Seton Hall University School of Law

* In completely unshocking news, despite advice from ethics officials, Acting Attorney General and former Tight End Matthew Whitaker has refused to recuse himself from oversight of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russian election interference probe. [USA Today]

* Corporate clients are trying to control their spending, and that means more and more Biglaw firms are having trouble collecting on their year-end bills, such that “on average [a firm] can lose 20 percent of its original billing amount.” [Big Law Business]

* First-year law student enrollment increased by 3 percent this year, and two New Jersey schools played a really big role. Rutgers Law increased its 1Ls by 17.87 percent and Seton Hall Law increased its 1Ls by 24.87 percent. [New Jersey Law Journal]

* Another day, another law school that’s willing to accept the GRE for admissions. Starting this fall, the University at Buffalo School of Law will accept the alternative test in place of the LSAT to “eliminat[e] barriers to access to education.” [UB Now]

* In case you missed it, earlier this week, Nick Wilson, a public defender, won the latest season of Survivor. Now the 2013 graduate of Alabama Law has $1 million to pay off his loans after becoming the Sole Survivor. Congratulations! [Kentucky Today]

* Are you ready to be tracked online, everyone? Senate Republicans voted yesterday to overturn internet privacy protections for individuals that were created by the Federal Communications Commission in October. “These were the strongest online privacy rules to date, and this vote is a huge step backwards in consumer protection writ large.” [DealBook / New York Times]

* Being forced to resign from your position isn’t so bad when you can land a sweet gig as a law professor. Barbara McQuade and Preet Bharara aren’t the only U.S. Attorneys who found new homes at law schools in the wake of their recent ouster by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Paul Fishman, the former U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, is now a visiting fellow at Seton Hall University School of Law. Congrats! [Law.com]

* Mary Yelenick, the third Chadbourne & Parke partner to join the $100 million gender bias class-action suit filed against the firm, claims she was pressured to disavow the allegations in a letter signed by fourteen of the firm’s then-sixteen female partners. “At least two of the partners who signed the letter subsequently expressed to me that they hesitated, but felt great pressure to sign the letter,” she says. [Big Law Business]

* Gawker may be approaching a “potential settlement” with Peter Thiel relative to the tech billionaire’s vendetta against the website. The feud led to Thiel’s funding of several lawsuits against Gawker, including the one filed by wrestler Hulk Hogan which eventually bankrupted the site. Any deal between the parties would likely protect Gawker founder Nick Denton from any future Thiel-funded lawsuits. [New York Post]

* Illinois may be getting ready to puff, puff, pass some legislation that will legalize recreational marijuana. Senate Bill 316 and House Bill 2353 will allow adults to possess up to 28 grams of marijuana and regulate its sale, tax, cultivation, and use. The state already allows patients with certain ailments to use medical marijuana and decriminalized possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana last year. [Newsweek]

* “You’d think the least attractive school would charge the lowest price. What they’re doing is admitting students with relatively low LSAT scores, and charging them a high price for gambling on them.” According to this higher-ed market analyst, 10 to 15 law schools may close if student enrollment continues to shrink and tuition continues to rise. [ABA Journal]

* Attorneys working at the nation’s highest-grossing Biglaw firms are not only making money hand over fist right now, but they’re going to be quite well off come retirement time, too. The top 10 largest 401(k) plans in Biglaw each have more than $700 million in assets. Which firm came out on top? We may have more on this later. [Big Law Business]

* President-elect Trump’s campaign has filed an objection to Jill Stein’s “lawless, insulting request” for a recount in Michigan, commenting on her “tiny vote total” and noting “voters should not risk having the Electoral College door knocked off its hinges all because a 1% candidate is dissatisfied with the election’s outcome.” [USA Today]

* Just because women make up nearly half of all law school classes, it doesn’t mean they have the same job opportunities as their male classmates — and that’s likely because women are “clustered” at lower-ranked schools, meaning they “start at a disadvantage” when it comes to lifetime professional employment. [DealBook / New York Times]

* Come fall 2017, Seton Hall Law will be one of the only schools in the country and the only school in the New York metropolitan area to offer a part-time weekend program for working professionals. The degree is meant to be completed in four years. How much could eight weekends of class cost per semester? About $39,000… [Daily Record]

* Donald Trump has opinions on Supreme Court justices. He thinks that Roberts is “disgraceful,” that Scalia was “very tough” on black students, and that he loves Thomas. Perhaps he should take a cue from his favorite justice and shut up. [CNN; Associated Press]

* An easy peasy solution? Rather than amend the Constitution, Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio says that he’ll just appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn the decision in the Obergefell case because he thinks that gay marriage is “bad law.” [ThinkProgress]

* Gibson Dunn has billed about $8 million to defend New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in the Bridgegate scandal thus far, so here’s a thought: perhaps you should show your hard-working associates some appreciation and announce bonuses already. [Fox News]

* Taylor Swift filed trademark applications for five signature phrases (Swiftmas, Blank Space, And I’ll Write Your Name, A Girl Named Girl, and 1989). If you infringe upon any of them, you can expect that she’ll be writing your name — on a lawsuit. [USA Today]

* Braeden Anderson, the Seton Hall law student and ball player who divides his time between the courtroom and the basketball court, has had one hell of a 1L year. When he graduates, this extremely lucky guy may have a job — with the NBA. [New York Times]

* While you were feasting upon turkey this Thanksgiving, Dentons — otherwise known as the largest Biglaw behemoth in the world — was busy gobbling up yet another law firm. The megafirm will combine with 33-lawyer OPF Partners out of Luxembourg. [WSJ Law Blog]

* According to a survey from AlixPartners, over the past 12 months, GCs have reported more “bet the company” lawsuits compared to last year. Don’t get too excited, though, because growth in litigation spend hasn’t quite caught up yet. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA]

* You really can do anything with a law degree — including things that have absolutely nothing to do with the law! Patrick Hobbs, dean emeritus of Seton Hall Law, has been tapped to become the athletics director at Rutgers University. [NJ Advance Media]

* What would happen if one of the largest publicly traded plaintiffs firms in the world went under? Ever since its stock price plummeted by 52 percent, industry analysts have started to wonder whether Slater & Gordon is on the verge of collapse. [ABC News]

* In the wake of the defacement of black faculty portraits and the administration’s apparent “ongoing failure” to address racism on campus, Harvard Law alumni are being asked to stop making donations to the school until changes are made. [Boston Globe]

* One of 92-year-old Sumner Redstone’s exes filed a probate suit questioning his mental competence and ability to run Viacom and CBS. His attorney from entertainment law powerhouse Loeb & Loeb essentially called her client’s ex a gold digger. [CNBC]