Docket

• Leonard Leo used his Federalist Society contacts to secure $1.6 billion donation, which Politico suggests might "raise questions about its nonpartisan, non-political status." Nope. We had no questions. Politico
• Joe Tacopina's second day of cross-examination somehow managed to be worse according to Mitchell Epner. Daily Beast
• Though he may not be around for long, as eyes turn toward whether or not Joe Tacopina is conflicted out of the Donald Trump case because of past interactions with Stormy Daniels. What are the odds this is all heading toward some half-baked mistrial motion? I'm guessing around 1 in... 1. Law360
• All that Zooming and Teamsing (yet another reason Teams sucks -- no good way to convert the product name into an activity) during the pandemic left the Justice Department a treasure trove of material. Bloomberg Law News
• Hollywood writers go on strike. Now you're stuck with all the online journalists for your entertainment needs. Reuters
• Midsized law firms are embracing emerging companies practice while bigger firms grow more cautious. American Lawyer
• UK regulators investigating the abuse of NDAs. LegalCheek The post Morning Docket: 05.02.23 appeared first on Above the Law.

• Much like everyone else, law firms have no interest in paying Twitter. LegalCheek
• Lawyers think the profession has gotten less civil, but that's just what those degenerate scumbags would say. ABA Journal
• A nice guide to the lawyers working with Jack Smith on Trump's classified documents case. ABC News
• No sooner did we note in this here column that New York would rewrite the rules to make criminal defense work even harder than NYC's prosecutors reversed their push for the change. They don't have a vote, but it's taken a lot of the effort. NY Times
• Eleventh Circuit issues 2-1 opinion that suppressing the rights of Black voters is acceptable, but only if you're coy enough. Reuters
• DC Circuit won't break up Meta's Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions. If only they could undo the whole "Meta" part of Facebook. Law360 The post Morning Docket: 04.28.23 appeared first on Above the Law.

With the news last week of the merger of legal research companies Fastcase and vLex, it seemed a good time to revisit our 2019 interview with the founders of Fastcase, Ed Walters and Phil Rosenthal. The occasion of this interview was the company’s 20th anniversary, and we recorded it live, on the exhibit hall floor, at the annual conference of the American Association …

• Report says Biglaw firms are more enthusiastic about merging this year. Shearman's wondering why y'all got to go rubbing salt on it. Reuters
• Goldman Sachs estimates that AI will replace 44 percent of legal tasks. Nice try, Goldman. You're not getting a 44 percent discount on those bills. Legaltech News
• The court system is a little closer to keeping judges from magically transforming acquittals into prison time. Bloomberg Law News
• TIL they tried to impose a salary cap on esports players, but the federal government intervened. Not sure this is the urgent antitrust action we were all waiting for, but you do you. Law360
• Not entirely surprising, but the financial jitters slowing big deal work have prompted more mid-sized deals and consequently more work for the Am Law second 50. It's good to dominate the wading pool when everyone's scared of the waves. American Lawyer
• Apparently Gwyneth Paltrow's lawyer is an internet sensation. Yahoo
• Former aide to the governor of Maryland accused of corruption died in "agent-involved shooting" which is the awkward passive phrasing of "shot by the FBI." Further details about how it came to that aren't out yet. NPR The post Morning Docket: 04.04.23 appeared first on Above the Law.

In a deal that will reshape the legal research and legal technology landscape on a global basis and threaten the longstanding “Wexis” legal research duopoly, the companies vLex and Fastcase today announced that they have merged into a single entity that they say will have the world’s largest subscriber base of lawyers and law firms …

• NY prosecutors signal that Donald Trump is about to be indicted. It's probably a misdemeanor for falsifying records to bribe Stormy Daniels into silence, but it's something. Huffington Post
• Speaking of bribery, the trial of the Fox executives accused of bribing soccer officials results in split verdict. The only proper result for a case about a sport that drags on forever and ends in a draw. Courthouse News Service
• Alex Murdaugh is appealing his conviction based on... well, the filing doesn't say but I'm sure those crazy kids will come up with something. The Hill
• Brett Favre's lawyer says his defamation claims against commentators addressing the Mississippi welfare scandal are a "slam dunk." Which is the wrong sport. Awful Announcing
• DoNotPay hit with class action lawsuit. Maybe the algorithm can defend them here! If the company is willing to bet a million on its ability to win a SCOTUS case, it can surely do this pro se. CBS News
• DOJ opposing efforts to keep judges from enhancing sentences for minor crime convictions based on allegations where the jury acquitted. See, this is a reason to be furious with Merrick Garland. Reuters
• Do you still use paper business cards? Should you upgrade to one of the objectively cooler options out there or are you too much of an American Psycho fan to give up paper? Daily Business Review The post Morning Docket: 03.10.23 appeared first on Above the Law.

• Regulators tell Elon Musk that he can't start putting chips in people's brains. GAH! Kill a monkey (or 1500) and suddenly the bureaucrats in Washington won't let you do anything anymore. Reuters
• "Murdaugh Committed Murders As Career Spiraled" should be every attorney's defense to a rough month... "I know I just considered taking my book of business to Jones Day, but I could've done a double murder." Law360
• Biden administration plans to shift the liability for hacks to software manufacturers. This policy seems stupid but at least the president is trying to address the harms of massive data breaches instead of having public fever dreams about drag story time. America is broken. Bloomberg Law News
• After securing abortion restrictions, the new right-wing legal mission is advocating for strict voting restrictions. ProPublica
• Legal technology made the national news! Our coverage was better. MSNBC
• Let the battle for AI supremacy in Biglaw begin! Legaltech News The post Morning Docket: 03.02.23 appeared first on Above the Law.

• When the Trump administration used COVID as a rationale to unilaterally rewrite immigration laws, the Supreme Court thought that was fine. Today, the same justices will scream bloody murder at the idea of the Biden administration using the COVID economic slump to justify forgiving $20K worth of student loans the same way the government forgave millions in PPP loans. Because... reasons. Reuters
• Law firms get conservative on legal technology amid recession fears. I guess this means they aren't trying to bring in tech to reduce attorney ranks. Legaltech News
• Rupert Murdoch acknowledges in testimony that Fox News lied about the election. Did these people even have in-house counsel in 2020? Law360
• Merrick Garland's appearance on Capitol Hill tomorrow will very much suck for him. Esquire
• The ongoing Neil Gerrard scandal will go to court next week to find out just how much Dechert owes one of its former clients. Bloomberg Law News
• Florida court denies the habeas petition a pregnant detainee filed on behalf of her fetus. As always "Life Begins At Conception... Some Terms and Conditions Apply." The Guardian The post Morning Docket: 02.28.23 appeared first on Above the Law.