DLA Piper

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.29.16

* “The ballot-selfie prohibition is like 'burn[ing down] the house to roast the pig.'" Just in time for Election 2016, the First Circuit has struck down New Hampshire's ballot selfie ban as unconstitutional, citing the fact that it curtailed voters' free speech, and on top of that, the state was unable to identify any complaints of vote buying or intimidation. [POLITICO] * Suspended Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who instructed probate judges to adhere to the state's ban on same-sex marriage, even after the Supreme Court's Obergefell ruling, says the ethics charges he faces are "ridiculous" since he never "encourage[d] anyone to defy a federal court or state court order." [WSJ Law Blog] * Wiley Rein lost two practice group leaders to DLA Piper this week. The firm, known for its media, telecom, government contracts, and IP practices, no longer has partners in charge of its telecom group or its wireless group, but it claims these departures were anticipated, and the practice groups were merged ahead of time. [Big Law Business] * Cha-ching! The Caesars bankruptcy is ending, which means the "fee frenzy" for lawyers who were working on the case is about to dry up as well. Nine law firms have been involved in the case since the company first filed for bankruptcy in January 2015, and hundreds of millions of dollars of legal fees have already been assessed. [Am Law Daily] * Many jurisdictions adopted the Uniform Bar Exam for the July 2016 administration of the bar exam, and it seems like it may have had the opposite effect on test-takers than what was intended. Graduates of this law school saw their bar exam passage rate drop by 13 percent since last year. We'll have more on this later today. [Albequerque Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.31.16

* The clerk who allegedly took a turn at judging has been fired. [Chicago Tribune] * DLA Piper partner Joseph Finnerty was fined and resigned from a public position after fundraising fiasco. [Law360] * The ABA Journal's 2016 Legal Rebels revealed! This is like the Vogue September issue, except for nerdy lawyers. [ABA Journal] * The ABA is taking a tough line with a couple of law schools, but is this show of force still too late to save its accreditation status? [Inside Higher Ed] * Oh look, Chris Brown's in the news again! [ABC News] * Paul, Weiss is investigating the alleged culture of sexual harassment at Fox News and they're facing a lot of skepticism. [Law.com] * One client is drawing a firm line with law firms: alternative fee arrangements or else. [Corporate Counsel]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.07.16

* Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius may recently have been sentenced to six years in prison for the killing of his girlfriend, but according to South African legal analysts, he'll be eligible for parole in just three years, and will most likely be freed from behind bars at that time, despite his murder conviction. [ABC News] * DLA Piper partner Brian Pendleton has been fined $10K for violating a court order related to interfering with witnesses and then lying about it. DLA Piper has also been ordered to pay all of opposing counsel's attorney fees and costs thanks to its errant partner's behavior. The firm, of course, "respectfully disagree[s]" with the judge. [New York Law Journal via ABA Journal] * FBI Director James Comey is being "praised" and "slammed" at the same time for his recommendation that no criminal charges be brought against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton over her emails. In the meantime, Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced that the case had been closed. [WSJ Law Blog; CNN] * Law firm mergers are coming fast and furious, with a total of 48 combinations announced since the beginning of 2016. "Small firms are increasingly vulnerable in the current market," and last year's number of mergers (91) could be exceeded by year's end as many smaller firms struggle to stay in business. [DealBook / New York Times] * Not only is Adnan Syed, the subject of the first season of the popular Serial podcast, getting a new trial, but he's also got some brand new Biglaw attorneys representing him. Lawyers from Hogan Lovells, including the head of the firm's pro bono practice and the managing partner of its Baltimore office, will now be involved. [Big Law Business]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.01.16

* In case you haven't been keeping score like we have, these are the firms that recently raised salaries: Foley Hoag, Patterson Belknap, Venable (officially), and Seward & Kissel. If you’re worried 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] * Thanks to the power of "a phenomenally strong public interest created by modern media" and an attorney who "fell below the standard of a reasonable professional judgment" in handling the case, Adnan Syed, whose murder conviction was the subject of the acclaimed first season of the "Serial" podcast, has been granted a new trial. [NPR] * First comes raises in the United States for the third-largest law firm by headcount, then comes yet another merger. DLA Piper is combining with Grönberg Advokatbyrå, a 21-lawyer Swedish boutique that practices litigation, corporate, and compliance work. If all goes well, the merger is expected to close in October 2016. [Big Law Business] * This list of the world's wealthiest lawyers includes several Biglaw celebrities, a few current and former television judges, a handful of ex cons, and even people who have been disbarred. Some lawyers have higher net worths, but they don't use their law degrees, so they weren't included on the list. [Money Inc. via ABA Journal] * What's it like to train for the Olympics and complete law school at the same time? Ask Ashley Higginson, who recently graduated from Rutgers Law. Today, the steeplechaser will be competing to qualify for the Rio Olympics. Best of luck from all of your friends here at Above the Law! You can do it! [NJ Advance Media for NJ.com]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.14.16

* So, you lucky associate you, expect a bit of extra cash this summer? Here's how you should be spending it. [American Lawyer] * Chris Christie allegedly took document preservation tips from Dick Nixon. [WNYC] * DLA Piper looks to join the ranks of employing droids, announcing a new partnership with Kira Systems to produce an AI tool for conducting due diligence. [DLA Piper] * Oh, the stupid things law schools do. Like how a bunch of Touro 3Ls are ineligible to sit for the bar exam this summer... [Reboot Your Law Practice] * Bands from Google Legal, Kirkland & Ellis, Lieff Cabraser, Simpson Thacher, Kazan Law, and Morgan Lewis are competing in a Battle of the Bands at 1015 Folsom nightclub tomorrow night in San Francisco in support of The Family Violence Appellate Project. [Family Violence Appellate Project] * M&A is having a pretty good 2016. [Fortune] * "The Scrooge Effect" for Biglaw firms that refuse to give pay raises to their associates. [Law and More] * The previously lost Marx Brothers musical, "I'll Say She Is," is currently playing at the Connelly Theater in the East Village. And it stars, Kathy Biehl a practicing New Jersey and Texas lawyer. [I'll Say She Is]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.25.16

* Sorry to ruin your childhood, but a Pennsylvania judge found that there is enough evidence for Bill Cosby to stand trial for his felony assault charge in the Andrea Constand case. Cosby has waived his right to a formal arraignment, and could face up to 10 years in prison if he's convicted. Cosby has been free on $1 million bail since December. [Associated Press] * "You need to have order in a courtroom. And there needs to be proper decorum with attorneys." A Las Vegas Justice of the Peace ordered that a deputy public defender be handcuffed for interrupting him as she tried to represent a client. A tipster has referred to this judge as "demented." We may have more on this. [Las Vegas Review-Journal] * According to inside sources, Hunton & Williams is in advanced merger talks with Addelshaw Goddard, a London-based firm. These talks have reportedly been going on for months, and Addelshaw partners supposedly met last night to discuss the tie-up. If successful, the combined firm would have more than 1,300 lawyers. [Big Law Business] * Silicon Valley staple Fenwick & West is opening up an office outpost in New York City. The firm's clients in Manhattan include BuzzFeed, FanDuel, Blackrock, Citi, and JPMorgan. Associates will be working around the clock in the city that never sleeps -- with a roster like that, they won't be getting shuteye anytime soon. [WSJ Law Blog] * AG Loretta Lynch announced yesterday afternoon that the Justice Department would be seeking the death penalty against Dylann Roof, the suspect alleged to have gone on a shooting spree in a Charleston church last summer, killing nine and wounding numerous others. It's said Roof hoped to incite a race war as a result of the massacre. [USA Today] * Carl Buchholz, managing partner of DLA Piper's Philadelphia office, RIP. [Philadelphia Business Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky