More lateral movement, this time from the New York office of one Magic Circle firm to another. Who’s moving, from where to where?
Tags: Allen & Overy, Biglaw, Dolly Mirchandani, Energy, Freshfields, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Kent Rowey, Lateral Hiring, Lateral Moves, Laterals, Magic Circle, Musical Chairs, Partner Issues, Project Finance
A strip club explodes, and all we can think about is who’ll be on the hook for damages in the ensuing lawsuit.
Tags: Disasters / Emergencies, Energy, Explosions, Liability, Massachusetts, Natural Gas, Nude Dancing, Springfield, Stripper, Stripper Law, Strippers
Can you believe the emails that went around internally at DLA Piper about this client’s legal bill? Check them out — along with news of lateral partner moves.
Tags: Adam H. Victor, Adam Victor, Anastasia D. Kelly, Anastasia Kelly, Billable Hours, Billing, Billing Rates, Billing Time, Carlos Sole, Chris Schindler, Christopher A. Schindler, Christopher Rieck, Christopher Schindler, Christopher Thomson, client relations, Client Relationships, Client Representation, Client service, Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, DLA Piper, Email, Email Scandals, Emails, Energy, Erich Eisenegger, Erich P. Eisenegger, Ho-Love, Hogan & Hartson, Hogan Lovells, Jay Rains, Jeremy Johnson, Jeremy Kennedy, Jeremy R. Johnson, John Lilyestrom, John R. Lilyestrom, Kevin J. Lipson, Kevin Lipson, Larry Hutcher, Lateral Hiring, Lateral Moves, Laterals, Lee A. Alexander, Lee Alexander, Lee M. Smolen, Lee Smolen, Legal Ethics, McDermott Will & Emery, Michael Poulos, Michael S. Poulos, Money, Overbilling, Partner Issues, Peter Lattman, Roger Meltzer, Sidley Austin, Stasia Kelly, Stefan Krantz, Stefan M. Krantz, Timothy W. Walsh, Timothy Walsh, Vandenberg & Feliu, Vincent J. Roldan, Vincent Roldan
Join Above the Law in Houston, Texas, on April 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. for our “Where Energy Meets the Law” reception.
Tags: Access Data, Advertising, Breaking Energy, Drinking, Energy, Peter Gardett, Shameless Plugs, Texas, This Is an Ad
Join Above the Law in Houston, Texas, on April 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. for our “Where Energy Meets the Law” reception.
Tags: Access Data, Advertising, Breaking Energy, Drinking, Energy, Peter Gardett, Shameless Plugs, Texas, This Is an Ad
Registration is still open for this event. Sign up before it’s too late!
Tags: Access Data, Advertising, Breaking Energy, Drinking, Energy, Events, Peter Gardett, Shameless Plugs, Texas, This Is an Ad
* A White House petition started by a young lawyer asking that at least student loan interest be tax deductible like interest on a mortgage to help out those folks like, frankly, most lawyers, who make too much money to deduct their student loans. [WhiteHouse.gov]
* Antoinette “Toni” Bush, partner-in-charge of Skadden’s communications group, is leaving the firm to become global head of government affairs for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Free tip: brush up on your hacking law. [Am Law Daily]
* The Department of Energy may adopt a new “commercial maturity test” to get rolling on the backlog of liquid natural gas export license requests. And that, of course, will spur the inevitable lawsuits. [Breaking Energy]
* Apparently, President Obama dreams of “going Bulworth and resents the “Harry Potter theory of the presidency,” that the President can wave a wand and make things happen. So he’s pro Pras, Maya, and ODB, and anti-Hagrid. Who’s anti-Hagrid??? [New York Times]
* Lois Lerner, the manager at the center of the IRS “scandal,” has backed out of delivering the keynote at the WNEU Law commencement. I’m pretty sure Staci would do a better job… of running the IRS. [Boston Herald]
* Overlawyered blasts the Daily Caller for trying to tie Lerner to Obama via her husband, Michael Miles of Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan because the large firm had some ties to Obama. Blerg. Meanwhile, this “partisan scandal” is turning out to be bipartisan entirely based on which IRS office the groups dealt with. [Overlawyered]
* Congratulations to this guy. Must have been a hell of a feast. [WDRB]
Tags: Asbill & Brennan, Barack Obama, Biglaw, Bulworth, Debt, Department of Energy, Energy, Environment / Environmental Law, IRS, Liquid Natural Gas, Lois Lerner, Michael Miles, News Corp., Politics, Rupert Murdoch, Skadden, Skadden Arps, Student Loans, Sutherland, Toni Bush, Western New England University School of Law, White House Petition
* NY Attorney General investigating fast food restaurants for shorting their employees. This is a worthwhile cause, but what he should be looking into is who ate the bones? [CNN]
* Two more law schools, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and York College of Pennsylvania admit they gave false information to U.S. News resulting in better rankings. Those were their BETTER rankings? [TaxProf Blog]
* To keep “misleading statistics” in perspective, the Department of Education leveled one of its steepest fines on Yale for covering up multiple “forcible sex offenses” to keep its campus safety statistics down. [Chronicle of Higher Education]
* A measure of resource governance finds the U.S. has the second best governance of its oil, gas and mining sectors. Give yourself a hand regulators. And we’re gunning for you Norway! [Breaking Energy]
* The Honorable Felicia Mennin does not grasp how time works. Thinks artist should have been more conscious of the public fear surrounding the Boston bombings… back in February. [New York Times]
* Congratulations readers for helping the profile of a White House petition to reform student loan policy. Here are a couple more if you feel like making more reforms to the process… or at least more suggestions for reforms that will sit on someone’s desk. [Whitehouse.gov and Whitehouse.gov]
* Is political intelligence practice too risky? Is political intelligence an oxymoron? An interview with Robert Walker of Wiley Rein LLP after the jump [Bloomberg Law]
Tags: Art, Bloomberg, Debt, Energy, Environment / Environmental Law, Eric Schneiderman, Fast Food, Felicia Mennin, Non-Sequiturs, NYAG, Rankings, Robert Walker, State Attorneys General, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Student Loans, U.S. News Law School Rankings, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, US News rankings, White House Petition, Wiley Rein LLP, York College of Pennsylvania
* America, you won’t have Michele Bachmann to kick around anymore! The political equivalent of comic relief announced that she will not seek another term. [CNN]
* Eric Holder testified that he would support reform of the ECPA. Apparently this newfound love of electronic privacy doesn’t extend to the Associated Press. [IT-Lex]
* Atlanta is soon to host its Battle of the (Lawyer) Bands. LawJam 2013 is set to rock Atlanta like a litigious hurricane on June 8. Last year featured bands like Mikey Mel & the JDs, so you have a sense of what you’re getting here. [Atlanta Bar Association]
* The CFTC had no idea how to do its job? Say it ain’t so! [Breaking Energy]
* So the sequester has an advantage! Cocaine is going to get cheaper! [Breaking Defense]
* Paul Caron has acquired a 100 percent ownership share of the Law Professor Blogs Network. Congrats! [TaxProf Blog]
* Woman acquitted of manslaughter responds in the best way ever. Video after the jump… [WESH via Bing]
Tags: Atlanta, Battle of the Bands, Battle of the Law Firm Bands, Blogging, CFTC, Cocaine, Cocaine / Crack, Drugs, ECPA, Electronic Communications Privacy Act, Energy, Eric Holder, Gay, Gay Marriage, Law Professor Blogs Network, LawJam 2013, Michele Bachmann, Music, Non-Sequiturs, Paul Caron, Politics, Privacy, Technology, Videos
* The new meme sweeping the Intertubes is “Old Economy Steve.” While not strictly law-related, it is a fitting meme for trolling recent law school grads entering the market. [The Atlantic]
* After talking about the Atlanta battle of the (legal) bands, we learned that San Francisco is also getting into the act. [Law Rocks]
* Speculating on George Washington’s approach to drone strikes. [Washington Times]
* A look at how regulatory and tax policy changes affect the value of energy companies. [Breaking Energy]
* E. Gordon Gee, Columbia Law ’71 and President of THE Ohio State University got in a little trouble for saying, “You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we’re doing.” So another guy gets in trouble for being honest. Gee also said that you can’t trust Catholic priests, which segues nicely into the next item. [Yahoo! Sports]
* The Catholic Church’s top exorcist claims to have performed 160,000 exorcisms. After the jump, Professor Mark Kightlinger from the University of Kentucky College of Law eviscerates this claim with “math.”
“Assuming he was ordained at the age of 21, he would have had to perform 2388 exorcisms per year for the past 67 years. That is more than 6.5 exorcisms per day every day (not taking into account the occasional leap year with an extra day). Perhaps he is just a really fast exorcist. Or perhaps he does mass exorcisms. I don’t have a view about how many demons might be out there but I am skeptical about whether one guy could cast out so many. Perhaps he needs to go back to the books and read about pride.”
– Mark Kightlinger
Tags: Atlanta, Battle of the Law Firm Bands, Catholic Church, CFTC, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Drones, E. Gordon Gee, Energy, Exorcisms, George Washington, Gordon Gee, Law Schools, Mark Kightlinger, Music, Non-Sequiturs, Ohio State University, Religion, San Francisco, Tax Law, University of Kentucky College of Law
It’s been a busy two weeks of back-biting and accusations in this office.
Tags: California, CPUC, Energy, Environment / Environmental Law, Ethics, Frank Lindh, General Counsel, John Walker Lindh, Legal Ethics, Natural Gas, Regulation, San Bruno Explosion, Taliban
* Ed O’Bannon asks the NCAA to agree in writing not to retaliate against any current athlete that joins his lawsuit against the organization. How sad is it that a non-profit organization committed to helping students needs to be reminded not to retaliate against students? In other news, NCAA Football 14 (affiliate link) came out today. [USA Today]
* More SCOTUS Term analysis. Tom Goldstein, Adam Liptak, and Jess Bravin have been invited to explain to the Heritage Foundation what an awesome term it had. [Heritage]
* The Shelby County decision completely lacks any foundation for the argument that the Voting Rights Act violates the Constitution. Yeah, but besides that… [Lawyers, Guns & Money]
* What is wrong with soccer fans? Referee stabs player and then ends up like Ned Stark. [Legal Juice]
* Mayer Brown reports that Mexican leaders are lining up behind energy sector reform. [Breaking Energy]
* Ever wonder about the extent of Internet censorship around the world? Here’s a handy chart showing how Google is censored in various countries around the world. [io9]
* Obama caves to Republican requests to suspend law. Republicans label Obama tyrannical for suspending that law. Bravo. [Wall Street Journal]
Tags: Barack Obama, Basketball, Constitutional Law, Ed O'Bannon, Election Law, Energy, Football, Google / Search Engines, Heritage Foundation, Internet, Mayer Brown, Mexico, NCAA, Non-Sequiturs, Obamacare, Politics, SCOTUS, Shelby County, Sports, Supreme Court, Video games, Voting Rights Act
* J.K. Rowling’s outing as The Cuckoo’s Calling (affiliate link) author Robert Galbraith has rendered print copies of the book scarce and a hot collector’s item. Now Rowling is hurling Cruciatus curses at her lawyers as the source of the revelation. [The Guardian]
* The New York Times weighs in on the worth of a law degree debate and makes Elie’s day by labeling him “indomitable.” [DealBook / New York Times]
* After the Ninth Circuit struck a tone of sanity, federal bankruptcy judges in Michigan and Tennessee remind us that law school debt is forever. [The National Law Journal]
* The hottest barristers in London. Meh. Holding out for the hottest solicitors countdown. [Legal Cheek]
* A lawyer should get suspended for smuggling stuff out of prison for a client. But shouldn’t the punishment be a tad more severe for smuggling a HIT LIST out of prison for a client? [Mercury News]
* The Ten Competencies that law schools should teach. I’d add “understanding how to order from Seamless at 4AM,” but otherwise it’s a solid list. [Associate's Mind]
* Penn State has approved a $60 million settlement in the Sandusky cases. Which is less than the football program makes in a year. [Deadspin]
* Apparently, the laws and other conditions surrounding America’s oil industry make it only the fifth friendliest place to extract petroleum in the world. Thanks a bunch you granola-eating socialists. [Breaking Energy]
* It’s not over yet, but the current projection for law school applicants this year is 59,200. My response to those fresh young go-getters after the jump…
Tags: 9th Circuit, Attorney Misconduct, Bankruptcy, Books, Energy, Football, J.K. Rowling, Jerry Sandusky, Law Schools, Legal Ethics, Ninth Circuit, Non-Sequiturs, Oil, Penn State, Robert Galbraith, Russells Solicitors, Student Debt, Student Loans, The Cuckoo's Calling, United Kingdom / Great Britain
* The Mars Curiosity rover played “Happy Birthday to You” to itself on the first anniversary of its landing on the Red Planet. It takes about 13 minutes for transmissions from Mars to reach the Earth. Time Warner sued NASA 14 minutes after Curiosity’s performance. [io9]
* Fans of the Colorado Rockies… fans? Huh, okay! Anyway, the case posits that Rockies ticket holders should be allowed to sell them on the secondary market. If they can’t unload Rockies tickets, they may be forced to watch a team 11 games out of first place flounder. [Forbes]
* Paul Rampell, Donald Trump’s lawyer, advocates for replacing marriages with leases with defined terms. It gives new meaning to “trading in for a new model.” The thrice married Trump nods approvingly. [Washington Post]
* The Rumpus interviews Dean Frank H. Wu of UC Hastings. Turns out he’s writing “a bad trashy novel.” So it probably won’t make the 25 Greatest Law Novels ever list. But then again, they put The Fountainhead on that list, so don’t give up hope, Dean Wu! [The Rumpus]
* Poetry Corner: Kenneth Branagh Prepares Evidence For Trial. So long as he’s not preparing to direct another awful Thor movie, I’m fine. [Poetic Justice]
* Just what do Americans even want from an energy policy? That Cuisinart fusion reactor from Back to the Future, that’s what. [Breaking Energy]
* A defendant called a judge “Hon,” and it did not go well. I wonder what Judge Montes gets called at the club? [Sun Sentinel]
* Anthony Weiner once explained that he was “inspired” by a book about a lawyer who wants to cheat on his wife. Indeed. [BuzzFeed]
Tags: Anthony Weiner, Baseball, Class Actions, Colorado Rockies, Energy, Frank H. Wu, Frank Wu, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to You, Law School Deans, Law Schools, Marriage, Mars, New York City, Non-Sequiturs, Paul Rampell, Poetry, Sports, Time Warner, UC Hastings College of the Law, UC Hastings Law
* A lawyer fresh out of law school botched a domestic violence case by gushing all over Tom Hanks… who was serving as a juror. Which, in fairness, was awfully Big of him. [TMZ]
* Federal prosecutors are seeking at least 27 years in prison for a Massachusetts man who authorities say plotted to kill and eat his children based on a search of his home and car, which is presumably a Saturn. As one law professor observed, “Perhaps the lawyer will make a free exercise argument and claim that eating children is a requirement of his religion.” [CNN]
* If you’re going to drink and drive, be sure to toss a few back with the judge first. [KVUE]
* A criminal defense lawyer who begins every cross by making the cop look more humane and respectable. I thought the public defender from My Cousin Vinny was the lowest criminal defense could go in the comical incompetence department. [Katz Justice]
* Putin crony claims 100 percent of profits in a “public” oil company by flat ignoring minority shareholders. Shhhh! Stop giving Exxon ideas. [Breaking Energy]
* Elizabeth Wurtzel knows music (a subject she covered for the New Yorker for New York Magazine). In this article, she writes about The Replacements (something Wurtzel has made her past employers, including Boies Schiller, become familiar with). [The Daily Beast]
* On Monday, the American Constitution Society will host a preview of the upcoming Supreme Court session. Panelists include Pamela Harris, Randy Barnett, Joshua Civin, Andrew Pincus, and David Strauss. [American Constitution Society]
* Then next Tuesday, The Cato Institute’s Center for Constitutional Studies will host a symposium titled “The Supreme Court: Past and Prologue: A Look at the October 2012 and 2013 Terms.” Panelists include Tom Goldstein, Marcia Coyle, and Howard Bashman. [How Appealing]
Tags: American Constitution Society, American Constitution Society (ACS), Andrew J. Pincus, Andrew Pincus, Cannibalism, CATO Institute, Crime, David Strauss, DUI / DWI, Elizabeth Wurtzel, Energy, Howard Bashman, Joshua Civin, Jury Duty, Marcia Coyle, Music, Non-Sequiturs, Pamela Harris, Randy Barnett, Randy E. Barnett, Religion, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Thomas Goldstein, Tom Goldstein
