Greg Craig

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.05.19

* A look back at 40 years of Biglaw financials. Spoiler alert: they made a lot of money. [American Lawyer] * Greg Craig was acquitted! Good news for all the lobbyists and foreign agents out there who (wink wink) aren't lobbyists and foreign agents. [WSJ] * Department of Labor official resigns after anti-Semitic social media posts surface. Frankly, one would've expected him to stay to own the libs. [Bloomberg Law] * CVS and Aetna get their clearance to merge because despite all Judge Leon's rage at DOJ he's still just a rat in a cage that happens to keep people from caring about antitrust enforcement. [Law360] * Simple way to fix harassment in Silicon Valley. [The Atlantic] * It's a day that ends in "y" so Dentons just got bigger. [Dentons] * Does Chambers have a blindspot for women? [Careerist] * For those of you following the Alphabet/Google CLO shenanigans, the GC just married an employee this weekend, but not the employee who says he neglected their baby after he had an affair with her while married to yet another person. [CNBC]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.27.19

* If you're following the Spider-Man movie rights kerfuffle, it's worth remembering that this was entirely Disney's fault for screwing up copyright law in the 1990s. [Screen Rant] * Johnson & Johnson plan to appeal verdict suggesting that handing out heroin like candy might be a bad thing. [Law.com] * Leonard Leo got himself a mansion in Maine apparently so he could raise money for Susan Collins (R-Federalist Society). Her campaign spokesperson declared that "The fact is, Senator Collins’ votes are not for sale" by which he means "they've already been bought." [Central Maine] * At the Greg Craig trial, Skadden folks are testifying that Craig had a "very passionate" aversion to foreign agent registration. In his defense just about every lobbyist will do anything in their power to avoid actually registering as a lobbyist. [National Law Journal] * Explaining how the Brazilian rainforest fires link back to the trade war with China. [Huffington Post] * Dallas has a new mayor and Locke Lord has a new partner and they are the same guy. [Dallas Morning News]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.29.19

* Loretta Lynch is re-joining the private sector. The former Attorney General is heading to Paul Weiss. [National Law Journal] * Consistency? From Mitch McConnell? About the Supreme Court? HAHAHAHA. [The Hill] * A deeper look at the case against former Skadden counsel, Greg Craig. [Politico] * Are you a lonely lawyer? Ironically, you are not alone. [Law.com] * "Gay Panic" may not be a defense in New York much longer. It's about time. [New York Law Journal] * Yeah, you really should be worried about the Big Four accounting firms moving into Biglaw territory. [Big Law Business]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.20.19

* Anti-money laundering specialists at Deutsche Bank reportedly saw suspicious activity in accounts belonging to Donald Trump and Jared Kushner and thought it ought to be reported to the Treasury Department‘s financial-crimes unit, but... that never happened because “[i]t’a the D.B. way.” [New York Times] * That’s one way to land a Biglaw job: According to Greg Craig, there was nothing “improper or tawdry” about him asking Skansen Arps to hire Paul Manafort’s daughter to get more business. In fact, he says this sort of thing happens “daily in private law firms.” [POLITICO] * In case you missed it, on Friday afternoon, the American Bar Association adopted a controversial new bar-pass accreditation standard that requires at least 75 percent of a law school’s students to pass the bar within two years of graduation. How many law schools are going to close thanks to this new rule? [Law.com] * Stormy Daniels has reached a settlement with Michael Cohen in a suit that was filed by her former attorney Michael Avenatti over Donald Trump’s affair hush money, saying she’s “ready to move on and put these cases behind her.” [Los Angeles Times] * Is the billable hour what’s driving all of the mental health and burnout issues that lawyers are facing? All signs seem to point to yes, but at least some firms are trying to figure out a new way to do business. [Law.com]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.16.19

* Varsity Blues students receive target letters, which are basically acceptance letters to the criminal justice system. [NY Times] * Greg Craig looking at an August trial date. That may sound soon, but this matter is all about the rushin'. [National Law Journal] * The Department of the Interior has opened an ethics investigation into its new head. He was confirmed a mere four days ago. [Courthouse News Service] * Circuit splits are on the rise and many are blaming the Supreme Court for not taking up the important cases for judicial efficiency. Who'd have thought morphing the body into an ideology factory would have a downside? [Law360] * Google has a database of every physical location you've visited that they willingly share with law enforcement. Enjoy! [How To Geek] * Legal operations are entering the law school curriculum in the event your legal dream is to be an efficiency expert for Biglaw. [American Lawyer] * The sitting president compared interest in his finances as an elected official to FBI harassment of civil rights leaders. This is a thing that really happened. [Daily Beast]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.12.19

* Judge Maryanne Trump Barry recently retired from the Third Circuit, meaning that the judicial ethics inquiry into her alleged inheritance tax evasion be all for naught. [Associated Press] * No, it isn't true that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court papers won't be released "until a hundred years after the last justice with whom she has served is no longer alive." Much like conspiracy theorists' claims about RBG's death, that would be insane. [National Law Journal] * Numerous progressive groups have asked the House of Representatives to investigate Justice Brett Kavanaugh's "sham confirmation process" after he was accused of sexual misconduct -- but it's unlikely this will go anywhere. [BuzzFeed] * In case you missed it, former Skadden partner Greg Craig was charged in connection with the Mueller investigation for making false statements to the DOJ that were tied to his work for Ukraine. If you recall, former Skadden associate Alexander van der Zwaan was the first to be sentenced in the Mueller probe. [American Lawyer] * "I’m used to always being the caretaker for other people. It’s not natural for me to accept help." Dean Lyrissa Lidsky of the University of Missouri School of Law is battling breast cancer, and her law school colleagues and students have offered her all of their support. We're with you too, Dean! #LidskyStrong [Law.com] * Pharma bro Martin Shkreli, whose prison pals "affectionately call him 'asshole," is reportly fighting an antitrust lawsuit from solitary confinement. [Big Law Business]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 04.11.19

* Game of Thrones bar prep? How does the Rule Against Perpetuities consider reanimated corpses? [Law.com] * Labor Department flags Biglaw for diversity failings. That's not the announcement most expected to hear from this administration, but we'll take it. [American Lawyer] * Julian Assange got kicked out of the Ecuadorian embassy and is now in custody. It seems as though Robert Mueller might have wanted to keep his investigation open a couple more weeks. [Huffington Post] * Speaking of the Mueller investigation, Greg Craig expects to be indicted. [CBS News] * GCs want law firms to be their partners -- not so much their friends. [Law360] * Texas mulls death penalty for women who get abortions. [Vox] * Amal Clooney adds a new title with UK government appointment. [Legal Cheek]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.17.18

* Sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh were recently brought to light and while he may be spending his time "hoping and praying" before the vote, his supporters say it's highly likely he'll be confirmed anyway. [Big Law Business] * Well, except for the fact that senators are calling for the delay of Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote now that his accuser has come forward to reveal the details of the judge’s alleged attack on her when they were students in high school. [NBC News] * And was Judge Kavanaugh a member of Judge Alex Kozinski's sexually explicit "Easy Rider Gag List"? Kavanaugh says he doesn't remember receiving any of those emails, but Heidi Bond, one of Kozinski's former law clerks, thinks that there could be a very easy way to find out if the would-be SCOTUS justice is lying. [Slate] * The most controversial Biglaw firm? Federal prosecutors are considering bringing charges against former Skadden partner Greg Craig and taking action against the firm itself in a probe related to Paul Manafort. Will the prestigious Biglaw firm wind up with a civil settlement or a deferred prosecution agreement? [CNN] * Shearman & Sterling has announced that the firm will soon bring Sandra Bang, its first-ever chief diversity and talent strategy officer, into its C-suite. She'll be leading a new global task force aimed at increasing diversity at the Wall Street firm. Congratulations! Perhaps additional firms will follow their lead. [American Lawyer] * The body of Brian Lewinstein, the rising second-year student at Berkeley Law who crossed a safety line and fell while trying to get a picture of Toketee Falls from above, has been found. More than a month had passed since the accident occurred. Our sincere condolences go out to all of his family and friends. [SFGate]

By Staci Zaretsky