Crime
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.12.16
* Howrey doing with all those profit clawbacks for unfinished business? The bankruptcy trustee for this defunct firm filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit to determine whether his method of collecting cash for the insolvent firm’s estate was legal, and in an amicus brief, the ABA has sided with the law firms being bilked for funds, saying such efforts must be nixed. [ABA Journal]
* The Tenth Circuit dismissed a challenge to Utah’s ban on polygamy that was brought by TLC’s “Sister Wives” family, saying they didn’t have standing to sue as they were no longer subject to a credible threat of prosecution. This will probably add fuel to the rumors that the show is on the verge of cancellation before Season 7. [WSJ Law Blog]
* The SEC has charged Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in connection to a stock scam involving tech company Servergy. Paxton allegedly assisted the company with raising investor funds, but never disclosed his commissions. With three pending criminal indictments and a bar complaint, this guy is batting 1000. [Dallas Morning News]
* Reclaim Harvard Law protestors who have been occupying the school’s student center claim that they found a voice-activated recording device in “Belinda Hall,” and have interpreted this as an “intentional effort to surveil [their] movement.” If your goal was to get people to listen to your message, consider this an achievement unlocked. [Observer]
* If you’re uncertain about your law school decision, you can certainly put down multiple seat deposits, but we’re not sure why you would want to. By all means, start your legal education by putting yourself into debt — you’ll be off to a great start for the six figures of loans you’ll have accumulated by graduation. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]
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Crime
10-Year-Old Obliterates Criminal Justice System In 30 Seconds
Little kid knows his way around the criminal justice crisis. - Sponsored
How Transactional Lawyers Can Better Serve (And Maintain) Their Clients
Sign up and join us for our CLE webinar. From importing your checklist to delivering the closing book, you can bolster client service throughout the… -
Crime, Jury Duty, Minority Issues
Criminally Yours: Have Things Changed Since The O.J. Simpson Trial?
We’re moving in the right direction, but a lot more has to be done.
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Deaths, Murder, Small Law Firms
Law Clerk Mistaken For Attorney, Murdered By Angry Client
He’d worked for the firm for just under one year’s time, and was considering applying to law school in the future. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.11.16
* Professor Victor Williams of the Catholic University of America School of Law, who’s been called the “Republican Lawrence Lessig” by some, is running a write-in campaign for president with the sole intent of eliminating Ted Cruz as a candidate due to his birth in Canada. He alleges that the Texas senator committed ballot access fraud by falsely swearing that he was a natural born citizen. Thanks to Williams’s allegations, a primary disqualification hearing is being held today in New Jersey. [PR Newswire]
* Does SCOTUS have a diversity problem? One justice thinks so. In the wake of President Obama calling attention to his nominee’s whiteness, Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted the Court’s homogeneity, saying that SCOTUS is currently at a “disadvantage from having [five] Catholics, three Jews, [and] everyone from an Ivy League school.” [TIME]
* Here’s an interesting theory: According to Patterson Belknap senior partner Gregory Diskant, because the Senate has failed to give President Obama its advice and consent with regard to his Supreme Court nominee, it can be said the Senate waived its rights, leaving Obama free to appoint Judge Garland to the high court. [Washington Post]
* “There is something seductively subversive about having a name that has a secondary street meaning, which, by the way, is not necessarily a bad thing to think of your lawyers as being.” MoFo — a law firm that’s perhaps known as Morrison & Foerster in more conservative circles — has fully embraced its sexy “street name.” [Big Law Business]
* Prosecutors say former House speaker and disgraced Dickstein Shapiro partner Dennis Hastert paid $3.5M to silence a boy he sexually abused, and molested at least four more children. Because the statutes of limitations have long since run on those crimes, he’ll likely serve only six months for banking crimes related to his hush-money payoffs. [AP]
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Politics
Is The Criminal Case Against Trump's Campaign Manager Hitting A Bump?
Bad news if you think Trump's campaign manger will face consequences for his behavior. -
Technology
Leveraging Shame And The Presumption Of Guilt To Destroy Lives And Punish Consenting Adults
This all seems horrible. -
Crime, Television
Standard Of Review: The People v. O.J. Simpson Ends Its Stellar Season, Humanizes Johnnie, Marcia, And Chris
While The People v. O.J. Simpson is not the best show on television, it is one of the most entertaining. - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Crime, O.J. Simpson, Television
The People V. O.J. Simpson: You Must Acquit (Episode 10 Review)
A lot of good could have come from the O.J. Simpson verdict. Too bad nothing did. -
Crime, Health Care / Medicine
Criminally Yours: Psychotic Episodes And The Criminal Justice System
Even if the crime was committed while you were out of your mind, coming from a good family, having a college degree, and lacking a criminal record will not insulate you from the various circles of hell of the criminal justice system. -
Bad Ideas, Pro Se Litigants
Judge: Lawyer's Pro Se Criminal Defense So Awful He Could Sue Himself For Ineffective Assistance
A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client. -
Biglaw, Crime, Small Law Firms, Technology
7 Cybersecurity Tips For Lawyers
In the wake of the big hack of Biglaw, it's time to focus on what you can do to make yourself more cyber-secure. -
Books, Crime, Police
'The Big Fear': An Interview With Andrew Case
Does aggressive policing reduce crime or simply set residents on edge? A new novel by lawyer Andrew Case explores this and other important questions.
Sponsored
AI’s Impact On Law Firms Of Every Size
How Transactional Lawyers Can Better Serve (And Maintain) Their Clients
Generative AI In Legal Work — What’s Fact And What’s Fiction?
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
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Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.01.16
* According to a statement released by the RIAA, hundreds of musicians and songwriters — like Katy Perry, for example — have called on Congress to reform the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Safe-harbor clauses are absolutely killing the artists’ bottom line, and something must be done. [THR, ESQ. / Hollywood Reporter]
* “[M]any law firms have had breaches, which they’ve kept quiet.” Following the news that Cravath and Weil Gotshal had been victims of data breaches, Edelson, a plaintiff’s side firm, announced it would be filing class-action suits against 15 major Biglaw firms with cybersecurity problems. We can’t wait to find out which ones will be on the receiving end of these complaints. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]
* Being the world’s first publicly traded law firm has turned out to be quite the debacle for Slater & Gordon. First, the Australian firm announced market losses of about $740 million, citing “underperformance in U.K. operations,” and now its general counsel has decided to throw in the towel after only two months on the job. Ouch. [Am Law Daily]
* “I have lost my faith in the potential for the Law School or its curriculum to put out people who care deeply about things.” Members of Harassment/Assault Law-School Team, a student group that advocates for sexual assault victims, aren’t impressed with Harvard Law’s inaction on educating students about sexual assault. [Harvard Crimson]
* How can we guarantee educators are being honest about graduates’ job prospects? Based on the results of the Corinthian Colleges fiasco and the Alaburda v. TJSL trial, it seems like “[s]trict disclosure rules for all schools would be better than lawsuits and government aid as a way to ensure educator honesty.” [DealBook / New York Times]
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Celebrities, Crime, Quote of the Day, Sports
How Do Lawyers For Celebrities Land Their Clients?
If you're curious, here's something worth listening to. -
Biglaw, Crime, Technology
Beware Of Big Hacking In Biglaw
Is your law firm prestigious enough to be targeted by Russian hackers? Check out this list of almost 50 Biglaw targets. -
Crime, Law Schools
Would-Be Law Grad Convicted Of Stealing From School Allegedly Altered Court Records To Make It Look Like He Was Acquitted
How can you quickly make a situation go from bad to worse? Easy! Involve a former law student. -
Crime, Law Schools
Someone Stole A Kennedy Statue From This Law School
Someone has burgled the statue of a famous alum! -
Crime, Prisons
Criminally Yours: It's Not The Prisoners, Stupid -- It's The Prisons
Criminal defense attorney Toni Messina says we don't need to make prisons cushier, we just need to make them work better. -
Abortion, Crime, Politics
No Matter What You Think About Abortion, The Man Behind The Planned Parenthood Videos Deserves To Be Prosecuted
Lots of conservatives and foes of abortion have rallied to David Daleiden's defense -- and they're wrong, as columnist Tamara Tabo explains.