Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP

What's going on at Hughes Hubbard?

Associates were 'blindsided' by the news.

This was either really good for associates... or really, really bad.

* Lawyer for Hughes Hubbard partner wants the other side to whip it out. [Law360]

* What if Martindale and Avvo came together into one website that no one looks at? [American Lawyer]

* Court says Michael Avenatti stiffed a contractor on the same day he’s kicked out of his office for being a deadbeat, further solidifying his position as the “liberal version of Trump.” [LA Times]

* Speaking of Trump, insurers can now kill your coverage over the pre-existing condition of “acne.” [NY Times]

* Justice Department advising agencies to lie about FOIA requests. Cool. [Courthouse News Service]

* In case you were wondering, the Mueller probe is not a witch hunt. [CNN]

* The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is now the number one IPO market in the world. Great job for the #MakeAmericaSecondRateAgain crowd! [International]

* Lawyer forcefully argues for Harvard admissions to reflect socioeconomic diversity. If this wasn’t a lawsuit bankrolled by white grievance they might be onto something. [Politico]

A gym employee says this partner was jacking off in the steam room.

Reports of Biglaw's death are greatly exaggerated.

A number of these partners were current or former practice chairs.

Historic, high PPP firm offers full raises for lawyers.

* TRUCE! In the wake of his settlement with Paul Cassell, Alan Dershowitz looks to make peace with David Boies after a vicious fight. [Big Law Business]

* Speaking of making peace, Chris Christie has made a deal with New Jersey Democrats to end a six-year stalemate over the state Supreme Court. He is nominating Bridget Kelly’s old lawyer, Walter Timpone. [New Jersey.com]

* More analysis of bar exam results: see what happened in Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington, Tennessee, and Kentucky. [Bar Exam Stats]

* Is it ethically acceptable — and does it work — to shame prosecutors for wrongful convictions? [Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics via Slate]

* Yes, that’s billions with a B: Goldman Sachs to pay $5 billion in settlements over charges it contributed to the 2008 financial crisis. [Gawker]

* Kevin Abikoff, partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, cleared Unaoil in an anti-corruption report, and is now facing questions about that representation. [Huffington Post]

You can get a market bonus for billing solid hours at this firm.

Which firm is trying to quietly reduce its attorney headcount?

He's not the first Biglaw partner to run afoul of the tax laws, and he won't be the last.

How much does law school pedigree correlate with other measures of law firm "success"?

How does expected talent (as measured by law school credentials) correlate with other indicators of “success” (as measured by profits per partner)?

What's going on at Fried Frank, which has seen significant lateral losses lately?

* Because it’s been such a long time since the NFL has had a scandal, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is accused of sexual assault in a new suit. The Cowboys claim the suit is nothing but a money grab. No one knows a money grab like a franchise owner milking a new stadium partially financed by taxpayers. [USAToday] * Dean Frank Wu explains why Hastings will survive the end of law schools. [SF Weekly] * A pair of IP litigators, James W. Dabney and Stephen S. Rabinowitz, have jumped from Fried Frank to Hughes Hubbard. Will others be following Dabney & Rabinowitz out of Fried Frank? [Hughes Hubbard] * “Lawyer’s ‘Torture Porn’ Past Pops Up in Pa. Governor’s Race.” OK, let’s see what you’ve got here. [Greedy Associates / FindLaw] * An interesting breakdown of the legal scholars with the widest network of co-authors. Think of these as the most promiscuous scholars around. Actually, no. Don’t think that. [Ryan Whalen] * Etsy sides with the USPTO and bans sales of anything branded “Redskins” on its platform. I’m not sure how smart this is since the economic teeth of the USPTO decision was to allow sites like Etsy to sell massive quantities of otherwise trademark-infringing stuff until Washington relented and opted for a new trademark-protectable name. [Etsy] * Don’t throw peanut butter in my neighborhood (though I don’t understand the blotter… there’s no Bodega at that location). [Legal Juice] * Lest you think law school is reasonably priced: “New IBR and PSLF provide benefits large enough that high earnings still result in nearly $100,000 in loan forgiveness for typical levels of debt for law school graduates. A lawyer earning at the 50th percentile with that debt level stands to have $147,282 forgiven, which is more than he borrowed…” [New America Education Policy Program] * Keeping in touch with your inner child to relate to witnesses as humans. [Katz Justice] * Closing out this football-heavy NS, friend of the blog Mitchell Epner discusses why Roger Goodell won’t (and shouldn’t) survive the fallout of the Ray Rice scandal. Check out the video after the jump… [CNBC]

* Hughes Hubbard & Reed is doing its part to help fulfill wishes made in children’s letters to Santa at a time when the Post Office’s Operation Santa program is in desperate need. So to all you other Biglaw firms, the ball’s in your court. [USA Today] * Judge Timothy Black cited Justice Scalia’s dissent to reject Ohio’s gay marriage ban. I’m sure this is a cite that warms the justice’s heart. [Associated Press] * Professor Pam Karlan is off to become Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Voting Rights. Here’s the last article of the preeminent voting rights expert in her old role as a commentator at the Boston Review describing strange SCOTUS bedfellows. Good luck in the new job! [Boston Review] * Good news for Florida lawyers! The Florida Bar has revoked its opinion banning LinkedIn endorsements and recommendations. Go back to patting each other on the digital back. [IT-Lex] * Realtors are getting sued for using a home as a sex pad. Strangely enough, this isn’t even the first time we’ve talked about this at Above the Law. [New York Magazine] * Do you have to work over vacation? Probably, but it’s worth researching. [TaxProf Blog via Corporate Counsel] * We shouldn’t have been so surprised by the affluenza defense because North Texas is basically one big monument to the concept. [New York Times] * Here’s an infographic showing the most popular TV show set in each state. What legal shows make the list? [Business Insider] * The top 10 most ridiculous lawsuits of the year. Apple porn guy clocks in at a mere number 10? Outrage! Bigger outrage: they ultimately link to the HuffPo write-up of… the original Above the Law piece. Why no direct link, hm? Video embedded after the jump… [Faces of Lawsuit Abuse]

Which firms demonstrate a true commitment to diversity? Check out the latest rankings from Vault and from Am Law.

Which major law firms get top scores for diversity?

Are we breaking the back of the recession? Today, we have news that Hughes Hubbard is making raises that put will put its associates back to pre-salary freeze levels. Here’s the salary information from the firm-wide memo: ANNUAL SALARIES In recognition of those efforts, we will be implementing raises in annual salaries in all offices […]