All eyes interested in the gay-marriage debate will be on San Francisco today, where the California Supreme Court (pictured) convenes and where it will release its long-awaited ruling on whether gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry in California. The ruling is due at 1 p.m. EDT. What we want to do in [...]

This year’s biglaw summer associates may be worried about whether they’ll get an offer in this economic climate. We can’t say.
But here’s something many will likely face: a shortage of client work. Summer law-firm programs are typically heavy on the play side of the work/play equation. Still, summer associates usually have to do some billable [...]

Law Blog readers following the Marc Dann mess have every right to be confused about the fate of the Ohio’s AG based on conflicting information that’s emerged out of that great state today. LB colleague Aaron Lucchetti did some reporting and we have this to offer. Bottom line, no resignation right now.
First, the Attorney General’s [...]

Thanks to our colleagues over at Deal Journal, we have this exciting piece of private equity news: The Clear Channel buyout is being renegotiated and the litigation is settling, according to a source. The i-banks funding the buyout are expected to pay $36 per share, an 8% reduction from the original deal price of $39.20. [...]

So far, in the “Associate Advice from the Corner Office” series, we’ve heard from partners at Kilpatrick Stockton and Ropes & Gray (here) about the dos and don’ts of associate life. But what does it take to thrive at Cadwalader, the firm with some of the most-reported recent associate layoffs to-date?
For this week’s “Associate Advice” [...]

Last month, when the Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s voter ID law — thought to be one of the stricter laws of its kind — legal commentators speculated that the decision would embolden advocates of voter ID laws, paving the way for even stricter ID laws, and, of course, more litigation. It didn’t take long. This [...]

Did Eight Belles, the Kentucky Derby contender (pictured) that was euthanized on the track minutes after breaking both front ankles, suffer a more humane fate than Kentucky’s death-row inmates? That was the question raised on Friday, when Justice Stevens, speaking to lawyers and judges in Chattanooga, said he was surprised that Kentucky law prohibits killing [...]

And speaking of horse racing, the two lawyers who used allegedly misappropriated settlement funds to purchase last year’s Preakness winner, Curlin, are set to head to trial today in federal court in Covington, Kentucky. Last June, the two lawyers — Shirley Cunningham and William Gallion — along with a third, Melbourne Mills, were indicted for [...]

Withholding evidence — particularly that which is potentially exculpatory — is a big no-no. Just ask the Nevada U.S. attorneys office. In the case of Daniel Chapman and Sean Flanagan, two lawyers charged in 2003 for a complex securities trading scheme, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of all 64 [...]

Paul Weiss has elected a new leader. Brad Karp, 48, will take over in 2009 as chairman, following a vote by the firm’s partnership today. He will replace Alfred Youngwood, a 70-year-old tax lawyer, who will retire at the end of the year. Karp, a litigator (Union College ‘81; Harvard Law ‘84), is considered the [...]