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By Barbri
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 12.24.20

* Netflix has defeated libel claims related to The Laundromat, a film about the "Panama Papers." Maybe the judge was moved by Meryl Streep's performance... [Hollywood Reporter] * A lawsuit has been filed over alleged abuse of migrant women in detention centers run by ICE. [NBC News] * A typo in a Georgia election lawsuit says the lawyer verified the allegations under "plenty of perjury" instead of "penalty of perjury." [ABA Journal] * Judges of the Southern District of New York exercised a rarely used power to keep the acting U.S. Attorney in Manhattan on the job until Joe Biden is inaugurated. [New York Times] * A report alleges that some law firms took Payroll Protection Program money and banked the cash rather than used it on payroll. Don't think anyone should be surprised... [ABA Journal]

By Jordan Rothman
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.30.20

* A Long Island gym owner is planning on filing a lawsuit over New York's plans to delay the reopening of gyms. Guess they call it "Strong" Island for a reason... [Long Island Press] * Pinterest has hired outside counsel to investigate allegations of a hostile work environment. [Bloomberg] * The Michigan Attorney General is suing Exxon Mobil and other energy companies over alleged culpability with climate change. [NPR] * Booz Allen has been hit with a sex discrimination and retaliation lawsuit by a former employee. [Bloomberg] * A New York lawyer who lied about his grandfather's death to miss a court date and is one of the most disciplined lawyers in the Southern District of New York has been sanctioned $104,000 for conduct in a copyright case. This guy might make a good Above the Law lawyer of the year candidate... [Daily News]

By Jordan Rothman
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.18.19

* Sorry, bro, but one of them doesn’t like beer anymore: The Tenth Circuit denied 20 appeals of its earlier decision to dismiss misconduct complaints against now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh, but this time, the panel was split, with one judge saying the "entire council should be disqualified." [National Law Journal] * "It’s not enough to legalize marijuana at the federal level — we should also help those who have suffered due to its prohibition." If you're a Democratic candidate running for president in 2020, you better be down with legalizing weed in the name of social justice. [New York Times] * Preet Bharara, ex-U.S. attorney for the S.D.N.Y., knows his former coworkers could cause Trump trouble. They're "very aggressive," "very fearless," "very independent," and they don't even "care about politics" -- they'll prosecute anyone. [NBC News] * The National Women’s Hall of Fame recently announced its Class of 2019, and three lawyers of note were honored: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, women's rights attorney Gloria Allred, and Native American tribal law expert Sarah Deer. [AP] * According to a new new report from Thomson Reuters and Acritas, there's a "disheartening" lack of diversity in corporate legal departments. Given how "diverse" law firms are, this isn't exactly shocking news to anyone. [Corporate Counsel]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.17.18

* Sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh were recently brought to light and while he may be spending his time "hoping and praying" before the vote, his supporters say it's highly likely he'll be confirmed anyway. [Big Law Business] * Well, except for the fact that senators are calling for the delay of Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote now that his accuser has come forward to reveal the details of the judge’s alleged attack on her when they were students in high school. [NBC News] * And was Judge Kavanaugh a member of Judge Alex Kozinski's sexually explicit "Easy Rider Gag List"? Kavanaugh says he doesn't remember receiving any of those emails, but Heidi Bond, one of Kozinski's former law clerks, thinks that there could be a very easy way to find out if the would-be SCOTUS justice is lying. [Slate] * The most controversial Biglaw firm? Federal prosecutors are considering bringing charges against former Skadden partner Greg Craig and taking action against the firm itself in a probe related to Paul Manafort. Will the prestigious Biglaw firm wind up with a civil settlement or a deferred prosecution agreement? [CNN] * Shearman & Sterling has announced that the firm will soon bring Sandra Bang, its first-ever chief diversity and talent strategy officer, into its C-suite. She'll be leading a new global task force aimed at increasing diversity at the Wall Street firm. Congratulations! Perhaps additional firms will follow their lead. [American Lawyer] * The body of Brian Lewinstein, the rising second-year student at Berkeley Law who crossed a safety line and fell while trying to get a picture of Toketee Falls from above, has been found. More than a month had passed since the accident occurred. Our sincere condolences go out to all of his family and friends. [SFGate]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.09.17

* "It's an extreme position to go from hateful statements to this. What would cause him to change his mind?" President Trump is a fan of calling the Russia investigation a "witch hunt" in public, but word on the street is that he's sent private messages to special counsel Robert Mueller to express his "appreciation" for what he's been doing. Countdown until Mueller gets fired? [USA Today] * "Judge Roy Moore is the real deal. He's tough, tested, and has a spine of steel." Chuck Norris is endorsing former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore to fill the Senate seat that was left vacant by Jeff Sessions after he became attorney general. Guys, it looks like Chuck Norris can't divide by zero anymore, so maybe it's time for everyone to buy a Total Gym so this man can retire. [CNN] * Just how much do Williams & Connolly partners make? The firm typically keeps quiet about compensation, but Curtis J. Mahoney, who is up for the deputy U.S. trade representative post in the Trump administration, has had to make some financial disclosures and now we know he's made $833,000 in partnership income thus far in 2017. [National Law Journal] * Following the release of the results of a study of female attorneys' speaking roles -- or lack thereof -- in New York courts, former Southern District Judge Shira Scheindlin, who is now of counsel at Stroock, said in a powerful op-ed that law firms "must stop paying lip service to diversity and take concrete steps to change." Perhaps one day, something will actually change. [New York Times] * Federal prosecutors have dropped their securities fraud case against Wall Street financier Benjamin Wey thanks to an extremely unfavorable evidence suppression order issued by Judge Alison Nathan of the Southern District of New York. Wey's legal team from Haynes and Boone is obviously quite pleased with the decision. We may have more on this later. [New York Law Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 03.21.17

* Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it... especially when it's rumored that you were the inspiration for seminal 80s character Ferris Bueller and you're now under consideration to be Preet Bharara's replacement as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Edward McNally works for Kasowitz Benson now, but he's reportedly a leading contender for the job. [Wall Street Journal] * Preet Bharara, on the other hand, is now considering taking up teaching at a prestigious law school -- like Columbia, Harvard, or NYU -- or going into private practice at a prestigious Biglaw firm -- like Gibson Dunn or WilmerHale. Who knew being fired after refusing to resign could work out so well? [Wall Street Journal] * Sources claim that President Trump will nominate Makan Delrahim to lead the Justice Department's antitrust division. Currently employed as a deputy in the Office of White House Counsel, Delrahim previously served in the DOJ antitrust division from 2003 to 2005 as deputy assistant attorney general under President Bush. [Big Law Business] * "The noise about lawyers is much more positive right now. Before, it was just negative noise." Law schools may be thanking our president for something that's being referred to as the "Trump bump." Some speculate that applications will surge thanks to the legal profession's prominence in the turbulent early days of his reign. [National Law Journal] * "They say a woman’s place is in the house. I say it’s in the courthouse." The lawyers at New York firm Meyer-Kessler & Shulevitz refer to themselves "double trouble," claim they represent the "new feminism," and they wear bright pink designer outfits every time they go to court. We may have more on this dynamic duo later. [New York Daily News]

By Staci Zaretsky