News and information of probable interest to the Codex community, including Irell & Manella’s election of Ellisen Turn, an African American, as Managing Partner; why Judge Richard Posner quit his job; and how firms are accepting bitcoins.

Bloomberg Big Law Business

“More Law Firms Are Accepting Bitcoin Payments,” by Sara Merken.

“BNA More large law firms are accepting bitcoin payments for their legal services, signaling the digital currency’s firmer foothold in corporate America. Representatives from firms such as Steptoe & Johnson LLP, Frost Brown Todd.”

“Irell Elects First African American Managing Partner,” by Elizabeth Olson.

Irell & Manella has elected Ellisen Turner,”(left) a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office who is the hiring chair and an executive committee member, is Irell’s first African-American managing partner.”

ABA Journal Daily

“Why did Posner Retire? He cites ‘difficulty’ with his colleagues on one issue.” By Debra Cassens Weiss. 

“Judge Richard Posner had intended to stay on the federal appellate bench until he reached 80, an age he believed to be the upper limit for federal judges. But on Friday, at the age of 78, he abruptly announced his retirement from the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, effective the next day. The reason is due to ‘difficulty’ with his colleagues over the court’s treatment of people who represent themselves, he told the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin in an email,” wrote Weiss.

“I was not getting along with the other judges because I was (and am) very concerned about how the court treats pro se litigants, who I believe deserve a better shake,” Posner said. The issue will be addressed in an upcoming book that will explain his views and those of his colleagues “in considerable detail,” Posner said.”

Keep an eye on this: CodeX is already seeing the development of tech that will help individuals in the courts. See:
• https://law.stanford.edu/2017/04/26/climbing-matterhorn/
• https://law.stanford.edu/2017/06/22/upgrading-the-courts/

Images
Ellisen Turner photo: Irell & Manella
Judge Richard Posner: Wikipedia
Cover: Clipart.com

Monica Bay is a Fellow at CodeX and a freelance journalist. Email: mbay@codex.stanford.edu. Twitter: @MonicaBay.