Mortgages

Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 06.27.16

* Someone disagrees with Judge Posner's take on the role of law professors. [Law and More] * When a judge doesn't want the prosecutor to prosecute the case in which she is the victim because she fears she will not get a fair trial, we all lose. [NOLA.com] * An earlier predictor on how investors are harming homeowners. [Wise Law] * Was this Supreme Court term a rousing success for the liberal justices? If you count ties, then yes. [Empirical SCOTUS] * 7 ways Brexit will impact Biglaw. [Law.com] * A new book -- Professor William Birdthistle's Empire of the Fund (affiliate link), an exposé of how we save for retirement -- is summarized in this fun video inspired by Hamilton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3WxNAAgTMI

By Kathryn Rubino
Bankruptcy

Morning Docket: 10.10.12

* Dewey know whether Judge Martin Glenn approved this failed firm’s $71.5 million partner contribution plan? We certainly do, and D&L’s chief restructuring officer, Joff Mitchell of Zolfo Cooper, is simply “delighted” about it. [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)] * Bitch better have my money? The United States is suing Wells Fargo under the little known Financial Institutions Reform, Recover, and Enforcement Act for allegedly screwing it out of approximately eleventy billion dollars. [DealBook / New York Times] * “Flat is the new up for the legal sector,” except in Cleveland, because law firms there have been on hiring sprees throughout 2012. But unfortunately, there is a down side — it’s Cleveland. [Cleveland Plain-Dealer] * Diversity: no longer just an old wooden ship. Almost every law school-related amicus brief filed in Fisher v. University of Texas has backed the consideration of race in admissions decisions. [National Law Journal] * There’s officially at least one benefit in attending Thomas M. Cooley Law — the school collects so much money from students that it’s able to attract big-name speakers, like ex-rocker Henry Rollins. [Michigan Live]

By Staci Zaretsky
Asians

Morning Docket: 10.02.12

* “This case has nothing to do with the United States.” We’d normally let that slide because of this law from 1789, but now the Supreme Court is suddenly skeptical about the validity of the Alien Tort Claims Act. [Reuters] * “Why are we being punished for Dewey & LeBoeuf?” Come to think of it, former employees at the failed firm are probably wondering the exact same thing as the fictional characters on “The Good Wife.” [WSJ Law Blog] * Reduce, reuse, and recycle your claims? New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed suit against JPMorgan, alleging that the bank’s Bear Sterns business defrauded mortgage-bond investors. [Bloomberg] * A man of many firsts: Randall Eng, the first Asian judge in the state, was appointed to lead New York’s Second Department as presiding justice, the first Asian-American to serve in the position. [New York Law Journal] * UC Irvine Law is planning a six-week summer camp for in-house counsel. They’re calling it the Center for Corporate Law, but Mark Herrmann’s “General Counsel University” has a nicer ring to it. [National Law Journal] * Why shouldn’t you get a dual JD/MBA? Because hiding out in school for another year isn’t going to save you from all of the extra debt you’ve incurred earning yet another degree. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

By Staci Zaretsky
Art

Morning Docket: 02.27.12

* It’s hard to get a mortgage if you have a lot of student debt, even if you make a lot of money. Who needs a house anyway? Your advanced degree will keep you warm. [BusinessWeek] * A civil trial over BP’s Gulf Oil spill was supposed to start today, but it was postponed at the last minute. Is it just me or does it smell like settlement in here? [New York Times] * As if anyone needed another reason to never take a Carnival Cruise… [CNN] * The Catholic Church just couldn’t handle sharing its ignominious spotlight with Penn State any longer. Attorneys allege that the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, former Archbishop of Philadelphia, destroyed a list of 35 active priests accused of child sexual abuse. [Washington Post] * Some movie with no sound, color, explosions, or giant robots won a bunch of Academy Awards last night. I can’t say I care too much. Here’s a rundown of some classic cine con lawyers instead. [ABA Journal] * Advice for art collectors: CHECK YOU PROVENANCE. [New York Times] * Michael Rothenberg, executive director of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, RIP. [New York Law Journal]

By Christopher Danzig
Biglaw

Morning Docket: 01.26.12

* Illinois is suing Standard & Poor’s, accusing the financial services company of misleading investors and putting the country in the poorhouse thanks to its high ratings for mortgage-backed investments. [Washington Post] * CHECK YOU LATERALS: William Burck, who served in the White House counsel’s office under President Bush, is leaving Weil to co-manage the […]

By Staci Zaretsky
Bad Ideas

Buffalo ‘Foreclosure Mill’ Employees Don Mean Costumes For Halloween

Over the weekend, you might have seen the Times story on the Stephen J. Baum law firm. As the largest so-called "foreclosure mill" in New York state, they represent banks that kick people out of their homes. Every year the Baum firm hosts a huge Halloween party. Last year, employees reportedly dressed up like the some of the people who lose their homes during the course of Baum's foreclosure business. Some people are outraged that foreclosure lawyers don't have "compassion" for their adversaries....

By Elie Mystal