District of Columbia

Confusion over rare remark by Justice Thomas due to transcript error

Confusion over a rare remark from the U.S. Supreme Court bench earlier this month by Justice Clarence Thomas wasn’t, it turns out, due to a lack of clarity on his part. A transcription error, now corrected, eliminated five of the nine words he spoke, and they were, indeed, a joke…

Jan 23, 2013 11:25 PM CST

Top Akin Gump antitrust lawyer leaps to new firm with 2 other partners

The top antitrust lawyer at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has jumped to Squire Sanders, along with two other antitrust partners. Former Akin Gump antitrust chair Mark Botti started work at the Washington, D.C., office of his new firm today. Joining him there are J. Brady Dugan and Anthony…

Jan 15, 2013 4:39 PM CST

Ex-Prosecutor’s Soaring Career at DOJ Is Shot Down by ‘Fast and Furious’ Fallout

Jason M. Weinstein seemingly was on a soaring career trajectory as a former federal prosecutor appointed to a job at the U.S. Department of Justice in 2009. The George Washington University law graduate’s aggressive approach, working with local police as the man in charge of the violent crimes unit at…

Jan 8, 2013 4:42 PM CST

Schiff Hardin Doubles Energy Practice with Acquisition of 10-Lawyer DC Boutique

Schiff Hardin has announced that it has acquired a 10-lawyer energy boutique based in Washington, D.C., nearly doubling the size of the firm’s practice group. Bruder Gentile & Marcoux comes to Schiff Hardin with 10 attorneys; the 385-lawyer Chicago-headquartered firm already had 11 in its energy practice group, Reuters reports.…

Jan 7, 2013 11:31 PM CST

SEC Taps Bingham McCutchen’s Geoffrey Aronow as New General Counsel

Geoffrey F. Aronow has been named as the new general counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission. A partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Bingham McCutchen, he formerly served for nearly four years as director of the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s enforcement division. Both Bloomberg and Reuters have…

Jan 7, 2013 5:50 PM CST

Transocean to Pay $1.4B to Resolve DOJ Criminal Probe, Other Federal Claims re Gulf Oil Spill

The company that owned the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and safety equipment involved in the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill nearly three years ago has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle federal claims over the fatal environmental disaster. Transocean Ltd. will plead guilty to violating the Clean Water…

Jan 3, 2013 10:52 PM CST

Report: Law Prof, Other Critics Complain About DOJ Approach to ‘Too Big to Jail’ Bank Crimes

A record settlement of $1.9 billion with HSBC that was announced earlier this month as result of a federal money-laundering probe against the United Kingdom-based bank was hailed by some as a sign that the justice system is working. But others don’t see much benefit in the pact with a…

Dec 18, 2012 7:04 PM CST

DC Court of Appeals Revives Pro Se Attorney’s Constitutional Claim re Rejected Gov’t Job Application

A Kentucky lawyer who wanted to work in the administrative office of the United States Courts in Washington, D.C., was summarily rejected when she applied because she doesn’t live in the nation’s capital or its suburbs. That was a violation of her constitutional right to travel, argued Malla Pollack, at…

Dec 18, 2012 5:13 PM CST

Lawyer Sues Huff Post, Says He Wasn’t Author and Disagrees with Article Published Under His Name

Updated: A partner in a Panama law firm has sued the Huffington Post in federal court in Washington, D.C., contending that he wasn’t the author of a blog post published under his name (and featuring his photo) and disagrees with the views it expresses. Juan Carlos Noriega also says he…

Dec 17, 2012 9:59 PM CST

Group of Federal Judges Plans to Seek Class Action Status in Suit Over Unpaid Cost-of-Living Raises

Earlier this year, a federal appeals court told Congress to ante up for years of unpaid cost-of-living increases to six federal judges. Now a group including senior U.S. District Judge Royal Furgeson Jr. of Texas, who serves as president of the Federal Judges Association, plans to sue on behalf of…

Dec 14, 2012 7:57 PM CST

SEC General Counsel Mark Cahn to Leave Job; Three Other Top Regulators Are Also Exiting

The general counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission will leave his job there at the end of the year to return to the private sector, the federal agency announced Wednesday in a press release. It doesn’t say what exactly Mark D. Cahn plans to do after leaving the SEC.…

Dec 5, 2012 6:32 PM CST

Does Law School’s Appointment of Kirkland Leader as Dean Signal New Focus on Legal Jobs?

The managing partner of the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis is on the verge of a significant career change, one that may also signal a growing new emphasis on legal jobs at the nation’s law schools. Daniel F. Attridge will take the helm as law dean of Catholic…

Nov 28, 2012 11:15 PM CST

Partners OK Latest Mega-Merger; Dentons Will Have Nearly 2,500 Attorneys, Be Set Up as Swiss Verein

A three-way merger of major law firms was approved Wednesday by the partners involved, setting the stage for SNR Denton, Salans and Fraser Milner Casgrain to combine early next year. The new megafirm, which will be known as Dentons, will have more than 2,500 attorneys and professionals, making it the…

Nov 28, 2012 8:25 PM CST

Lawyer for Jill Kelley Says He’ll Sue US Attorney in Tampa if Leaks Continue re Petraeus Case

A lawyer representing Tampa socialite Jill Kelley, whose complaint about threatening emails wound up linking her name to a sex scandal that led to David Petraeus’ resignation from his position as CIA Director, has threatened to sue the U.S. Attorney in Tampa. Abbe Lowell wrote in a letter to W.…

Nov 28, 2012 5:52 PM CST

Federal Judge Gives Civ Pro Lesson, Sanctions Ex-Client for Mistaken Claim Dickstein Missed Deadline

Warning a former client of Dickstein Shapiro that future sanctions could be forthcoming if continues to disregard local discovery rules in Washington, D.C., before making dubious motions, a federal judge on Monday quickly disposed of the company’s motion for partial summary judgment against the law firm in a $250 million…

Nov 27, 2012 9:28 PM CST