The Princeton Review has released the results of a study designed to rank the top 10 U.S. law schools that provide the best opportunities for women students.

The findings are based on school reported data — the percent of the student body that are women — and student surveys. Students answered a survey question on whether all students are afforded equal treatment by students and faculty regardless of their gender.

Topping the list is Stanford University School of Law in California.

Read the Princeton Review article.

Another Biglaw firm has announced its bonus scales for associates, but this one adds something extra for those lawyers who put in the really long hours, reports Above the Law.

Schulte, Roth & Zabel announced a bonus scale that is in line with other Biglaw firms that have already announced. Associates in the classes of 2010-2012 will receive $100,000, while more recent hires can expect bonuses ranging from $15,000 to $90,000, depending on their length of service.

The firm will provide extra payouts of $20,000 or $40,000 to associates who hit billable-hour marks of 2,300 or 2,500 hours, respectively.

Read the Above the Law article.

Mark Scott, a former equity partner at the law firm Locke Lord LLP, was convicted on Thursday of conspiracy to commit money laundering and bank fraud, reports FinanceFeeds.

He was one of the defendants in a lawsuit targeting individuals involved in the fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme OneCoin. Scott was suspected of laundering approximately $400 million in proceeds of OneCoin through fraudulent investment funds that he set up and operated for that purpose, writes FinanceFeeds’ Maria Nikolova.

Scott could face up to 20 years in prison on the charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering and up to 30 years for conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Read the FinanceFeeds article.

Littler, an international employment and labor law practice representing management, has released the results of its second annual European Employer Survey Report, completed by 572 in-house counsel and human resources professionals.

The firm reports the survey found that improving workplace equality is top-of-mind for European employers, and most respondents are moving to address equal pay and workplace harassment. Employers are also taking a variety of steps to support the mental health of their employees. And despite the uncertainty surrounding the United Kingdom’s looming exit from the European Union, a surprising portion of respondents feel prepared for Brexit’s employment-related impacts.

The survey findings were unveiled at Littler’s European Employer Conference in London.

The firm provided a summary of the survey’s findings:

Workplace Equality

European employers are focusing a great deal of attention on equal pay, reporting increased engagement on a variety of potential actions in comparison to the 2018 survey. Providing female and diverse employees with more training and opportunities for advancement showed the greatest increase (up from 21 percent in 2018 to 33 percent in 2019), followed by improving transparency around wages and pay policies (up from 21 to 30 percent) and modifying compensation policies (up from 25 to 32 percent).

The proliferation of laws mandating gender pay gap audits in European countries appears to be one driver of this activity. Most respondents (80 percent) identify conducting and reporting on their gender pay gaps as a concern, but the European employers surveyed are also taking actions beyond those required by law.

“In addition to legal liability, employers are worried that pay inequities in their workplaces could negatively impact their reputations, employee satisfaction and their ability to attract talent,” said Thomas Griebe, Littler partner in Germany. “Particularly as labor markets tighten, recruiting and retaining qualified employees is a challenge, and it becomes more difficult if current and potential employees are concerned about being comparatively underpaid.”

European employers are also moving slightly more aggressively to address workplace sexual harassment, by updating HR policies (up from 26 percent in 2018 to 32 percent in 2019), more proactively addressing complaints and misconduct (up from 23 to 31 percent) and strengthening investigative procedures (up from 23 to 30 percent).

Furthermore, a fair percentage of respondents support European governments taking steps to combat sex-based harassment and discrimination in the workplace; nearly half (42 percent) support requiring companies to designate a point of contact for workers to bring allegations and more than a third (35 percent) support mandatory reporting on the state of gender equality.

“Given that strict regulatory action has not been widespread in the countries surveyed, employers appear to be taking action to address sexual harassment in order to ensure a positive workplace for employees and help protect themselves from liability,” said Merete Furesund, Littler partner in Norway. “Concern and attention to this issue have led European employers to take a range of concrete actions and boost their efforts to combat it.”

A comparison with the results of Littler’s latest annual survey of employers in the United States, released in May 2019, shows higher European engagement on equal pay, whereas more US employers report taking action to address workplace sexual harassment. Only 15 percent of European employers say they have not taken any action to address equal pay in the workplace, compared to 37 percent of US employers. On the other hand, more US employers report taking steps in response to the #MeToo movement, including providing additional training (22 percent in Europe compared to 63 percent in the US) and updating HR policies (32 percent in Europe compared to 51 percent in the US).

These differences may reflect the level of media and legislative attention paid to these issues in Europe vs. the US. Legal measures requiring gender pay gap reporting have been more prevalent in Europe, while the #MeToo movement in the US has given rise to a bevy of state laws requiring sexual harassment training.

Workplace Mental Health

Against the backdrop of an aging workforce, rapidly evolving technology and market pressures requiring employees to do more with less, European employers are increasingly focused on mental illness in the workplace. Nearly nine in 10 respondents (87 percent) say their organisations are taking various actions to address and support employees’ mental health. Forty-one percent are providing adequate time off and sick leave, 38 percent are limiting work hours and off-the-clock work and 35 percent are encouraging a culture that supports open communication between employees and management.

“Workplace mental health is having its #MeToo movement. It’s always been there, but now it’s being acknowledged as a serious concern,” said Stephan Swinkels, Coordinating Partner International at Littler. “Given the array of forces driving the issue, we can expect continued momentum as workers feel more comfortable speaking out and companies become more involved in order to retain talent, reduce workplace stress and promote productivity.”

Companies are also putting greater emphasis on supporting workers returning from extended mental-health leave. More than a quarter (28 percent) say their organisations have been successful in reintegrating employees and only six percent say they have been unsuccessful. However, the fact that a plurality of respondents (38 percent) don’t know if their organisations are effective in this regard signals continued room for improvement.

Brexit’s Impact on Employment

Since the UK voted to leave the EU three years ago, the potential fallout from Brexit has created headaches for many companies. Despite the fog of uncertainty surrounding respondents in late summer, when they took the survey, 48 percent say they are somewhat or very prepared for the employment-related impacts of Brexit. Only 12 percent say they are unprepared or somewhat prepared, and the remaining 40 percent are neutral. UK respondents expressed the highest degree of preparedness; 67 percent say they feel very or somewhat prepared.

This confidence could be driven by the proactive steps employers have taken, such as moving their headquarters out of the UK, opening new offices on the mainland and identifying employees who would be affected in order to plan for work permits or replacements. It may also be bolstered by respondents’ optimism that the UK would enact a skills-based immigration system after Brexit eventually takes effect. Nearly two-thirds of UK-based respondents (59 percent) feel that such a system will enable the nation to remain a global hub for skilled workers, while only 8 percent express scepticism.

“For UK employers, having access to the skilled workers they need to run their businesses is absolutely critical,” said Paul Quain, Littler Partner in the UK. “A general climate of uncertainty that makes preparation difficult as companies don’t know what they are preparing for – combined with some anti-immigrant sentiment, including against non-British EU nationals, that has been seen by the British government as a key driver behind Brexit – leaves a great deal of ambiguity around a post-Brexit skills-based immigration system.”

The survey report covers a range of other legal and HR issues impacting European companies, including unconscious bias in the workplace, trends in artificial intelligence and robotics use, the significant rise in spending related to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the impact of the European Court of Justice’s decision on employee working-time monitoring.

Lawyers have long been a reliable source of campaign funds for Democratic presidential hopefuls. But the legal set’s political contributions haven’t been this blue since at least 2004, according to a report by Bloomberg Law, citing a study by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Lawyers and employees of the nation’s law firms have contributed nearly $17 million to presidential campaigns so far this election cycle, and 95 percent of the total has gone to Democrats, the study found.

President Trump’s campaign raised slightly more than $785,000 from lawyers and law firms.

The report quotes Maya Sen, a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School who co-authored a paper, “The Political Ideologies of American Lawyers”:

“Well-educated professions are very left-leaning at the moment. It’s a new dynamic in American politics. We really haven’t seen this before.”

Read the Bloomberg article.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins said she plans to oppose the nomination of Sarah Pitlyk to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, citing her lack of experience, “troubling assertions” on therapies for family struggling with infertility, and stance on abortion, reports Bloomberg Law.

“Her nomination narrowly cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee after Democrats criticized her advocacy work. She was also considered “Not Qualified” by the American Bar Association,” according to Bloomberg’s Madison Alder.

Collins’ opposition alone, however, won’t be enough for Democrats to sink Pitlyk’s nomination in the full Senate.

Read the Bloomberg Law article.

The ABA Journal reports that the U.S. Supreme Court is the least transparent among federal appellate-level courts, while the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco is No. 1 for public access, according to Fix the Court, a national nonpartisan organization based in New York City.

The organization ranked courts on such points as to whether the courts provide live or same-day audio or video of oral arguments, how promptly they release calendars and opinions, how often they post press releases, and whether they have implemented judicial wellness and workplace conduct policies, the Journal‘s Debra Cassens Weiss writes.

Read the  ABA Journal article.

Exterro has published “26 Data Privacy Questions for Corporate Legal Departments,” a new guide designed to determine if the necessary people, processes and technology are in place to ensure compliance and avoid costly future litigation over data privacy issues.

The guide can be downloaded from Exterro’s website at no charge.

“With the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in effect and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) arriving in 2020 along with numerous other states following suit, businesses must meet new obligations around finding, reviewing and producing/deleting personal consumer data when requested,” the company says.

Download the guide.

Thousands of legal professionals are expected to participate in the 5th Annual E-Discovery Day — through webcasts and live in-person events — on Dec. 4, 2019.

In addition to a webcast, the event will include networking and learning sessions in cities across the United States. Last year’s E-Discovery Day had more than 2,600 participants, at 19 webcasts and 14 in-persons events.

Exterro, powering the annual event, said that access is complementary, and no vendor pitches will be allowed.

Seventeen leading legal organizations are official E-Discovery Day supporters, Exterro said in its invitation.

Learn more or register.

Frank D. Ballantine has joined Dykema in its Corporate Finance Practice Group as a member in the Chicago office.

Ballantine joins Dykema from Clark Hill PLC’s Chicago office.

In his corporate finance practice, Ballantine serves as an advisor and counselor to senior management, boards of directors, and investors in public and private companies across a range of industries, such as information technology, food, life sciences, business services, manufacturers, distributors and lenders, the firm said in a release.

Ballantine is outside general counsel and strategic advisor to numerous businesses. He also serves as lead transaction counsel for investors and management in venture and private equity investments, mergers and acquisitions, and debt financings. Ballantine also works in joint ventures, marketing alliances and licensing. He has served or is serving ex officio on the Boards of 26 clients, as well as the advisory boards of two venture funds.

Ballantine earned a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, after which he clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He worked toward an MFA in Film from the Columbia University Graduate School of Fine Arts, which he left to become an industrial film producer. Frank received his B.A. in English, with honors, from Haverford College. He has been recognized by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers and an Illinois Super Lawyer.

Venable LLP announced that Lisa A. Tavares, partner in the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice, will join Robert L. Waldman as a co-chair of the firm’s Business Division. As co-chair, Tavares will be a member of the firm’s Management Committee and the Board.

The firm said Tavares advises both private and public employers on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and her practice includes the administration of pension and welfare plans. Tavares also has regulatory experience in representing clients on compliance issues with the Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Labor (DOL), and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Prior to joining Venable, she spent five years as an attorney with the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, National Office, where she concentrated on qualified plan issues under examination and in litigation.

Tavares co-chairs Venable’s Diversity & Inclusion Initiative, and chairs the Venable Success Network, an internal affinity group for African-American lawyers. In 2017, she was selected as a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel. Tavares is also a former chair of the Subcommittee on Self-Correction, Determination Letters and Other Administrative Practices of the ABA Tax Section, Employee Benefits Committee, on behalf of which she interfaced directly with IRS and DOL officials on issues related to retirement plan administration, regulatory compliance, and government enforcement initiatives.

Hanzo announced the appointment of Brad Harris as vice president of product.

In a release, the firm said Harris is responsible for expanding the company’s product vision and for developing innovative solutions that address growing data management challenges for corporate legal and compliance departments. These include the preservation, retention, governance, and risk management of modern enterprise collaboration data including Slack.

Harris has more than 30 years of experience in high technology and IT, including the last 15 years in the field of ediscovery. At Zapproved, Harris was responsible for driving the company’s growth in the corporate legal segment, advising clients on best practices for data preservation and ediscovery, and managing the company’s product development strategy.

Harris has served as chair for such events as the PREX Conference and Cascadia Sessions. Harris is a frequent author and speaker on ediscovery, an active member of several The Sedona Conference working groups, and teaches as an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School.

Harris is based in Hanzo’s Portland, OR office.

Brian P. Corrigan of Farrell Fritz has been named a Fellow of The New York Bar Foundation.

Corrigan, a resident of Garden City, NY, is a partner in the firm’s estate litigation practice group. He earned his J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law and his B.A., cum laude, from Providence College.

Fellows are nominated by peers and recognized for distinguished achievement, dedication to the legal profession, and commitment to the organized bar and service to the public.

As Foundation ambassadors, Fellows exemplify the spirit of caring and sharing by demonstrating their belief that the practice of law is a helping profession, the firm said in a release.

Several court cases in 2019 dealt with (or are still dealing with) key issues faced by parties to commercial contracts, including contracts for technology products and services, writes Eric Begun in a post for King & Fisher Law Group.

The post briefly discusses four of those cases and their corresponding issues of contract assignment, representations and warranties, and data security.

Begun’s discussion of the four cases provides take-away lessons for each.

Read the article.

Hannah D. Vanderlaan has joined Freeborn & Peters LLP’s Chicago office as an associate in the Litigation and Environment and Energy Law practice groups.

In a release, the firm said Vanderlaan focuses her practice primarily on environmental-based litigation and regulatory counseling.

Most recently, Vanderlaan worked as a law clerk at Freeborn. Prior to that, she served as a legal extern at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and with the Environmental Division of the Office of Illinois Attorney General, where she worked on a variety of federal and state environmental enforcement actions.

Vanderlaan received her J.D. (cum laude) from Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Chicago-Kent Environmental and Energy Law Journal and was actively involved in the Chicago Environmental Law Clinic. She also holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin.

Reuters is reporting that the firearms industry is on the verge on a potentially crushing wave of litigation from the victims of gun violence — in the opinion of the firearms industry, gun owners, the National Rifle Association and states that strongly back gun rights.

Those parties warned the U.S. Supreme Court of that scenario if the justices did not grant Remington Arms’ petition for review of a 2019 ruling by the Connecticut Supreme Court in a landmark gun liability case. The court denied Remington’s petition for review in the case which involves the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The Connecticut court found in the Remington case that the state’s unfair trade practices statute fits into the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act exception for laws “applicable to the sale or marketing” of firearms. That finding raises the specter of nationwide liability because many states have consumer protection statutes similar to Connecticut’s law, Remington warned.

Read the Reuters article.

Yale Law School
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Yale University Law School has the toughest admission process in the country, according to a report by The Princeton Review.

Results of the study are part of the Review‘s 2020 Best Law School rankings. The conclusions are based on school reported data. Factors include: median LSAT scores and undergraduate GPAs of entering 1L students, the percent of applicants accepted, and the percent of accepted applicants who enroll.

After Yale, the list continues with Stanford, Harvard and the University of Virginia. The complete list includes 10 schools.

Read the Princeton Review article.

Three Indiana judges were found to have engaged in judicial misconduct and in “an injudicious manner” that included fisticuffs and gunfire in a restaurant’s parking lot in downtown Indianapolis, CNN reports.

The incident led to the judges’ being temporarily suspended without pay by the Indiana Supreme Court.

It all started hours before the three were to attend an educational conference in Indianapolis. They went out drinking for a few hours and decided to walk to a strip joint but found it to be closed, so they went to a White Castle. In the parking lot there, they became involved in a fracas with two men.

Two of the judges were shot and required emergency surgeries.

The three are Andrew Adams of the Clark Circuit Court 1, Bradley B. Jacobs of the Clark Circuit Court 2 and Sabrina R. Bell of the Crawford Circuit Court.

Read the CNN article.

An attorney who was brought on at the appellate state to represent a pro se litigant who claimed she was discriminated against by her former employer filed a brief that the Seventh Circuit found to be so bad that it ordered him to show cause why he shouldn’t be sanctioned.

Above the Law reports on the case, with a copy of the court’s opinion included. That opinion includes a stinging rebuke, including this passage:

“The patently frivolous nature of this appeal isn’t the only thing that troubles us. The hopelessness of [the plaintiff-appellant’s] cause didn’t deter her lawyer, Jordan Hoffman, from signing and submitting a bizarre appellate brief laden with assertions that have no basis in the record and arguments that have no basis in the law. In so doing, Hoffman violated Rule 28 of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.”

The court also found the brief to be “chock-full of impenetrable arguments and unsupported assertions, and it is organized in ways that escape our understanding.”

Read the Above the Law article.

The 2019 Texas legislature enacted a new Property Code Section 5.152 to protect mineral and royalty owners from a certain species of fraudulent transactions perpetrated on trusting and/or naïve and/or out of state mineral owners, reports Charles Sartain in Gray Reed’s Energy & the Law blog.

The change is meant to address a scam in which someone “fronting for a company with a name similar to a reputable operator, would approach the owner with an oil and gas ‘lease’ of minerals or royalty that were already subject to an existing lease. Except that the lease was actually the sale of the mineral or royalty interest at a bargain price.”

The article lists the changes addressed by the new section.

Read the article.