Harry Potter

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.29.18

* Robert Bowers, the suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that left 11 dead and six wounded, has been charged with 29 federal criminal counts including hate crimes and using a firearm to commit murder and 36 state criminal counts including homicide and ethnic intimidation. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those who lost their lives this weekend. [New York Times] * According to the criminal complaint filed against Cesar Sayoc, the pipe bomb he allegedly tried to mail to former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was addressed to his office at a "certain law firm" -- a certain law firm that's better known as Covington & Burling. Good thing the package never made it there. [National Law Journal] * When asked to reflect on the misconduct allegations against Yale Law School Professor Jed Rubenfeld, alumni from the school are not the least bit shocked. "It was not a surprise to basically any woman in my class that this investigation is going on," said one 2015 graduate. Will the school take appropriate action? [Yale Daily News] * Partners from Allen & Overy and O'Melveny & Myers are cozying up to each other as merger talks between the two firms continue, but there may be trouble in paradise. "There is some opposition in London," said a former A&O partner, "but it’s fairly disorganised—there’s a lot of moaning but nobody leading a charge." [International] * In case you missed it, after the involuntary revocation of its accreditation, Arizona Summit Law School will eventually close its doors. But first, the school must finalize a teach-out plan for its remaining students, and when it's all over, "that would be the life of the school." What a sad little life. Farewell to AZ Summit Law. [Arizona Republic] * You might not have known it, but the Michigan State University College of Law has been operating as a private school for all these years. Soon, the school will be fully integrated into the university, and you know what that means: in-state tuition costs will be coming to the MSU Law. Congratulations! [Lansing State Journal] * RBG is my Patronus, and a course on Harry Potter and the Law is coming to a law school near you -- if you live in India, that is. The National University of Juridical Sciences will be teaching the class, and muggles students are "expected [to] have already read all the books at least twice, if not more." [The Guardian]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 09.06.16

* Britney Spears's lawyers are really quick to threaten lawsuits. Allegedly. [TMZ] * The only Harry Potter analogy to tax proposals you'll ever need. [TaxProf Blog] * The legal case to take down an alleged Hollywood Peeping Tom. [Perez Hilton] * EpiPen's maker, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, is in more hot water. This time it is of the New York Attorney General/antitrust variety. [Gizmodo] * Copyright troll caught in its own petard. [BBC] * An update on the minor-league baseball wage litigation. [Fangraphs] * Rating the sketch factor of Donald Trump's donation to Florida's Attorney General, Pam Bondi. [Slate] * The work of a jury consultant, Dr. Bull, will be coming to a TV near you. [Law360]

By Kathryn Rubino
Sponsored Content

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By Charles River Associates (CRA)
Document Review

Non-Sequiturs: 09.30.14

* The world’s largest Harry Potter memorabilia collection belongs to a lawyer. His patronus is a shimmering gavel. [The Telegraph] * The FCC has ended the sports blackout rule. Expect the NFL to go bankrupt within days. [Politico] * No one expects to see “lawyer” on a Top 20 Work-Life Balance list, but there is one legal job out there coming in at number 11. [Glassdoor via Adjunct Law Prof Blog] * Want to expose the severe problems of the over-criminalization of everything? Everyone with a warrant turn themselves in on one day. Call it “Warrant Day.” See how the system copes logistically and financially when all those citations come home to roost all at once. [Street Roots] * Russia’s equivalent of Chief Justice Roberts advocates a return to serfdom. Now there’s an originalist! [Business Insider] * Bow Tie Law talks about the role of discovery software in the duty of lawyers to review documents. Because document review is “legal work” when it’s about paying people a livable wage and “computer work” when it isn’t. [The Everlaw Blog] * Before we get wrapped up in the cases the Supreme Court will decide, let’s remember all the cases it won’t decide. Because “we can tell a lot about what the court cares about—and what it doesn’t” from its cert decisions. [Slate] * Ha. After today’s story about the debt mistakes of Lisa S., here’s the cautionary tale of one “Elie M.” [Law and More] * Elizabeth Garrett, USC Provost, will become the next president of Cornell. Garrett will also be a tenured faculty member at Cornell Law School and is bringing along her husband, Andrei Marmor, who will also join the law school. See, this is how you hire administrators: get someone willing to do double-duty with teaching! [Cornell Chronicle]

By Joe Patrice
Books

Non-Sequiturs: 12.02.13

* A guy sued the Washington Metro for injuries incurred by slipping in a banana peel. Security camera footage unraveled his story when it revealed he wasn’t a Looney Tunes character. [Washington Post] * A sports law practice sprung up in Qatar in advance of the 2022 World Cup. Have fun in 2023, folks! [Forbes] * Courts are starting to employ link shortening for URLs. That should free up some space under the page limits. [The Volokh Conspiracy] * The feds have a sophisticated spy system at Gitmo that may be used to eavesdrop on defense lawyers, which is a shock to pretty much nobody. [Vocativ] * Kash Hill joins the discussion on delivery drones. [Forbes] * Walking out on the law firm life is a bold move. This is pretty much how it goes down for everyone who does it. [Big Law Rebel] * Cops in Rochester arrested three black kids for waiting at their bus stop. [Gawker] * As we noted on Friday, the Jackie Chiles Law Society held a mock trial and convicted Harry Potter. “Who told you to put the Butter Beer Balm on!?” Video after the jump (note that the clip plays automatically, so don your headphones if necessary).

By Joe Patrice
Biglaw

Morning Docket: 11.29.13

Ed. note: We’ll return to our normal publication schedule on Monday, December 2. We hope to see you at our holiday happy hour on Thursday, December 5 — for details and to RSVP (to this free event with an open bar), click here. * Even in a post-nuclear world, Republicans can still block certain judicial nominees. [New York Times] * A prominent Toronto lawyer has gone missing — and so, allegedly, has $3 million in client trust funds. [Toronto Star] * Dewey see legal fees in the future for Stephen DiCarmine and Joel Sanders? Well, a $37 million lawsuit won’t dismiss itself. [Law360 (sub. req.)] * Congratulations to Matthew Layton, the new managing partner of Clifford Chance. [The Lawyer] * And congratulations to Ralph Pellecchio and Jim Wernz, who were married by none other than Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — who even helped them write their vows. [Talking Points Memo] * Sure, let’s have the whole “is now a good time to go to law school?” debate again. [WSJ Law Blog] * Especially if you’re a minority, since white people are losing interest in law school. [Am Law Daily] * Congress can’t even get its act together about real guns, so perhaps it’s no surprise that limits on fake guns are set to expire soon. [New York Times] * Harry Potter was convicted of obstruction of justice. Just because you’re a wizard doesn’t mean you’re above the law. [Daily Utah Chronicle]

By David Lat
Abortion

Non-Sequiturs: 02.14.13

* Sadly, Ronald Dworkin has died at 81. [The Faculty Lounge] * Oracle really really hopes the Federal Circuit has read Harry Potter. But of course they have, because… nerds. [Groklaw] * A 16-year-old girl is suing her parents to keep her unborn baby, claiming her parents are forcing her to have an abortion. I’m sure she’s just hoping to get on the next season of Teen Mom. [KPLR 11] * Snake-handling pastor has his snakes confiscated by Tennessee cops. I had to read this twice because I assumed it was a recap from last night’s Justified. [WSJ Law Blog] * An interesting look at the false dichotomy between teaching and practice. It’s probably unfair, but all I kept thinking was, “those that can, do; those that can’t…” [PrawfsBlawg] * Jeff Kurzon is taking a break from suing law schools to run for Congress. If elected, Staci expects an invitation to the next State of the Union. [Jeff Kurzon Blog] * Overlawyered cites, presumably with disdain, a school district banning the use of a piece of playground equipment. I’m sympathetic to the school for two reasons: (1) when I was a kid, I broke my arm on a piece of playground equipment; and (2) take a look at the death trap of a machine they’re banning. [Overlawyered] * TestMasters claims that individual posters have been sharing their materials for free. This case sounds an awful lot like what brought down Litchfield Law School. [Courthouse News Service]

By David Lat
Law Schools

University of Texas Law School Tries To Become Hogwarts

Everything is softer in Texas? Occasionally we have an opportunity to look at how soft law school has become. Gone are the trials by fire immortalized in the book One L. Now it seems that law schools are taking their teaching cues from Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore. At the University of Texas School of Law, they've divided their classes into "societies" that compete against each other in games, wear special uniforms, have dedicated house mentors, and employ special Care Bears who hug people when they get back from the library. Okay, one of those things isn't true. Of course, the Texas millennials love it....

By Elie Mystal
Drinking

Letter from London: Port, Nazis, and In-House Lawyers

To qualify as a lawyer in the U.K., you first have to eat 12 dinners. Seriously. OK, it’s only barristers (British trial lawyers) who must meet this requirement. And they have to pass legal exams as well as eat. But the essence of my slightly sensationalised opening sentence is true: no dinners, no qualification. Here’s […]

By Alex Aldridge