Pepper Hamilton

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.13.17

* Does Trump's health care executive order violate ERISA? [CNBC] * Just when law firms needed another challenge, here comes PwC. [Law.com] * Pepper Hamilton partner brings clients to secluded private island. Enjoy Camp Crystal Lake everyone! [The Legal Intelligencer] * On Sunday, 60 Minutes will have a profile on the fascinating career of Shon Hopwood, the Georgetown Law professor who came to his career as a jailhouse lawyer while serving time for bank robbery. [National Law Journal] * Why aren't there vegan wigs? It's actually a pretty interesting question. [Legal Cheek] * Judge was "unaware" that he gave joint custody to an accused rapist. But before the judge gets pilloried for conducting a slapdash proceeding, consider that the prosecutors never bothered to mention this. [ABA Journal] * The gender bias suit against Proskauer reaches the Second Circuit on claims that Judge Cote erred in preventing the plaintiff from getting key discovery for her retaliation claim. [Law360] * A guide to interviewing for introverts. The first tip should be to open every interview with, "I'm interested in tax." In my experience, firms expect to put the tax geniuses in a dungeon and let them work their sorcerer's ways in peace, so they'll forgive any awkwardness as a sign of genius. [The Recorder] * Law firm merger mania strikes Texas. [Houston Chronicle]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 02.17.17

* The Gorsuch hearings are set for March 20th. Now what should senators ask him? [National Law Journal] * Seriously, what should senators ask him? [SCOTUSBlog] * The CFPB is getting battered and bruised, but the D.C. Circuit may give it a fighting chance. [Law.com] * Pepper Hamilton had a high profile year working the Baylor matter, but PPP is down 28 percent. They lose any more and they'll have to change their name to Peper Hamilton. [Legal Intelligencer] * Alston & Bird, meanwhile, saw a revenue boost. [Daily Report] * Judge finds probable cause in criminal complaint against Chris Christie. Don't worry, New Jersey prosecutors are too scared of traffic problems in their towns to do anything about it. [Law360] * Florida has been busy. First the Docs v. Glocks ruling and now an abortion ruling. [Orlando Sentinel] * My God. They can't even pass background checks. [Politico] * The top 10 law novels of the last 10 years. I wonder if She-Hulk made the list? (Spoiler: she does.) [ABA Journal]

By Joe Patrice
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 11.30.16

* Looks like Baylor University got some Biglaw sticker shock. [Deadspin] * The judge that blocked the Obama Administration's new overtime rules left a lot of uncertainty in his wake. [Androvett Blog] * Can courts hold Trump accountable under the Emoluments Clause? [Huffington Post] * A look at the changing nature of Presidential power cases before the Supreme Court and what that may mean under a President Trump. [Empirical SCOTUS] * Challenging abortion restrictions in Alaska, Missouri and North Carolina. [Slate] * Will a cashless society mean fewer legal problems? [Law and More]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.26.16

* David Mourey, the former assistant dean for bar preparation and academic success at Barry Law, was fired after students continued to fail the bar exam, but in a recently filed gender discrimination and retaliation lawsuit, he claims he was discriminated against because he was "singled out for discipline by an all-female management team." We may have more on this later. [Orlando Sentinel] * Despite the wishes of the public and rumors of his firing in the face of the Baylor University coverup of reports of rape and sexual assault by football players, "Ken Starr is [still] president and chancellor of Baylor University." According to a university spokeswoman, the school has not yet finished reviewing Pepper Hamilton's report on the matter, but Baylor will likely make an announcement by June 3. [Associated Press] * "We are willing to fight this all the way to the Supreme Court if we have to." Eleven states have filed suit against the Obama Administration in an effort to get around its guidance on transgender rights for children in schools, calling the policy a "massive social experiment." The states suing are Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. [Reuters] * Sumner Redstone turns 93 years old tomorrow, and he's been in and out of court for the past few months in a battle to prove he's mentally competent. The salacious case filed by his former female companion may have been dismissed, but now he's attempting to fend off claims from Viacom directors who were ousted from a trust that will control his media holdings if he dies or is found incompetent. [DealBook / New York Times] * Now that the world knows that PayPal's co-founder provided funding for Hulk Hogan's invasion of privacy suit against Gawker, it's time to take a look at the lawyer who's been representing the wrestler. Charles Harder is no stranger to Hollywood cases, and may be a longtime fan of litigation finance since he "[tries] to win and do so in a way that's cost effective for a client, so they don't lose when they're winning." [WSJ Law Blog] * Since revenge litigation finance's recent invention, what's there to keep billionaires from destroying you with lawsuits? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not much, especially when "there is no obligation to disclose the litigation financing arrangements" that have been made. Ethical issues aside, we really hope the super-rich wield their new power to ruin lives through rented lawsuits carefully. [Fortune]

By Staci Zaretsky