Employment Statistics

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.23.18

* Because there is never a moment without drama in this administration, AG Jeff Sessions has told White House counsel Don McGahn that he's probably going to have to quit if President Trump fires Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein. [Washington Post] * Meanwhile, White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short says the president "has no intention of firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and special counsel Robert Mueller." Hmm... we'll just wait right here until those firings don't happen. *insert Jeopardy music here* [CBS News] * "[T]here is no human being, on the planet, with more knowledge about federal criminal law than Michael Dreeben, and no one with more expertise than him." Meet Michael Dreeben, special counsel Robert Mueller's Supreme Court closer. He's argued more than 100 SCOTUS cases, and is a force to be reckoned with. [ABC News] * Hiring for the law school class of 2017 is "up," with 75.3 percent of graduates employed in full-time, long-term jobs that require law degrees or are considered “JD advantage” positions -- but you probably shouldn't get too excited about that. The only reason the percentage of those employed is higher this year is because the class was 6 percent smaller. In reality, entry-level hiring has decreased. [ABA Journal] * Which Biglaw firm did Wells Fargo turn to ahead of being hit with record fines that turned into a $1B settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency? That would be Sullivan & Cromwell, which "always [tries] to play absolutely straight with the regulators." [American Lawyer] * Riley Safer, a spinoff of Schiff Hardin, just elected its first managing partner, and she may be the first black woman to lead a national law firm. Congratulations to Patricia Brown Holmes as she leads the legal profession in the future. [American Lawyer]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.12.18

* President Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, claims that he used his home equity line to pay off Stormy Daniels out of the goodness of his heart, and while people have been focusing on the fact that he may have violated campaign finance laws, not many have mentioned that he likely violated New York's ethics rules, would could get him disbarred. [Slate] * Remember the time that Judge Katherine Forrest ruined the internet with a single ruling? Several media outlets are preparing to appeal to the Second Circuit, saying the copyright decision could change the internet as we know it. [Big Law Business] * Dean Andrea Lyon of Valparaiso Law -- the school that's not closing, per se, but will stop accepting students and is hoping to merge with another school or move locations -- will be resigning on June 1. No one knows what will happen to the school, and soon there won't even be a dean. These poor students... [Indianapolis Business Journal] * Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a foodie, and in honor of her upcoming birthday -- and because "[s]he eats real food and plenty of it" -- here are a few of the Notorious One's favorite places to dine in her hometown of New York City. [am New York] * The February bar exam has come and gone, and with it, hundreds of jobs across the entire legal services industry. According to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 200 fewer people were employed in the legal sector last month than in January. Hopefully things improve before graduation. [American Lawyer] * "Katy Perry represents everything we don't believe in. It would be a sin to sell to her." Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, 89, who had been locked in litigation with the singer and the archdioces for several years over the sale of her former convent, collapsed and died in court on Friday during a post-judgment hearing. [NPR]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.04.17

* The White House announces ten new judicial nominations, including two for circuit courts (previously predicted in these pages). We'll have more on this later. [Washington Times] * King & Spalding joins Jones Day and Sullivan & Cromwell as a "feeder firm" for the Trump administration. [Law.com] * Will the Trump Justice Department's possible attack on affirmative action succeed? Law professors disagree. [How Appealing] * Michelle Carter, the woman convicted for basically texting her boyfriend into committing suicide, gets sentenced to 15 months. [ABA Journal] * White-collar criminal defense lawyers discuss what to expect from the grand jury convened by special counsel Robert Mueller. [National Law Journal] * The trend continues: fewer law school graduates, better employment statistics. [ABA Journal] * Elliot Katz, a leading lawyer in the self-driving-car space, motors from DLA Piper to McGuireWoods. [Law.com] * If you'll be online in the afternoon on Wednesday, August 16, join me and ABA Legal Career Central for a Twitter chat about career paths for lawyers, especially alternative careers. [American Bar Association]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.15.17

* "When the founders wrote the Declaration of Independence, they invoked our creator four times, because in America we don't worship government we worship God." Guess who was awarded an honorary law degree this weekend? It was none other that President Donald Trump, who delivered the commencement address at Liberty University on Saturday morning. [The Hill; TIME] * The Pink Ghetto (Partner Edition)? A Proskauer Rose partner has filed a $50M gender bias suit against the firm, claiming she was not only paid less than male colleagues, but that she was "overtly objectified based on her sex" when a fellow partner allegedly "made inappropriate comments regarding her appearance, body, clothing, or 'sexiness'" on numerous occasions. [Am Law Daily] * Tarra Simmons has quite the résumé: she's a convicted felon and former drug addict who also happens to be the recipient of a prized Skadden fellowship. Unfortunately, she may not be able to practice law thanks to a recommendation from the Washington State Bar Association’s Character and Fitness Board that she be denied bar admission. She plans to appeal. [Northwest Public Radio] * Walter "Chet" Little, a former Foley & Lardner partner, has been arrested on insider trading charges that stem from his time at the firm. Soon after finding out about the nature of the charges, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, his current firm, politely showed him the door. If convicted, Little will likely face quite the lengthy prison term and a fine of up to $5 million. Ouch. [WSJ Law Blog] * "There was never a question of whether I was going to go to law school or not. It was just when I was going to go...." Chris Carr, a former cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens, is set to graduate from GW Law School this weekend. He'll be taking the California bar exam this summer, but he recently accepted a job offer at an immigration law firm in Virginia. Congratulations! [Washington Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.12.17

* What's the over–under on how long acting FBI director Andrew McCabe will keep his current post? [New York Times] * And Democratic senators want answers -- lots of answers -- from deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein. [Washington Post] * Following up on our list of top law schools with great employment outcomes, here's a broader look at the latest ABA employment data. [ABA Journal] * And following up on our recent round-ups of possible judicial nominees in the Trump administration, here's a name for one of the open Third Circuit seats in Pennsylvania. [CA3 blog via How Appealing] * A lawsuit claims that a Biglaw behemoth is trying to invalidate the same patents it prosecuted -- not a good look. [Daily Business Review] * Former Biglaw chair J. Stephen Poor ruminates on the riches of this year's top Am Law 100 firms. [Big Law Business] * Robert Post looks back over his eight years as dean of Yale Law School. [Law.com]

By David Lat