Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.18.15

* Everything's bigger in Texas, including the lateral raids of lawyers from competing law firms. Wilson Elser just poached 11 litigators from Lewis Brisbois, including the firm's regional managing partner, who now holds the same title at his new firm. Ride 'em, cowboy! [Houston Business Journal] * "I think almost 50 years of paying for those crimes is enough." Winston Moseley, the man convicted of killing Kitty Genovese in an infamous case that came to define the meaning of bystander apathy, was recently denied parole for the eighteenth time. [AP] * We love an underdog story: On the topic of lateral moves, it seems like Greenberg Traurig has a habit of "cherry picking" top talent from higher-ranked law firms like Davis Polk, White & Case, and McDermott Will & Emery. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * When it comes to the Securities and Exchange Commission's in-house judges, Chairman Mary Jo White says that while its court system could be "modernize[d]," it's still a fair process -- for the SEC. The house usually wins in these proceedings. [WSJ Law Blog] * How old is too old to be a judge? Pennsylvania voters are going to be asked this question next year when a referendum on a proposed amendment to the state's constitution to raise the judicial retirement age from 70 to 75 hits the ballot box. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

By Staci Zaretsky
Attorney Misconduct

Morning Docket: 09.19.12

* Steven Davis, D&L’s former chairman, really wants to make sure he’ll be able to use the firm’s insurance policy to defend himself, or else he’ll “suffer undue hardship.” Sorry, but after all the undue hardship you caused, nobody feels bad for you. [Am Law Daily] * As it turns out, the Mitt “47 Percent” Romney recording may have been illegally taped, but Florida authorities aren’t investigating — a victim hasn’t come forward to complain. What, no “off the cuff” remarks this time, Mitt? [Washington Wire / Wall Street Journal] * Even if you get disbarred, you can still go on to work for a Biglaw firm. In other news, apparently you can last about a month at Lewis Brisbois while using a stolen identity before you get fired. [Las Vegas Review-Journal] * Arizona’s governor was really excited that the injunction against SB 1070′s “show me your papers” provision was lifted by Judge Susan Bolton. She won’t be as excited when all of the lawsuits start rolling in. [Bloomberg] * It’s probably bad if your dean resigns before the school opens. J. Michael Johnson, the ex-dean of Louisiana College School of Law, left to take a “great job offer” (i.e., not a law school deanship). [Shreveport Times] * Good news, ladies! A serial subway “grinder” in NYC avoided jail time after ejaculating on three women in separate incidents, and now city pols are trying to make it harder for perverts to get off. [New York Daily News]

By Staci Zaretsky
California

San Francisco Firm Sends Awesome Officewide ‘Restroom Etiquette’ Email

The San Francisco branch of a national law firm delivered an office-wide email concerning “restroom etiquette.” The email is hilarious, and if nothing else, impressively thorough. They thought of everything. The missive covered tips for masking awkward bathroom noises, suggestions for choosing a urinal, and an emphasis on the ways bathroom behavior can affect your professional reputation. Let's see which firm has (toilet) water on the brain....

By Christopher Danzig
Biglaw

Which Law Firms Are Most Diverse? Let’s Look at the Rankings

Law firm diversity matters. It matters to corporate clients, many of them public companies that want to demonstrate their commitment to diversity through their selection of vendors and service providers — which is what law firms are, at the end of the day. It matters to the law students and lawyers that firms are trying […]

By David Lat