Corruption

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.30.17

* Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams pleads guilty to accepting a bribe, ending his ongoing federal corruption trial and his tenure as DA -- and sending him straight to jail, since Judge Paul Diamond denied bail. [ABA Journal] * The Trump administration moves forward on implementing the travel ban (and has reversed its earlier determination that being engaged to marry an American doesn't count as "a bona fide" connection to this country). [New York Times] * Colorado baker Jack Phillips, petitioner in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case that the Supreme Court will hear next Term, explains his refusal to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. [How Appealing] * DLA Piper, hit by a major ransomware attack earlier this week, endures its third consecutive day without email. [Law360] * And DLA isn't the only Biglaw firm with big weaknesses in cybersecurity, as Ian Lopez reports. [Law.com] * Lawyer turned television host Greta Van Susteren has been let go by MSNBC (after just six months). [Vanity Fair] * The tragic case of Charlie Gard comes to an end: the European Court of Human Rights declines to review prior court rulings refusing to let the terminally ill 10-month-old boy travel to the U.S. for experimental treatment. [Washington Post] * Drs. John Eastman and Sohan Dasgupta break down the Trinity Lutheran case. [Claremont Institute]

By David Lat
Sponsored Content

The Hidden Threat: How Fake Identities used by Remote Employees Put Your Business at Risk—and How to Defend Against This

Based on our experience in recent client matters, we have seen an escalating threat posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) information technology (IT) workers engaging in sophisticated schemes to evade US and UN sanctions, steal intellectual property from US companies, and/or inject ransomware into company IT environments, in support of enhancing North Korea’s illicit weapons program.

By Charles River Associates (CRA)
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.28.16

* In case you haven't been keeping score like we have, these are the firms that have recently raised salaries: Thompson & Knight, Chapman & Cutler, Sterne Kessler, Edelson, and BakerHostetler. If you’re ever worried that you’ve missed any of our coverage on pay raises, you can check out our omnibus 2016 salary chart where we collect these stories. [2016 Salary Increase / Above the Law] * Judge Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit, who is known well for his longtime feud with the late Justice Antonin Scalia, isn't going to let a little thing like death keep him from lobbing "posthumous swipe[s]" at the deceased jurist. Constitutional historian David Bernstein was quick to call Judge Posner's comments "revolting." [WSJ Law Blog] * "The ruling deals a crushing blow to this most recent wave of state efforts to shut off access to abortion though hyper-regulation." The Supreme Court's decision in Whole Woman's Health could open doors to challenges to other laws concerning restrictions on abortions -- or inspire narrowly tailored anti-abortion legislation. [New York Times] * "[O]ur concern is not with tawdry tales of Ferraris, Rolexes, and ball gowns. It is instead with the broader legal implications of the Government's boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute." In case you were too caught up with the abortion-rights decision, SCOTUS also tossed former Va. Gov. Bob McDonnell's conviction. [NPR] * The aftermath of the United Kingdom's Brexit referendum has left law firms in Great Britain scrambling to provide answers to questions about legal uncertainties. From Baker & McKenzie to Allen & Overy to Clifford Chance, several Biglaw firms are trying to assist their clients with webinars, white papers, and 24-hour hotlines. [ABA Journal] * Tony Villegas was convicted of the murder of Melissa Britt Lewis, a former partner at Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein's firm. Villegas blamed Lewis for the breakup of his marriage thanks to her friendship with his ex-wife, who once served as the Rothstein firm's chief operating officer. Villegas was sentenced to life in prison. [Sun-Sentinel]

By Staci Zaretsky