the confirmation of Michelle Lee as the director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office until next year. Thus far, Lee's would-be position has been open for almost two years. Wow, way to go, slowpokes. [Corporate Counsel] * Started from the bottom now we're here: this lawyer started out in the records department of his firm, and now, after 15 years of working there as an employee, he's going to become a partner. Congratulations, dude! [Tex Parte Blog / Texas Lawyer] * There are 3 types of logic games on the LSAT, and more power to you if you're able to whiz your way through them. If you suck at logic games, learn how to conquer the mathiest part of the test. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky
Biglaw

Morning Docket: 11.14.14

* Loretta Lynch, America’s would-be attorney general, has been flying under the radar for years, and now senators are searching to find something, anything at all really, that could possibly be wrong with her. [Legal Times] * “[T]his is the best period of time that we have seen in a long time.” According to Wells Fargo Private Bank’s Legal Specialty Group, Biglaw’s revenue, hours, and profits all rose in the first nine months of 2014. Nice work! [Am Law Daily] * Biglaw mergers and acquisitions are now on pace to meet or beat last year’s record, and company legal departments are pretty pissed off about it, especially since “[l]arge firm views on conflicts [tend to] drive [GCs] crazy.” [Reuters] * Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor attended the groundbreaking of Arizona State Law’s new campus, and even shoveled some dirt in honor of the school named after her. [Arizona Republic] * What’s the price on being blackballed? Condé Nast settled its unpaid intern class-action lawsuit yesterday for $5.8 million, which will result in $700 to $1,900 payouts per aggrieved intern. [Fashionista]

By Staci Zaretsky
Attorney Misconduct

Morning Docket: 06.18.14

* In a “historic day for our judiciary,” the Senate confirmed the first openly gay black male judge, and the 112th female federal judge appointed by Obama — more than any other president. Congrats! [AP] * “It looks like science fiction, but it’s real.” That’s probably what the good folks at Amazon are going to say after they take a look at Akin Gump’s bill for its drone delivery lobbying efforts. [Legal Times] * A 90-year-old judge removed himself from Michael Jordan’s big-money case against a grocery store chain, but dropped the gavel on the basketball star’s lawyers before leaving the bench. [Chicago Tribune] * This Ohio attorney was suspended after he sent some pretty dirty text messages to a 3L who was working in his office. He just wanted assistance on his pro boner representation. [National Law Journal] * Give this man some money: Jonathan Fleming, the New York man who was wrongly imprisoned for almost 25 years for a murder he didn’t commit, has filed a $162 million lawsuit against the city. [Reuters]

By Staci Zaretsky
1st Circuit

Morning Docket: 05.23.14

* Congrats are in order for David Barron. The Harvard Law professor was confirmed to the First Circuit in a close vote (53-45), despite his apparent allegiance to our new drone overlords. [WSJ Law Blog] * Another one bites the dust: Weil’s London banking leader Stephen Lucas decamped for Kirkland & Ellis. The firm retorted by saying: “We have got 40 finance lawyers left.” Aww, yay for you. [The Lawyer] * We already know that state prosecutors are very poorly paid, but let’s go one step further and see if women are paid less than men. Shockingly enough, women are getting the shaft in Texas. [Texas Tribune] * Dean Jack Boger of UNC Law is stepping down, but he’s proud of keeping legal ed affordable. “[B]y relative standards, we’re still doing that,” he said. It’s ~$39K for out-of-state students. [Chapelboro.com] * O.J. Simpson’s lawyers submitted a gigantic legal doc in an attempt to get him a new trial for his armed-robbery case. Court word limit: 14,000. Words in the Juice’s motion: 19,993. Rules: LOL. [NBC News]

By Staci Zaretsky
Basketball

Morning Docket: 05.02.14

* The Senate confirmed nine judges this week, the highest one-week total since the current session of Congress began. They even managed to confirm a "controversial" nominee. Congrats! [Legal Times] * If you need a reason for your merger-product firm's poor financial performance, don't use the verein structure as a scapegoat. Maybe your firms weren't profitable to begin. Burnnnnn. [The Economist] * Skadden lawyers await the day they're called upon to provide the NBA's defense against a potential suit filed by Don Sterling. They'll be ready, because Skadden's the best brand in the world, yay! [Am Law Daily] * Mayer Brown is pulling out of the "comfort women" case, a decision one of its clients says is "totally crazy." We suppose the firm was getting tired of being dragged through the mud. [Los Angeles Daily News] * A suspect is being held by police in the fatal hit-and-run of Judge Dean Pregerson's son. He's been charged with vehicular manslaughter, and is expected to be arraigned on Monday. [Los Angeles Times] * Fifty-five schools are being investigated for alleged violations of federal law in the mishandling of sexual assault and harassment cases. One professional school is on the list. Sup Harvard Law? [Huffington Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
9th Circuit

Morning Docket: 04.29.14

* Michelle Friedland, a Munger Tolles partner, has been confirmed to the Ninth Circuit. Congratulations! This marks the first time in years that the court has had a full slate of 29 judges, which is also pretty cool for law nerds. [Legal Times] * L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling is probably going to be flopping around just like LeBron now that the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, a former Cravath attorney, has launched a full court press against him. [Am Law Daily] * This is something completely new and different. The United Church of Christ filed a lawsuit against North Carolina over its ban on gay marriage saying it restricts its clergy’s religious freedom. [New York Times] * Dear Low Grades, High Hopes: You don’t need an addendum to your law school application. You’ll get in everywhere you apply — they’re desperate to fill their seats. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News] * Singer-songwriter Paul Simon was arrested yesterday alongside his wife after she “picked a fight” with him. Given how “disorderly” things were, perhaps all he wanted to hear was the sound of silence. [CNN]

By Staci Zaretsky
Biglaw

Morning Docket: 01.14.14

* Robert Wilkins was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit yesterday, which is significant because it marks the first time in decades that the court hasn’t had any judicial vacancies. Congrats! [Blog of Legal Times] * Biglaw firms should be happy to hear about what the Citi Private Bank’s Law Firm Group has seen in its crystal ball: law firm profits are expected to grow by about 5 percent this year. [WSJ Law Blog] * Unlike its stinky burger fiasco, Steptoe & Johnson managed to quietly converse with “three or four” firms about a possible merger, but the firm’s chairman refuses to kiss and tell. [National Law Journal] * Take criminal disclosures on your law school apps seriously — after all, someone needs to worry about whether you’ll be able to pass C&F, and it won’t be your school if they just want your money. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News] * Recent law grads working at the Chicago Justice Entrepreneurs Project might not be “rolling in money,” but they’re learning how be successful lawyers, and experience like that is worth millions. [Businessweek] * The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, “a regulator that protects its industry from rules it deems unfair,” wants a list of all alcohol, everywhere. Treasury Department party! [DealBook / New York Times] * Nadya Suleman, she of the clown car uterus, was charged with welfare fraud for failure to report income from her strip club appearances and porn videos. She’s the Octomother of the year. [CBS Los Angeles]

By Staci Zaretsky
Attorney Misconduct

Morning Docket: 12.11.13

* When it comes to the air pollution case that’s currently before the Supreme Court, it seems like the justices had absolutely no difficulty at all in evaluating the type of problem at hand. It’s apparently a “tough” one and a “hard” one. [New York Times] * Thanks to the historic new Senate rules put into action last month, Patricia Ann Millett, the co-head of Akin Gump’s Supreme Court and national appellate practice group, has been confirmed to the D.C. Circuit. You go girl! [Post Politics / Washington Post] * The Senate showdown isn’t quite over yet, folks. We could see another confirmation vote on Georgetown Law professor Nina Pillard’s nomination to the D.C. Circuit sometime today. [Blog of Legal Times] * “We risk failure in having a profession that is as diverse as the country we serve.” OMG guys, the legal profession is bad at diversity. This is new information that no one’s heard before. [National Law Journal] * Now that the recession is over, women are gaining their jobs back faster than all their male counterparts. Not to worry, guys — they’re still being paid 77 cents to every dollar a man earns. [Corporate Counsel] * Here are the top five social media mishaps by lawyers and law students of 2013. If you value your career, you should really try not to do any of these embarrassing things during the new year. [Strategist / FindLaw]

By Staci Zaretsky