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Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.11.15

* A person of interest in the shooting of Texas Judge Julie Kocurek has been apprehended and arrested -- not for the shooting, mind you, but for a completely unrelated crime. Judge Kocurek continues her steady recovery after being seriously injured not by a bullet, but by shrapnel and glass. [Austin American-Statesman] * Barnes & Thornburg partner Vincent “Trace” Schmeltz may be sanctioned for tweeting pictures that he took of the evidence that was presented during a trial. He claims he didn't see the huge sign outside the courtroom prohibiting “photographing, recording or broadcasting." [Chicago Tribune via ABA Journal] * Schneiderman, Schneiderman! Bans sports-betting wherever he can! New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a cease-and-desist order against DraftKings and FanDuel, saying the daily fantasy sites constituted illegal gambling. [New York Times] * Dentons finally formalized its merger with Dacheng Law Offices yesterday, thus making it the official largest law firm in the world. At 6,600 lawyers strong, just think about how many scandals we'll be able to cover in 2016. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * According to the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance, more women are being welcomed into the ranks of partnership at major firms. Out of 118 firms, women made up 34.4 percent of new partner classes. Let's celebrate that less-than-50-percent benchmark! [WSJ Law Blog] * Fred Auston Wortman III, the Tennessee attorney who tried to murder his estranged wife, Staci, by lacing her toothpaste with poison, and later hired an inmate to do the deed after his plan failed, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. [Commercial Appeal] * Here are three ways you can balance your law school applications with your college responsibilities, but to be honest, if you're having trouble balancing these things, then perhaps you don't belong in law school. [Law Admissions Lowdown / U.S. News]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 11.09.15

* On Friday night, Judge Julie Kocurek, the presiding felony judge for Travis County, Texas, was shot outside her home. Her condition has been upgraded from critical to stable, and some say that she may have been a target of retaliation. We may have more on this terrible news later today. [American-Statesman] * Apparently it takes podcast stardom to get a post-conviction hearing these days: A Maryland judge has agreed to reopen the case against Adnan Syed, the man whose murder conviction received an in-depth look during the first season of "Serial." [CNN] * Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the legal sector added 700 jobs in October, bringing the industry to its highest level of employment all year. Don't get too excited -- we're still a long way from reaching pre-recession era glory. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * It took almost 10 years without putting anyone to death, but California has finally proposed a one-drug alternative to its three-drug lethal injection protocol after it was struck down as unconstitutional in 2006. Was this worth the wait? [WSJ Law Blog] * Following a much-deserved public excoriation from our very own Elie Mystal, Mizzou Law's Student Bar Association has decided to do away with its absurd social media policy. In a media statement, the SBA even agreed that it was "poorly written." [Huffington Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.07.15

* Dewey know what Justice Robert Stolz will do now that the jury has declared itself deadlocked on most charges? Tune in later today. [American Lawyer] * A case brought by law student turned privacy activist Max Schrems has triggered a European court ruling that Facebook won't "like." [How Appealing] * King & Spalding associate Ethan Davis talks about how he prepared for his argument yesterday before the U.S. Supreme Court. [National Law Journal] * Thanks to sentencing reform, the Justice Department will release about 6,000 inmates from prison starting later this month. [New York Times] * Speaking of the DOJ, BP will settle Deepwater Horizon oil spill claims with the feds for a whopping $20 billion. [ABA Journal] * Elsewhere in news of embattled companies, Volkswagen is turning to Mayer Brown for help in dealing with the emissions scandal that stinks to high heaven. [American Lawyer] * 50 Cent's malpractice suit against his ex-lawyers seeks 7.5 billion cents. [Law360] * When legal recruiters sue each other, things can get ugly -- fast. [American Lawyer]

By David Lat