Author: TSA Press

The
second
Trump
administration
will
surely
be
a
disaster
for
the

planet
and

all
living
things.
But
it
does
promise
to
have
some
very
funny
moments
—
although
we
may
find
ourselves
laughing
from
the
confines
of
a
gulag.

One
source
of
humor
will
be
Matthew
Whitaker,
whom
Trump
just
announced
this
morning
would
be
representing
our
beleaguered
nation
as
ambassador
to
NATO.
Whitaker
was
the
thumb-headed
dingus
who
took
over
as
acting
attorney
general
after
the
2018
midterms
when
Trump
kicked
Jeff
Sessions
to
the
curb.

“Matt
is
a
strong
warrior
and
loyal
Patriot,
who
will
ensure
the
United
States’
interests
are
advanced
and
defended.
Matt
will
strengthen
relationships
with
our
NATO
Allies,
and
stand
firm
in
the
face
of
threats
to
Peace
and
Stability,”
Trump’s
team
said
in
a
statement
blasted
to
reporters,
adding
that
“Matt
is
also
the
former
U.S.
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
and
is
a
graduate
of
the
University
of
Iowa
with
a
B.A.,
MBA
and
J.D.,
where
he
played
football,
and
received
the
Big
Ten
Medal
of
Honor.”

That
will
come
in
handy
if
we
need
to
tackle
the
representative
from
Romania.

It
should
be
noted
that
our
current
representative
at
NATO
is

Scott
Oudkirk,
a
career
diplomat
with
degrees
from
Georgetown’s
School
of
Foreign
Service
and
the
National
Defense
University’s
Eisenhower
School,
who
served
on
the
National
Security
Counsel
and
in
posts
in
Turkey,
Iraq,
China,
and
Jamaica.
During
the
first
Trump
administration,
we
were
represented
former
Texas
Senator
Kay
Bailey
Hutchison.

Now
we’re
sending
the
big
dick
toilet
guy.

Forgive
the
profanity,
but
this
is
a
guy
so
deeply
unimpressive
that,
five
years
after
serving
as
the
US
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
he
was
part
of
a
scammy
“invention
promotion
firm”
hawking
a
giant
toilet
for
men
who
can’t
keep
their
dangly
bits
out
of
the
bowl.
Every
time
Iowa
Republicans
had
a
chance
to
elevate
this
guy
—
to
Iowa
Treasurer,
to
Iowa
Supreme
Court,
to
the
Senate
—
they
passed.
The
best
he
could
do
was
get
himself
on
wingnut
welfare,
heading
up
an
astroturf

“chop
shop
of
fake
ethics
complaints”
to
harass
Hillary
Clinton.

Whitaker
was
thrust
into
the
spotlight
during
the
first
Trump
administration
when
the
president
passed
over
Deputy
AG
Rod
Rosenstein
to
make
Whitaker
acting
AG
after
Sessions
was
defenestrated.
Washington
Post
journalists
Philip
Rucker
and
Carol
Leonnig

wrote
that
his
direct
reports
at
DOJ
called
him
“Mongo,”
a
reference
to
the
big,
dumb
oaf
portrayed
by
Alex
Karras
[ed
note:
who
also
played
football
for
the
University
of
Iowa]
in
“Blazing
Saddles.”

He’s
a…
you
know…
MORON.

And
now
Donald
Trump
is
going
to
send
him
to
NATO
to
knock
down
other
countries
and
steal
their
lunch
money
because
the
moron
in
chief

believes
that
defense
spending
guarantees
amount
to
an
unpaid
vig
to
the
US.

Ah,
well,
Mongo
only
pawn…
in
game
of
life.

---

Liz
Dye lives
in
Baltimore
where
she
produces
the
Law
and
Chaos substack and podcast.

The
second
Trump
administration
will
surely
be
a
disaster
for
the

planet
and

all
living
things.
But
it
does
promise
to
have
some
very
funny
moments
—
although
we
may
find
ourselves
laughing
from
the
confines
of
a
gulag.

One
source
of
humor
will
be
Matthew
Whitaker,
whom
Trump
just
announced
this
morning
would
be
representing
our
beleaguered
nation
as
ambassador
to
NATO.
Whitaker
was
the
thumb-headed
dingus
who
took
over
as
acting
attorney
general
after
the
2018
midterms
when
Trump
kicked
Jeff
Sessions
to
the
curb.

“Matt
is
a
strong
warrior
and
loyal
Patriot,
who
will
ensure
the
United
States’
interests
are
advanced
and
defended.
Matt
will
strengthen
relationships
with
our
NATO
Allies,
and
stand
firm
in
the
face
of
threats
to
Peace
and
Stability,”
Trump’s
team
said
in
a
statement
blasted
to
reporters,
adding
that
“Matt
is
also
the
former
U.S.
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
and
is
a
graduate
of
the
University
of
Iowa
with
a
B.A.,
MBA
and
J.D.,
where
he
played
football,
and
received
the
Big
Ten
Medal
of
Honor.”

That
will
come
in
handy
if
we
need
to
tackle
the
representative
from
Romania.

It
should
be
noted
that
our
current
representative
at
NATO
is

Scott
Oudkirk,
a
career
diplomat
with
degrees
from
Georgetown’s
School
of
Foreign
Service
and
the
National
Defense
University’s
Eisenhower
School,
who
served
on
the
National
Security
Counsel
and
in
posts
in
Turkey,
Iraq,
China,
and
Jamaica.
During
the
first
Trump
administration,
we
were
represented
former
Texas
Senator
Kay
Bailey
Hutchison.

Now
we’re
sending
the
big
dick
toilet
guy.

Forgive
the
profanity,
but
this
is
a
guy
so
deeply
unimpressive
that,
five
years
after
serving
as
the
US
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
he
was
part
of
a
scammy
“invention
promotion
firm”
hawking
a
giant
toilet
for
men
who
can’t
keep
their
dangly
bits
out
of
the
bowl.
Every
time
Iowa
Republicans
had
a
chance
to
elevate
this
guy
—
to
Iowa
Treasurer,
to
Iowa
Supreme
Court,
to
the
Senate
—
they
passed.
The
best
he
could
do
was
get
himself
on
wingnut
welfare,
heading
up
an
astroturf

“chop
shop
of
fake
ethics
complaints”
to
harass
Hillary
Clinton.

Whitaker
was
thrust
into
the
spotlight
during
the
first
Trump
administration
when
the
president
passed
over
Deputy
AG
Rod
Rosenstein
to
make
Whitaker
acting
AG
after
Sessions
was
defenestrated.
Washington
Post
journalists
Philip
Rucker
and
Carol
Leonnig

wrote
that
his
direct
reports
at
DOJ
called
him
“Mongo,”
a
reference
to
the
big,
dumb
oaf
portrayed
by
Alex
Karras
[ed
note:
who
also
played
football
for
the
University
of
Iowa]
in
“Blazing
Saddles.”

He’s
a…
you
know…
MORON.

And
now
Donald
Trump
is
going
to
send
him
to
NATO
to
knock
down
other
countries
and
steal
their
lunch
money
because
the
moron
in
chief

believes
that
defense
spending
guarantees
amount
to
an
unpaid
vig
to
the
US.

Ah,
well,
Mongo
only
pawn…
in
game
of
life.

---

Liz
Dye lives
in
Baltimore
where
she
produces
the
Law
and
Chaos substack and podcast.

The
second
Trump
administration
will
surely
be
a
disaster
for
the

planet
and

all
living
things.
But
it
does
promise
to
have
some
very
funny
moments
—
although
we
may
find
ourselves
laughing
from
the
confines
of
a
gulag.

One
source
of
humor
will
be
Matthew
Whitaker,
whom
Trump
just
announced
this
morning
would
be
representing
our
beleaguered
nation
as
ambassador
to
NATO.
Whitaker
was
the
thumb-headed
dingus
who
took
over
as
acting
attorney
general
after
the
2018
midterms
when
Trump
kicked
Jeff
Sessions
to
the
curb.

“Matt
is
a
strong
warrior
and
loyal
Patriot,
who
will
ensure
the
United
States’
interests
are
advanced
and
defended.
Matt
will
strengthen
relationships
with
our
NATO
Allies,
and
stand
firm
in
the
face
of
threats
to
Peace
and
Stability,”
Trump’s
team
said
in
a
statement
blasted
to
reporters,
adding
that
“Matt
is
also
the
former
U.S.
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
and
is
a
graduate
of
the
University
of
Iowa
with
a
B.A.,
MBA
and
J.D.,
where
he
played
football,
and
received
the
Big
Ten
Medal
of
Honor.”

That
will
come
in
handy
if
we
need
to
tackle
the
representative
from
Romania.

It
should
be
noted
that
our
current
representative
at
NATO
is

Scott
Oudkirk,
a
career
diplomat
with
degrees
from
Georgetown’s
School
of
Foreign
Service
and
the
National
Defense
University’s
Eisenhower
School,
who
served
on
the
National
Security
Counsel
and
in
posts
in
Turkey,
Iraq,
China,
and
Jamaica.
During
the
first
Trump
administration,
we
were
represented
former
Texas
Senator
Kay
Bailey
Hutchison.

Now
we’re
sending
the
big
dick
toilet
guy.

Forgive
the
profanity,
but
this
is
a
guy
so
deeply
unimpressive
that,
five
years
after
serving
as
the
US
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
he
was
part
of
a
scammy
“invention
promotion
firm”
hawking
a
giant
toilet
for
men
who
can’t
keep
their
dangly
bits
out
of
the
bowl.
Every
time
Iowa
Republicans
had
a
chance
to
elevate
this
guy
—
to
Iowa
Treasurer,
to
Iowa
Supreme
Court,
to
the
Senate
—
they
passed.
The
best
he
could
do
was
get
himself
on
wingnut
welfare,
heading
up
an
astroturf

“chop
shop
of
fake
ethics
complaints”
to
harass
Hillary
Clinton.

Whitaker
was
thrust
into
the
spotlight
during
the
first
Trump
administration
when
the
president
passed
over
Deputy
AG
Rod
Rosenstein
to
make
Whitaker
acting
AG
after
Sessions
was
defenestrated.
Washington
Post
journalists
Philip
Rucker
and
Carol
Leonnig

wrote
that
his
direct
reports
at
DOJ
called
him
“Mongo,”
a
reference
to
the
big,
dumb
oaf
portrayed
by
Alex
Karras
[ed
note:
who
also
played
football
for
the
University
of
Iowa]
in
“Blazing
Saddles.”

He’s
a…
you
know…
MORON.

And
now
Donald
Trump
is
going
to
send
him
to
NATO
to
knock
down
other
countries
and
steal
their
lunch
money
because
the
moron
in
chief

believes
that
defense
spending
guarantees
amount
to
an
unpaid
vig
to
the
US.

Ah,
well,
Mongo
only
pawn…
in
game
of
life.

---

Liz
Dye lives
in
Baltimore
where
she
produces
the
Law
and
Chaos substack and podcast.

The
second
Trump
administration
will
surely
be
a
disaster
for
the

planet
and

all
living
things.
But
it
does
promise
to
have
some
very
funny
moments
—
although
we
may
find
ourselves
laughing
from
the
confines
of
a
gulag.

One
source
of
humor
will
be
Matthew
Whitaker,
whom
Trump
just
announced
this
morning
would
be
representing
our
beleaguered
nation
as
ambassador
to
NATO.
Whitaker
was
the
thumb-headed
dingus
who
took
over
as
acting
attorney
general
after
the
2018
midterms
when
Trump
kicked
Jeff
Sessions
to
the
curb.

“Matt
is
a
strong
warrior
and
loyal
Patriot,
who
will
ensure
the
United
States’
interests
are
advanced
and
defended.
Matt
will
strengthen
relationships
with
our
NATO
Allies,
and
stand
firm
in
the
face
of
threats
to
Peace
and
Stability,”
Trump’s
team
said
in
a
statement
blasted
to
reporters,
adding
that
“Matt
is
also
the
former
U.S.
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
and
is
a
graduate
of
the
University
of
Iowa
with
a
B.A.,
MBA
and
J.D.,
where
he
played
football,
and
received
the
Big
Ten
Medal
of
Honor.”

That
will
come
in
handy
if
we
need
to
tackle
the
representative
from
Romania.

It
should
be
noted
that
our
current
representative
at
NATO
is

Scott
Oudkirk,
a
career
diplomat
with
degrees
from
Georgetown’s
School
of
Foreign
Service
and
the
National
Defense
University’s
Eisenhower
School,
who
served
on
the
National
Security
Counsel
and
in
posts
in
Turkey,
Iraq,
China,
and
Jamaica.
During
the
first
Trump
administration,
we
were
represented
former
Texas
Senator
Kay
Bailey
Hutchison.

Now
we’re
sending
the
big
dick
toilet
guy.

Forgive
the
profanity,
but
this
is
a
guy
so
deeply
unimpressive
that,
five
years
after
serving
as
the
US
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
he
was
part
of
a
scammy
“invention
promotion
firm”
hawking
a
giant
toilet
for
men
who
can’t
keep
their
dangly
bits
out
of
the
bowl.
Every
time
Iowa
Republicans
had
a
chance
to
elevate
this
guy
—
to
Iowa
Treasurer,
to
Iowa
Supreme
Court,
to
the
Senate
—
they
passed.
The
best
he
could
do
was
get
himself
on
wingnut
welfare,
heading
up
an
astroturf

“chop
shop
of
fake
ethics
complaints”
to
harass
Hillary
Clinton.

Whitaker
was
thrust
into
the
spotlight
during
the
first
Trump
administration
when
the
president
passed
over
Deputy
AG
Rod
Rosenstein
to
make
Whitaker
acting
AG
after
Sessions
was
defenestrated.
Washington
Post
journalists
Philip
Rucker
and
Carol
Leonnig

wrote
that
his
direct
reports
at
DOJ
called
him
“Mongo,”
a
reference
to
the
big,
dumb
oaf
portrayed
by
Alex
Karras
[ed
note:
who
also
played
football
for
the
University
of
Iowa]
in
“Blazing
Saddles.”

He’s
a…
you
know…
MORON.

And
now
Donald
Trump
is
going
to
send
him
to
NATO
to
knock
down
other
countries
and
steal
their
lunch
money
because
the
moron
in
chief

believes
that
defense
spending
guarantees
amount
to
an
unpaid
vig
to
the
US.

Ah,
well,
Mongo
only
pawn…
in
game
of
life.

---

Liz
Dye lives
in
Baltimore
where
she
produces
the
Law
and
Chaos substack and podcast.

The
second
Trump
administration
will
surely
be
a
disaster
for
the

planet
and

all
living
things.
But
it
does
promise
to
have
some
very
funny
moments
—
although
we
may
find
ourselves
laughing
from
the
confines
of
a
gulag.

One
source
of
humor
will
be
Matthew
Whitaker,
whom
Trump
just
announced
this
morning
would
be
representing
our
beleaguered
nation
as
ambassador
to
NATO.
Whitaker
was
the
thumb-headed
dingus
who
took
over
as
acting
attorney
general
after
the
2018
midterms
when
Trump
kicked
Jeff
Sessions
to
the
curb.

“Matt
is
a
strong
warrior
and
loyal
Patriot,
who
will
ensure
the
United
States’
interests
are
advanced
and
defended.
Matt
will
strengthen
relationships
with
our
NATO
Allies,
and
stand
firm
in
the
face
of
threats
to
Peace
and
Stability,”
Trump’s
team
said
in
a
statement
blasted
to
reporters,
adding
that
“Matt
is
also
the
former
U.S.
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
and
is
a
graduate
of
the
University
of
Iowa
with
a
B.A.,
MBA
and
J.D.,
where
he
played
football,
and
received
the
Big
Ten
Medal
of
Honor.”

That
will
come
in
handy
if
we
need
to
tackle
the
representative
from
Romania.

It
should
be
noted
that
our
current
representative
at
NATO
is

Scott
Oudkirk,
a
career
diplomat
with
degrees
from
Georgetown’s
School
of
Foreign
Service
and
the
National
Defense
University’s
Eisenhower
School,
who
served
on
the
National
Security
Counsel
and
in
posts
in
Turkey,
Iraq,
China,
and
Jamaica.
During
the
first
Trump
administration,
we
were
represented
former
Texas
Senator
Kay
Bailey
Hutchison.

Now
we’re
sending
the
big
dick
toilet
guy.

Forgive
the
profanity,
but
this
is
a
guy
so
deeply
unimpressive
that,
five
years
after
serving
as
the
US
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
he
was
part
of
a
scammy
“invention
promotion
firm”
hawking
a
giant
toilet
for
men
who
can’t
keep
their
dangly
bits
out
of
the
bowl.
Every
time
Iowa
Republicans
had
a
chance
to
elevate
this
guy
—
to
Iowa
Treasurer,
to
Iowa
Supreme
Court,
to
the
Senate
—
they
passed.
The
best
he
could
do
was
get
himself
on
wingnut
welfare,
heading
up
an
astroturf

“chop
shop
of
fake
ethics
complaints”
to
harass
Hillary
Clinton.

Whitaker
was
thrust
into
the
spotlight
during
the
first
Trump
administration
when
the
president
passed
over
Deputy
AG
Rod
Rosenstein
to
make
Whitaker
acting
AG
after
Sessions
was
defenestrated.
Washington
Post
journalists
Philip
Rucker
and
Carol
Leonnig

wrote
that
his
direct
reports
at
DOJ
called
him
“Mongo,”
a
reference
to
the
big,
dumb
oaf
portrayed
by
Alex
Karras
[ed
note:
who
also
played
football
for
the
University
of
Iowa]
in
“Blazing
Saddles.”

He’s
a…
you
know…
MORON.

And
now
Donald
Trump
is
going
to
send
him
to
NATO
to
knock
down
other
countries
and
steal
their
lunch
money
because
the
moron
in
chief

believes
that
defense
spending
guarantees
amount
to
an
unpaid
vig
to
the
US.

Ah,
well,
Mongo
only
pawn…
in
game
of
life.

---

Liz
Dye lives
in
Baltimore
where
she
produces
the
Law
and
Chaos substack and podcast.

The
second
Trump
administration
will
surely
be
a
disaster
for
the

planet
and

all
living
things.
But
it
does
promise
to
have
some
very
funny
moments
—
although
we
may
find
ourselves
laughing
from
the
confines
of
a
gulag.

One
source
of
humor
will
be
Matthew
Whitaker,
whom
Trump
just
announced
this
morning
would
be
representing
our
beleaguered
nation
as
ambassador
to
NATO.
Whitaker
was
the
thumb-headed
dingus
who
took
over
as
acting
attorney
general
after
the
2018
midterms
when
Trump
kicked
Jeff
Sessions
to
the
curb.

“Matt
is
a
strong
warrior
and
loyal
Patriot,
who
will
ensure
the
United
States’
interests
are
advanced
and
defended.
Matt
will
strengthen
relationships
with
our
NATO
Allies,
and
stand
firm
in
the
face
of
threats
to
Peace
and
Stability,”
Trump’s
team
said
in
a
statement
blasted
to
reporters,
adding
that
“Matt
is
also
the
former
U.S.
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
and
is
a
graduate
of
the
University
of
Iowa
with
a
B.A.,
MBA
and
J.D.,
where
he
played
football,
and
received
the
Big
Ten
Medal
of
Honor.”

That
will
come
in
handy
if
we
need
to
tackle
the
representative
from
Romania.

It
should
be
noted
that
our
current
representative
at
NATO
is

Scott
Oudkirk,
a
career
diplomat
with
degrees
from
Georgetown’s
School
of
Foreign
Service
and
the
National
Defense
University’s
Eisenhower
School,
who
served
on
the
National
Security
Counsel
and
in
posts
in
Turkey,
Iraq,
China,
and
Jamaica.
During
the
first
Trump
administration,
we
were
represented
former
Texas
Senator
Kay
Bailey
Hutchison.

Now
we’re
sending
the
big
dick
toilet
guy.

Forgive
the
profanity,
but
this
is
a
guy
so
deeply
unimpressive
that,
five
years
after
serving
as
the
US
Attorney
for
the
Southern
District
of
Iowa,
he
was
part
of
a
scammy
“invention
promotion
firm”
hawking
a
giant
toilet
for
men
who
can’t
keep
their
dangly
bits
out
of
the
bowl.
Every
time
Iowa
Republicans
had
a
chance
to
elevate
this
guy
—
to
Iowa
Treasurer,
to
Iowa
Supreme
Court,
to
the
Senate
—
they
passed.
The
best
he
could
do
was
get
himself
on
wingnut
welfare,
heading
up
an
astroturf

“chop
shop
of
fake
ethics
complaints”
to
harass
Hillary
Clinton.

Whitaker
was
thrust
into
the
spotlight
during
the
first
Trump
administration
when
the
president
passed
over
Deputy
AG
Rod
Rosenstein
to
make
Whitaker
acting
AG
after
Sessions
was
defenestrated.
Washington
Post
journalists
Philip
Rucker
and
Carol
Leonnig

wrote
that
his
direct
reports
at
DOJ
called
him
“Mongo,”
a
reference
to
the
big,
dumb
oaf
portrayed
by
Alex
Karras
[ed
note:
who
also
played
football
for
the
University
of
Iowa]
in
“Blazing
Saddles.”

He’s
a…
you
know…
MORON.

And
now
Donald
Trump
is
going
to
send
him
to
NATO
to
knock
down
other
countries
and
steal
their
lunch
money
because
the
moron
in
chief

believes
that
defense
spending
guarantees
amount
to
an
unpaid
vig
to
the
US.

Ah,
well,
Mongo
only
pawn…
in
game
of
life.

---

Liz
Dye lives
in
Baltimore
where
she
produces
the
Law
and
Chaos substack and podcast.

The

Wells
Fargo
Legal
Specialty
Group
Nine-Month
2024
Survey
is
out
and
the
word
from
Biglaw
is
business
is
good
—
like
firms
are
“pinching
themselves”
good,

according
to
Owen
Burman,
a
senior
consultant
for
the
group.
This
growth
is
largely
on
the
back
of
corporate
practices,
and
is
more
pronounced
at
the
tippy
top
of
the
industry.
Burman
said
of
transactional
practices,
they
“remain
the
primary
driver
of
this
year’s
performance
and
appear
to
be
broadening
out
to
the
middle
market,
benefiting
firms
across
all
size
tiers.”

For
all
firms
reporting,
revenue
rose
12.8%
through
the
first
nine
months
of
2024,
up
from
11.4%
for
the
first
six
months
of
2024
and
4.6%
for
the
comparable
nine-month
period
of
2023,
reaching
growth
rates
only
surpassed
in
2021
of
14.4%.
Revenue
growth
was
strongest
for
the
Am
Law
1-50,
up
14.6%,
while
firms
in
the
Am
Law
Second
Fifty
and
Am
Law
Second
Hundred
trailed,
albeit
with
solid
growth
of
9.3%
and
10.1%,
respectively

Though
there
was
an
uptick
in
demand
(3.7%)
and
attorney
productivity
(up
2.4%
to
1,583
hours
per
lawyer),
the
big
driver
of
those
impressive
revenue
numbers
is
increasing
the
billable
rates.
Overall,
the
average
standard
rate
is
up
9.0%
year-over-year.
The
top
50
firms
increased
rates
an
average
of
10%,
with
the
other
tiers
raising
rates
an
average
of
7%.

All
of
which
seems
to
line
up
for
a
pretty
payday
—
for
equity
partners.

Although
the
seasonality
of
collections
and
cash-basis
reporting
can
affect
the
numbers,
Wells
Fargo
found
profits
per
equity
partner
up
23.4%
among
Am
Law
50
firms;
16.4%
for
the
Second
50
and
18.1%
for
the
Second
Hundred,
combining
for
an
industrywide
average
of
21.5%.
Net
income
figures
are
subject
to
the
same
caveat,
but
for
the
same
segments
increased
by
24.5%,
16.7%
and
18.8%,
respectively.

Burman
said
he
doesn’t
anticipate
bottom-line
growth
to
eclipse
20%
when
all
is
said
and
done
in
2024,
but
“mid-
to
high-teens
is
my
expectation”
by
year-end.

With
financials
this
impressive,
firms
have
very
little
excuse
to
*not*
match

the
year-end
and

special
bonuses
making
their
way
through
Biglaw.

---

Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of

The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email

her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter

@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon

@[email protected].

One
day,
you’re
sitting
around
your
office
as
in-house
counsel
at
an
insurance
company
and
someone
calls
to
ask
whether
they
should
pay
a
claim
involving
a
bear
breaking
into
a
luxury
vehicle
or
if,
maybe,
it’s
just
a
guy
dressed
in
a
bear
suit
committing
insurance
fraud.

On
that
day,
you
should
consider
what
life
choices
brought
you
to
that
point.
Because
lawyering
can
be
unpleasant
but
dealing
with
this
case
must
have
been
unbearable!

Kevin
Underhill’s
Lowering
the
Bar
has
details
on
a
California
Department
of
Insurance
investigation
dubbed
“Operation
Bear
Claw”
designed
to
get
to
the
bottom
of
a
series
of
insurance
claims
involving
a
bear
roaming
a
well-to-do
area
of
Los
Angeles
and
ripping
up
the
inside
of
a
Rolls
Royce
and
a
pair
of
Mercedes
to
the
tune
of
$141,839.
The
insurance
companies
involved
apparently
dragged
the
government
into
the
inquiry
as
they

stared
at
surveillance
footage
and
wondered…
maybe
that’s
not
a
real
bear?

Bear
with
me
for
a
second
here.
The
insurance
claims
involved
three
separate
ursine
attacks
upon
three
different
cars
at
the
same
location,
all
made
upon
different
insurance
companies.
That
seems…
curious.

The
government
thought
so
too
and
ran
the
footage
by
a
biologist
who
was
pretty
sure
this
was
a
human
in
a
bear
suit.
That
proved
enough
to
get
a
search
warrant.
Which,
as
investigative
techniques
go,
is
more
straightforward
than
setting
up
a
Honey
Pot.
Returning
to
Lowering
the
Bar’s
coverage:

That
(plus
the
biologist)
was
enough
to
get
a
search
warrant,
and
if
you
assumed
these
suspects
would
have
disposed
of
the
bear
costume
after
using
it
to
commit
three
crimes
rather
than
keeping
it
at
home,
you
must
be
new
here:

Four
people
have
been
arrested.
I
guess,
in
light
of
this
costume,
they
lacked
any

pawsible
deniability.

Insurer
Thinks
Bear
Shown
in
Video
Trashing
Car
Looks
a
Lot
Like
a
Guy
in
a
Bear
Suit
[Lowering
the
Bar]

---

Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or

Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a

Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.

Ed.
note:
Welcome
to
our
daily
feature,

Quote
of
the
Day.

My
reaction,
honestly,
is
just
kind
of
deep
sadness.
It’s
a
very
serious
job,
and
it
requires
a
serious
person
who
knows
how
to
build
complicated
cases
and
evaluate
complicated
cases
for
when
they’re
worth
bringing
and
when
they’re
not,
who
can
build
team
loyalty,
because
it’s
a
very
large
institution,
and
people
work
there
because
they
believe
in
the
mission.

—
A
former
federal
prosecutor
who
is
now
working
as
a
law
firm
partner,
in
anonymous
commentary
given
to
the

National
Law
Journal,
on
the
nomination
of
scandal-plagued

Matt
Gaetz
as
attorney
general
in
President-elect
Donald
Trump’s
administration.

---

Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to

email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on

X/Twitter
and

Threads
or
connect
with
her
on

LinkedIn.

If
you’re
like
everyone
else,
you’re
probably
busy
downloading
Bluesky
right
now.
The
Twitter
alternative
—


sans
the
Nazi
content
—
has

blown
into
the
stratosphere
since
the
election
installed
Twitter’s
chief
Twit
as
shadow
president.
Above
the
Law

just
opened
up
over
there.
I’ve
been

over
there
for
a
while
now.
Come
join
up!

And
while
you’re
adding
apps,
there’s
a
hot
new
professional
app
coming
with
LexisNexis
Legal
&
Professional
announcing
the
release
of
the
Lexis+
AI
Mobile
App
today.
We’ve

talked
about
Lexis+
AI
before,
but
with
the
app
launch,
the
company
has
an
industry-first
generative
AI
solution
tailored
specifically
for
lawyers
on
the
move.
And
while
it’s
tempting
to
consider
apps
as
just
a
mobile
extension
of
a
desktop
counterpart,
there’s
an
important
usability
gap
between
working
in
the
office
and
working
on
the
go.

The
Lexis+
AI
Mobile
App
is
now
available
on
both
the
Apple
App
Store
and
Google
Play.

Mobile
is
where
business
gets
done
these
days.
Using
discovery
as
a
guide,

mobile
data
has
finally
overtaken
desktop
data
and
there’s
no
sign
that
it’s
changing
any
time
soon
even
with
businesses
moving
back
to
offices.
If
generative
AI
is
going
to
become
a
genuine
part
of
the
legal
workflow,
delivering
those
capabilities
directly
to
mobile
devices
—
meeting
lawyers
“where
they
are”
on
smartphones
and
tablets
—
becomes
a
critical
piece
of
the
puzzle.

In
fact,
optimizing
generative
AI
for
mobile
might
be
more
important
than
perfecting
it
for
the
desktop.
More
often
than
not,
you’re
working
from
a
mobile
device
out
of
urgency.
Something
has
come
up
outside
of
office
hours,
during
travel,
while
on
vacation,
etc.
Rapidly
summarizing
documents
or
whipping
up
draft
responses
are
much
more
critical
features
when
sitting
at
a
soccer
game
trying
to
get
accurate
answers
in
a
short
window.

That
said,
the
app
remains
grounded
in
the
same
authoritative
legal
content
driving
Lexis+
AI
on
the
desktop.
But
with
a
mobile
offering,
Lexis
endeavors
to
provide
an
intuitive
interface
for
these
devices,
listing
some
of
its
key
features
to
include:

• 
  Ask
  a
  Legal
  Question
  
  –
  Leverages
  natural
  language
  processing
  to
  pose
  intricate
  legal
  queries
  and
  receive
  accurate,
  insightful
  responses
  tailored
  to
  specific
  needs.
• 
  Summarize
  a
  Case–
  Quickly
  distills
  the
  essence
  of
  legal
  cases,
  extracting
  key
  points
  and
  insights
  with
  unparalleled
  efficiency,
  ensuring
  attorneys
  stay
  informed
  and
  prepared.
• 
  Generate
  a
  Draft
  
  –
  Streamlines
  the
  legal
  writing
  process
  by
  generating
  well-structured
  drafts,
  saving
  valuable
  time
  and
  effort
  while
  maintaining
  the
  highest
  standards
  of
  quality.
• 
  Recent
  Conversations
  &
  Drafts
  
  –
  Enables
  users
  to
  access
  and
  review
  existing
  drafts
  and
  previous
  interactions
  with
  the
  AI
  assistant,
  ensuring
  seamless
  continuity
  and
  workflow
  across
  devices.
• 
  Mobile-to-Desktop
  Sync–
  Provides
  a
  personalized
  experience
  tailored
  to
  individual
  preferences,
  with
  the
  ability
  to
  seamlessly
  sync
  activities
  between
  the
  mobile
  app
  and
  desktop
  version.

Sean
Fitzpatrick,
CEO
of
LexisNexis
North
America,
UK,
and
Ireland,
emphasized
the
transformative
potential
of
this
technology:
“Attorneys
can
now
access
the
tools
they
need
to
serve
their
clients
without
delay.
This
innovative
app
streamlines
workflows,
enabling
legal
professionals
to
deliver
client
value
from
anywhere,
ensuring
they
can
efficiently
meet
their
clients’
needs.”

As
2024
wraps
up,
the
focus
in
legal
AI
has
shifted
strongly
toward
usability.
No
one
has
stopped
working
to
make
AI
deliver
better,
faster,
and
more
accurate
results,
but
as
the
technology
has
matured,
the
mood
has
transitioned
to
optimizing
how
generative
AI
works
for
lawyers.
Meeting
legal
professionals
where
they
are
—
not
just
in
terms
of
physical
location
but
also
in
terms
of
technological
expectations
—
fits
this
mandate.

Mobile-first
solutions
are
no
longer
a
luxury
but
a
necessity
in
this
profession.

---

Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of

Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or

Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a

Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.