* The Florida Bar has disbarred an attorney for not responding to notices because she had passed away. Guess they don't want her practicing law in the afterlife.... [Miami Herald]
* The leader of the NXIVM cult has hired a new lawyer who previously worked for Bill Cosby. [Times Union]
* Former FBI Director James Comey believes that Joe Biden's incoming Attorney General should not investigate President Trump. [Fox News]
* Kim Kardashian has apparently been consulting with a divorce lawyer since the summer of 2020. [US Magazine]
* The South Dakota Bar Association is cautioning attorneys against counseling clients on cannabis-law issues. Their arguments seem "half baked"... [San Francisco Chronicle]
* Uh-oh! In the wake of Michael Cohen's testimony, Chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings of the House Oversight Committee sent letters to President Trump's tax attorney from Morgan Lewis and the Trump Organization's outside counsel from Michael Best requesting their appearance for a “transcribed interview.” [National Law Journal]
* After widespread rebuke, the Florida Bar has officially opened an ethics investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz's alleged witness tampering of Michael Cohen via tweet prior to his testimony before the House Oversight Committee. [Daily Business Review]
* Milbank's profits exceeded the $1 billion mark in 2018, which the firm is absolutely thrilled about. The firm less thrilled about its all-male partner class, and unlike in prior years, they haven't been listed in a press release. [New York Law Journal]
* Hot on the heels of announcing it intends to become a nonprofit, Florida Coastal Law asked a court to dismiss the accreditation suit it filed against the ABA, saying it's "no longer necessary to protect the interests of our students." [ABA Journal]
* "For decades a lot of young lawyers have missed opportunities to build families and this technology puts that ability back into their hands." Bill now, procreate later? Lawyers are flocking to freeze their eggs and embryos. [American Lawyer]
* "Legal aid is critical after a natural disaster," so the Florida Bar has raised the income cap for its online legal clinic so Floridians affected by Hurricane Irma can get legal assistance, and the Florida Bar Foundation has set aside $500,000 to support legal aid organizations. How generous! [Law.com]
* Sixteen years have passed since the September 11 attacks, but we've yet to try or convict any of the five men who are said to have planned the day that changed America, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged "architect of 9/11." Some lawyers wonder why this "isn't a cause for more outrage." [Al Jazeera]
* In case you missed it, Irell & Manella has elected Ellisen Turner as its first African-American managing partner. Among the many accolades he's earned over the course of his illustrious legal career, Above the Law once referred to him as a "hottie." Congratulations on all accounts! [Big Law Business]
* Lawmakers from both parties are interested in holding hearings on the massive Equifax hack, and after outcry from state attorneys general about an arbitration clause that would have prevented those affected by the data breach from suing, the credit reporting agency has changed its terms of service. [The Hill]
* In the wake of Justice Scalia's death, Justice Kagan says the remaining justices did everything they could to avoid 4-4 split decisions: "[W]e all made a very serious effort to try to find common ground even where we thought we couldn’t. It sort of forced us to keep talking to each other." [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
* Which Biglaw firm is about to get a lot bigger? It's Cozen O'Connor, apparently. According to CEO Michael Heller, he'd like to increase the firm's head count to somewhere between 700 and 1,000 lawyers in the next five years. About 600 attorneys are currently working at Cozen. [Am Law Daily]
* Due to the speed at which she was driving, Caitlyn Jenner could face a vehicular manslaughter charge related to the fatal chain-reaction car crash she was involved in earlier this year. The ESPY-winning celeb's fate is in the district attorney's hands now. [NBC News]
* Surprise! David Sweat, one of the New York inmates who led authorities on a three-week manhunt after he escaped from prison in June, pleaded not guilty to felony escape charges at his arraignment. He'll likely get a few years added onto his life sentence if he's convicted. [Reuters]
* Oh baby: Valeant is buying Sprout Pharmaceuticals, the maker of the "female Viagra," for a cool $1 billion. Skadden Arps and Sullivan & Cromwell, the firms repping the companies, must be turned on by the deal. [DealBook / New York Times; Am Law Daily]
* Prosecutors in the David Messerschmitt case are seeking a 25-year sentence for Jamyra Gallmon, the woman who stabbed the DLA Piper associate in a robbery-gone-wrong and left him for dead in a D.C. hotel room. Her attorney is asking for 18 years. [Legal Times]
* The Florida Bar is recommending disbarment for a group of attorneys accused of arranging a DUI arrest for a rival attorney during a high-profile trial. You've got to admit this set-up was a particularly bold move, even for Flori-duh lawyers. [Tampa Bay Times]
