North Carolina

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2024

LAW360 400

The Law360 400: Tracking The Largest US Law Firms

By Sam Bell and Pamela Wilkinson

The legal market expanded more tentatively in 2023 than in previous years amid a slowdown in demand for legal services, especially in transactions, an area that has been sluggish but is expected to quicken in the near future.

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Strategic Hiring Was The New Normal For BigLaw In 2023

By Emma Cueto

The 400 largest law firms by headcount in the U.S. grew more slowly in 2023 than in the previous two years, while Kirkland & Ellis LLP surpassed the 3,000-attorney threshold, according to the latest Law360 ranking.

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TOP NEWS

Attys Accused Of Botching NC Suit By Missing Filing Deadline

By Hayley Fowler

The parents of two children who died in a car fire are suing their former attorneys in North Carolina federal court for malpractice, alleging they dropped the ball on filing the pair's wrongful death claims against a seat belt manufacturer before the deadline passed.

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NC Agency Atty Gets More Time To Prep For Bias Trial

By Travis Bland

A North Carolina federal judge shut down the state justice department's bid to stop an attorney from calling witnesses and offering exhibits in her discrimination trial, according to a docket order that appears to give the plaintiff more time to prepare.

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FSU Asks NC Justices To Favor Fla. Suit In ACC Fee Fight

By Hayley Fowler

The Florida State University board of trustees has asked North Carolina justices to do what the Tar Heel state's Business Court did not and halt the Atlantic Coast Conference's lawsuit over media rights contracts in favor of letting parallel litigation in Florida play out.

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NC Panel Cans Atty's 'Grossly Excessive' Fees In Wage Suit

By Travis Bland

A North Carolina appeals court rejected a real estate agent's bid to be awarded nearly $500,000 in attorney fees after winning an unpaid wages lawsuit, reasoning Tuesday that state wage law doesn't require that fees be granted to a prevailing party.

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FOURTH CIRCUIT

4th Circ. Told Justices' Ruling Dooms Bid To Delay $811M Fine

By Britain Eakin

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision finding the agency's funding structure constitutional to head off a bid by immigrant bond companies accused of abusive bonding practices to delay an $811 million judgment.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

Attys With AI Skills Command Pay Bumps In The US, UK

By Steven Lerner

Lawyer job listings that require artificial intelligence skills carry a wage premium of up to 49% higher in some markets, according to a report released Tuesday.

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ABA Faces Racial Bias Complaint Over Diversity Programs

By Ryan Boysen

A conservative nonprofit on Tuesday hit the American Bar Association with a Title VI complaint, claiming a handful of "nefarious" ABA-led programs meant to connect minority law school students with judges are "racially discriminatory."

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Trump Rests In NY Hush Money Trial, Declining To Testify

By Frank Runyeon and Stewart Bishop

Donald Trump rested his defense Tuesday in the Manhattan district attorney's criminal hush money case, closing out the testimony and setting the stage for deliberations next week after the former president opted not to take the witness stand.

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Coverage Recap: Day 16 Of Trump's NY Hush Money Trial

By Stewart Bishop

Law360 reporters are providing live updates from the Manhattan criminal courthouse as Donald Trump goes on trial for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments ahead of the 2016 election. Here's a recap from Tuesday, day 16 of the trial.

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More Classified Docs Were Found After Mar-A-Lago Raid

By Carolina Bolado

Additional classified documents were found at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, including in Trump's bedroom, after the FBI's August 2022 search of the Florida property, according to a filing unsealed Tuesday in the criminal case accusing him of mishandling classified documents.

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Willis And Judge In Ga. Election Case Win Their Elections

By Kelcey Caulder

Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis and Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, two key figures in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump, won their elections Tuesday night.

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Senate Backs Federal Prosecutor For Ariz. District Judgeship

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 66-26 on Tuesday to confirm Assistant U.S. Attorney Krissa M. Lanham to the District of Arizona.

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High Court Ethics Bill In 'High Consideration,' Schumer Says

By Courtney Bublé

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on Tuesday that a bill to institute an ethics code for the U.S. Supreme Court was in "high consideration" to come before the full Senate for a vote, following the report last week that an upside-down flag, which has become a symbol for former President Donald Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen, was flown outside Justice Samuel Alito's house after the attack on the U.S. Capitol a month later.

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$93M Lipitor Antitrust Deal Sparks Dispute Over Fee Division

By Carla Baranauckas

Attorneys representing a class of buyers in antitrust litigation against Pfizer over the cholesterol medication Lipitor are squabbling over how to divide up to $31 million in attorney fees before a New Jersey federal judge even approves the total, according to court documents.

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Ex-LA DA Sues State Farm Over Gun Incident Legal Fees

By Elizabeth Daley

Former Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey sued her insurer in California state court Tuesday, alleging State Farm cost her more than $2.1 million by failing to cover legal fees when she and her late husband were sued because he brandished a gun against protesters at their home.

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Barrier-Breaking Conn. Chief Justice To Retire In September

By Aaron Keller

Saying it's "time for a change" after a career in government service, Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson, the first Black chief justice in state history, announced he will retire from the bench effective Sept. 6, according to statements from the Connecticut Judicial Branch and Gov. Ned Lamont.