Leo S. Fisher

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.18.16

* "[He] exited the passenger seat wearing nothing but what appeared to be an adult diaper." Andrew and Alecia Schmuhl, the husband-and-wife lawyers accused of torturing and nearly killing a law firm partner and his wife, are back in the news. Andrew's trial began this week, and he's utilizing an involuntary intoxication defense. [Washington Post] * President Obama needn't worry about what he's going to do to keep busy after his presidency ends -- job offers are already pouring in for him, including one from Bin Haider Advocates & Legal Consultants, a smaller firm in Dubai. But why go to the Middle East when he could easily become a partner at Sidley Austin? [Am Law Daily] * "If I had my way, I would make pro bono a service requirement." During the American Law Institute's annual meeting, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she thinks pro-bono work should be mandatory for lawyers, and that she "believe[s] in forced labor" when it comes to access to justice and closing the justice gap for the poor. [National Law Journal] * Non-lawyers likely won't be able to stake a claim in law firm ownership anytime soon since the ABA Commission on the Future of the Legal Profession failed to submit a formal proposal to the ABA House of Delegates before a deadline had passed. It's just as well, as lawyers remain adamantly opposed to the proposition. [Big Law Business] * IP lawyers better get ready to party like it's 1999, because Minnesota lawmakers have introduced the broadly written Personal Rights in Names Can Endure Act, perhaps better known as the PRINCE Act, named for the recently deceased musician to establish a right of publicity for celebrities and their heirs within the state. [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.14.15

* Andrew and Alecia Schmuhl, the husband-and-wife lawyer duo accused of treating a law firm managing partner and his wife to a "torture session," had a hearing this week where it was revealed that Andrew allegedly slit the managing partner's throat. [Washington Post] * 'We’re asking you to choose life. Yes, even for the Boston Marathon bomber." Jurors began deliberating in the death penalty phase of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's trial late yesterday afternoon. It's worth noting that the last time someone was executed in Massachusetts was 70 years ago. [Boston Globe] * “Explaining these persistent gender disparities in income ... has proven to be much more difficult than simply identifying them.” Per a study conducted by Harvard Law, the wage gap for women in the law has been growing since 1975. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg] * The deadly Amtrak derailment hit too close to home for attorneys in the Northeast who travel frequently on the Acela line. In fact, some of our best tips have come from Acela trips. Our thoughts are with those who were affected by the crash. [National Law Journal] * A sexy little spat: Dov Charney, the ex-CEO of American Apparel, filed a $20M defamation suit against the company, claiming that despite what employees were told, he never agreed that he'd stay away from American Apparel for good. [Los Angeles Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
7th Circuit

Non-Sequiturs: 11.14.14

* Morgan Lewis approves the Bingham deal, with 227 of the roughly 300 Bingham partners moving over as full partners. Morgan Lewis is calling it a “mass lateral move,” which is the nice way of telling the remaining 70+ partners (and whatever associates and staffers they don’t care to include) to enjoy early retirement. [American Lawyer; WSJ Law Blog] * A follow up report on the horrific story of the lawyers accused of stabbing a managing partner and his wife. [Washington Post] * Justice Scalia realizes that strict constructionists are just jerks. [The Onion] * When the title of the story uses the phrase “super-drunk judge”… [Seattle Post-Intelligencer] * Judge Posner took a detour into Jewish theology, apparently based on scholarly research from “Google” and “Wikipedia.” In his defense though, he thought he was citing the well-known Hebrew texts of “Elgoog” and “Aidepikiw.” [The Jewish Daily Forward] * It may sound like a terrible horror movie, but “Darkhotel” is actually a campaign of cyberattacks against business executives logging in from their high-end hotels. [Internet, Information Technology & e-Discovery Blog] * Um, Florida State may care so much about their (number 3) football team they gloss over criminal activity. And this article is NOT about Jameis Winston. [New York Times] * Linda Greenhouse. Damn. “In decades of court-watching, I have struggled — sometimes it has seemed against all odds — to maintain the belief that the Supreme Court really is a court and not just a collection of politicians in robes. This past week, I’ve found myself struggling against the impulse to say two words: I surrender.” [New York Times] * If you’re in L.A. tonight, check out the 6th Annual Justice Jam, celebrating “A Tradition of Advocacy” at 5:30 p.m. at La Plaza De Cultura y Artes. The event benefits Community Lawyers, Inc., an organization working to promote access to affordable legal services for low- and moderate-income individuals. [Community Lawyers, Inc.]

By Joe Patrice