McGuireWoods LLP

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.04.17

* The White House announces ten new judicial nominations, including two for circuit courts (previously predicted in these pages). We'll have more on this later. [Washington Times] * King & Spalding joins Jones Day and Sullivan & Cromwell as a "feeder firm" for the Trump administration. [Law.com] * Will the Trump Justice Department's possible attack on affirmative action succeed? Law professors disagree. [How Appealing] * Michelle Carter, the woman convicted for basically texting her boyfriend into committing suicide, gets sentenced to 15 months. [ABA Journal] * White-collar criminal defense lawyers discuss what to expect from the grand jury convened by special counsel Robert Mueller. [National Law Journal] * The trend continues: fewer law school graduates, better employment statistics. [ABA Journal] * Elliot Katz, a leading lawyer in the self-driving-car space, motors from DLA Piper to McGuireWoods. [Law.com] * If you'll be online in the afternoon on Wednesday, August 16, join me and ABA Legal Career Central for a Twitter chat about career paths for lawyers, especially alternative careers. [American Bar Association]

By David Lat
Crime

Non-Sequiturs: 11.02.12

* As a tipster wrote, “This judge done lost her mind.” We don’t know about that, but something is clearly wrong here. [Chicago Sun-Times] * Another brutal — yet disarmingly tender — takedown of the bros who run IsAnybodyDown. [Popehat] * Robert Morton Duncan, the first black justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, RIP. [Times Union] * Yes, clients can be royal pains in the behind. But you still can’t hit an obnoxious client over the head with a baseball bat. [Charleston Gazette] * Major Kudos to McGuireWoods for the firm’s support of Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. We encourage other firms (and individuals) to do the same. [American Red Cross] * “As American as the modern prison system” doesn’t have the same ring as “apple pie.” For better or worse, though, it’s equally true. [Cruel and Unusual] * LawDingo is a new company that connects potential clients with lawyers — all from the convenience of home. It’s the way of the future! [Dow Jones]

By Christopher Danzig
Antitrust

Morning Docket: 08.14.12

* Looks like someone skipped professional responsibility class during bar prep: the Ninth Circuit denied attorney fees to McGuireWoods in light of an “egregious” ethics violation made in the BAR/BRI antitrust settlement. [National Law Journal] * Apple rested its patent-infringement case against Samsung yesterday, making way for the rival tech company to begin presenting its case. Jurors must be thrilled that the end is in sight, with just 25 more hours of arguments to go. [Bloomberg] * Remember the mom-and-dad law grads accused of planting a potpourri of drugs on an elementary school volunteer? Their alleged victim is suing. We’ll have more on this hot mess later. [Orange County Register] * “The facts don’t seem to support a ‘stand your ground’ defense.” That’s what George Zimmerman’s attorney said yesterday, but the defense team is going to try to get the case dismissed on those grounds anyway. [AP] * When applying to law school, it’s usually helpful to demonstrate in your application that you actually want to go to law school. Gah, people seriously need to be told these things. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News] * “[T]he plaintiff’s tampon was never forcibly removed by any deputy.” First of all, yuck. Second of all, you know that a crazy lawsuit must have been filed when the cops are making public statements like this. [NBC News]

By Staci Zaretsky
Crime

This Might Be the Most Tumultuous Divorce of All Time

For a long time, I have been a staunch advocate of putting passwords on all electronic devices — laptops, phones, tablets, etc. There’s no reason to leave your private life or sensitive business data accessible to any schmo who might have access to your phone, just because you’re too lazy to spend three seconds typing […]

By Christopher Danzig
Biglaw

Supreme Court Clerk Bonuses Are Heading Higher

As in past years, many of the October Term 2010 Supreme Court law clerks are joining private law firms -- which welcome them with six-figure signing bonuses. These bonuses are paid on top of base salaries reflecting their seniority, as well as the usual year-end bonuses. For the past few years, law firm signing bonuses for members of The Elect have hovered around $250,000. But this year, at least a few firms are offering even more. So how much are we talking about?

By David Lat
Biglaw

Biglaw Firms Poised To Help Japanese Relief Efforts

After the Haitian earthquake last year, we saw law firms step up in a big way to support relief efforts down there. Hopefully we will see the same reaction to the ever-increasing tragedy unfolding in Japan. Given an 8.9 a 9.0-magnitude earthquake, a massive tsunami, and a nuclear disaster that is already the second-worst nuclear […]

By Elie Mystal
Antonin Scalia

Morning Docket: 03.11.11

* Johnson & Johnson will have to fix several factories after an agreement with the FDA prompted by massive product recalls. This still doesn’t explain why my bottle of Tylenol may contain tree nuts. [Bloomberg] * Charlie Sheen hammered out a custody agreement With Brooke Mueller. That’s nice. [People Magazine] * Texas may consider a […]

By Juggalo Law
Celebrities

Breaking: Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren File for Divorce

This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, given the acknowledged infidelity of golf superstar Tiger Woods, but now it’s official. Woods and his wife of over five years, Elin Nordegren, filed for divorce today in Bay County Circuit Court, Florida. The terms of the settlement were undisclosed. Their attorneys released a statement on behalf of […]

By David Lat