William Barr

Morning Docket: 01.08.20

* A Tennessee lawyer has been suspended from practice for allegedly taking controlled substances from an evidence room while serving as a prosecutor. Maybe he wanted to see if the drugs were legit...? [ABC News] * Former Attorney General William Barr has condemned President Trump's alleged role in the riot that occurred at the U.S. Capitol earlier this week. [New York Daily News] * Check out this interview with Judy Sheindlin in which she discusses her career on the bench and on Judge Judy as the show reaches its final episodes. [ABA Journal] * The lawyer for a California man accused of having a New Year's Eve party attended by around 100 people at Eddie Murphy's former mansion said it "wasn't supposed to be a big affair." [Sacramento Bee] * The DEA has asked that a lawsuit concerning hemp regulations be dismissed. Bet many hope this challenge goes up in smoke... [Capital Press]

Will We See A Wave Of White-Collar Litigation?

And what implications might that have for lateral hiring in the white-collar world?

Attorney General Barr’s Anti-Encryption Efforts Aren’t Supported By Many FBI Officials

Not everyone's on the same page.

Bar Association Calls Out William Barr

Some folks are really unhappy with the Attorney General.

Morning Docket: 11.07.19

* Rudy Giuliani has finally selected the counsel that will represent him in the impeachment probe. Looks like his version of "The Apprentice: Lawyer Edition” is now over. [Politico] * Sources say former Attorney General Jeff Sessions will announce today that he is running for his old Senate seat. [CNN} * A judge has signaled that he will allow a lawsuit filed by House Democrats seeking President Trump's tax records to proceed. [The Hill] * A white male former lawyer for the Hershey Company can Hershey's Kiss his race and gender discrimination lawsuit against the company goodbye. [Patriot News] * Law student groups are refusing to accept funding from firms with mandatory arbitration clauses. [Bloomberg] * President Trump reportedly asked Attorney General Barr to clear him of wrongdoing over Ukraine, which Attorney General Barr refused to do. [Wall Street Journal]

A Religious Bigot In Power Plays The Victim

In a speech where he demonized all those who do not subscribe to his religious 'moral' teachings as the direct cause of all the country’s problems, William Barr also claimed to be the victim.

Don’t Forget To Impeach Bill Barr

Here's a whole thread reminding you to do that.

Morning Docket: 10.25.19

* An Apple lawyer tasked with preventing insider trading has been charged with insider trading.  The good news is he probably knows a lot about the law of insider trading. [CNBC] * Law firm rents in most parts of New York City are on the rise.  Hasn't anyone heard of WeWork? They've been in the news a lot lately... [New York Law Journal] * Attorney General Barr's review of the Russian probe has now turned into a criminal investigation. [Wall Street Journal] * A small law firm has removed a Halloween display that featured black jack-o-lanterns after facing complaints.  Apparently, they bought the jack-o-lanterns from Bed Bath and Beyond, definitely in the beyond aisle. [News 12 Westchester] * Brendan Dassey's lawyers used the help of 250 experts to support his request for clemency. [Post Crescent] * Mayor de Blasio and the NYPD confirm that they would charge President Trump if he actually shot someone on Fifth Avenue. We live in interesting times... [The Hill]

NY City Bar To Attorney General: Delete Your Account

Your move, D.C.!

Morning Docket: 09.23.19

* After days of unrest following news of a whistleblower report concerning Donald Trump's alleged conversations with Ukraine's leader about investigating former VP Joe Biden, the president now acknowledges that he did discuss Biden, and that he did acccuse him of corruption, but he left out the part about where he reportedly urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to work on investigation with Rudy Giuliani... repeatedly. Lawmakers are understandably up in arms. [New York Times; Wall Street Journal] * House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says that "we may very well have crossed the Rubicon here" and that impeachment may be "the only remedy" if Trump did, in fact, pressure Ukraine to investigate a political opponent. [Slate] * Meanwhile, Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has demanded that Attorney General William Barr release the Ukranian whistleblower complaint to lawmakers ASAP, as required by law. [The Hill] * Penn Law recently held a town hall meeting with students to discuss Amy Wax, and the controversial professor is pissed, claiming not only that she wasn't invited but that she had no idea about the meeting's existence in the first place. [Philly Voice] * How do you like them apples? Whitey Bulger's family plans to file a $200 million wrongful death claim against the government over his prison murder. [Boston Herald]

Morning Docket: 08.12.19

* Accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who’d reportedly been taken off suicide watch, died by suicide this weekend as he awaited trial. AG Bill Barr is “appalled,” and has called for an investigation into the circumstances of Epstein’s death. [New York Times] * In light of Epstein’s death, his victims want prosecutors to turn their sights upon Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been described as the financier’s “protector and procurer, his girlfriend and his madam.” [Washington Post] * Will the Supreme Court be able to delay hearing cases about expanding Second Amendment rights considering the fact that this country has quite the problem with mass shootings? Not too hopeful here. [USA Today] * Joel Sanders, defunct firm Dewey’s former CFO, wants his criminal conviction to be tossed out and his $1 million fine to be vacated with it. [New York Law Journal] * So much for those Biglaw raises... According to a report recently published by the ABA, lawyers’ wages have been pretty stagnant, growing slower than inflation from 2017 to 2018. [Big Law Business]

Attorney General Overrules Civil Rights Division To Protect White Cop

Justice Department will not bring charges against the police who murdered Eric Garner.

Morning Docket: 06.10.19

* The end of the Supreme Court’s current term is drawing near, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says that dark times may be ahead in terms of “sharp divisions” for some of the “most watched cases” with decisions yet to be announced. Uh-oh... [Associated Press] * Who is the real Attorney General Bill Barr? In this interesting profile, opinions vary wildly, with some calling him “closest thing [the Trump administration has] to Dick Cheney” and others referring to him as a “real danger.” [New York Times] * George Conway of Wachtell, husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, has once again taken to Twitter to call out President Trump: “You would have been fired from any other job by now.” [The Hill] * Sedgwick wants its money back: After partners fled the firm prior to its demise, the bankruptcy estate is now hoping for $1.6 million clawback settlement to make things right. [Big Law Business] * Even though the lead plaintiff has dropped out in favor of arbitration, tech giant Google can’t seem to shake the lawsuit claiming the company is biased against conservatives, men, white people. [Mercury News]

Morning Docket: 05.10.19

* With numerous contempt of Congress charges swirling thanks to the inaction of Trump administration officials, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has declared that the nation is in the midst of a constitutional crisis. It was only a matter of time before this happened. [New York Times] * Meanwhile, in the wake of Speaker Pelosi’s comments, President Trump now says that he’ll leave it up to AG Bill Barr to determine whether special counsel Robert Mueller will be permitted to testify before Congress. Frankly, he’s more concerned about Don Jr. now. [New York Times] * C. Allen Parker, former Cravath presiding partner turned Wells Fargo GC turned Wells Fargo acting CEO, has done something very wise in his short time leading the troubled bank: He created a regulatory and compliance group. Smooth move! [Corporate Counsel] * “I want my life back.” Jessica Crutcher has come forward as the formerly anonymous Mayer Brown partner behind the $20 million suit where she alleged that a bartender at a Houston restaurant raped her. [Texas Lawyer] * Paul Manafort has officially been disbarred in D.C. after his conviction for “tampering with witnesses while on pre-trial release,” a crime of moral turpitude. This poor crook lost everything thanks to his association with Donald Trump. [Big Law Business] * Conan O’Brien has settled a lawsuit that accused him of copyright infringement through joke theft, writing that he “decided to forgo a potentially farcical and expensive jury trial in federal court over five jokes that don’t even make sense anymore.” [Variety]

Morning Docket: 05.06.19

* President Donald Trump has officially objected to special counsel Robert Mueller testifying before Congress via Twitter (obviously), putting himself at odds with his own Attorney General Bill Barr, who previously said he’d have no problem with Mueller’s testimony. [New York Times] * Justice Clarence Thomas, the high court’s longest-serving justice, may finally be having his moment in the sun. As a member of the more conservative SCOTUS majority, his views are finally being given more credence as he “drags the court in his direction.” If he holds true to his refusal to retire, in 2028, he could become the longest-serving justice in history. [Associated Press] * “I don’t have anything to hide. This guy Cohen has muddied the record and tried to muddy our reputation. I won’t let that happen.” Michael Cohen’s ex-defense attorney says that not only has his former client sullied his name, but that he still owes $43K in legal fees. [New York Law Journal] * Meanwhile, Michael Cohen is heading to a prison today that’s been referred to as “a great place for white-collar Jewish guy,” with a menu that includes matzo ball soup and gefilte fish. Plus, he’ll get to hang out with Mike Sorrentino of Jersey Shore and Billy McFarland of Fyre Festival. [Reuters] * Greg Andres, a senior prosecutor on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team who served as lead trial lawyer in Paul Manafort’s case, is headed back to Davis Polk. [Big Law Business] * According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy added 263,000 jobs last month, but it looks like the legal profession was left out of all the fun, declining by 0.7 percent. Just in time for graduation... [American Lawyer]