Law Professors

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.25.15

* Why are so many law grads failing the bar exam? Law profs, a law dean, and a Biglaw recruiting specialist all have answers to this question... and only some of them come close to being satisfactory. [Room for Debate / New York Times] * Jurors in the Dewey & LeBoeuf trial have deliberated for five days thus far, and seem to be no closer to coming to a verdict than when they first started. They're quibbling over thesaurus entries for the word "fake" (i.e., "fake income"). [Am Law Daily] * Thanks to the OnRamp Fellowship, more women lawyers are making a reentry into the legal profession through Biglaw firms than ever before. Participating firms now include Skadden Arps and MoFo, amongst others. Congrats! [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * Law school enrollment may be stagnant across the country, but at Colorado Law, it's booming. The size of the school's incoming class is 22 percent larger than last year's was. What can we say other than students were sTOKEd to get in. [Boulder Daily Camera] * If you're ever fired from your job, charged with insider trading, and the SEC wants access to your work phone, take heart in the fact that your personal passcode is just that -- personal. The SEC can't treat it as a business record thanks to this ruling. [WSJ Law Blog] * Richard Cudahy Sr., longtime Seventh Circuit judge, RIP. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.14.15

* A former DJ is suing Taylor Swift because he claims that he lost his job after he was falsely accused of grabbing the singer's ass. When contacted for comment, Swift said, "I've got a blank motion to dismiss, baby, and I'll write your name." [Associated Press] * BakerHostetler's partners unanimously agreed to do away with its two-tiered partnership structure. We would've been shocked the firm was going to kick its nonequity partner title to the curb, but we broke the news on it last month. [Am Law Daily] * Albany Law's new dean thinks she may have a solution to the school's enrollment problem, which is down by 38 percent since 2010. She wants to hire more professors, even though the school's existing professors aren't exactly pleased. [Albany Business Review] * California's legislature approved a landmark bill that will permit physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. If Governor Jerry Brown refuses to sign the "death with dignity" law, supporters will likely bring it to a ballot referendum. [New York Times] * A Brooklyn bride alleges in a recently filed lawsuit that she's still waiting for her wedding pictures... more than two years after her wedding took place. She's clearly not a bridezilla, because if she were, a lawsuit wouldn't have even been necessary. [New York Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.09.15

* Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who was jailed over her refusal to give marriage licenses to gay couples, was released by order of Judge David Bunning -- with a warning not to interfere with her deputy clerks' duties. Hmm, yeah, she's totally going back to jail. [New York Times] * The law school applicant pool is still dwindling after all these years, so it's interesting to see which schools are offering students the biggest bribes scholarships and grants (some of which may later disappear) so they can fill the seats in their classes with asses. [Bloomberg via PreLaw] * This Montana Law professor claims that he was forced to retire from his teaching position early due to the school's ongoing budget cuts: "I am the first full-time member of the law faculty upon whom the ax has fallen." We'll have more on this later. [Missoulian] * Hmm, what Dewey know about the standard of evidence for conviction in the D&L fraud trial? "Woulda, coulda, shoulda is fine for cocktail party conversation. In this courtroom and in any courtroom, the proof must be beyond a reasonable doubt." [Reuters] * Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross, who received an LL.M. in taxation from NYU School of Law, is making a $20 million donation to the school, its largest gift ever. We wonder how much he's giving to his alma mater, Wayne State Law. [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky