Foreclosure

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.16.15

* John Stamos of Full House fame was formally charged with driving under the influence earlier this week following his arrest for erratic driving this summer. He faces up to six months in jail if convicted. We have faith that his beautiful hair will survive time in the slammer. [USA Today] * While the vast majority of the law school lawsuits containing allegations related to deceptive employment statistics have been dismissed, a few are still alive and kicking. The very first one filed -- Alaburda v. Thomas Jefferson School of Law -- is heading to trial in 2016. [WSJ Law Blog] * Trick or treat? Per federal prosecutors, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert will plead guilty before Halloween as part of a deal in his ongoing sexual misconduct hush-money case, but whether he’ll serve time is a question that’s yet to be answered. [Reuters] * Headcount at real estate firms with once-prominent foreclosure practices continues to shrink thanks to the recession's end. To that effect, two Chicago firms have eliminated hundreds of positions for legal professionals since 2013. [Chicago Business Journal] * Thanks to a new online system, Northwestern Law will be able to interview prospective students any time, anywhere. The school is the first in the country to offer awkward casting couch sessions as part of its admissions process. [Northwestern University News]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.20.15

* Thus far, five law schools -- Hawaii, Iowa, St. John's, Drake, and Buffalo -- have decided to drop the LSAT for top-performing applicants, and it's no surprise that all five law schools have watched their enrollment numbers take traumatic tumbles. [Bloomberg Business] * "[E]veryone calls colleagues for advice, particularly when we get gnarly jury notes." As it turns out, judges in the Southern District of New York are big proponents of the "phone a friend" lifeline for their trickier cases. FYI, those friends are never law profs. [New York Times] * Well, that was incredibly quick! Josh Seiter, the 2013 graduate of Chicago-Kent Law who's built a successful career stripping, working as an escort, and appearing on reality TV shows, didn't even make it past the first rose ceremony on The Bachelorette. [Heavy] * Without WARNing? Butler & Hosch, one of the largest foreclosure firm's in the country, decided to abruptly close up shop, leaving hundreds of attorneys and staff members of out work. Sources have told us that the firm was unable to make payroll. [Orlando Sentinel] * Sorry, boutiques, but according to Lexis/Nexis CounselLink's Enterprise Legal Management Trends report, the biggest of all Biglaw firms are controlling the market when it comes to performing specialized IP litigation work. [DealBook / New York Times] * As we mentioned previously, Sam Kamin of Denver Law is the first professor to hold a pot law professorship. Here's an interesting Q&A with the law firm partner who came up with the idea. See Prof. Kamin at our marijuana law event in June. [National Law Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Banking Law

Non-Sequiturs: 11.04.14

* If you’re a law student in Philadelphia or D.C., come hang out with us this week. RSVP to tomorrow’s Philly event here. [Above the Law] * Or RSVP to Thursday’s D.C. trivia night here. [Above the Law] * Judge Jed Rakoff explains exactly why innocent people plead guilty for all those people who don’t believe it. Well, the people who don’t believe it probably don’t read the New York Review of Books, but maybe John Oliver will have Judge Rakoff on so this can go viral. [The New York Review of Books] * The sex, lies (about polygamy), and videotape article from this morning raises another important issue I’d missed: the heightened stigma faced by women with substance abuse issues. [Law and More] * 10 thoughts on business development. Don’t do what the guy in the last story did. [Medium] * Adjunct law professor threatens to quit. Law school dean surely replies, “You must not know ’bout me.” [Chronicle of Higher Education] * Georgia state legislature has the novel idea to punish the people who exploit student athletes as opposed to only the athletes themselves. Too bad that doesn’t apply to the universities. [The Legal Blitz] * Five years after New York State required banks to negotiate in “good faith” with homeowners facing foreclosure, the Second Department approved a sanction for banks that ignore this obligation. The 2009 law created the “good faith” obligation but contained no remedy for violations. That left trial judges without guidance as to how to proceed when faced with an intransigent bank. [WiseLaw NY]

By Joe Patrice
9th Circuit

Non-Sequiturs: 07.30.14

* Court needed a Chinese language interpreter. Rather than find a professional legal interpreter, the judge just told the lawyer to head down to the local Chinese restaurant and grab somebody. [Legal Cheek] * News from former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell’s trial. As one tipster summed up the story: “Hon, I think I dropped my keys under that bus. Would you take a look?” [Slate] * Everyone concedes Ted Cruz is smart. Why exactly? [Salon] * A follow-up from a previous story: Connolly, Geaney, Ablitt & Willard shuts down after the foreclosure market that made them turned on them. [Mass Lawyers Weekly (sub. req.)] * Interesting look at the volume of patent cases throughout history. Check out the troll phenomenon with charts! [Patently-O] * More folks wasting time complaining about blog posts. [South Florida Lawyers] * Clint Eastwood talks with Chief Judge Kozinski and Judge Fisher at the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. These days it’s exciting whenever Clint isn’t talking to an empty chair. Video embedded below… [YouTube]

By Joe Patrice
Abortion

Non-Sequiturs: 08.21.13

* Should Eliot Spitzer have faced harsher sanctions for pounding hookers? It’s a pretty interesting question that we can all ponder for the next four years after Spitzer demolishes Scott Stringer in the Comptroller race. [Wise Law] * Homeowners were forced to pay hundreds in legal charges for lawsuits that don’t really exist. Stay classy foreclosure practices. [Overlawyered] * Blackacre: The Poem. [Poetic Justice] * The New York State Bar says lawyers have a reasonable expectation of privacy if they use Gmail. Google disagrees. [3 Geeks and a Law Blog] * A round-up of law school officials facing discipline for deceitful advertising. Take note deans. [TaxProf Blog] * A woman is indicted for taking her 13-year-old daughter to get an abortion. And it’s not even Alabama. [Wild About Trial] * Lawyer and witness repeatedly flip each other off during cross. Video after the jump…

By Joe Patrice