On
Friday
morning,
lawyers
from
Weil
Gotshal
and
Steptoe,
facing
off
in
WarnerMedia
Network
Sales
v.
DISH
Network
L.L.C.,
will
convene
at
the
Southern
District
of
New
York
courthouse
for
a
morning
meeting
with
Judge
Arun
Subramanian.
It’s
your
standard,
sign-of-our-times
media
feud:
Warner
has
a
deal
allowing
DISH
to
air
Warner
programming,
but
DISH
packaged
some
of
that
content
so
it
could
be
purchased
on
a
day-to-day
or
week-to-week
basis
through
SlingTV
and
Warner
isn’t
happy
about
it.
It’s
a
“can
the
roommate
keep
using
the
Netflix
account
we
got
for
the
house?”
situation
ramped
up
to
corporate
boardroom
level.
A
Friday
hearing
is
pretty
normal.
But
Friday
is
Halloween,
so
the
judge
has
one
special
trick
for
the
parties.
Here’s
the
thing
about
the
words
“Costumes
optional.”
It
may
seem
“optional,”
but
that
reads
a
whole
lot
like
a
dare.
Do
you
want
to
show
up
in
business
attire
when
the
other
side
agreed
to
the
judge’s
whimsical
invitation?
Is
there
some
junior
associate
at
Weil
billing
.3
to
“Trip
to
Spirit
Halloween”
for
a
David
S.
Pumpkins
suit
right
now?
The
odds
are
probably
right
around
the
same
as
an
appearance
of
the
Great
Pumpkin.
That
said,
if
any
litigation
could
bring
out
a
little
lawyer
cosplay,
it
would
be
one
involving
media
companies.
We
reached
out
to
both
Weil
and
Steptoe
to
ask
if
they
had
any
reaction
to
the
order,
but
have
not
heard
back.
We
will
update
if
either
decides
on
a
costume.
To
demonstrate
the
parties’
good
faith
negotiation
powers,
maybe
the
lead
attorneys
could
coordinate
and
arrive
in
a
Vincent
Gambini
maroon
tuxedo
and
an
Elle
Woods
pink
Jackie
Kennedy
outfit?
Unfortunately,
My
Cousin
Vinny
is
a
20th
Century
Fox
production
and
it
might
be
more
gauche
than
the
tuxedo
for
Warner’s
attorney
to
show
up
as
a
rival
studio’s
character.
If
either
side
takes
the
judge
up
on
the
offer,
be
sure
to
enter
the
ATL
Halloween
contest.
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or
Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a
Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.