Category: News Feeds

Ed.
Note:
Welcome
to
our
daily
feature

Trivia
Question
of
the
Day!

According
to
an
analysis
by
Adam
Feldman’s
substack
Legalytics,
who
is
the
only
U.S.
President
to
appoint
more
women
to
the
federal
judiciary
than
men?

Hint:
Women
have
outnumbered
men
in
law
schools
for

quite
some
time
—
hopefully
future
judicial
nominations
reflect
that
reality. 

See
the
answer
on
the
next
page.

Ed.
note:
Welcome
to
our
daily
feature,

Quote
of
the
Day.

I
think
that
it
means
that
anything
is
possible.
Five
years
ago,
I
was
a
district
court
[judge];
nobody
knew
who
I
was.
To
have
both
of
the
pieces
of
my
fondest
dreams
come
true
in
this
little
bit
of
time
has
been
extraordinary
for
me.

I’m
overwhelmed
with
the
joy
of
this
experience.
I’m
so
grateful
to
the
staff
and
crew
of
‘&
Juliet’
for
helping
my
dream
come
true.
It
was
phenomenal.

—
Justice
Ketanji
Brown
Jackson,
in
comments
given
to

“CBS
Mornings”
co-host
Gayle
King
after
the
conclusion
of
her

one-time
performance
in
the
hit
musical
comedy
“&
Juliet.”
Jackson
reflected
on
the
amazing
experience,
concluding,
“I
think
the
lesson
is:
don’t
give
up
and
don’t
be
deterred,
that
you
can
do
it.
And
again,
that
anything
is
possible.”

---

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 Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.

Central
District
of
California
Judge
Mark
C.
Scarsi
is

familiar
with
courting
headlines
—
like
when
he
took
to
the
public
record
to
rage
against
Joe
Biden’s
pardon
of
his
son.
But
this
isn’t
the
type
of
story
that
gets
you

fawning
coverage
over
at
Fox
News.

According
to

a
complaint
filed
last
week
in
California
state
court,
Scarsi
and
his
wife
hosted
a
party
attended
by
high
school
students
where
there
was
“significant
underage
drinking.”
According
to
plaintiff
Alex
Wilson,
there
was
little
supervision
at
the
party
and
no
security.
A
brutal
fight
broke
out
in
front
of
the
Scarsis’
property,
and
Wilson
was
severely
injured,
according
to
the
complaint.

As

reported
by
Law360:

Wilson
said
the
students
were
drinking
alcohol
at
Judge
Scarsi’s
home,
“without
any
hired
security
or
proper
supervision.”
During
the
party,
the
fight
broke
out
“directly
in
front
of
and
on
the
property
of
the
Scarsi
home,”
he
said.
That’s
when
Wilson
was
“brutally”
beaten,
resulting
in
“significant”
injuries
that
left
him
in
the
hospital
for
weeks,
he
said.

“As
a
result
of
the
ineffective
protection
and
the
underage
drinking
allowed
by
the
Scarsis
on
their
property
and
their
failure
to
supervise
or
have
appropriate
security
personnel,
a
brutal
and
severe
beating
was
perpetrated
…
upon
plaintiff,
who
had
to
be
admitted
at
a
hospital
for
over
two
weeks
to
receive
medical
care
for
his
injuries,”
the
complaint
states.

Wilson’s
underage
assailant
and
the
assailant’s
parents
are
also
listed
as
defendants.

Wilson
is
seeking
unspecified
damages
for
his
“serious
and
traumatic
injuries”
and
says
he
“will
require
reconstructive
plastic
surgery
and
has
suffered
personal
and
social
anxiety
and
distress
from
the
prominent
facial
scarring
and
the
incident.”
The
complaint
alleges
negligence
and
negligent
security
against
the
Scarsis
and
specifically
points
to
“the
failure
of
SCARSI
security
personnel
to
protect
him,
and
the
lack
of
supervision
at
an
event
that
allowed
underage
drinking
at
the
SCARSI
property.”

---

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].

Biglaw
and
boutique
law
firm
associates
alike
are
dreaming
of
a
holiday
season
with
a
lot
more
cash
in
their
accounts
thanks
to
Milbank’s
generous

year-end
and

special
bonuses.

The
latest
boutique
to
spread
the
wealth
to
associates
is
New
York-based
investment
fund
litigation
boutique

Rolnick
Kramer
Sadighi.
The
young
firm
recently
closed
out
its
fourth
year,
and
in
a

LinkedIn
post
published
last
week,
announced
that
“for
the
second
time
in
three
years,
our
associate
and
counsel
bonuses
exceed
the
Cravath/Milbank
year-end
and
special
bonus
scale.”

As
a
reminder,
this
is
what
the
prevailing
market
rate
for
bonuses
and
special
bonuses
looks
like
this
year,
and
RKS
is
reportedly
awarding
bonuses

“above”
these
amounts:

• Class
  of
  2024
  –
  $15,000
  /
  $6,000
• Class
  of
  2023
  –
  $20,000
  /
  $6,000
• Class
  of
  2022
  –
  $30,000
  /
  $10,000
• Class
  of
  2021
  –
  $57,500
  /
  $15,000
• Class
  of
  2020
  –
  $75,000
  /
  $20,000
• Class
  of
  2019
  –
  $90,000
  /
  $25,000
• Class
  of
  2018
  –
  $105,000
  /
  $25,000
• Class
  of
  2017+
  –
  $115,000
  /
  $25,000

Congratulations
to
all
Rolnick
Kramer
Sadighi
associates!

Remember
everyone,
we
depend
on
your
tips
to
stay
on
top
of
compensation
updates,
so
when
your
firm
announces
or
matches,
please
text
us
(646-820-8477)
or email
us (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Bonus/Matches”).
Please
include
the
memo
if
available.
You
can
take
a
photo
of
the
memo
and
send
it
via
text
or
email
if
you
don’t
want
to
forward
the
original
PDF
or
Word
file.

And
if
you’d
like
to
sign
up
for
ATL’s
Bonus
Alerts
(which
is
the
alert
list
we
also
use
for
salary
announcements),
please
scroll
down
and
enter
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below
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post.
If
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You’ll
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minutes
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bonus
announcement
that
we
publish.
Thanks
for
your
help!

---

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 Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.

---

---

On
Friday,
Fourth
Circuit
Judge
James
Wynn
did
an
about
face
on
his
retirement
plans.
He

joins
two
district
court
judges,
Max
Cogburn
and
Algenon
Marbley,
in
declaring
backsies
on
his
plans
after
Donald
Trump
won
the
2024
presidential
election.

The
70-year-old
Wynn,
an
appointee
of
Barack
Obama,
decided
against
senior
status
after
President
Joe
Biden’s
choice
to
replace
him,
North
Carolina
Solicitor
General
Ryan
Park,
was
blocked
by
Republicans.
Both
Republican
senators
from
North
Carolina,
Thom
Tillis
and
Ted
Budd,
opposed
Park’s
elevation
to
the
judiciary.
Tillis,
who
sits
on
the
judiciary
committee,
went
hard
against
the
Park
nomination
as

reported
by
News
&
Observer,

Tillis
warned
the
Judiciary
Committee
in
November
that
if
they
approved
Park’s
nomination
there
“would
be
consequences”
and
he
would
vote
to
approve
any
nominee
Trump
put
forward
in
the
future.
Democrats
approved
Park
anyway.

But
before
Park
made
it
to
the
Senate
floor
for
a
vote,
Democrats
and
Republicans
struck
a
late-night
deal
to
throw
out
four
appellate
nominations
from
Biden
if
Republicans
would
stop
making
the
process
of
approving
other
judicial
nominees
difficult
for
Democrats.

After
that
move,
Tillis
issued
warning
to
the
retiring
judges
“not
to
play
partisan
politics
with
the
presidential
transition
and
a
Senate
deal
and
going
back
on
their
word.”
But
that’s
the
thing
about
lifetime
appointment,
at
the
end
of
the
day,
it’s
really
the
judge’s
—
and
only
the
judge’s
—
call.

When
Wynn
walked
back
his
retirement,
Tillis
freaked
as
you
might
expect.

“Judge
Wynn’s
brazenly
partisan
decision
to
rescind
his
retirement
is
an
unprecedented
move
that
demonstrates
some
judges
are
nothing
more
than
politicians
in
robes,”
Tillis
said
in
a
news
release
Saturday.
“Judge
Wynn
clearly
takes
issue
with
the
fact
that
Donald
Trump
was
just
elected
President,
and
this
decision
is
a
slap
in
the
face
to
the
U.S.
Senate,
which
came
to
a
bipartisan
agreement
to
hold
off
on
confirming
his
replacement
until
the
next
Congress
is
sworn-in
in
January.”

No
matter
the
stern
language
the
senator
uses,
this
is
pretty
much
exactly
the
consequences
of
Tillis’s
own
actions
and
the
only
response
available
for
Wynn.
But

Republicans
don’t
love
it
when
their
plans
to
manipulate
the
composition
of
the
federal
judiciary
don’t
work
out.

---

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].

Hanukkah
and
Christmas
are
nearly
upon
us,
and
everyone
in
the
legal
profession
is
ready
to
ring
in
the
New
Year,
so
it’s
finally
time
to
reveal
the
seven
finalists
for
our
sixteenth
annual
holiday
card
contest.
But
first
let’s
give
shout-outs
to
some
honorable
mentions
(click
on
each
firm’s
name
to
see
its
card):

1.

Armond
Wilson:
Behold,
another
holiday
blockbuster
card
from
the
nation’s
4th
best
law
firm
in
Patent
Office
litigation,
per

Patexia.
In
this
Home
Alone-inspired
hit,
our
nominator
behooves
you
to
“Keep
some
claims,
ya
filthy
animal!”

2.

Diaz
Trade
Law:
“No
one
has
more
fun
asking
CBP
to
forgive
a
client
for
not
paying
$40M
in
duties
over
10
years
than
Diaz
Trade
Law,”
says
our
nominator.
“And
with
47
federal
agencies
involved
in
regulating
imports
of
goods
into
the
United
States,
DTL
truly
means
it
when
they
say
then
untangle
regulations.”

3.

Shaw
Keller:
Happy
holidays,
from
your
lawyers’
pets!
This
card
features
paintings
of
all
manner
of
pets,
up
to
and
including
a
bird
and
a
horse.
“We
allowed
one
posthumous
pet
because
otherwise
one
of
our
associates
would
have
had
a
plastic
plant,”
says
our
nominator.

And
now,
the
seven
finalists,
in
alphabetical
order.
Again,
click
on
each
firm’s
name
to
view
its
card.
Please
note
that
most
of
these
cards
have
SOUND,
so
you
might
want
to
turn
your
sound
off
or
down,
or
use
headphones.
Explanatory
comments
come
from
firm
representatives
unless
indicated.

1.

Butler
Snow:
“This
year,
we
decided
to
take
another
compelling
look
at
lawyers
over-lawyering
seemingly
simple
things.
Admittedly,
it’s
a
bit
of
an
extension
of
our
award
winning
2023
holiday
card.
But
if
it’s
not
broke,
don’t
fix
it,
right?”
Yet
another
excellent
submission
from
lawyers
who
can’t
help
themselves
but
to
over-lawyer
everything.
Our
favorite
part
was
when
of
them
said
they
should
stitch
a
suggested
holiday
greeting
disclaimer
on
a
sweater
—
“This
holiday
greeting
is
for
informational
purposes
only.
It
does
not
constitute
an
offer,
promise,
or
guarantee
of
any
kind.
Peace,
love,
and
joy
are
subjective,
and
experiences
may
vary.”
—
and
they
actually
did!
(By
the
way,
where
can
we
get
that
sweater?)

2.

Cades
Schutte:
A
truly
wonderful
holiday
card
that
shares
the
“spirit
of
aloha,”
straight
from
the
Hawaiian
islands.
Our
nominator
says,
“We
feature
our
client,
Furukawa
Living
Treasure,
a
beloved
senior
community
in
Honolulu,
that
was
about
to
be
shut
down
due
to
permitting
issues.
Through
their
tenacity
and
strong
will,
they
survived
and
are
now
celebrating
their
25th
anniversary.
Our
attorneys
were
honored
to
join
Furukawa’s
anniversary
festivities
and
make
origami
aloha
shirt
crafts
with
the
kupuna
(seniors)
of
the
community.”
This
one
made
us
feel
happy
—
how
very
sweet!

3.

Davis
Wright
Tremaine:
The
firm’s
“in-house
creative
team,
Studio
DWT,
proudly
presents
a
delightful
3D
animated
holiday
video
set
in
a
whimsical
gingerbread
ski
lodge
and
resort.
This
festive
video
celebrates
the
sweet
moments
that
inspire
us,
connect
us,
and
make
our
shared
successes
possible.
Studio
DWT’s
expert
storytellers
and
film
producers
have
brought
their
unique
vision
to
life,
delivering
a
heartfelt
message
of
warmth
and
joy
for
the
season.”
This
one
is
a
real
work
of
creative
art.
Nice
job!

4.

Harness
IP:
“Our
video
holiday
card
stands
out
with
its
unique
blend
of
history,
creativity,
and
holiday
cheer.
By
showcasing
historic
patents
on
sleigh
bells,
we
bring
a
fun
twist
to
a
timeless
holiday
tradition,”
says
our
nominator.
“The
whimsical
elf
band
adds
an
extra
layer
of
charm,
turning
the
story
behind
these
classic
inventions
into
an
engaging
musical
celebration.
This
delightful
mix
of
educational
and
festive
elements
creates
a
captivating
narrative
that
connects
the
past
and
present,
making
it
both
entertaining
and
meaningful.
It’s
not
just
a
card—it’s
an
experience
that
captures
the
spirit
of
innovation
and
joy
that
defines
the
holiday
season!”
This
holiday
card
has
everything
you
could
possibly
want
—
and
you
can
even
download
an
app
to
turn
your
phone
into
a
set
of
sleigh
bells
each
time
you
move
it!
Absolutely
amazing!

5.

Larson
•
King:
This
firm
knows
that
Above
the
Law
editors
are
suckers
for
law
revue
videos,
and
this
is
simply
the
best.
The
11-time
holiday
card
contest
finalist
really
stole
the
show
with
this
submission.
From
our
nominator:
“Our
2024
greeting
highlights
Minnesotans’
love
of
music
by
featuring
assorted
parodies
of
throw-back
tunes
with
a
legal
twist.
Take
a
blast
into
the
past
by
listening
to
hits
such
as

We
Be
Billin’
(Run-D.M.C’s

You
Be
Illin’),

Don’t
Stop
Appealin’
(Journey’s

Don’t
Stop
Believin’),

Material
Witness
(Madonna’s

Material
Girl),
and

Brief
It
(Michael
Jackson’s

Beat
It).
Also
included
is
Minnesota’s
own
Prince,
featuring

I
Wanna
Be
Your
Lawyer
(a
parody
of

I
Wanna
Be
Your
Lover).
The
songs
were
custom-created
for
this
video
by
a
local
Minneapolis
musician
and
vocalist.”
We’d
definitely
pay
the
low,
low
price
of
$9.99
for
all
of
these
tunes!
We

LOVED
this
one!

6.

McBrayer:
A
hilarious
take
on
the
Ebenezer
Scrooge
story,
featuring
Bob
Cratchit
as
a
“former
abused
clerk/new
partner.”
This
lawyerly
view
of
the
Christmas
classic
had
us
cracking
up.
From
our
nominator:
“We
like
to
think
that
we
could
have
helped
famous
miser
Ebenezer
Scrooge
find
the
right
path
in
life
without
supernatural
intervention.
Here’s
our
take
on
how,
with
McBrayer
attorneys
playing
the
roles
of
famous
Dickens
characters
or
simply
themselves.
We’re
biased,
but
our
Scrooge
may
be
one
of
the
better
ones
committed
to
screen.”

7.

Morse:
From
our
nominator:
“This
year
we
decided
to
really
showcase
the
‘human
side’
of
our
team
by
presenting
their
many
creative
talents
in
a
printable,
shareable,
and
downloadable
e-book
full
of
crafty
DIY
projects
and
gift
options!
The
Morse
team
has
been
finding
creative
solutions
to
legal
issues
for
more
than
30
years,
but
did
you
know
we
can
also
make
a
mean
batch
of
holiday
dog
cookies,
whip
up
some
super
cute
snowman
bath
bombs,
or
decoupage
a
favorite
piece
of
furniture??
But
of
course,
when
it
comes
to
your
legal
needs,
don’t
do
it
yourself!
Call
us.
😉”
Wow!
This
e-book
looks
like
it
could
actually
be
very
helpful
for
those
who
need
to
entertain
elementary
school
students
who
are
home
during
winter
break.
Looking
forward
to
creating
homemade
cookie
mason
jars,
sugar
scrub
sand
art,
and
playdough
thanks
to
Morse!

Now
it’s
time
for
our
audience
to
vote.
We’ll
keep
the
polls
open
through

TUESDAY,
DECEMBER
31,
2021,
at
11:30
p.m.
(Eastern
time).
This
gives
you
ample
time
to
campaign
for
your
pick
over
the
holidays
(but
please,
don’t
cheat).

CLICK
HERE
TO
VOTE.

Thanks
to
all
the
entrants
and
nominators,
good
luck
to
the
finalists,
and
happy
holidays
to
all!
Above
the
Law
is
happy
to
celebrate
holiday
cheer
with
you!

---

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 Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.

Not
every
firm
is
just
matching
— 
some
really
make
you
work
for
it!
Quinn
Emanuel
is
one
of
them.
They’ve
recently
announcing
bonuses,
but
there
are
some
caveats.
The
Biglaw
firm
reported
$2,079,448,000
in
gross
revenue
in
and
a
whopping
profits
per
equity
partner
of
$7,270,000
in
2023,
according
to
the
most
recent
Am
Law
100
ranking.
Those
aggressive
earnings
match
their
aggressive
hours
expectations.
Just
barely
made
2000
hours?
You’re
already
behind!
Here’s
their
scale:

While
the
special
bonuses
match
Milbank,
the
base
bonus
numbers
you’d
expect
to
see
from
this
season
start
around
the
2100-2399
mark,
with
more
money
piling
as
the
hours
do.
The
bonuses
will
be
paid
out
next
week.

We
like
hearing
about
bonuses
almost
as
much
as
you
enjoy
spending
them.
As
soon
as
your
firm’s
memo
comes
out,
please email
it
to
us (subject
line:
“[Firm
Name]
Bonus”)
or
text
us
(646-820-8477).
Please
include
the
memo
if
available.
You
can
take
a
photo
of
the
memo
and
send
it
via
text
or
email
if
you
don’t
want
to
forward
the
original
PDF
or
Word
file.

And
if
you’d
like
to
sign
up
for
ATL’s
Salary
&
Bonus
Alerts,
please
scroll
down
and
enter
your
email
address
in
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box
below
this
post.
If
you
previously
signed
up
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alerts,
you
don’t
need
to
do
anything.
You’ll
receive
an
email
notification
within
minutes
of
each
bonus
announcement
that
we
publish.

---

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.
 He
endured
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 [email protected] and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.

---

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