Greenberg Traurig

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.03.17

* The Supreme Court declined to hear a case about vending machines and the ADA. This isn't such a big deal right now, but with tech gurus trying to turn America into a vending machine hellscape, this was a good opportunity for the Court to get out ahead of the curve. But we all knew that wasn't going to happen. [Law.com] * I think this is supposed to sound heroic, but the story of lawyers in Fort Lauderdale racing against Hurricane Irma to close a deal just seems like a cautionary tale about becoming a lawyer. But, you know, good for them for getting it done. [Daily Business Review] * Trio of top-flight prosecutors leave the SDNY to form Krieger Kim & Lewin LLP. That's 30 years of combined talent walking out of the SDNY all at once. And some impressive stories. Plots to assassinate ambassadors? The bin Laden case? A bevy of corrupt state officials? Hey guys, things might be a little less exciting for a couple months. [NY Times] * Meanwhile, the former EDNY U.S. Attorney, Robert Capers, joins Arent Fox. [Wall Street Journal] * Novel takes on a fantastic premise: a likable Biglaw protagonist. [Amazon (affiliate link)] * A group of lawyers are driving an anti-gay agenda? What firm did they crawl out from? Oh... right. Obviously. [The Careerist] * If you didn't catch it over the weekend, WNYC's More Perfect is back taking a deeper dive into Supreme Court. Check out Elie Mystal interviewing Judge Posner in this episode on Korematsu. Wow, Judge Posner is astoundingly nihilistic about courts. [More Perfect]

By Joe Patrice
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
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.12.16

* Duncan Lloyd, the Philadelphia assistant city solicitor who spray-painted "F*ck Trump" on a building while wearing an ascot and holding a glass of wine, will be able to keep his job after completing 40 hours of community service. We're sure many Americans feel that he has already completed his community service through his actions. [Philadelphia Inquirer] * Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who took a leave of absence from Greenberg Traurig to support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump through the end of the election, has removed his name from consideration for any position in President-elect Trump's administration (but only after reportedly being offered three other positions that he didn't want). He'll now be returning to his law firm. [ABC News] * The struggling European and Middle East arm of King & Wood Mallesons has received "a number of indicative purchase offers" from other law firms. Biglaw behemoth Dentons is rumored to be a potential merger partner for firm's EUME branch, with DLA Piper and Greenberg Traurig ready to make lateral offers to partners. [Big Law Business] * Just because your law school isn't one of the best in the nation, it doesn't mean that you can't dream big. Case in point: The most recent winners of the prestigious Skadden public interest fellowships has been announced, and two of them will graduate from CUNY School of Law. We'll have more on the new Skadden Fellows later. [Skadden] * Dislike? A woman who wanted to serve her estranged husband with divorce papers via Facebook has been denied by a judge who noted that the social networking profile had been inactive for two-plus years, writing that to allow service would be "akin to the Court permitting service by nail and mail to a building that no longer exists." [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 10.06.16

* Presented, without comment. [The Onion] * An underaged selfie might be a sex crime. [Slate] * Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker wants to drug test people before they get food stamps. Federal court promptly throws out the case. [Huffington Post] * One proposal for fixing law school. [401k Guy] * Is Greenberg Traurig's reputation taking a hit because of its association with Donald Trump? [Law and More] * A cartoon re-enactment of the most insane courtroom exchange ever. Now in color. [io9]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.06.16

* Rudy Giuliani will be taking a "voluntary leave of absence" from Greenberg Traurig thanks to his activities related to Donald Trump's campaign for the presidency. Is Giuliani's move truly voluntary, or was the prominent partner forced to take a break as Election 2016 draws closer and the race for the White House becomes even more heated? We'll have more on this development later today. [Observer] * In 196 deals with a total volume of $379.6 billion, White & Case is ranked No. 1 on Bloomberg’s M&A charts for global deals in the first three quarters of 2016. The firm surpassed the likes of SullCrom (No. 2), Wachtell Lipton (No. 3), Davis Polk (No. 4), and Skadden (No. 5). This time last year, Skadden was leading the pack. [Big Law Business] * In one of the first cases related to race that SCOTUS grappled with this Term, some say it appeared as though the justices may side with a black death row inmate in search of a new sentence because his own lawyer used an expert witness at trial who testified that the man was more likely to be dangerous in the future because of his race. [Reuters] * Government lawyers continue to flock to Biglaw firms, and this time, the lateral hire is a "true patriot, who believes in service to the nation as a calling." WilmerHale welcomes Alejandro Mayorkas, a former U.S. Attorney who has worked for the the past three years as No. 2 at the Department of Homeland Security. Congratulations! [WSJ Law Blog] * "I just hope that when people think the rules don’t apply to them, they will think twice before they abuse their power." Thanks to a California law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, it is now a felony punishable by up to three years in prison for state prosecutors to tamper with evidence or hide exculpatory material from the defense. [Los Angeles Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.18.16

* Some Biglaw firms, like Orrick, are now going to help young associates by making monthly contributions to their student loan payments. At $100 a month for 18 months, it's not a very large contribution, but it's something. We'll have more on this debt repayment plan later. [DealBook / New York Times] * Uh-oh... If you thought law firms were going to be alright in Brexit's wake, you may want to think again. Berwin Leighton Palmer -- a firm that almost merged with Greenberg Traurig -- has frozen raises and bonuses until November, citing "political and financial uncertainty in the UK." [Reuters] * As part of Thomas Jefferson School of Law's study-abroad program, Justice Clarence Thomas (who was filling in for the late Justice Antonin Scalia) was in Nice, France, last week teaching students about constitutional law. He left the city before the deadly terror attack during the Bastille Day parade. No law students were hurt. [WSJ Law Blog] * Prior to accepting his position as Donald Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket, and even prior to becoming the governor of Indiana, Mike Pence had a very short-lived career as a lawyer at a small firm. He worked there for only two years before deciding to pursue a career in politics and radio programming. [Big Law Business] * "Our clients have been under siege the last eight years by the federal government in terms of policies toward corporate America." Cleveland firms like Jones Day and Squire Patton are pulling out all the stops to host ritzy, invitation-only, business-oriented panel discussions during the Republican National Convention. [Crain's Cleveland Business]

By Staci Zaretsky