Loyola Law School

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.25.17

* Fresh off his six-month stint as White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus will be returning to Am Law 200 firm Michael Best and Friedrich, where he'll serve as president and chief strategist. He'll lead the firm's government affairs practice group, and he plans to help clients with their Trump problems. Best of luck, those clients might need it. [POLITICO] * Sorry, consumers, but the Senate had to call in VP Mike Pence in the middle of the night to kill the the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule banning mandatory arbitration clauses in credit card and checking account agreements. Damn all those "frivolous lawsuits by special interest trial lawyers"! [The Two-Way / NPR] * Author John Grisham was inspired to write his latest novel, The Rooster Bar (affiliate link), after reading an article in The Atlantic by Paul Campos about for-profit law schools and the student loan crisis. Well, at least someone is going to make some money after learning about a for-profit law school. [CBS News] * Biglaw firms are trying to reduce the amount of their leased square footage. According to the CBRE Group, on average between the first quarter of 2016 and the second quarter of 2017, firms in 26 markets were able to shrink their office space by about 27 percent. But did their headcount shrink along with it? [Wall Street Journal] * Major lateral hire alert: Paul Basta left Kirkland & Ellis this summer, and now he's landed at Paul Weiss, where he'll be working as the co-chair of the firm's corporate restructuring practice. Alan Kornberg, the practice group's current chair, called Basta's arrival at the firm "sort of a dream come true in a way." [Big Law Business] * According to a study conducted by Professor Carlos Berdejó of Loyola Law School, prosecutors tend to give white defendants better plea deals than black defendants. We needed a study to confirm that some prosecutors discriminate based on race? [Slate]

By Staci Zaretsky
2nd Circuit

Non-Sequiturs: 11.01.13

* In 1967, Hunter S. Thompson explored the wild and crazy world of the Hell’s Angels. In 2008, FX premiered Sons of Anarchy. In 2013, the Hell’s Angels are filing intellectual property suits. Hard. F**king. Core. [Houston Chronicle] * Who’s your favorite Disney princess? I’d say RBG. [Women You Should Know] * Some folks are scared that recent FERC settlements are too aggressive and could “unravel the entire power market.” That’s either hyperbole or the scariest thing in the universe ever. [Breaking Energy] Loyola Law School started a fashion law program to serve this burgeoning industry. Pretty interesting stuff. And if you want to meet Staci Riordan, the woman responsible for setting up this program, join our Staci Zaretsky in L.A. on November 12, when she hosts a panel of fashion law experts including Riordan . It’s dueling Stacis! [Fashionista] * The discriminating woman’s guide to buying pearls. I figured y’all just pulled identical necklaces out of a drawer like Marge Simpson. [Corporette] * In cases of sex abuse, the expert witness is incredibly important. [The Expert Institute] * Here’s a look at what may be next for Judge Scheindlin, who gave interviews revealing her bias because she said stuff like the government is not entitled to deference and should be forced to make its case. Oh my God, IMPEACH!!! [Ramblings on Appeal] * Speaking of Judge Scheindlin, Elie was on HuffPo Live today discussing the ruling. Video embedded after the jump (around 11:08)….

By Joe Patrice
Sponsored Content

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By Charles River Associates (CRA)
Bar Exams

California Bar Passage Rate Holds Steady; Shame For Underperforming Schools Deepens

California has released some macro-level results from the July 2011 administration of the bar exam. The California bar is notoriously difficult, and every year we like to take a look at which schools prepared their students well for the exam, and which schools did not. You might be surprised at which California law school had the best passage rate on the California bar. Hint: it's not Stanford, or Boalt Hall, or UCLA....

By Elie Mystal
Biglaw

A Farewell to Remember: One Partner’s Dramatic Departure Memo

Every now and then, you'll come across a colorful farewell message penned by a partner. One such email, sent out last Friday by a longtime partner leaving a major law firm, is now making the rounds. Here's a teaser: "I have realized that I cannot simultaneously meet the demands of career and family. Without criticizing those who have chosen lucre over progeny, let me just say that I am leaving the practice of law." Wow. So who's the partner in question, which firm did he just leave with such flair, and what's he planning to do next?

By David Lat
5th Circuit

Morning Docket: 11.02.11

* “Rising tuition. Misleading employment statistics. Inadequate skills training.” So what are legal educators doing about it? Blogging, of course. [Law School Review] * Trendspotting: cute judges on the federal bench? The Senate has confirmed Loyola Law professor Stephen Higginson for a seat on the Fifth Circuit. [National Law Journal] * People in New Jersey […]

By Staci Zaretsky
General Counsel

A Recent Law Grad’s Attempt at Revenge on His Law School

The administrators at Loyola Law School of Los Angeles didn't think they were walking into a smackdown when they sent out an email to alumni asking them to update their employment statuses. But smacked they were, down on their heads, as one former solo practitioner's epic, slightly rambling response to the innocent request just tore up the school for its behavior towards recent graduates....

By Elie Mystal
Biglaw

An Update on Chicago’s Runaway Bridegroom and Jilted Bride

In a Chicago lawsuit, a lovely young lawyer, Lauren Serafin, sued her handsome ex-fiancé, Sidley Austin associate Robert Leighton, for "breach of promise" to marry. Serafin alleged that Leighton cheated on her during his Las Vegas bachelor party, with a woman named "Danielle," and then broke off the engagement -- saddling Serafin with almost $63,000 in wedding- and honeymoon-related expenses. We now bring you an update on this saga....

By David Lat
Crime

Mistrial in Massage Parlor Prosecution After Masseuse Recognizes Defense Lawyer — as a Client….

We have the makings of a trend: inappropriate contacts between participants in jury trials. These contacts can be problematic because a jury trial constitutes a delicate ecosystem, in which contacts and communications between actors are regulated strictly to ensure the fairness of the proceedings. Now we bring you news of, er, more intimate contact between a witness and a lawyer -- which culminated in a mistrial....

By David Lat
Biglaw

Law Schools That Make Partners

A law professor published a research paper showing the law schools that produce partners at large law firms. Obviously, this list is going to favor elite diploma mills, but there are some interesting surprises. These are rankings worth paying attention to....

By Elie Mystal