Peter Kalis

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.20.16

* Alecia Schmuhl, the lawyer accused of teaming up with her husband and plotting to kill the managing partner of the law firm she was fired from, has taken a deal in her case and could serve anywhere from 10 to 45 years in prison under the terms of her plea agreement. She'll be sentenced by the middle of January 2017. [Washington Post] * Two heads are better than one, especially when it comes to taking over a Biglaw titan's position as chairman at K&L Gates. Longtime chairman Peter Kalis will step down at the end of February, and come March, James Segerdahl will serve as the firm's global managing partner, while Michael Caccese will serve as chairman of the firm's management committee. We'll have more on this later today. [Big Law Business] * A big old welcome back to Biglaw: Brackett Denniston III, who has served as general counsel at GE for more than two decades, is throwing in the in-house towel to get back to the daily grind of law firm life. He recently rejoined Goodwin Procter -- a firm where he previously worked for about 15 years -- as senior counsel, and while there, he hopes to work on "hard cases" and mentor some of the firm's younger lawyers. [WSJ Law Blog] * What do the Redskins and the Slants have in common, aside from names that some may consider offensive? As it turns out, the football team and the rock band are fighting the same fight before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. They both claim the First Amendment bars the USPTO from refusing to register their "disparaging" marks, and the Supreme Court may soon grant cert on either one of their cases. [Associated Press] * If you're planning to apply to law school during this admissions cycle despite the state of the job market for entry-level attorneys, then you may want to follow this 10-week timeline for submitting your applications. Don't forget that the goal here is to get ahead of the game, take advantage of rolling admissions, and submit all of your materials before those pesky December LSAT test-takers. [U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.07.16

* Bill Cosby will face trial in June for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania woman, and now his lawyers claim her attorney, Gloria Allred, trampled upon his civil rights in a "campaign ... buil[t] on racial bias and prejudice that can pollute the court of public opinion." [NBC News] * As we mentioned yesterday, Peter Kalis -- the man who's served as chair of K&L Gates for about two decades -- will not seek re-election to his post, and everyone is wondering who will succeed him. According to a recently departed partner, "[t]hey don't have enough groomed for top-level management." Uh oh! We'll have more on this. [Law.com] * Yet another Biglaw firm is losing a longtime managing partner. Mark Silow of Fox Rothschild will step down from his position in April 2017, after 13 years in leadership. He'll be replaced by Mark Morris as managing partner, but will transition to becoming the firm's chair, retaining a seat on its executive committee. [Big Law Business] * Sullivan & Cromwell is stepping up its digital security practice with a major hire. Earlier this week, the firm announced that Nicole Friedlander, who previously worked as co-chief of the complex frauds and online crime unit for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, would join the firm as special counsel. [DealBook / New York Times] * Not only is New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman breathing antitrust accusations down EpiPen-maker Mylan Pharmaceutical's neck, but now a proposed class-action lawsuit has been filed against the company with allegations that its "unconscionable ... price gouging" violated Ohio's consumer protection laws. [Reuters]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.07.16

* Bill Cosby will face trial in June for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania woman, and now his lawyers claim her attorney, Gloria Allred, trampled upon his civil rights in a "campaign ... buil[t] on racial bias and prejudice that can pollute the court of public opinion." [NBC News] * As we mentioned yesterday, Peter Kalis -- the man who's served as chair of K&L Gates for about two decades -- will not seek re-election to his post, and everyone is wondering who will succeed him. According to a recently departed partner, "[t]hey don't have enough groomed for top-level management." Uh oh! We'll have more on this. [Law.com] * Yet another Biglaw firm is losing a longtime managing partner. Mark Silow of Fox Rothschild will step down from his position in April 2017, after 13 years in leadership. He'll be replaced by Mark Morris as managing partner, but will transition to becoming the firm's chair, retaining a seat on its executive committee. [Big Law Business] * Sullivan & Cromwell is stepping up its digital security practice with a major hire. Earlier this week, the firm announced that Nicole Friedlander, who previously worked as co-chief of the complex frauds and online crime unit for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, would join the firm as special counsel. [DealBook / New York Times] * Not only is New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman breathing antitrust accusations down EpiPen-maker Mylan Pharmaceutical's neck, but now a proposed class-action lawsuit has been filed against the company with allegations that its "unconscionable ... price gouging" violated Ohio's consumer protection laws. [Reuters]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.02.16

* WHATCHA GONNA DO, BROTHER, WHEN HULKAMANIA SELECTS A JURY TO RUN WILD ON YOU?!?! Jury selection has started in Hulk Hogan's $100M sex-tape case against Gawker. The trial begins next week, and if he wins, his 24-inch pythons could put the site out of business. [New York Post] * President Obama met with Senate leaders yesterday to talk about his impending Supreme Court nomination, and the Republicans present held steady in their adamant refusal to hold hearings or vote on any of his prospective candidates. After all, President Trump's 2017 nominee will obviously be a far greater choice. [The Hill] * "They're just normal people. They weren't always judges." Being a federal judge with a lifetime appointment may be a "surprisingly monastic existence" at times, but the fact of the matter is that our Supreme Court justices are really just like us. Off the bench, some of them are social butterflies, and others are complete hermits. [Washington Post] * According to a recent study on federal law clerks, "judges appointed by Republicans are more likely to hire clerks who come from the left-side of the ideological spectrum," but that's likely because the pickings are slim when it comes to conservative clerks. Top law school grads tend to lean liberal, so the applicant pool is a bit skewed. [WSJ Law Blog] * K&L Gates is leaking partners, practice leaders, and executive committee members like a sieve once again, but Peter Kalis, the firm's usually outspoken chairman, hasn't said a peep about the departures yet. What's going on at the firm? If you have any information, please feel free to email us or text us (646-820-8477). [Big Law Business / Bloomberg]

By Staci Zaretsky