Howard Shipley

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 08.12.15

* A new paper by Professors Josh Blackman and Howard Wasserman on the process of marriage equality. For those of you who get really excited over civil procedure. [SSRN] * Fresh off the threat of Supreme Court sanctions, partner Howard Shipley, formerly of Foley & Lardner, has landed at Gordon & Rees. Good fit... there's no way he'll embarrass that firm. [Gordon & Rees] * We had some fun at the expense of a very predictable Norwegian prison escape the other day, but it's worth recognizing an outlier for what it is -- here's a detailed look at Norway's usually successful prison system. [New York Times] * With public defenders like these... An interpreter employed by the public defenders' office scammed immigrants seeking bribes with promises to pull strings to avoid deportation. [Times-Picayune] * Is "Office Temperature-Gate" worthy of a Title VII claim? [Adjunct Law Prof Blog] * A guy sat in prison for over 3 months after he completed his sentence because the system is as awful as it is incompetent. [Mother Jones] * If you're looking for CLE and have tickets to New York Comic Con on Thursday, October 8, then here's the panel for you. [NY Comic Con] * Most employers in New York City can no longer check credit history in making employment decisions. Time to hit up Saks for that shopping spree. [DLA Piper]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.24.15

* Justice Anthony Kennedy says that while the Supreme Court is trying to attract more minority law clerks, lower court judges have it easier because they can recruit from local schools. Some justices have an Ivy League addiction, and thus, a diversity problem. [Legal Times] * The next step in the confirmation process for Loretta Lynch, the lawyer who will someday be the first black woman to serve as U.S. attorney general, isn't likely to occur until at least mid-April. Why the wait? SENATE SPRING BREAK, WOO! [Reuters] * Give me maple syrup, or give me death: According to legal experts from the National Constitution Center, even though Republican candidate Ted Cruz was born in Canada, he still counts as a "natural born citizen" who's eligible to be president. [WSJ Law Blog] * Foley & Lardner partner Howard Shipley avoided a supreme spanking from SCOTUS over his submission of a garbled cert petition last year, but the high court took the opportunity to remind all lawyers to write "in plain terms." [National Law Journal] * How badly do you want to go to a top law school? Exactly how desperate you are to feel the warm and gentle embrace of prestige? How hard can you gun? Would you be willing to take the LSAT three times? [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 03.23.15

* Chicago Law grad went up to Alaska and challenged an Iditarod musher to an arm wrestling match. That's when she broke her arm. This decision should trigger an automatic two-spot drop in the U.S. News rankings. [Alaska Dispatch News] * An interview with Keith Wetmore, former Chairman of Morrison and Foerster, diving into his childhood growing up in a funeral home. From working with one group of stiffs to another. [Hsu Untied] * The Howard Shipley saga has come to an end. [Wall Street Journal] * Ruh roh. Biglaw partner earns a hearty benchslap for deliberately misleading the court. You can't do that -- save it for the summer associates asking about having a family. [Legal Business] * California lawyer Matt McLaughlin continues his Quixotic drive to have the state execute all the gay people. Now we have a pithy name for his proposed amendment: "The Intolerant Jackass Act." [Slate] * David talks to Bloomberg about why Above the Law hurts people's feelings. It's more diplomatic than my answer: because they're soft. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * A lawyer testifies to the state legislature about how great a right-to-work law will be... for his bankruptcy practice. Troll hard, my friend. [YouTube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwnwXFhKObI

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.24.15

* Mary Jo White's sizable net worth is causing sizable headaches over at the SEC. [DealBook / New York Times] * If you work at a law firm and take way too long to perform simple tasks in Microsoft Word or Excel, shape up: a new test, developed by former in-house lawyer Casey Flaherty, could expose your weaknesses -- and lead to your work being discounted. [Capital Business / Washington Post] * More from Howard Bashman about the misadventures of Howard Shipley, the Foley & Lardner partner who might get spanked by SCOTUS for a bizarre filing. [How Appealing] * An S.D.N.Y. jury held the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization liable for supporting six terrorist attacks and issued a verdict of $218.5 million -- an award that will under the law get tripled (collected remains to be seen). [WSJ Law Blog] * Wall Street banks and their law firms are getting serious about cybersecurity. [New York Times] * Thanks to Emily Kelchen for her review of Supreme Ambitions (affiliate link), which she calls "a true legal thriller." [Wisconsin Lawyer]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket 02.23.15

* Welcome back my friends, to the case that never ends: attorneys for Alexandra Marchuk lodged a request for $1.4 million in attorneys fees after her Pyrrhic victory in the Faruqi & Faruqi case. [Law360] * In the wake of the Oscars, it's worth remembering that David Boies is a movie producer. Next up for his shop, Boies/Schiller Film Group, a movie starring Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor. Because their last movies together were so frigging fantastic. [The Am Law Daily] * Speaking of the Oscars, just how much will nominees be regretting that $160,000 swag bag come tax time? [TaxProf Blog] * Former Port Authority Chairman David Samson is under scrutiny for enjoying some untoward perks. Like the United Airlines flight route direct from Newark to Samson's weekend home that was routinely bereft of passengers and ceased to exist days after Samson left the job. Something's clearly suspect if someone is willingly flying United. [North Jersey.com] * We've previously discussed the benchslap potential for Howard Shipley over his unorthodox Supreme Court brief. Now his lawyers, including SCOTUS mainstay Paul Clement, have told the Court that it's basically all the client's fault. [Legal Times]

By Joe Patrice