For almost a year now, a Wisconsin district attorney (now the state's Attorney General) has been trying to keep allegedly embarrassing footage of him from making its way into the hands/eyes of the public.
* Arizona Summit Law wasn't the only law school to post an embarrassing passage rate on the July 2015 administration of the bar exam. Only 28 percent of test-takers from this law school passed, but its dean says that the scores don't "reflect a problem with the school's quality." Hey, whatever helps you get to sleep at night. [Tennessean] * Speaking of bar passage rates, if you're applying to law school, should you care about them? Job statistics are probably a more telling measurement when comparing schools, but then again, it's harder to get a job when you can't pass the bar exam. [U.S. News] * “It’s a huge blow to his tenure as DA." The mistrial in the criminal case against Dewey & LeBoeuf's former executives is putting a major damper on what was supposed to be Manhattan DA Cy Vance's crackdown on corporate crime. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * Thanks to the Department of Education's "gainful employment rule," for-profit law schools could be in trouble when it comes to eligibility for federal student loans under the "debt-to-earnings" test. This certainly may put a crimp in Infilaw's style. [Huffington Post] * The vast majority of all class members in the Subway "footlong" lawsuit aren't likely to see a dime. This is fine because they don't need to see any "dough," but a guarantee that the company's next spokesperson won't be a child predator would be nice. [WSJ Law Blog]
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Why would a smart lawyer talk to law enforcement about matters that could expose him to criminal liability?
So what DID cause the death of this pulchritudinous paralegal?
* In November, Supreme Court justices engaged in the “totally unnecessary” practice of releasing 41 pages of nondecision opinions. In all fairness, we can’t really blame them for enjoying hearing themselves speak. [National Law Journal] * These D.C. Circuit judges of differing political viewpoints “disagreed less than 3 percent of the time” over the course of two decades. Please, keep arguing about the court’s “ideological balance.” You’re accomplishing lots. [New York Times] * With more tie-ups than ever before and another record broken, 2013 is officially the year of full-blown law firm merger mania. Query how many more we’ll be able to add to the already huge list of 78 by the end of December. [Am Law Daily] * Speaking of which, Baker Hostetler is merging with Woodcock Washburn, an intellectual property firm with a name that sounds like the aftercare instructions for a painful sex toy injury. [Philadelphia Inquirer] * Of course a fired ADA’s scandalous emails landed on BuzzFeed. This is one more embarrassing chapter in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. [New York Times] * It’s amazing how things can change in a year. In 2012, New York bar pass rates for in-state schools fell. In 2013, they’re up — except for one school, which is way down. Which one? [New York Law Journal]
* Given the name and origins of the Tea Party movement, it actually makes perfect sense that their groups got grief from the IRS. [Washington Post] * Wachtell Lipton weighs in against the practice of shareholder activists offering special compensation to director nominees. [Dealbook / New York Times] * A law professor, Joshua Silverstein, argues that schools should embrace grade inflation. (But haven’t most of them done this already?) [WSJ Law Blog] * Facebook shareholders might not “like” this news, but Ted Ullyot is stepping down as general counsel after almost five years. We’ll have more on this later. [National Law Journal] * The Brooklyn DA’s office is reopening 50 murder cases that were worked on by retired detective Louis Scarcella (who looks oh-so-savory in the NYT’s photo of him). [New York Times] * In news that should shock no one, Nicholas Speath’s dubious discrimination case against Georgetown Law has been dismissed. [The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times] * Not long after leaving Cravath for Kirkland, Sarkis Jebejian is putting together billion-dollar deals for private-equity clients. [Am Law Daily] * Professor Jeffrey Rosen reviews an interesting new book, The Federalist Society (affiliate link), authored by Michael Avery and Danielle McLaughlin. [New York Times]
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What would Elle Woods have to say about these legally blonde antics?
She knows how to BE AGGRESSIVE, B-E AGGRESSIVE, B-E A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E inside of a courtroom.
Additional thoughts on the recent killing of a second prosecutor in Texas, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland.
Ed. note: Due to the Presidents’ Day holiday, we will be on a reduced publication schedule today. We will be back in full swing tomorrow. We hope that you will enjoy your day off, but please feel free to lament your lack thereof in the comments. * “[T]hey don’t want to hear nothing.” Vedel Browne, the man accused of robbing Stephen Breyer at machete-point while the justice was vacationing in his home in the Caribbean, now claims that he’s innocent, mon. [St. Kitts-Nevis Observer] * You know what, the farmer in the Super Bowl commercial probably didn’t have to deal with bullsh*t like Monsanto’s seed patents, but today’s farmers do, and they’ll argue their case before the Supreme Court this week. [New York Times] * “I’m a betting man. And I would bet and give odds that Sullivan & Cromwell has never said that publicly.” Who dares question S&C’s stance in the hot mess that is Herbalife? None other than Carl Icahn. [Am Law Daily] * Here’s an important Biglaw math lesson that’s been provided to us via California-based firms like Irell & Manella, Munger Tolles, and Orrick: a little revenue minus a lot of partners equals profitability. [Recorder] * Amid a flurry of filings on Valentine’s Day, love must’ve been a battlefield for the embattled Dewey & LeBoeuf refugees who were in desperate search of their once promised 2011 bonuses. [WSJ Law Blog (sub. req.)] * From the department of things that suck: having to defend your office’s alleged “underhanded tactics” in a $150 million wrongful conviction case while you’re trying to get re-elected as district attorney. [New York Times] * We got bitches in the office lawyerin’ on, and they ain’t leavin’ till six in the mornin’ — unless they want to be fired. An ex-Travers Smith trainee claims she was canned for leaving the firm “early”… at 6:30 a.m. [Telegraph] * If it weren’t for Cosmo, this woman wouldn’t have known her landlord was an alleged creeper. A Maryland lawyer now faces criminal charges for allegedly filming his female tenants in the nude. [Washington Post] * “We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious!” The ABA officially put Florida A&M on notice that its law school accreditation may be in jeopardy if they don’t shape up in terms of bar passage. [Orlando Sentinel] * What do you do the second you step off a cruise ship that’s been described as “a floating toilet, a floating petri dish, a floating hell”? You grab the very first lawyers you see, and sue! [Nation Now / Los Angeles Times]
It’s like having a junior associate who’s never off the clock.
A Georgetown Law graduate finds herself in very hot water....
The situation is still developing; it's not clear why the prosecutor was targeted.
A Brooklyn prosecutor has been accused of assaulting an EMT. What might have provoked the alleged attack? Here is one theory.
Some updates on Dewey & LeBoeuf, regarding the criminal investigation and the firm's art collection - which you can purchase a piece of!
This Chicago prosecutor saved the day, but took a beating in the process.