Hackers

Not even the most respected Biglaw firms are immune from data breaches.

LockBit threatened to publish the Biglaw firm's data unless it negotiated a price by November 28, and now the firm has been removed from hackers' site on the dark web. What could this mean?

The hackers threatened to publish the Biglaw firm's data unless it negotiates a price by November 28.

Not even the most respected Biglaw firms are 'immune' from ransomware attacks.

We make it too easy.

Are corporate customers able to adequately assess the risk they face in engaging with particular law firms?

At least 75 U.S. and European companies, three dozen advocacy and media groups, and numerous Western business executives were the subjects of these hacking attempts.

The firm has refused to pay the $40+ million ransom.

* Congratulations to newly appointed Loyola Chicago dean Michael Kaufman. [Law.com]

* Department of Justice is set to announce today charges in the case revolving around the hack of Yahoo accounts. Of course, it’s probably your fault if you use Yahoo for anything but fantasy sports. [CNN]

* One contract attorney racked up 6,905 hours (and $1.5 million in billables) on a single shareholder lawsuit. Too bad he was disbarred in the 80s. [Wall Street Journal]

* Wait for it… wait for it. Nope, Rachel Maddow’s scoop on Donald Trump’s taxes, wasn’t really worth it. [New York Times]

* White nationalist group, the National Policy Institute — that’d be Richard Spencer’s think tank, has been stripped of its tax-exempt status. [Washington Post]

* The European Court of Justice ruled a workplace headscarf ban might not be discriminatory. Ummm, okay? [BBC News]

Now is a good time to point out some helpful hints when it comes to using the cloud.

* Not much else to do but stare at this headline in horror: “Florida AG asked Trump for donation before nixing fraud case.” [Associated Press]

* This is the lawyer standing between hackers and prison, and yes, he is a Deadhead. [Buzzfeed]

* What’s up with this law professor getting the cold shoulder from the Department of Justice? [FCPA Professor]

* Don’t lose your opportunity to connect with judges and jurors. [Katz Justice]

* Donald Trump may not like Judge Gonzalo Curiel, but Trump’s lawyer disagrees. [Yahoo]

* Opportunities don’t walk up and tap you on the shoulder. Here’s how to find the opportunities you need to build your practice. [Reboot Your Law Practice]

Hackers taking advantage of neurotic lawyers.

In the wake of the big hack of Biglaw, it's time to focus on what you can do to make yourself more cyber-secure.

Is your law firm prestigious enough to be targeted by Russian hackers? Check out this list of almost 50 Biglaw targets.

* An odd order? Perhaps in an attempt to avoid yet another 4-4 split in a controversial case, SCOTUS justices have ordered parties on both sides of the contraceptive coverage battle in Zubik to file briefs describing how such coverage could be provided without religious groups having to put forth much effort to formally object. [Associated Press]

* “It’s mind bogglingly obvious, but often gets lost in the mix. Apart from checking there aren’t any conflicts, clients are rarely put at the heart of these mergers.” Go figure, but according to a new report by professional services consultancy Gulland Padfield, law firm mergers usually don’t benefit clients in any way, shape, or form. [Am Law Daily]

* It seems that Russian cybercriminal “Oleras” has hired hackers to break into the computer systems of 48 Biglaw firms so he can collect confidential client data and then trade on the stolen insider information. Thus far, he’s been unsuccessful. Has your law firm been targeted? If you’d like to know, check the list here. [Crain’s Chicago Business]

* The NFL is so pissed that the New York Times recently published a story linking the league to the tobacco industry that it not only wrote a two-part rebuttal that was more than 3000 words long, but it also sicced Paul Weiss attorneys on the paper of record in search of a retraction, claiming that the story was defamatory in nature. [Yahoo! Sports]

* “I will not go down. I want Bill Cosby in court.” A Los Angeles judge has ruled that model Janice Dickinson’s defamation case against Bill Cosby can move forward so that a jury can decide whether her allegations of rape are truthful, and further, whether a “liar” comment made by the comedian’s ex-lawyer, Marty Singer, was defamatory. [Telegram]

Which law school experienced a hack that could've put students' careers in jeopardy?

* George Zimmerman was arrested for aggravated assault and domestic violence with a weapon. His lawyer said his client “has not been lucky with the ladies.” He hasn’t been lucky with being a decent human being, either. [USA Today]

* Lawrence McCreery, the Hawaii lawyer who licked a client’s ear and inspired the judge on his case to call him a “dirty old man,” has had his harassment conviction upheld on appeal. Get excited, he’s still got a law license, ladies. [Associated Press]

* We may soon see same-sex marriage bans in three states struck down, as the Fifth Circuit “appeared poised” to do so after oral arguments on Friday. Roberta Kaplan, our 2013 Lawyer of the Year, delivered a standout performance in arguing against Mississippi’s ban. [BuzzFeed]

* What do Sidley Austin, Baker & McKenzie, Reed Smith, Hogan Lovells, and Skadden Arps have in common? Their names were used in phishing emails to scam people out of their money. Some might say that’s business as usual. [Crain’s Chicago Business]

* An arrest was made in the forcible rape of a woman — presumably a law student — that took place in the stacks of the Southern University Law Center’s library last semester. The accused rapist is currently behind held without bond. [WBRZ]

While President Obama was right about the consequences of heeding terrorist whims, he may have been wrong about whose responsibility it was to bear the burden of not heeding those whims.