Business of Law

August 29, 2024
FedEx Taps Longtime Company Atty And Exec As New GC

FedEx Corp. announced Thursday that attorney and longtime executive Gina F. Adams will succeed Mark Allen, the company's longtime executive vice president, general counsel and secretary, who retires this year.
August 29, 2024
Judiciary Group Urged To Table 'Mega' Bankruptcy Panel Ban

A subcommittee urged the Judicial Conference's bankruptcy rule advisory committee to hold off on considering a ban on so-called mega bankruptcy panels at an upcoming meeting, saying a different committee's work overlaps with a rule proposed to curb the controversial practice.
August 29, 2024
Wash. AG Hit Again With Atty's Bias Firing Suit

A Washington attorney who says he was wrongfully fired from his job with the state's Office of the Attorney General after he was diagnosed with trauma linked to being a closeted gay Mormon youth has filed a new lawsuit after a similar case was tossed by a federal judge last fall.
August 29, 2024
Connecticut Associate Justice Tapped For Court's Top Spot

Connecticut's governor has nominated state Supreme Court Justice Raheem L. Mullins to succeed retiring Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson in the top job, calling his choice "a really good person, somebody that empathizes and understands" and knows the state court system at every level.
August 29, 2024
Mintz Settles Suit Over Clients' $4.3M IP Legal Tab

Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC settled a dispute over $4.3 million in legal fees and interest owed by parking meter provider Duncan Parking Technologies Inc. and its parent company, CivicSmart Inc., according to a Thursday filing.
August 29, 2024
Texas Justices Sign Off On Attorney Ethics Rule Changes

The Texas Supreme Court has adopted a number of amendments and new professional conduct rules for lawyers practicing in the Lone Star State, including some that address the duties of a managing partner or supervising attorney and an attorney's responsibilities to prospective clients.
August 29, 2024
Feds Say Ex-BigLaw Atty Can't Shake OneCoin Conviction

Federal prosecutors have told the Second Circuit that former Locke Lord LLP partner Mark S. Scott has "greatly exaggerate[d]" the importance of testimony from a government witness, some of which was later shown to be perjury, in a bid to have his money laundering conviction reversed.
August 29, 2024
National Labor Relations Board Appoints 1st Chief AI Officer

The National Labor Relations Board on Thursday announced the appointment of an assistant general counsel and e-litigation chief as the agency's first-ever chief artificial intelligence officer.
August 29, 2024
Ex-Littler Atty Drops Suit Alleging Firm Violated $1M Deal

A former Littler Mendelson PC lawyer has dropped her California state court lawsuit against the firm that alleged it had violated a settlement inked in a suit the firm filed in Texas state court accusing the attorney of stealing confidential information, wrapping up the dispute between the former associate and the firm.
August 28, 2024
Calif. Assembly OKs 1st-Of-Its-Kind AI Safety Bill

California lawmakers on Wednesday approved a groundbreaking proposal that would set safety and security standards for large artificial intelligence models.
August 28, 2024
RFK Jr.'s Atty In Meta Suit Says He's Still Running, Could Win

A lawyer for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged a California federal judge on Wednesday to stop Meta from censoring pro-Kennedy posts on Facebook and Instagram, saying his client "remains a presidential candidate" and could "conceivably still win the election," despite his recent announcement that he's suspending his campaign.
August 28, 2024
9th Circ. Overturns Rule Mandating Sealing Of Health Records

A Ninth Circuit panel found Wednesday that Hawaii state court rules mandating the automatic sealing of medical and health records in civil and criminal proceedings are unconstitutionally overbroad.
August 28, 2024
Yelp Sues Google Over Reviews Self-Preferencing

Yelp sued Google in California federal court Wednesday, targeting the self-preferencing of Google's own local search offerings as illegal monopolization after years of public lobbying against the search giant.
August 28, 2024
TikTok Lawsuit, Kids' Privacy Bills Push Cos. 'Back To Basics'

The federal government's lawsuit challenging TikTok's policing of kids on its platform and mounting efforts to boost online protections for teens is ramping up pressure on a broad range of website operators, highlighting the importance for companies to think beyond existing legal frameworks to avoid growing legal scrutiny.
August 28, 2024
Trump Prosecutor Restarts Precarious Road To DC Trial

The revised federal indictment accusing Donald Trump of scheming to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss is crafted in a way that experts say should allow it to survive scrutiny under the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling granting broad immunity to former presidents for official acts, but the justices could have the final say.
August 28, 2024
Biden's Latest Judge Nominees Include Pick For Northern NY

President Joe Biden announced judicial nominees on Wednesday for federal district courts in New York, New Mexico and Arizona.
August 28, 2024
Calif. Debt Relief Firm Ran Criminal Enterprise, Judge Says

A California bankruptcy judge ruled Tuesday that the defunct Orange County debt relief law firm Litigation Practice Group operated a "criminal enterprise" and possibly a Ponzi scheme, a finding that representatives for the firm's court-appointed bankruptcy trustee say they will use to claw money back from investors.
August 28, 2024
Congress Urged To Address Trump Financial Conflicts

After possible financial conflicts of interest caused consternation during President Donald Trump's first term, an ethics watchdog is calling for a series of legislative reforms to prevent them from recurring if he's reelected.
August 28, 2024
Judge Dorfman On A 'Customer-Oriented' Texas Biz Court

While his time in the Texas attorney general's office made Business Court Judge Grant Dorfman familiar with complex commercial disputes, he says his experience as in-house counsel for energy technology company Nabors Industries primarily persuaded him of the need for the new venue in Texas.
August 28, 2024
Holland & Knight Sued Over Client Info In Ex-Partner's Divorce

Holland & Knight LLP and former partner Patrick McCabe are facing a lawsuit in Pennsylvania court filed by a former client of the law firm who claims McCabe and two employees who reported to him unlawfully accessed the client's confidential documents in order to gain an upper hand in his contentious divorce.
August 28, 2024
Palin Wins New NYT Libel Trial As 2nd Circ. Chides Rakoff

The Second Circuit granted Sarah Palin a new trial Wednesday in her defamation suit against The New York Times, holding that U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff biased the verdict in favor of the newspaper and "usurped" the jury's role by erroneously tossing the case during deliberations.
August 27, 2024
No 'Novella' Briefs In Alexa Privacy Suit, Judge Tells Amazon

Amazon will not be allowed to file a "novella"-length summary judgment motion in a proposed class action by unregistered Alexa users alleging that they were illegally recorded, a Seattle federal judge has ruled, saying his experience has shown that more pages do not always mean a more comprehensive argument.
August 27, 2024
Gharavi Threatens Defamation Suit In Chiles Controversy

Prominent arbitrator Hamid Gharavi is accusing the authors of a viral article questioning whether he should have been conflicted off the tribunal that stripped U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles of her Olympic bronze medal of defamation, saying they exposed him to "public hatred, threats and disgrace."
August 27, 2024
Randy Mastro, Gibson Dunn In Arbitration Over Departure

Trial lawyer Randy Mastro is locked in closed-door arbitration with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP over the terms of his 2022 departure for King & Spalding LLP, the litigator revealed Tuesday as part of his controversial nomination to serve as New York City's top lawyer.
August 27, 2024
For Judge Andrews, Texas Biz Court Is Dream Come True

Newly appointed Business Court Judge Melissa Andrews has dreamed of Texas having a statewide business court since she graduated from the University of Texas School of Law.

Expert Analysis

4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News

Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
Legal Practice In The AI Era: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

Guest columnists explored the possibilities and challenges for the legal profession amid the rise of generative artificial intelligence, including privilege complications, demands for new types of legal skills, and the ethics of a ChatGPT-authored motion.
AI In Employment Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

This year, the most popular employment law topics related to artificial intelligence in Law360's Expert Analysis section included ChatGPT, new AI legislation, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
AI In Health Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

As the use of artificial intelligence accelerated this year, Expert Analysis writers examined AI's significant impact on the healthcare sector, ranging from key compliance considerations for companies utilizing AI tools to regulators' efforts to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies.
AI In IP Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

Keeping up with generative artificial intelligence was the name of the game for intellectual property lawyers in 2023 as the government worked to determine whether AI-generated output is protectable under the law and guest writers assessed the technology's risks and rewards.
The Most-Read Securities Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

Securities guest article topics that piqued reader interest this year include how the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission utilized seldom-used rules to go after bad actors, and how Delaware courts increased scrutiny on boards of directors — sometimes in surprising ways.
The Most-Read Employment Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

This year, some of the most popular employment topics in articles written for Law360's Expert Analysis section focused on workplace diversity, equity and inclusion, new unionization rules from the National Labor Relations Board, and proposed regulations for implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
Managing AI Risks: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

Amid the rapidly developing legal landscape around artificial intelligence, Law360 Expert Analysis writers tackled a range of compliance and litigation challenges, providing insights on privacy in the age of AI, the role of class actions in AI risk mitigation, and the creation of corporate AI policies.
The Most-Read Law360 UK Guest Articles Of 2023

Benefits of the new EU Unified Patent Court, artificial intelligence regulation and M&A trends amid rising inflation were among the hot topics U.K. Expert Analysis articles explored this year.
The Most-Read IP Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office incentives and restrictions, Federal Circuit decisions on exact meaning, and lessons from the comedic whodunit “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” were among popular intellectual property topics guest authors tackled this year.
The Most-Read Trials Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

Law360 guest columnists provided a number of tips and insights for trial attorneys this year, including pitfalls to avoid in witness preparation, color psychology pointers that can enhance trial graphics, and strategies for excluding expert testimony.
The Most-Read Access To Justice Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

In their commentary on emerging access to justice issues this year, Law360 guest experts covered the importance of tiered legal assistance in eviction cases, the evolution of financial bail conditions, and the role of public defenders in addressing the root drivers of crime.