Kannon Shanmugam

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.01.19

* Shortly after AG Bill Barr released his four-page summary of the Mueller report, special counsel Robert Mueller himself stepped forward to tell Barr that he objected to his conclusion that President Trump had been cleared of obstruction, "express[ing] a frustration over the lack of context." [New York Times] * Congressional Democrats can move ahead with their emoluments suit against Trump over his business thanks to a ruling by Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, where he found the narrow definition of emoluments championed by Trump to be "unpersuasive and inconsistent." [Washington Post] * Kannon Shanmugam may have been the first to leave Williams & Connolly to join the new Supreme Court practice at Paul Weiss, but he certainly isn't the last. Five of his colleagues followed him, and the group continues to grow. [National Law Journal] * Remember Am Law 200 firm Stinson Leonard Street? You should probably forget that name, because the firm is rebranding itself as Stinson. Going by one name is apparently the cool, new thing for Biglaw firms. [American Lawyer] * Biglaw money fight: The ex-chair of the government contracts practice at Dentons, a legacy McKenna Long partner, claims the firm owes her more than $390,000, but Dentons claims she owes the firm almost $2 million. [Big Law Business]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.28.19

* Paul Weiss really showed its “commitment to putting the white in white shoe” with its new partnership class, and the New York Times is on it! See our coverage from December here. [New York Times] * President Donald Trump recently met with a group of right-wing activists led by Ginni Thomas, wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, where they criticized transgender people and women serving in the military. Trump reportedly looked “taken aback“ during the meeting, which is a bit of a rarity. [New York Times] * Some pretty major lateral moves for some pretty major players when it comes to appellate practice: Lisa Blatt is returning to Williams & Connelly where she’ll lead the firm’s Supreme Court practice, and Kannon Shanmugam is leaving Williams & Connolly to lead a new Supreme Court practice at Paul Weiss. Congrats! [NLJ; NLJ] * “I'm here to speak for the people who don't have a voice.” Rappers Jay-Z and Meek Mill have launched the Reform Alliance, an initiative for criminal justice reform, with the goal of dramatically changing laws and policies to reduce “unreasonable” probation, parole, and prison terms. [CBS News] * What happened to the people who were told that they passed the D.C. bar exam, when in reality they actually failed? “Just shock. I didn’t think that could happen. I never heard of a bar committee changing the results.” Here’s a bit of a depressing update. [Washington Post]

By Staci Zaretsky