Recent Headlines from Above the Law
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Small Law Firms
'You Should Commit Suicide' Not An Acceptable Settlement Strategy
The lawyer who introduced us all to dog racism argued that he should only be censured. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 04.03.19
* President Trump doesn’t seem to be as enthusiastic about special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report being released to Congress and the public anymore, which is strange since it was a “complete and total exoneration.” [POLITICO]
* Meanwhile, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee seem to be divided over how quickly they want to subpoena the full Mueller report from Attorney General William Barr. Either way, a vote will take place sometime today. [Washington Post]
* Law firm merger activity has been really strong during the first quarter of 2019, with 27 firms combining thus far. Right now, this is on track with last year’s record-setting merger mania, when 106 firms officially tied the knot. [Big Law Business]
* New York real estate lawyer Adam Leitman Bailey, who once told a tenant he “should commit suicide,” has been suspended for four months after reportedly running into an arbitration hearing and swearing at a witness. [New York Law Journal]
* According to a report from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, lawyers once connected to Wynn Resorts — including two former GCs — allegedly helped conceal sexual assault and misconduct claims against Steven Wynn, the casino’s founder. [Corporate Counsel]
* Oopsie! As an FYI, in Texas, it’s completely possible to accidentally resign from your position as a judge. Don’t make the same mistake as this poor jurist. [Reuters]
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White-Collar Crime
Ivanka And Don Jr. Avoided Indictment The Old-Fashioned Way: By Being Rich
'You couldn’t have had a better e-mail trail.' -
Biglaw, Pets, Real Estate
Latham Partner And 'Dog Racism': Or, The Dumbest Thing You'll Hear Today
When a Biglaw partner's pit bull gets an eviction notice, it's time to make some false equivalencies! -
Boutique Law Firms, Job Searches, Small Law Firms
Back In The Race: Ambition And Grit Do Not Always Come From The Top
Hunger and ambition cannot be measured by law school rank or even by grades, according to columnist Shannon Achimalbe. -
Job Searches, Law Schools, Small Law Firms
Law Firm's 'Ban' On Ivy League Law School Grads Is Dumb
A close look at a small law firm's "ban" on Ivy League law school grads reveals pure puffery. -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 07.16.15
* No pudding pops for you, POTUS! When President Obama answered a question about the possibility of revoking Bill Cosby’s Medal of Freedom, he more or less insinuated that the comedian was a rapist, saying this country should “have no tolerance” for it. [New York Times]
* “He was acting like a clown.” Even if you reportedly act like a complete and total drunk idiot while hitting on a partner’s wife at your would-be law firm’s holiday party, it’s still possible that you’ll get a job if your dad has political ties and allegedly makes certain promises to the firm. [Journal News]
* Everyone’s eager to make the jump to an in-house job after years in Biglaw, but many forget the comp scheme is different from what they’re used to. Some in-house earners, however, blow away the competition. We’ll have more on this later. [Corporate Counsel]
* One of the most important lessons that can be learned from the D&L debacle is that “[g]igantic law firms have a major Achilles’ heel.” When attorneys flee in droves, it can really upset the balance, and boy, Dewey know what a pain that can be. [WSJ Law Blog]
* If you think all New York City firms will only hire from elite law schools that make up the U.S. News T14, then think again. This prominent real estate boutique seeks to “hire the best candidates based purely on merit, not aristocracy.” Refreshing. [Huffington Post]
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Animal Law, Copyright, Crime, Labor / Employment, Law Schools, Music, Non-Sequiturs, Sex, Technology
Non-Sequiturs: 12.16.13
* Mayor Bloomberg is filing suit to overturn New York’s Living Wage law, because wasting a bunch of money pursuing a lawsuit for the last two weeks of his term is the kind of efficiency he brings to the table as a biznessmun. [DNAInfo] * Judge Richard Leon puts the NSA metadata surveillance program on ice. Looks like someone's going to get bugged. [Slate] * Someone’s asking for a fake college transcript in Baton Rouge. Pretty sure LSU’s athletic department could give you a hand. [Law and More] * Considering the polygamy ruling in Utah, here’s an interesting analysis of the constitutionality of bestiality laws. This seems like an appropriate place to link this song about a guy who broke into the Lincoln Park zoo in Chicago. [The Volokh Conspiracy] * Here’s a fun game: replace the name of the school and the course of study and marvel at how easily it could pass for an article Elie wrote. [Huffington Post] * These folks got smacked with a cybersquatting charge because they used a logical domain name to publicize an ongoing dispute. It’s a lot easier to sue people than to build a solid home. [IT-Lex] * In sad news, the victim in a recent carjacking-related killing was Dustin Friedland, a Syracuse law grad who worked with Adam Leitman Bailey. Our thoughts are with the Friedland family. [NY Daily News] * The Beastie Boys are suing GoldieBlox over the latter’s viral ad set to a parody of “Girls.” Unlike GoldieBlox, NYU Law professor Chris Sprigman doesn’t need an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine to burst the Beastie Boys’ bubble. Video embedded after the jump… [Bloomberg Law via YouTube]