"My question to the court would be that if a lawyer who reports his or her own misbehavior is going to be disbarred anyway, then what incentive does that lawyer have to report the misbehavior in the first place?" said former Maryland attorney Edward A. Malone.       

"The rankings of academic institutions clearly have a readership, and we wish to prevent the use of inaccurate information," Dean Thomas J. Miles said.       

"I have spent my entire professional career working not only to promote diversity and belonging, but also, recognizing that neither diversity nor inclusion are power-neutral, advancing civil rights and equality in education," Nancy Chi Cantalupo said in a statement. "However, that work has almost always been bifurcated—either focusing on research or on the implementation of DEI programs and initiatives."       

"The response by U.S. News to recent announcements by other law schools that have also chosen to withdraw—without responding to the substance of any of the significant issues raised—has caused greater concern, contributing to our decision," University of California, Irvine School of Law Dean Austen Parrish wrote in a statement to the community Wednesday.       

We'll be updating this page regularly with news and analysis as the highly-influential U.S. News & World Report law school rankings undergo potentially profound changes.       

Trust, in my experience, is built by showing genuine care about the team's success at critical times.       

"We are under no illusion that UCLA Law's decision will have a substantial impact on how law schools are evaluated by U.S. News," Interim Dean Russell Korobkin continued. "Approximately 80 percent of a law school's U.S. News 'score' is based on publicly available data and the surveys of reputation that U.S. News itself conducts, so U.S. News undoubtedly will continue to rank all of the law schools, perhaps with only minor methodological adjustments.       

The news and analysis you need to start your day.       

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced a pardon for simple possession of marijuana, a move that will impact an estimated 45,000 individuals and will forgive more than $14 million in fines and fees.       

Happy Wednesday from Avalon and Brad, and welcome to another round-up of the week's news about the judiciary. We are a few days early because of Thanksgiving.      Related StoriesBench Report: Why These Judges Are Worried About Confirmation Hearings - EnclosureBench Report: Biden's Focus on DC Circuit Nominations + Fixing Judicial Succession - EnclosureBench Report: Are Biden's Purple State Nominations Fleeting? Plus, Finding a Middle Ground on SCOTUS Reforms. - Enclosure 

The effect of the First Department's decision is that a seven-count indictment against the defendant, based in part on him allegedly forging deeds and using them as exhibits in real property actions as part of a fraud scheme targeting the elderly, has been dismissed.       

I'm Amanda Bronstad. Feel free to reach out to me with your input. My email is abronstad@alm.com, or follow me on Twitter: @abronstadlaw.       

Many trademark practitioners have noted the USPTO's recent penchant for issuing refusals to register trademarks on the ground of failure to function as a trademark. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board picked a colorful case to set precedent and provide some initial guidance on how it will evaluate failure to function refusals going forward.       

"My god ... I don't think I've ever heard an oral argument go worse for a litigant," one lawyer said of the hearing.       

The Boston Bar Association is hosting the no-cost event Friday, Dec. 2, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Hotel Commonwealth. Reservations are required.       

"More and more, opioid addiction impacts our friends, neighbors, and loved ones," said Nick Brown, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington. "These grant funds from the Justice Department are for locally designed programs to help with the addiction crisis."       

The first criminal actions to come out of the Tom Girardi scandal targeted Christopher Kamon, the former CFO of Girardi Keese, who was charged with one count of wire fraud this month and accused of siphoning firm finances to pay for exotic sports cars, private jet trips and escorts.       

"To add bite to our writ, we will retain jurisdiction and monitor EPA's progress," wrote U.S. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.       

An Oregon woman now faces federal charges under allegations that she used her deceased spouse's identity to fraudulently obtain nearly $40,000 in federal student aid, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon announced last week.       

"Collaboration is a much more powerful force than competition. Treat people well—both colleagues and adversaries. Have an abundance mindset."       

"[W]e believe that the U.S. News law school rankings" have become detrimental to legal education since "the rankings rely on flawed survey techniques and opaque and arbitrary formulas, lacking the transparency needed to help applicants make truly informed decisions," Dean Kerry Abrams told the Duke Law community Monday.       

"[W]e are troubled that U.S. News relies in part on unverified data reported by law schools that can significantly impact outcomes," Northwestern Law Dean Hari Osofsky wrote. "This approach has implications for the accuracy and fairness of the rankings," further pointing out that law schools can only gain access to specific data by paying U.S. News.       

The news and analysis you need to start your day.       

Which firms in the UK have managed to excel in achieving strong revenues per lawyer, whilst also impressing on pro bono work and diversity within their ranks?       

"The biggest rub heading into 2023, whether there is a slowdown or not, is the compensation that partners received in the last year or two," said Macrae legal recruiter Suzanne Kane. "A year from now, we might be having a different conversation."       

"We recognize how respondent's mental impairment affected his client representation, and we afford it due mitigating weight," Justice Elizabeth D. Walker wrote on behalf of the court. "We also commend his actions to address it, and we acknowledge his continued efforts toward mental health recovery. But his impairment does not insulate him from meaningful sanctions."       

This week, we're reviewing the T14 law schools that have declined to continue participating in the U.S. News education rankings.       

The appellate court temporarily stayed Connolly's order requiring information about retention letters and settlement agreements. The documents could show whether Maxevar LLC is acting only as a consultant or as an undisclosed third-party funder in a string of patent infringement suits.       

The appellate court temporarily stayed Connolly's order requiring information about retention letters and settlement agreements. The documents could show whether Maxevar LLC is acting only as a consultant or as an undisclosed third-party funder in a string of patent infringement suits.       

Plaintiffs lawyers asked a federal judge to impose a $2.05 million sanction in fees and costs against Gibson Dunn and its client, Facebook, for discovery misconduct in the Cambridge Analytica cases.       

Hanks wrote that Bullock "has conclusively failed to establish that she faces a threat of irreparable harm or that the balance of equities tips in her favor."       

"At its inception, U.S. News law school rankings provided valuable information for consumers—most importantly, students—that had not previously been widely available," but "[t]his is no longer true" since "many more consumer information resources are available today," Dean Mark West said in a letter to the Michigan Law community.       

Ahead of the trial, Harvard opposed publicly disclosing many details of the school's admissions process.       

"Don't forget the next generation." In other words, throughout your career always include the next generation and look for ways to get them involved. Be a mentor who teaches, shares, and listens. And look outside your box by being a mentor beyond your specific discipline in the real estate profession.       

Allegations this weekend that the court's Hobby Lobby opinion was also leaked reignited calls for reforms.       

"Historically, retaliation claims can be some of the thorniest matters to defend against," said Christopher DeGroff, a Seyfarth Shaw partner.       

The news and analysis you need to start your day.       

Expectations for a quick surge in profitability appear to have fallen.       

Global law firms with roots in the West have long enjoyed their dominance in the world. But Asia-based law firms have become a force to be reckoned with, writes The Global Lawyer.       

Half a dozen law schools have now announced that they will no longer participate in the U.S. News & World Report education rankings, with Stanford Law School publicizing its decision late Friday night.       

Federal prosecutors alleged that Collins filed false personal tax returns for 2012, 2015, and 2018; filed a false 2012 amended return; and filed a false 2015 corporate return for Alpha Living. Collins failed to report approximately $600,000 in income earned in 2012; more than $800,000 in 2015; and around $300,000 in 2018, the DOJ reported.       

While the court granted the defendants' motion on the claims that alleged defective design and failure to warn premised on product labeling, Senior District Judge William G. Young ruled that the claims pertaining all failure to warn premised on reports to the FDA and all failure-to-monitor claims can proceed. Young reasoned that dismissal would be premature given unsettled Massachusetts law and that Pietrantoni plausibly alleged that the defendants breached their voluntarily assumed duty to monitor her health while taking the medication, the opinion said.       

"I feel like my family home was desecrated by Elizabeth and the lawyers," said Alex Shultz, father of whistleblower Tyler Shultz and son of George Shultz, former Theranos board member and U.S. secretary of state, in an impromptu statement to the court.       

"The potential benefits to be gained from continuing to share data with U.S. News are far outweighed by the constraints the rankings place on our ability to freely pursue our core scholarly, pedagogical, and programmatic objectives," Columbia Law Dean Gillian Lester said.       

The proposal now moves to the House of Delegates for review.       

A federal judge denied the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality's motion for summary judgment when it came to plaintiff's claims pertaining to a male's higher starting wages in 2014, finding it unclear whether relevant experience differential existed between the employees, and, if so, whether it convincingly explains the decision to pay the male employee $12,000 more to perform the same "senior" level job.       

Urooj Rahman tossed a lit gasoline-filled bottle through a police vehicle's window, which had been previously broken.       

The Georgetown University Law Center announced Friday that it will cease participating in the U.S. News & World Report education rankings, becoming the fourth law school to do so this week.       

A court filing focusing on a non-disclosure agreements signed with Kanakuk Ministries following sexual child abuse comes days after Congress passed the Speak Out Act addressing the issue of NDAs in the context of sexual abuse and harassment.       

Lewis Roca confirmed the death of firm partner, Marla Hudgens, and her family in a statement. Authorities believe she and her young children were killed by her husband, according to a CBS News report.