Is Sonia Sotomayor A Secret Poker Star?
Remember the Justice's poker face when she takes all your money.
PokerStars Operators Petition Supreme Court To Trim $1.3B Judgment
The petitioners are arguing that their case is the poster child for a grossly excessive punishment.
Your Law Firm’s Website Is Failing You.
Here’s What The Best Ones Are Doing Differently.
Effective Decision-Making And Sweating The Small Stuff
Next time you’re making a hard decision, back off a little and consider that it may not matter.
Morning Docket: 08.24.20
* A new lawsuit claims that Chipotle restaurants are not providing customers with appropriate change when they pay for meals in cash. Maybe they are charging more for guac now? [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette] * Utah is allowing individuals without law licenses to offer legal services under certain circumstances. [Desert News] * A federal judge has halted a lawsuit aimed at challenging Pennsylvania's mail-in-voting plans for the upcoming election. [Hill] * A lawyer accidentally offered $10,000 to settle a case instead of the intended $100,000 and this lower number was accepted. This attorney should review the law surrounding scrivener's error... [Daily Business Review] * Check out this profile of a patent lawyer who became a professional poker player. [Card Player] * A lawyer in Texas will appear at a jury trial virtually while his adversary attends the trial in person. The virtual attendee should consider hiring a surrogate to appear in person in his place. [Texas Lawyer]
Morning Docket: 10.15.19
* Attorney for accused poker cheat explains that he loses all the time, so people who win all the time must be possible too. These are the math students law school was built to serve. [Card Player] * A Davis Wright Tremaine partner has resigned amid controversy that a board he served on covered up allegations against the non-profit's founder. [American Lawyer] * Comedy writer writes tale of what would have happened if he'd listened to his mother and gone into law instead of comedy. Having read this contribution to the New Yorker's humor section... he should have listened to his mom. [New Yorker] * Inmate seeks to intervene on R. Kelly's behalf. He feels a kinship because the prisoner is... Trapped in the Jail Cell. [Yahoo] * LST is looking to expand its board as part of its commitment to maintain a board reflecting a cross-section of the legal industry. [Law School Transparency] * Lawyers overpay for less? Shocking! [Legaltech News] * Irell & Manella may be suffering from failed merger exodus. [Business Insider]
Non Sequiturs: 02.17.19
* I share Allahpundit's take on the retirement buzz around Justice Clarence Thomas (recently discussed by Jeffrey Toobin, but also in the air at last November's Federalist Society conference): it's certainly possible, and if it happens, Judge Amy Coney Barrett and Judge Amul Thapar are the two top picks. [Hot Air] * And Judge Barrett is protecting her prospects for Supreme Court confirmation: she just joined the opinion of a fellow shortlister, Judge Diane Sykes, that dutifully applies Hill v. Colorado, the shaky but not-overruled Supreme Court precedent about free-speech rights outside abortion clinics. [Bench Memos / National Review] * Speaking of SCOTUS, which amici boast the best track recorders in filing certiorari-stage amicus briefs in business cases? Adam Feldman crunches the numbers -- and the dominance of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce should come as no surprise. [Empirical SCOTUS] * And speaking of the Chamber, it also seems to be making progress on its goal of forcing more disclosure of litigation-funding arrangements, with the reintroduction of the Litigation Funding Transparency Act (LFTA). [Institute for Legal Reform] * Litigation funders don't reflexively oppose any and all disclosure requirements; Michael German of Vannin Capital, for example, argues for a sensible and limited disclosure regime. [New York Law Journal] * If you're looking for an interesting new podcast (besides Wondery's exploration of the Dan Markel case), consider Bound by Oath from the Institute for Justice (Eugene Volokh is a fan). [Institute for Justice] * Should Roger Stone be gagged? Joel Cohen weighs the pros and cons. [The Hill] * Are you a lawyer who enjoys poker? Mark your calendar for February 23! [Attorney Poker Tour]
Private Practice Lawyers: Rater Your Work With In-House Counsel
Please share your thoughts in this brief and anonymous survey.
Last Woman Standing At World Series Of Poker Tournament Is A Lawyer
Everyone in the legal profession is rooting for her to take home the grand prize.
Biglaw Bonus Season Round-Up: An ATL Infographic
You know what they say: a picture is worth a Davis Polk bonus package.
Non-Sequiturs: 01.28.15
* SWAT team called in to break up a poker game between a bunch of rich people. The militarization of the police seems like it's going great. [Washington Post] * The SPLC is lodging an ethics complaint against Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore after he explained that he intends to defy federal law. He's such a delight. [WAAY TV] * Rutgers-Camden's student evaluation controversy unfortunately fits right into the grand scheme of legal industry misogyny. [Salon] * South Carolina has finally vacated the convictions of the Friendship Nine -- protesters busted for sitting at the diner counter who pioneered the "jail, no bail" strategy that dominated the 60s civil rights movement. It only took 54 years. [Huffington Post] * Another day, another embarrassing development for the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell. This time it's former Senator Ben Nelson who Obamacare challengers cite for their claim that the Senate never intended subsidies to go to states without their own exchanges. Well, Senator Nelson wrote his own brief blowing this theory out of the water. This is basically SCOTUS's version of the Marshall McLuhan scene. [Washington Post] * A list of upcoming books about the Supreme Court. [SCOTUSBlog] * An enterprising law office discovered that the courts in Oklahoma publish social security numbers all the time. [Wirth Law Office] * D.C. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett talks clerking diversity. [National Law Journal] * UC Hastings Law student Hali Ford is competing on the 30th season of Survivor. Her interview video is below. [TV Grapevine] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8ydBekmEOw
Morning Docket: 09.11.14
* The justices of Supreme Court of the United States will discuss gay marriage cases from five states during their “long conference” at the end of the month. Which ones will they decide to take? Help us, Justice AMK! [National Law Journal] * This law school is having some troubles adjusting to the “new normal.” Not only is its administration planning back-to-back tuition hikes, but it’s asking the state for help with its deficits. Yikes, that’s not good. [The Republic] * This Gonzaga Law professor thinks that playing poker is part of having a balanced life. He might not come home with much after his games, but “it’s better than a kick in the head.” [Spokesman-Review] * Remember Kent W. Easter, the Biglaw partner who was accused of planting drugs in a school volunteer’s car? During his recent retrial, he was convicted of false imprisonment by fraud and deceit. [OC Weekly] * Following a “marathon trial marked by screams, tears, vomit, anger,” Oscar Pistorius has been found negligent, but not guilty of premeditated murder. Expect a final verdict tomorrow, perhaps. [USA Today]
How MyCase’s Smart Spend Can Help Increase Your Profits
This tweak to your financial management seems like a no-brainer.
Non-Sequiturs: 08.07.13
* Texas Hold ‘Em loses to Second Circuit on the River. [The Volokh Conspiracy] * Compiling a collection of historical White House counsel advice was a labor of love. The collection includes advice on issues ranging from dealing with Leon Trotsky to blockading Cuba. Advice on treaty with Roswell visitors conspicuously absent. [WSJ Law Blog] * An incoming 1L at Ole Miss takes to Craigslist to find a “young cute girl” to be “arm candy I spoil.” Ick. [Craigslist (in case that comes down, here's a screenshot)] * Johnny “Football” Manziel’s alleged autograph-for-pay scheme has prompted Texas A&M to hire Lightfoot, Franklin and White, the law firm that helped out Auburn when Cam Newton totally got paid to play was wrongfully accused of taking payments. [USA Today] * D.C. Circuit Judge Janice Rogers Brown has hired former bank robber and jailhouse lawyer Shon Hopwood as her new clerk. An awesome story actually. [Blog of the Legal Times] * Oh closed circuit surveillance, is there anything you can’t do? A police officer in Italy’s Supreme Court has earned some Internet fame after being caught dancing to YMCA while waiting for the verdict in Silvio Berlusconi’s trial. Original video after the jump. Check out Legal Cheek for some viewer-created homages. [Legal Cheek]
Non-Sequiturs: 07.02.13
* Another interpretation of the Shelby County decision posits that the Roberts Court is a lot like the Walking Dead, just less entertaining. [Huffington Post] * Dean David Schizer is leaving. [The Faculty Lounge] * Missouri tried to “save Christmas” from heathens, but had its efforts stymied when the governor realized it could literally set the state on fire. [Volokh Conspiracy] * Cardinal Dolan, America’s most prominent Catholic bishop, apparently shifted Church assets to keep them from falling into the hands of abuse victims. Perhaps he could have exerted the same effort keeping abuse victims out of the hands of abusers? [NY Times] * It looks like a Paul Weiss associate, Molissa Farber, is still alive in the $1,000 No-Limit event at the World Series of Poker. Maybe she’ll be able to pay off her loans sooner rather than later. [Poker News] * Did you enjoy Milli Vanilli? Perhaps you’d like watching air guitar? The national semifinals are in New York tonight. [Bowery Ballroom]
Morning Docket: 07.03.12
* Obama’s win for health care reform didn’t result in a polling bump for him, but it did result in an even higher disapproval rating for SCOTUS, at least as far as Republicans are concerned… [POLITCO; CBS News] * … which may be why Chief Justice John Roberts escaped to “an impregnable island fortress” to avoid the Right’s fury, criticism, and scorn as soon as he could after the ACA opinion dropped. [New York Times] * “[W]e have learned from the mistakes that were made.” That lesson only cost a few billion dollars. GlaxoSmithKline will pay $3B in the largest health-care fraud settlement in U.S. history. [Wall Street Journal] * After losing a bid to quash a subpoena, Twitter has to turn over info about an #OWS protester’s tweets. OMG, please respond to that thing in 140 characters or less. [Bloomberg] * Unlike most recent law school grads, Yale Law’s Vanessa Selbst hasn’t been hedging her bets in bar prep classes. Instead, she went all in, played her cards right, and won $244K at the World Series of Poker. [ESPN] * Divorce really does bring out the best in people. Alec Baldwin says that if given the chance, he would murder his ex-wife Kim Basinger’s lawyer “with a baseball bat.” Gee, tell us how you really feel. [New York Post]
Poker Player With Full House of Designer Shoes Gets Sued By Ex-Husband Over Her $1M Collection
If you’re wise, you already know better than to mess with a woman’s shoe collection. Unfortunately, some men still haven’t gotten the memo...
Morning Docket: 06.15.12
* The first day of jury deliberations in the Rajat Gupta insider-trading case ended without a verdict. Benula Bensam’s boredom is epic — the poor girl can’t even blog about the trial anymore. [Bloomberg] * Baker & McKenzie is celebrating its 50th year in Toronto, Canada by handing out spring bonuses luring in lateral hires. Welcome aboard to Kent Beattie, formerly of Slavies Davies. [Globe and Mail] * You can run, you can hide, but you can’t escape Sandusky’s love. Alleged Victim No. 9 testified that he screamed for help in vain while staying in the former coach’s allegedly “soundproof” basement. [CNN] * It’s hard out here for a shoeshiner: Cooley Law grads suing their alma mater over allegedly misleading employment statistics may face an “uphill battle” when it comes to fraud allegations. [WSJ Law Blog] * The CEO of Caesars Entertainment has proclaimed that he has “tremendous confidence” that online poker will become legal in the near future. So much for keeping your poker face on that one, eh? [MSN Money] * Imagine my surprise when I found out that a yet another man in Springfield, MA, was arrested for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Here’s the surprise… the dangerous weapon was wasabi sauce. [TIME]