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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

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SECOND HUNDRED - The Am Law 200 report publishing at 9:30 ET this morning shows that the Second Hundred largest firms in the country have some reason to celebrate—revenue grew by 3.1% and profits per partner rose nearly as much. But there's an undercurrent of envy and anxiety beneath the headline numbers. After the Am Law 100 turned in more than 8% growth, what does the Second Hundred's relatively limited upturn foretell? Join The American Lawyer editor-in-chief Gina Passarella, managing editor Ben Seal and ALM Intelligence senior analyst Nicholas Bruch in a live webcast at 11 ET this morning as they dig into the numbers.

DANIEL TOO - Kirkland & Ellis partner Daniel Bress will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee today to fill a vacancy on the Ninth Circuit created after former Chief Judge Alex Kozinski retired amid sexual misconduct allegations. Both senators from California have raised concerns that Bress, born in 1979, does not have sufficient ties with the state to justify his nomination to Kozinski's spot. The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Daniel Collins, a partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson in Los Angeles to the Ninth Circuit. If Bress is confirmed, he would become the seventh Trump appointee to the appeals court that would have 28 active judges.

POT PATENTS - A case in Colorado federal court is expected to help determine whether disputes over cannabis patents will get there day in court. Dan Clark reports that IP and pot lawyers are closely watching United Cannabis v. Pure Hemp Collective, a fight over a cannabis extract for which United says it holds the patent. Should United prevail, it would create a precedent in which a federal judge enforces a patent for a product that is illegal at the federal level.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

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National Rifle Association General Counsel Caught in Group's Firestorm

American Airlines Claims Mechanics Unions Deliberately Slowed Travel for 125,000 Passengers

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

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IN WEINSTEIN'S WAKE - Allen & Overy partner Mark Mansell will face a disciplinary hearing in the U.K. next month over his role in a sexual harassment case involving disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein. Rose Walker reportsthat Mansell advised Miramax—which Weinstein co-founded—in 1998, when the producer's then-assistant Zelda Perkins accused the mogul of sexual harassment. The ethics proceeding relates to Miramax's use of non-disclosure agreements in connection with allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace.

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WHAT YOU SAID

“I was willing to fork out an extra $100,000 and crush my body for three years, probably because of the rankings.”

— CHRISTOPHER IACONO, PENN LAW GRAD WHO WORKED FULL-TIME AS A COP DURING LAW SCHOOL, WHOSE DECISION NOT TO ATTEND A PART-TIME J.D. PROGRAM AT TEMPLE WAS INFLUENCED BY THE U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT LAW SCHOOL RANKINGS.

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