The Supreme Court today granted the Ninth Circuit’s request to answer a question of state law relevant to federal proceedings concerning the dissolution of the Heller Ehrman law firm. The court grants Ninth Circuit requests more often than not.
In the case — titled, Heller Ehrman LLP v. Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in the Supreme Court — the court has restated the question this way: “Under California law, what interest, if any, does a dissolved law firm have in legal matters that are in progress but not completed at the time the law firm is dissolved, when the dissolved law firm had been retained to handle the matters on an hourly basis?”
The court acted quickly on this request, issuing today’s order just 34 days after docketing the Ninth Circuit’s request. Sometimes, it takes considerably longer.