Category: News Feeds

To increase by three points is unheard of. I’ve been at this a long time, and to be up three points on the LSAT, that’s never happened. At least as far as I know. …

I think it will help. We got a pretty good jolt there. If (a rankings increase) happens, it’s a great thing and we’ll be delighted. That’s not why I did it.

— Andrew Cornblatt, admissions dean at Georgetown University Law Center, commenting on the school’s miraculous, three-point increase to its median LSAT score, up to 171 from 168 last year. Georgetown had 14,000 applicants, up 41% from the previous admissions cycle. According to Reuters, this is the largest applicant pool on record at any law school.

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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 Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

In the current market, GCs confront both a surging need for legal services and an ever-increasing pressure to control budgets. Against this challenging backdrop, earlier this year we asked nearly 1,000 in-house counsel which firms provide the best return on their legal spend investments.

The premise of our fourth annual outside counsel rankings is simple and direct. We asked in-house counsel two simple questions: 1) “Which law firms does your company engage for legal services?” and 2) “Please indicate the highest level legal work for which your company will engage the particular firm(s).” The “levels” of work were defined along a four-point scale:

1. Cost-efficient, bulk tasks
2. Routine matters
3. High-value, complex matters
4. “Bet-the-company” matters

In-house lawyers — from nearly 440 companies and over 40 cities — shared with us their evaluations of their companies’ outside law firms. Check out the results here.

The state of Georgia wrongfully convicts people. Like… all the damn time. There’s a song about wrongfully convicting people in Georgia.

So when the Cobb County government tried to raise some money with an escape room, they decided to eschew Haunted House or Museum Heist and jump right to something relatable to Georgians like “being wrongfully sent to prison.”

Zihuatanejo is lovely this time of year.

At least they didn’t go with “you’ve been denied the right to vote because… you know.”

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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 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.

In our last episode of horse meds for people, a judge ruled that doctors had to administer horse de-wormer as an experimental treatment for COVID to a patient who may have trusted Joe Rogan more than medical doctors. On Monday, Judge Michael Oster Jr. reversed that decision, stating that “[there’s] no doubt that the medical and scientific communities do not support the use of Ivermectin as a treatment for Covid-19.”

In his decision, the judge had this to say:

“While the case at bar has emotion to it, the following decision will be strictly based upon the standards of law on a preliminary injunction case…As such, public policy would not favor the granting of the injunction by clear and convincing evidence.”

he continued:

“[P]ublic policy should not and does not support allowing a physician to try ‘any’ type of treatment on human beings. Rather, public policy supports the safe and effected development of medications and medical practices. A clinical trial would be one such method of a developmental process. However, a clinical trial is not at issue in this case.”

In lieu of clinical trials for non-antivirals that do the job of antivirals, I would suggest folks who would like a bit of protection from COVID and its mutations to check this out. If you can, please share this with Joe Rogan.

Judge Denies Request For West Chester Hospital To Treat COVID-19 Patient With Ivermectin [WLWT.com]

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Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. Before that, he wrote columns for an online magazine named The Muse Collaborative under the pen name Knehmo. He endured the great state of Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com.

Firm Reopening/WFH Policy/Vaccination Mandate Akin Gump The firm is limiting office access to those who have been fully vaccinated (i.e., those who are two weeks past their final shot); the firm has pushed back its reopening date to October 11 from September 13 Arent Fox On July 6, all of the firm’s U.S offices will be open, and employees will likely come in once a week, eventually working their way up to coming in twice a week; it’s expected that all personnel will maintain a “routine physical presence” in the office, but remote work flexibility is still on the table Baker McKenzie Firm is planning to reopen its North American offices in early September; remote work from home is still on the table at the firm, but in-person interaction will be highlighted Ballard Spahr Firm will now require everyone who wants to enter the office (e.g., employees, visitors, clients, and vendors) to be vaccinated Boies Schiller As of August 8, employees must be vaccinated if they want to go into the office; firm will stage a full reopening in late September or early October, depending on the “specific health factors” of each office region Cadwalader Office attendance is encouraged, but not required, through Labor Day 2021; thereafter, and through year-end, office attendance is expected, but not on a full-time basis; in 2022, the office will be the “primary workspace” for attorneys and staffers Carlton Fields Firm recently notified all employees that they must be fully vaccinated to return to the office by October 4; effective August 9, the firm started its new policy of limiting office access only to those vaccinated Cleary Gottlieb As of August 9, the firm will be mandating vaccines for all U.S. personnel before they can enter the office, with medical or religious exemption requests due by September 20; Cleary will be putting off its full reopening until October 18 (its previous return-to-office date was September 13) sources say that lawyers and staff will be expected to work in the office for three days each week Clifford Chance The firm will return to office-based working, starting on September 13, with up to two remote days each week for both attorneys and business professionals (and time spent with clients outside the office will be considered time in the office); the firm will require all employees to be vaccinated by September 13, and provide proof of vaccination; the firm announced on August 10 that it would be pushing back its plans for a full reopening to sometime during the week of October 25 Cooley For the remainder of 2021, the firm won’t institute a “mandatory” return to office date or require a minimum number of in-office days, and notes that “our workplace of the future will be neither fully remote nor fully in person”; by Labor Day, anyone working in-office or visiting an office must be fully vaccinated Covington Employees are expected to return on September 7, and the firm will use a hybrid work model for attorneys and staff; employees should plan to spend at least three days in the office and will be able to work two days remotely; new associates encouraged to work more than three days per week in-office Cozen O’Connor Firm will be delaying its full reopening as well as the start of its hybrid work policy until September 20 (about two weeks after their original plans were supposed to commence on September 8); Cozen will also be requiring all personnel to be vaccinated against COVID-19 after available vaccines receive full FDA approval; until then, unvaccinated employees will be able to work remotely Cravath The firm will allow employees to take up to six business days of remote work each month (roughly, a three-day, in-office week for half the month and a four-day, in-office week for the other half); office attire will be business casual; the firm expects to fully reopen on October 8 Crowell & Moring The firm will now require vaccines for all employees upon its reopening on September 7, “[t]o safeguard the health of all in our community, including the families of our lawyers and staff”; all firm personnel must upload their vaccination cards as proof Davis & Gilbert A mandatory vaccination policy is being instituted at the firm; per chairman Ron Urbach, “it would be unwise to set a specific return to office date at this time”; due to Delta variant, the firm’s “current remote work policy will remain in effect” Dechert Firm hopes attorneys will come into office on voluntary basis this summer; attorneys expected to come into office starting on September 13, on at least a part-time basis; firm will allow for hybrid work arrangements, but requests that lawyers spend about half their time working in-person on days of their own choosing; firm “strongly encourages” vaccination Davis Polk Firm is setting up two days in May for a “Spring Back to the Office” program; Davis Polk will remain in a “voluntary return posture” until Labor Day, and will then switch to a hybrid return model (details to be announced after July 4th); the firm’s full reopening plan includes 3-4 workdays spent in-office with the possibility of floating remote weeks for attorneys; the firm will be mandating vaccination for all employees; those who are not vaccinated will have their building ID cards deactivated Davis Wright Tremaine Firm has announced that once its employees are eligible to get vaccinated, they will be encouraged to do so soon as possible; thereafter, only those who have been vaccinated will be allowed to enter the office or to attend firm-sponsored events; in the future, the firm will require proof of vaccination Debevoise & Plimpton Firm announced on August 5 that all employees must be vaccinated to return to the office, beginning on September 30; starting on October 11, the firm will require lawyers (and “some professional staff”) to work from the office one to two days each week, and starting on November 8, they will be required to work at least two-thirds of their time from the office Dentons Firm has announced that beginning on September 7, all people entering a Dentons U.S. office (employees, clients, vendors) must be vaccinated; firm has pushed back its originally scheduled reopening date of September 13, but a new date has not been selected Dickinson Wright Firm has informed all employees that they must be vaccinated in order to come into any of the firm’s 19 offices; the new policy will also apply to all firm events Faegre Drinker Firm’s hybrid work schedule is set to begin after Labor Day, and lawyers will be free to make their own in-office schedules; firm has a voluntary vaccination policy, and fully vaccinated employees may request exemption from the firm’s mask mandate; employees must complete daily health screenings; firm will be putting off the start of its hybrid work schedule, originally planned to begin on September 7; now, the firm will start its new work model on October 4; as of August 9, the firm will require vaccinations for anyone returning to the office Fenwick & West The firm has implemented a vaccine mandate as part of its health and safety procedures during its soft opening and will “require all personnel to be vaccinated before coming into our offices”; the firm will “provide wide latitude and flexibility for remote work” through the end of 2021 Fried Frank Firm has announced that all employees are expected to be fully vaccinated by September 13; “Our top priority is the health and safety of our people,” Fried Frank noted in a statement Gibson Dunn Firm will will welcome employees back to the office on September 13, but lawyers will be free to make their own schedules, working remotely “whenever it is appropriate” becayse such flexibility is needed for lawyers to have “full, well-rounded, happy lives” Goodwin Procter In-office operations at the firm will resume on September 13, 2021; the firm will be “taking a flexible approach to working from our offices,” and does not expect the five-day, in-office workweek to return; lawyers are encouraged to be in the office at least three days per week starting the week of September 13; firm will begin to “hotel” office space for those who will be in the office fewer than three days per week; vaccination is not required, but will be “strongly encouraged”; firm has switched gears, will now require vaccinations for all, following the FDA’s approval of COVID-19 vaccines for regular use (which will likely occur “in the coming weeks”); once approved, the firm’s offices will “only be open to those individuals (including all partners, employees, onsite vendors and visitors) who have been fully vaccinated”; employees must provide proof of vaccination to the firm; “non-vaccination status will not be considered a legitimate reason to support 100% remote work” Greenberg Traurig Firm introduced a vaccine mandate for all U.S. employees as of August 12; this is the first Florida-based firm to issue such a mandate; firm is nearly 90% vaccinated Hanson Bridgett Firm introduced a vaccine mandate on July 23, and the new policy will apply “for anyone working in or visiting any of Hanson Bridgett’s five physical office locations or attending a firm-sponsored event at other locations”; paid time off will be provided for employees to get vaccinated; 93% of its personnel are already fully vaccinated Hogan Lovells Firm states that only fully vaccinated employees may return to the office prior to September 13; thereafter, the firm will assess whether vaccinations will still be required for entry Hueston Hennigan Employees were encouraged to return to the firm on a voluntary basis starting on June 15, with one requirement: vaccination, with proof; the firm had been planning a full return to the office after Labor Day, but the new surge of Delta infections has made management start to rethink things Jenner & Block Firm will start allowing lawyers to return to U.S. offices, on a voluntary basis, starting June 7 (subject to government occupancy restrictions, social distancing, employees being vaccinated, or having a negative PCR test); this is the first phase of the firm’s plan, with the ultimate goal of having as many offices as possible return to normal occupancy levels, with appropriate flexibility, and office as the primary workspace Jones Day Lawyers at the firm’s D.C. office, “who are able to do so,” are encouraged to start working from the office on May 24; rooftop get-togethers will begin on June 13 Katten Firm will reopen after Labor Day, but will not require lawyers to spend a “particular number of days in the office” Kirkland & Ellis Because the firm believes that an “office-centric work environment is necessary,” starting on September 7, lawyers should plan to return to the office as their “routine baseline” Kramer Levin The firm is expecting attorneys to return to the office “sometime in September, but not before September 20”; attorneys will not have to work in-office every day (firm is “planning for our attorneys to be able to work some days in the office and some days remotely on average each week”); effective August 25, only those who have been fully vaccinated (with proof) will be permitted to enter the office; this new policy will also apply to third parties, like clients, guests, and vendors Kelley Drye The firm is encouraging its lawyers and staffers to voluntarily come to the office “from time to time” this summer; after Labor Day, firm “expect[s] to move to a fuller return to the office with flexibility for remote work” Latham & Watkins The firm will undergo a “gradual transition” back to the office this summer, with the “general expectation” that by mid-September, attorneys and staffers “will have re-established their regular routine of working from the office”; attorneys and staff must have at least received either a single-dose vaccine or the first of a two-dose vaccine by September 13; all U.S. personnel must be fully vaccinated by October 18, and must provide proof of each vaccination dose to the firm Loeb & Loeb Firm will invite employees back to the office in three phases: after the July 4th holiday, employees can visit the office voluntarily; after Labor Day, the firm will encourage a “somewhat more meaningful return to office,” which will last “through at least the end of 2021”; thereafter, Loeb will evaluate its new hybrid way of working to figure out what will the future of the firm will look like Lowenstein Sandler Firm announced on April 30 that it would be rolling out a three-phase reopening plan, until July 4, employees are invited to “try out the office”; starting July 6, employees are invited to return on a voluntary basis for “a day or two each week”; after Labor Day, employees are expected to be working in an office “most of the time” (i.e., three or more days each week); effective August 2, the firm will require all employees to be vaccinated to return to office; firm may delay next stage of its reopening plans due to recent surge of Delta infections McDermott Will & Emery Firm is pushing back its reopening date to October 12, and will also require all employees who intend to enter the office to be vaccinated (with proof), starting August 6 Mintz Firm has announced that employees may return voluntarily starting on July 6, and those who are vaccinated will no longer need to wear masks or socially distance from colleagues; those who are unvaccinated will not be allowed to enter building and will continue to work remotely until September Norton Rose Fulbright Firm will be limiting U.S. office access to those “who are fully vaccinated”; although the firm is sill planning to return to its office in September, it will be “continually monitoring the situation and evaluating this timeline” Orrick Firm is targeting a September return to work (post-Labor Day), and those who are able to do their jobs remotely will not be required to return to the office five days a week Patterson Belknap Firm announced that as of July 6, everyone who entered the office “must be fully vaccinated subject to medical or religious accommodations under applicable law” Paul Hastings Lawyers and staffers are expected to return to the office on September 7 (potentially on an everyday basis); according to firm’s return-to-office memo, “by default, we should work from the office when we are able”; in a second memo, the firm seems to have walked back its prior “by default” language, stating its intention to remain a flexible workplace; effective August 10, all U.S. employees are expected to be fully vaccinated and practice universal masking Paul Weiss Attorneys and staff were expected to return to the firm on September 13, but effective August 5, it will indefinitely postpone the planned “phase 2” office reopening, with a new date announced roughly 30 days ahead of the ultimate reopening; the firm will be requiring everyone who enters its offices to be fully vaccinated, and as of August 9, anyone who has failed to provide proof of vaccination will have card keys deactivated Perkins Coie Lawyers and staffers are expected to return to the office on October 1; lawyers will come into the office a set number of days (and they’ll able to choose which days themselves); more than half of employees have already been vaccinated, but the firm will still require masks and social distancing Reed Smith Firm will roll out a three-phase reopening plan: in June, the firm will host “Welcome Back Wednesdays,” where all employees will be encouraged to sign up to work one office Wednesday; on July 6, the firm will have a soft opening, where employees will be able to come into the office by reservation only; on September 7, all U.S. offices will be fully reopened; lawyers will not have to work a set number of days in the office, even when the firm has fully reopened, but will be expected to maintain somewhat of a “routine physical presence”; firm has announced that all employees are expected to be fully vaccinated by September 13 Ropes & Gray “Permissive office usage” will continue in U.S. offices until Labor Day in September; thereafter, the firm will provide “at least 45 days’ notice before moving from permissive usage to a broader office return”; on May 5, the firm announced a three-phase reopening plan, culminating in November with a three-day, in-office workweek; firm will provide free food every day of the week after Memorial Day through Labor Day; the firm will require vaccines for all employees, effective August 9; firm will disable the IDs of unvaccinated employees so they will be unable to gain access to the office; on August 12, the firm notified lawyers and staff that it would be delaying Phase 2 reopening to October 18, a bit later than originally imagined Sanford Heisler Firm has announced a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for all of its attorneys and staff prior to their return to the office; firm plans to reopen its offices in June, and employees are expected to come in at least part-time by September; firm is postponing its September 9 return-to-office date, but has not yet announced a new date Schiff Hardin The firm will be delaying its return to office until November 4; effective August 9, all employees and anyone entering the firm’s offices will be expected to be fully vaccinated; effective immediately at the firm, anyone in the office must be masked and socially distanced Seyfarth Shaw Firm has a new vaccination mandate and now, anyone entering the firm’s offices must be fully vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test; unvaccinated personnel must test negative on a weekly basis; firm’s reopening date is now September 27, as opposed to September 13, as was planned Sheppard Mullin The firm has announced a relaxed, three-phase reopening plan, inviting those who are fully vaccinated to return to work on “some days,” to “do your best” to come to the office “on some days” after July 6, with the expectation that people to “come to the office on some days” on September 7 and thereafter; as of August 10, firm is postponing its planned return-to-office date of September 7, and will “announce a new date in the future with plenty of advance notice”; those who do go to the office will not only be required to wear a mask and remain socially distanced, but starting on August 16, the firm will have a new vaccination mandate Sidley Austin The firm is in the midst of a “gradual and flexible transition” to its U.S. offices, and “[o]pportunities to work remotely will remain during the transition and in the future”; the firm is focusing on “empathy and understanding” in its return to the office, and will “preserv[e] the ability to work remotely as needed and appropriate” even after it fully reopens in September; as of August 10, the firm is delaying its proposed return-to-office date to “no earlier than October 12”; unvaccinated personnel who go to the office must wear masks Simpson Thacher Firm will formally reopen on September 13, 2021, with “the ultimate goal that attorneys be in the office 3-4 days a week on average”; STB will “strongly encourage” all personnel to be vaccinated; effective August 9, the firm will require all employess to be fully vaccinated to return to the office Skadden Arps The firm is setting its sights on a September 13 formal reopening of its U.S. offices, with a hybrid work model that will include at least three days of in-office work, but “remote work flexibility will be part of our work routine going forward”; the firm is not requiring vaccinations, but unvaccinated employees must be tested for COVID-19 prior to entering the office; firm recently announced that it’s still planning to open its doors in mid-September, but will now require all employees (and clients, guests, and vendors) to be vaccinated Stroock Both attorneys and staff members will be able to work on a hybrid schedule to “break down … class barriers”; going forward, the firm will require anyone who intends to enter its offices to be fully vaccinated; firm will offer paid leave for those who take the time to get vaccinated, as well as an additional four hours of personal time off for those who show proof of their vaccination; all employees must work from the office at least three days a week upon its full reopening on October 4 Sullivan & Cromwell The firm will require its attorneys to return to the office in July; associates unhappy with seeming lack of remote work opportunities; chair Joe Shenker claims the return to office is not mandatory, but “strongly” encouraged Venable The firm will make a “gradual return to the office,” but hasn’t provided a formal reopening date yet, hoping instead to “populate our offices in greater numbers beginning in September”; the firm will “provide flexibility for remote work for most roles for the foreseeable future” and is encouraging all personnel to get vaccinated Weil Gotshal The firm’s New York, Boston, D.C., Miami, Dallas, and Houston offices will be opened at 100 percent capacity beginning in June; the firm “encourage[s] people to return to the office on some basis, as it is part of the return to the new normal”; a full return to the office will be after Labor Day, on Tuesday September 7; the firm expects all employees to be vaccinated, and those unvaccinated will have to undergo COVID-19 testing; firm will offer two remote days to attorneys each week, and partners are expected to have a “significant in office presence” White & Case The firm will formally reopen after Labor Day, after which a “flexible approach to remote working” will be offered through the end of the year, with attorneys in office just two or three days per week Wilson Sonsini The firm will not require its attorneys to return to the office in 2021; from June 1 until September 20, 2021, the firm will start the reopening process (those who want to go into the office will be allowed to do so); on September 20, 2021, the firm will reopen its U.S. offices with full amenities and services, but no one will be required to go; the firm is now pushing back its planned full reopening from September 20 to October 25; unvaccinated employees and visitors will not able to enter any of the firm’s offices Willkie Farr The firm will not require its attorneys to return to the office in 2021; for those who do wish to head back, effective August 23, all personnel (and visitors, like clients, guests, and vendors) must be fully vaccinated and provide proof their vaccination; all personnel must be fully vaccinated upon the firm’s full reopening in January 2022, and be able to provide proof as well Winston & Strawn Effective August 5, the firm is “requiring all attorneys and staff to be fully vaccinated before coming into our offices, with the expectation that all individuals will be fully vaccinated no later than the end of September”; firm is also offering up to four hours of paid time off to get the vaccine with additional time available in the event of adverse reactions

Many federal courthouses require those who enter the building to wear a mask due to the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases across the country. But in Judge David Carter’s courtroom in the Central District of California, standard coronavirus protections are more relaxed. Mask mandates and social distancing simply don’t exist here; in Carter’s courtroom, personal responsibility reigns supreme.

Carter’s rules are limited, but they seem to getting the job done. The Recorder has some additional details on the precautions being used in his courtroom:

He’s instead told the unmasked attorneys to keep their areas clean and has precluded them from using the lectern to examine witnesses or give opening statements and closing arguments, to eliminate the shared space and need to change the microphone cover after each use, which is being done with the witness stand microphone. Plexiglass also is installed on attorney tables and the judge’s bench.

So far, no COVID infections have been reported in the “five or six” trials Carter said he’s conducted since late May, so “we’re either lucky, or we’re doing it right,” the judge said.

As recently as last week, Carter told attorneys in his courtroom who chose to go unmasked: “I’ve made you totally responsible for the area you sit in, therefore if you get COVID, congratulations. You are totally responsible. I’m not joking.”

Hopefully all those who enter Carter’s courtroom keep getting lucky.

California Judge Tells Unmasked Attorneys, ‘If You Get COVID, Congratulations’ [The Recorder]

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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 Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

If that headline isn’t enough to make your jaw drop open as you wonder, “what in the the actual shit,” then congratulations(?), you have achieved truly jaded lawyer status.

An attorney who previously worked at a trio of Biglaw firms — Allen & Overy, Herbert Smith Freehills, and Milbank — has been charged with contaminating or interfering with goods after allegedly injecting a syringe of blood into various food items at three different supermarkets in London. Leoaai Elghareeb, 37, currently runs his own legal consultancy business and appeared in court last week on charges related to the bizarre incident, as reported by Roll on Friday:

The solicitor appeared in court last week. The prosecution said Elghareeb entered the Waitrose store on Fulham Palace road on Wednesday 25th August at 7.30pm where he proceeded to use syringes “to inject food items with blood.” He then went on to inject food in a Tesco and Sainsbury’s store on the same road, said the prosecution, and threw eggs in the Sainsbury’s store. He was subsequently arrested.

The prosecution said the precise contents of the blood were not known at this stage, and food packages are being sent off for chemical testing.

According to a local “emergency alert” by police, “The food items affected are believed to be processed meat and microwaveable products.” And consumers were advised they throw away food purchased at the stores on the date of incident.

Elghareeb was remanded to custody, and a plea hearing was scheduled for later this month.

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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).

After sending students to remote learning environments for the better part of the past year and a half due to the coronavirus crisis, law schools across the country have finally opened up their doors to welcome their students back to real-life learning. But with COVID cases climbing due to the Delta variant, there were bound to be problems, and last week, one school learned that the hard way.

Capital University Law School, located in Columbus, Ohio, was open for about two weeks before it was forced to introduce its first-year students to remote learning. Several students tested positive for COVID-19, and 10% of students in one 1L section (along with other first-years) were placed on “heightened protocols” following contact tracing. The school immediately made the decision to move classes online, from September 3 to September 17.

This is particularly unfortunate, because it was just last week that the school announced that it would require all students and faculty to be vaccinated — by December 17. That’s a bit of a late play, but for what it’s worth, the school is now taking a harder line: vaccination is required for spring enrollment and employment.

Local CBS affiliate 10 WBNS has additional details:

In an email, the university reiterated its requirement for students to be vaccinated by the end of the fall semester.

“Unfortunately, this outbreak once again demonstrates the need for, and importance of, vaccination and mask policies to address and control the virus. The Law School student population’s current vaccination rate of approximately 60% which is not where we need to be,” said Reynaldo Valencia, Dean and Professor at Capital University Law School.

We hope everyone at Capital Law is able to recover quickly from their bouts with the coronavirus and that no one has lasting complications.

What is your law school doing to prevent and deal with COVID-19 outbreaks? Do you feel safe on campus with classes in person? Please text us (646-820-8477) or email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] COVID Outbreak”) and let us know. Thanks.

First-year students at Capital University law school move to remote learning after COVID-19 outbreak [10 WBNS]

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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 Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Michael Cohen is already on Cameo and, like a lot of Trump lawyers these days, he’s using the personal greeting app to bash his former client. Though unlike Rudy, Cohen is fully aware of what he’s doing.

And now Cohen is taking for chat for bucks empire across the pond to chat for quid. Thrillz, the UK version of Cameo, announced Michael Cohen’s new endeavor (there probably should be a u in there). Get ready for the Brentrance!

This brings Cohen onto the same platform as… oh so many Love Island contestants and more Snooker legends than I even knew existed.

Not bad for a kid from Thomas Cooley Law School.

Earlier: Michael Cohen Is On Cameo, Sharing Some Killer Trump Insults
Rudy Giuliani’s Cameo Career Proves That He’ll Bash His Own Client For $400

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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 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.

Jessica Mager, a partner at Taft Law (formerly known as Taft Stettinius & Hollister), is facing a disciplinary complaint for engaging in a sexual relationship with a client. In October of 2019, Mager, whose practice focuses on family law, represented a client in his divorce proceeding when the Ohio Office of Disciplinary Counsel said she engaged in a sexual relationship with the client in violation of the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct, “specifically Prof.Cond.R. 1.8(j) [prohibiting a lawyer from soliciting or engaging in sexual activity with a client unless a consensual relationship existed between them when the client-lawyer relationship commenced].”

As reported by ABA Journal, Mager is alleged to have exchanged sexually suggestive text messages and engaged in sexual activity with the client:

Their conversations became “increasingly personal,” as shown by text messages sent in October 2019, according to the complaint. In one exchange, Mager asked her client, “Can we go on like a normal date, like ever!?” Her client responded, “Yes like 4ever and ever if u want me.”

On Oct. 19, 2019, Mager’s client went to her house, where they had dinner and wine and engaged in sexual intercourse, according to the complaint. She later sent a text message to her client, saying “I do want you and I do want to see where it goes. I think I have said that and my actions support what I am saying.”

A few days after that encounter, on October 21, 2019, the client was found dead by suicide following an altercation with his wife.

The firm issued a statement on the allegations:

“The firm and Ms. Mager take these matters very seriously and will fully cooperate with the board. Taft remains deeply committed to upholding and enforcing the highest ethical standards of conduct in the practice of law.”

Mager said that in her two-decade career she “earned a reputation for integrity. However, two years ago, during a difficult time in my life, I made a serious error in judgment. I have no one to blame but myself, and I accept full responsibility for my actions.”

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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).