April 2010

Bitter News, 4-30-10

by Bitter Newsroom on April 30, 2010 in News

Headlines from the Bitter Newsroom that are just another example of unintentional porn:

• “Making fun of misbehaving lawyers is great sport, but it is rare that I learn of misbehaving lawyers from anyone other than another lawyer who is offended.” Offended…or possibly bitter? After an article he wrote calling lawyers “coddled,” Rick Casey follows up with further support of his coddled opinion. “It’s entertaining to hear a lawyer worrying about frivolous lawsuits. You’d think he was a doctor.” [Houston Chronicle]

• DLA Piper is piping a little jig in England. The firm “accused of sacking a partner because she was pregnant was cleared of sexual discrimination yesterday.” The ‘old boy’s club’ claim didn’t hold up. [Daily Mail]

• Brush off those dampened spirits from layoffs and a tanking economy with a law firm retreat. They accomplish many wonderful purposes. They’re a practical management tool—and help everyone get liquored up for free and laid by a fellow co-worker. [The Legal Intelligencer]

• In kinda-cool news: Baylor Law alum and hot-hot-hot feature film director John Lee Hancock will speak at the law school’s commencement on May 1 when he will possibly discuss how a law degree is so versatile that he was able to use all his learned analytical skills to become the man behind The Blind Side, The Rookie and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. [The Lariat]

• Is “Harvard” just a hoity, elitist, New England word for “racist breeding ground?” HLS grad and NY lawyer Diane Lucas explores the idea. [Feministe]

• Not sure what’s going on at Harvard, but ABA President Carolyn B. Lamm says that “lawyers need to adapt their practices and acquire new cultural understandings to adjust to law in the 21st Century.” Happy Law Day! [ABA Journal]

• I don’t understand. We’re Dechert. And we explained everything. In detail. Over 8,000 pages. But we still lost?? Perfect eulogy: “Seldom have so many trees died for so little.” [Law Shucks]

• Looks like someone maybe did a little dance, made a little love and got down quite a few nights with MINOR BOYS. After his arrest in March, Richard Finch, a member of the 70s disco group KC & the Sunshine Band, is facing an indictment on 16 sex charges involving a bunch of male juveniles. Feeling sorry for him? Donate to his legal defense fund. [CNN]

• Less famously, it didn’t even take two hours for a jury to not buy an on-trial lawyer’s defense that he was set up by his secretary and convict Randy Brackin of 11 child pornography possession. [Dothan Eagle]

• The upstanding citizen who was the finder of the lost iPhone 4G prototype is, per his lawyer, kicking himself for his mistake of selling it to a Gizmodo editor for $5K—because he got caught, Apple is going apeshit and this story is blowing up. (Though he was probably just going to donate the money to his fundraising efforts for medical care to orphans in Kenya anyway.) Let’s take a short look at Apple’s line of aggressive legal action ferreting. [CNET]

• Is the jury un-stuck? Youbetcha. Was the case comparable to Watergate? Dontcha know it was. A federal jury convicted David Kernell of two charges for hacking Sarah Palin’s e-mail account while she was the vice presidential candidate and he was a Tennessee college student. [USA Today]

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Bitter News, 4-29-10

by Bitter Newsroom on April 29, 2010 in News

Headlines from the Bitter Newsroom that are as “Bullet holes! ORV!” as a Goonies quiz:

• Extra, extra! Read all about it. (And weep when you see some of these partner compensation numbers—even though they’re down from last year ☹.) Stealing the law school rankings’ spotlight is the new Am Law 100. Wachtel walks away tops in a lot of categories this year, but Baker & McKenzie finally ousted Skadden in gross revenue. Drama! Consume at your leisure. [American Lawyer]

• Let’s wrap this year’s 100 into lessons learned. “It could have been worse.” [The Am Law Daily]

• Our readers are in a dead heat over today’s Bitter Poll question (below) about whether New York is losing its footing as the “legal capital.” But this might tip the scales: Of this year’s newly announced Am Law 100 firms, “the 23 New York firms, which are located at the epicenter of the financial crisis, outperformed the rest of their competitors on the list.” [New York Law Journal]

• A Harvard 3L’s email about race and intelligence that has set the internet world ablaze with racist accusations over the last 24 hours has grown into a unstoppable fireball. Let’s just say she opened an email with: “I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that African Americans are, on average, genetically predisposed to be less intelligent.” The student in question who, a few days ago, had the world on a string (Ivy educated, Harvard Law Review, federal clerkship awaiting after graduation) sort of eff-ed herself by landing in the forefront of an always-sticky race debate. It has thrown her into hiding, elicited statements from Harvard’s Dean and the Black Law Student Association, found some cautious defenders, and landed her a big ‘ol public out-ing on Gawker. And there’s already satire? Oi. [Above the Law]

• While the legal world scratches its head wondering why so few women are equity partners, here’s a list of CEO chicks who run the show and make bank doing it—but still not as much as their male counterparts, natch. [The Legal Intelligencer | Forbes.com]

• Here’s something 100% law related: Xanax is America’s top med. So pop with pride; you’re in good company. Remember Valium? So 80s. Nowadays, the top-25 list of psychiatric prescriptions reads like a list of every TV commercial you just fast-forwarded through in the last 24 hours. [Gawker]

• With the shock and awe of Sandra Bullock’s moving reveal that she’s now a single “Oscar Mom” still setting in, she also eked out an aftershock that she filed for divorce from husband Jesse James. But who’s representing America’s most sympathetic sweetheart? Meet New Orleans-based criminal attorney named Walter Becker. Odd choice? Youbetcha—especially since she filed in Texas. [CultureMap]

• Who should be the next Supreme Court Justice? Just answer! It’s a simple yes-or-no question.

[The New York Times]

• “Two Louisiana shrimpers have filed a lawsuit accusing the operators of the rig behind a Gulf of Mexico oil spill of negligence, seeking at least five million dollars in damages plus undetermined punitive damages.” Neither is reported to be Bubba Gump. [The Gazette]

• Just when we thought all the Hitler Downfall parodies were disappearing due to copyright infringement, one about gunners still stands. May Fair Use Title 17, U.S.C., Section 107 protect them all. Even the one about Hitler reacting to Hitler parodies being taken down by YouTube. Happy Thursday. [NPR]

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Torts! With a Pole Dancer, a Wedding Tent & a Busted Bride

by Gianna Scatchell on April 29, 2010 in Columns

[Ed. Note: The following is again from Gianna Scatchell, the blogger behind LegallyNoted.com]

Listen up, single ladies in law-law land, wedding season is fast approaching, and here’s your wake-up call. As the current recipient of five—count ‘um five—nuptial invitations between June and August, the pressure is on.

As a result, I’ve been busting ass at the gym (thank God bikini and wedding season operate concurrently), practicing fake awe and scouring Gilt and HauteLook for discount designer fashions that are amped up enough to stand out, yet simple enough to not steal wedding-party thunder.

Regardless, nothing can change the fact that I’ll soon be facing everything in life that’s most dreadful…

Do you get a “plus one?” Will you bring someone? Will you hire someone majorly handsome to go with you? Will you be labeled as “single” and seated on the chart accordingly?

Not to mention, there’s the pressure of remaining intuitive enough to hit the ladies’ room just before the bouquet toss and the chicken dance—all whilst being surrounded by my best coping device: Free top-shelf liquor.

But, as we all know too well, every wedding has “the single drunk girl” who ruins it—or makes it memorable, depending on your attitude. And, at times, it’s easy to wallow in your pity-party-of-one enough to think, “Why not let it be me? I deserve to just blow off some steam.”

Then you see the following video footage, and you’re haunted for years to come. Reel yourself in. NO BUENO! This, ladies, is what happens when a single drunk girl attempts to use the wedding tent’s support beam as her personal stripper pole. Behold…

Wedding. Nightmare.

Who needs a record screech to signal disaster when someone invited her? There’s the bride’s busted lip and shattered fairytale. Guests army-crawling to safety. The dancer’s obnoxious asymmetrical hemline! All reasons to avoid the dance floor for eternity.

But somewhere in here is a legal lesson.

Let’s use this poor, scarlet-clad woman not only as a cautionary tale, but also as a learning opportunity. The Good Lord gave her lemons, and dammit, I’m going to make some lemonade.

The only way I’ll feel better and be able to assuredly prevent myself from ever indulging in such ruckus behavior—no matter how deathly single, hideously jealous, blissfully intoxicated or numbingly Alprazolam-ed I become—is to break this situation down into possible torts. (You got to know the time to avoid the crime.) So let’s study this social injustice, shall we?

• COULD THIS BE THE INTENTIONAL TORT OF TRESPASS TO CHATTELS?

Maybe there’s a tenuous argument that she trespassed on the pole because she didn’t have permission to use the pole as a dance prop. Thoughts?

• COULD THIS BE AN ACTION FOR CONVERSION?

The guest’s actions must have:

1) Interfered with bride’s right of possession in the chattel that is serious enough in nature to warrant that the guest pay the full value of the chattel;

2) Intent to perform the act that would interfere with the bride’s right of possession of the tent. (I think she intended to perform a stripper move on the pole, but I’m not sure if she meant to interfere with the possession or was just trying to snag a man);

3) Causation—AKA she did it!

• COULD THIS BE AN INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS?

1) Her conduct was extreme and outrageous. (A stripper pole at a garden wedding—como?) There were flower girls and ringbearers present for Christ sake;

2) She intended to cause the bride to suffer severe emotional distress (toxic friends anyone?), OR her conduct was reckless (which, I think, goes without saying);

3) Causation: Because it was her!

4) Damages: Severe emotional distress. How distraught was the bride? Did she need psychological counseling following the event? (This argument will probably fail because IIED is an extremely hard threshold to overcome. So let’s look at negligent infliction of emotional distress!)

• COULD THIS BE A NEGLIGENT INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS?

Bride would have her best shot with this argument, since there’s no need to prove intent.

• COULD THIS BE NEGLIGENCE?

1) Did the guest have a duty to conform to a specific standard of conduct for the protection of the bride against unreasonable risk of injury? (Perhaps. She at least had a duty not to behave like trailer trash);

2) Breach of that duty. (She clearly contravened normal wedding etiquette with that spectacle!);

3) Causation: But for her actions, assuming the tent never would’ve collapsed. (Her inelegant dance moves were the proximate cause of the collapse because it was foreseeable that climbing on a support beam to spin like a bitch would cause it to collapse, no?)

4) Damages: Her actions ruined the wedding—plus economic damages? Special damages? General damages? A top plastic surgeon for that bride’s face?

• COULD THIS BE DEFENSES TO NEGATE INTENT?

Can you argue intoxication? Plead insanity? Plead desperation? (J/K—not really)

• THROW A BATTERY ARGUMENT IN HERE AS WELL… WHAT THE HELL!?

When you look at it this way, I hope you agree. Just remain single and ready to mingle…responsibly. Legally, that’s the only (well-flexed, clean-shaven, spray-tanned, expensively heeled) leg you have to stand on.

Go in peace. And serve the law Gods.

Read Gianna’s other posts, such as Dumped on Facebook; When Your Breakup Goes Law Firm Viral, Law School Exposé: How Leggings Made Me Fat, Ten Ways for Women NOT to Get Sex in Law School and Six Ways for Men NOT to Get Sex in Law School.

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Bitter News, 4-28-10

by Bitter Newsroom on April 28, 2010 in News

Headlines from the Bitter Newsroom that will go Gov. Perry on you with a .380 Ruger pistol:

• Let’s go to the Derby! Then we can all spend Saturday together cheering on Goodwin Procter partner Joe Savage, Jr.’s 3-year-old colt Paddy O’Prado in the Race for the Roses. [Boston.com]

• The Harvard 3L racist email heard around the world in a single day. When your classmates are envious of your looming federal clerkship…and you put “I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that African Americans are, on average, genetically predisposed to be less intelligent” in writing…and then you have ovaries the size of cantaloupes enough to email it out to acquaintances, prepare for them to be the biggest “Forward” gunners ever. [Above the Law]

• It’s a sad day for Happy Meals—and little fat kids. Santa Clarita County in California has banned toys in high-calorie meals for children. Getting Type-2 diabetes will be really boring now. Like getting lung cancer without Joe Camel. But is it legal? They think so. [Los Angeles Times]

• MO mobility, MO problems? “This month, Missouri became the first state to adopt a plan to create a uniform bar exam for lawyers who want to practice in the United States,” which it will begin administering in February 2011. No questions on state laws—just general principles and best practices. Though, if only one state has it, is it really all that uniform? [Leagle.com]

• After JPS, there will probably be no Protestants on the Supreme Court, and we’re all pretty okay with that. But, despite faith, he lost the debate and the crosses stay. [Fox News]

• Discrimination ain’t cool in America. (Even genetic discrimination.) And what’s more American than Wal-Mart? So it’s odd that the discount retailer is now facing a sex discrimination lawsuit. Guess one thing is totally American about it: It’s big. The largest in U.S. history, in fact. [Forbes.com]

• Arizona, Arizona, Arizona, what are we going to do with you? Your new immigration law is likely a constitutional blunder, and we’re not friends on Facebook. [The New York Times]

• Bill Clinton has sided with Goldman and doubts it’s a lawbreaker. [BusinessWeek]

• “None of the Securities and Exchange Commission employees [some lawyers] caught using government computers to view pornographic images has been fired, according to the agency.” Though you might want them to Purell before shaking hands and congratulating them. [Washington Post]

• Senior Chiney Ogwumike is player of year on the 2010 All-USA high school girls basketball team, and she has law school dreams. Though she might want to have a chat with Ryan McAteer first. He’s the Kansas 2L who’s declaring for the NBA draft because he says “there is a higher likelihood of me playing in the NBA than finding gainful legal employment.” [USA Today]

• How can the Boy Scouts of America keep membership up in a time when it’s losing $18.5 million sexual abuse cases? Offer an “academic” badge for video game proficiency. Obvs. [CNET]

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Thank God for Those Bulls#!t U.S. News Rankings

by Matthew Richardson on April 27, 2010 in Columns

Obviously, when I look at the latest U.S. News and World Report law school rankings, I care about them much, much less than some unfortunate sap stuck in interview hell who’s trying to explain why he couldn’t do better than Thomas Cooley.

“Um, it just seemed like the best fit.”

That ain’t gonna land you a job that pays anywhere near six figures. With a decreasing number of slots at the high-paying shops and more and more people coming out of law school, it’s no wonder these rankings mean more than ever. But they’re still bullshit.
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Bitter News, 4-27-10

by Bitter Newsroom on April 27, 2010 in News

Headlines from the Bitter Newsroom that want some Sumner Redstone dollars of their own:

• Everyone’s on the bandwagon of the soon-to-be accountant, encouraging him to follow his dreams of law school in Ex-Bitter’s most recent advice column, but “the rising cost of law school is becoming a sore subject as the number of high-paying jobs shrink.” Is JD tuition a “bad value” and the next big bubble? [Chicago Tribune]

• Note: “journalists suspected of criminal activity do not benefit from the legal shields.” Eugene Volokh and his team tend to agree. Then you have those sticky, well-established California laws on theft. So good luck battling Apple in your iPhone 4G case, Gawker Media. [CNET]

• We can try to talk about today’s Goldman Sachs Senate hearing intelligently, but why bother? It was all well-advised long pauses and rambling answers anyway. Instead, this might be a good opportunity to remind you that “Al Gore is a giant douchebag” and distract you with a walrus sucking his own penis. Enjoy. [The Wall Street Journal]

• The news isn’t very kind to SEC lawyers recently. After they got hit with that whole lawyers-watching-tons-and-tons-of-PORN-at-work debacle, we also read that 15-year SEC lawyer Phillip W. Offill Jr. was sentenced to eight years in prison for doing bad things, and former SEC lawyer Spencer Barasch is under investigation with the State Bar of Texas. [Dallas Morning News]

• Speaking of state bars, the New York February 2010 bar exam results are out. And Elizabeth Wurtzel passed. Woohoo! Our exclusive interview with her dusted up an issue over whether she is/should be calling herself a lawyer, but she’s in the clear now. Or, as she put it to the haters, “I don’t want to ruin anyone’s day but…I passed the bar exam.” [Above the Law]

• If you liked Matthew McConaughey fighting slavery in Amistad and defending Samuel L. Jackson in Grisham’s A Time to Kill, then you’ll love him as lawyer Mickey Haller in the film adaptation of the Michael Connelly thriller The Lincoln Lawyer. Production begins in July about the lowlife-representing, deeply haunted, DA-screwing Los Angeles criminal defense attorney. [Collider.com]

• You’re not helping things for Elena Kagan, Harvard Law Professor Larry Lessig. [Salon]

• Scott Rothstein’s law firm is a total legal soap opera—complete with lots of Ponzi and even a MURDER. [Miami New Times]

• The wide world of international lawyer news is scandalous:

—Sweden’s Princess Madeleine cancels wedding to [cheating?] lawyer Jonas Bergstrom. [SMH.com.au]

—Lawyer says France/Real Madrid footballer knows an underage hooker, but didn’t bang her. [ESPN]

—Philippines justice secretary cheated in law school. [Gulfnews.com]

• Please stop laughing at lawyer jokes…because jury duty is so awesome?? A reporter says, “Stop and think. Lawyers don’t think they’re funny, and nobody else thinks they’re jokes. The next time you need legal aid or advice, do you call a lawyer or a comedian?” Nancy Grace doesn’t think they’re very funny either. [ABA Journal]

• WilmerHale is all about making headlines today:

—They’re creating a “B.S. Center” by making a new business services center in Ohio. [BusinessWeek]

—A WilmerHale litigation partner is the first gay nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals. [ABA Journal]

• How the hell do lawyers get away with this stuff? And why are they so damn wimpy? A CEO’s journey. [The New York Times]

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How Did Lawyers Get So Wimpy? (Part 2)

by BL1Y on April 27, 2010 in Columns

This piece from BL1Y, a frequent Bitter Lawyer commenter and contributor, is a continuation of a series we kicked of last week with Part 1: “Are Lawyers Wimps.” Reunited is our roundtable of experts—and friends of Bitter Lawyer—to help him dig to the bottom of what makes lawyers so damn wimpy. Here’s what BL1Y, PhilaLawyer and Dr. Rob came up with.
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Bitter News, 4-26-10

by Bitter Newsroom on April 26, 2010 in News

Headlines from the Bitter Newsroom saying not to eulogize Bret Michaels yet:

• Keep your dumps like a truck, truck, truck under wraps this bikini season. “The North Carolina town called ‘Mayberry with a beach’ by its mayor has banned swimmers from wearing revealing swimwear, thus making the donning of thongs illegal.” There goes their postcard industry! Sunshine and happiness, however, are still legal. (Somewhere in One-Hit-Wonderville, Sisqo is weeping.) [CBS News]

• “A free speech dispute over a California law banning sale of violent video games to children will go to the Supreme Court for review.” California contends it can regulate violent videos to protect minors, just as it can sexual materials. Video game violence is like a tumor on a kid’s brain, so who would have thought the day would ever come where Schwarzenegger would be arguing against graphic violence? “Don’t worry, kids. If you can’t get your hands on those video games, you can sit quietly on the sofa and watch an old Schwarzenegger movie.” It’s not a tumor! [CNN | Althouse]

• Does a 538-word sentence take the cake for longest sentence in legal document? Why does a 538-word sentence even exist…anywhere? [Lowering the Bar]

• Don’t fuck with iPhone. Legally speaking. [Media Decoder @ NYT]

• Welcome to the Howrey law firm: Home of the reduced-salary, two-year new-associate program, “litigator boot camp,” and the death of lock-step compensation. We kind of think it’s brilliant. Care to join us, BigLaw? [Washington Post]

• You may not know or been trained to do much, law grad. But you should at least know how to [not] talk to the cops. [Above the Law]

• If The Fast and the Furious was a lawyer living in Indonesia, it would be Hotman Paris Hutapea. “In a country where bribes play an integral part in the legal system, where attorneys and judges usually hide part of their wealth to deflect unwanted attention, Mr. Hutapea has never denied gaming the system.” He gives the Most Interesting Man in the World a run for his money. “‘There is no lawyer on earth who is clean.” Stay thirsty, my friends. [The New York Times]

• Man vs. Church. Minnesota lawyer Jeff Anderson is the main man behind sex abuse accusations against the Catholic Church. Add Professor Langdon and some symbols, and you have a new Dan Brown bestseller. [CNN]

• ~~Pot~~ ~~Mary Jane~~ Marijuana dispensaries are becoming a boon for lawyers in California and Colorado. And not just for lawbreaking defense, but for advice on workers’ compensation, tax withholding and occupational safety. Sound like a real business yet? [The New York Times]

• Supreme Court justices wouldn’t be such damn celebrities if “unnecessary and unhealthy flamboyance” was eliminated by keeping their opinions anonymous. Or perhaps they could all find great anonymity by painting their faces like Kiss. [ABA Journal]

• It’s crazy how easily one can accidentally type SEX when trying to type SEC. More on the porn bust—and about how one “senior attorney at the SEC’s Washington headquarters spent up to eight hours a day looking at and downloading pornography.” [WSJ Law Blog]

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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I Think the Market is Too Bad to Go to Law School, Right?

by Ex-Bitter on April 26, 2010 in Columns

QI am a senior in college about to enter the real world, and I am beginning to have serious doubts about attending law school. Given the massive amount of layoffs and decline in hiring at BigLaw firms recently, I am just not sure that going into six-figure debt will eventually pay off for me or many of my classmates who will be entering law school.

Thankfully, I studied accounting in college and have secured employment in that field for the time being; however, I had always intended on going to law school one day. But now, I doubt the legal field will get better any time soon. What are your thoughts on the availability of jobs (and even starting salaries) for future law students?

Given the economy, not to mention the bitter feelings expressed on this site, I have serious concern that a law degree is not a guaranteed ticket to a comfortable, happy lifestyle.

AGreat question. But unfortunately, you omitted the most important fact from your post. Do you want to be a lawyer? For real. Do you feel it in your bones? Does the possibility of practicing law excite you? If so, then GO TO LAW SCHOOL!

This site might be called Bitter Lawyer, but we don’t discourage people from following their dreams. In fact, we attempt to do the opposite. We’re just realists.

As for the legal job market. It’s not great at the moment, but several BigLaw partners told me last week that things are starting to pick up, albeit slowly. Litigation is as strong as ever, but corporate and real estate practices continue to struggle.

If I were you, I wouldn’t let the economy dictate my career path—that is, if you actually want to be a lawyer. Regardless of the current economic situation, the practice of law is still a solid profession. It’s not going to disappear due to technological advances, like the music business.

My advice is this: Work at the accounting firm and see if you like that. At the same time, pay attention to the lawyers you interact with. See if you like what they do. If so, go to law school. (Granted, there are many types of law, but since you’re an accountant, I’m guessing corporate law is your thing.)

Good luck.

Bitter News, 4-23-10

by Bitter Newsroom on April 23, 2010 in News

Headlines from the Bitter Newsroom as innovative as iPad porn:

• Dribble, dribble, bounce, bounce, slam dunk. CBS and Turner Broadcasting’s new 14-year, $10.8-billion deal for the TV and Internet rights to the NCAA March Madness tournament has scored big billables for three BigLaw firms. [The Am Law Daily]

• Death by firing squad is still a legal way to die. Um, yes, I’m serious. Utah is the only state that offers that option over lethal injection, and it’s one that a state judge ordered after convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner selected it. On June 18, Gardner will be hooded and strapped to a chair as five shooters take aim at a cloth target taped over his heart. Four executioners will fire live rounds, while one weapon will have a blank. BANG! Fucking freaky, right?? [The Salt Lake Tribune]

• This here’s a tale for all the fellas, Try to do what those ladies tell us…

A chick walks by you wish you could sex her, [And if she’s a Thai “bar girl,” you can,] Poindexter

You want it, you’ve got it, Just bust a move.

“The Thailand Girl Scene…sounds a bit unsavory to Western sensibilities,” but this story about tenured Cal-State, Northridge Economics Professor Kenneth Ng “raises a morass of legal issues including the first amendment, academic freedom, tenure rights, and perhaps violations of federal law that prohibit enticing people to travel aboard for prostitutes.” Ng was running a blog called BigBabyKenny.com, which “offer[ed] insights into the Thai bar scene, such as where to meet beautiful women and how to negotiate fees for their services.” Ng claims he started the site after a dispute with two American businessmen who run a Thai bar/brothel he used to frequent. He assured his blog had zero university affiliation and used no university resources, so he felt confident his off-hours speech was protected. Well, Ng ended up in a s#!tstorm, the LA Daily News wrote a story about the situation, and today, the CSUN provost issued a statement that said Ng decided to remove the site. We’re freaked out, curious, a little disgusted and legally piqued all at the same time. [Adjunct Law Prof Blog]

• An SEC lawyer apparently watched porn for eight hours a day during the nation’s financial crisis. Guess it was stress relief? “[H]igh-ranking officials within the SEC were spending more time looking at porn than taking action to help stave off the events that put our nation’s economy on the brink of collapse.” Too bad BigBabyKenny.com no longer exists. [ABA Journal]

• Gregory Craig was Obama’s former White House counsel, and he’s now representing Goldman Sachs. Conflict of interest much? [The New York Times]

• A lawyer asked a jury to punish the Boy Scouts of America so the organization would “repent.” And the jury did just that. Awarded $18.5 million worth of repentance, to be exact. And what Kerry Lewis just got could only be the tip of it. [ABC News]

• What’s gay got to do with it when it comes to Obama’s new Supreme Court nominee? Shouldn’t matter one bit, according to one opinion. But there’s seems to be a lesbian media lens burning into Elena Kagan, Kathleen Sullivan and Pam Karlan. (Don’t look at Diane Wood—she’s busy playing her oboe for her husband.) Not only are these ladies having their own sexuality discussed, but their “gay rights” stances are making a lot of headlines as well. [The Seattle Times]

• Tuesdays with “University of Wisconsin Law School professor and high-profile blogger Ann Althouse.” An interview. [Isthmus]

• Newbie actor Michael AvMen has filed “a $50 million lawsuit against The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for illegal false imprisonment and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.” He says he and his wife are in bad shape after six hours of questioning when he and his wife arrived at the Oscar Awards without tickets. Appreciate the candor, but sadly, for an actor, it sounds like career suicide. [Popeater]

• The pope got sued. By a dude in Milwaukee. 2 Un-legit to Stick? [National Law Journal]

• South Carolina lawyer Bill Nettles, the man who recently represented Michael Phelps “in a criminal probe sparked by publication of a photo showing him holding a bong,” was confirmed as U.S. attorney, becoming the state’s top federal prosecutor. Nettles found out while on “a surfing vacation in the Bahamas.” Which sounds pretty 420 friendly, if you ask me. [The Miami Herald]

• NY has a new top federal prosecutor too: Defense attorney Loretta Lynch. [Wall Street Journal]

• What in the hell is going on with lawyers, law students and “white power?”:

—A Mississippi lawyer known as a white supremacist was found murdered. [Clarion-Leger]

—A University of Toledo College of Law 1L and “hate group” alum has people nervous. [Above the Law]

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