Business of Law

July 17, 2025
US Trustee Says Constitution Bars Jackson Walker Jury Trial

The federal government's bankruptcy watchdog told a Texas federal judge that under the Seventh Amendment, Jackson Walker LLP isn't entitled to a jury trial in its fee dispute stemming from a former bankruptcy judge's secret relationship with a onetime partner.
July 17, 2025
Dems Walk Out On Vote Of Emil Bove For 3rd Circ.

The Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee walked out of the vote on Emil Bove's Third Circuit nomination on Thursday morning after Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., accused committee chair Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, of subverting committee rules by not acknowledging his request to speak and rushing through the nomination.
July 17, 2025
Watchdog Raises Concerns On 9th Circ. Nominee's Crypto Work

President Donald Trump's nominee for the Ninth Circuit has a long record of representing cryptocurrency companies, which a watchdog group fears could aid what it calls the president's "self-enrichment" with digital currency.
July 16, 2025
Nonprofits Taking Immigrant Legal Aid Fight To DC Circ.

Nonprofit groups that are trying to stop the U.S. Department of Justice from cutting off funding to four programs that provide legal information to noncitizens are taking their fight with the Trump administration to the D.C. Circuit after a federal judge killed their lawsuit.
July 16, 2025
Trump Taps Ex-Thomas, Kavanaugh Clerk For 3rd Circ.

President Donald Trump announced on social media Wednesday that he has chosen a Catholic University of America law professor, who is currently serving in the White House Counsel's office and has clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh, to serve on the Third Circuit.
July 16, 2025
Fired Davis Polk Associate Claims BigLaw Stifles Dissent

A former Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP associate who says he was fired last month after writing a series of columns critical of the Trump administration is speaking out about what he claims are BigLaw policies that stifle dissenting voices in the legal profession.
July 16, 2025
Mass. Judges To Mull Dismissals Amid Defender Pay Standoff

Nearly two months after many court-appointed attorneys in Massachusetts stopped accepting new cases over what they say is poor pay, a solution still appears elusive, even as judges will soon start hearing motions to dismiss cases under an emergency order issued by a state high court justice.
July 16, 2025
Justice Kavanaugh Pauses 8th Circ.'s Voting Rights Ruling

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Wednesday administratively paused an Eighth Circuit decision to vacate two North Dakota tribes' challenge to two of the state's voting laws, pending the outcome of a forthcoming petition to the full high court.
July 16, 2025
States Push To Keep Nationwide Block On Birthright Order

A coalition of states told a Massachusetts federal court Tuesday that nothing less than a nationwide injunction can provide complete relief in the states' case against President Donald Trump's executive order targeting birthright citizenship.
July 16, 2025
Legal Aid Union Avoids Bias Claims Over Disciplinary Attempt

A legal aid attorneys' union didn't violate antidiscrimination laws by moving to discipline three members after they sued to block a controversial pro-Palestine resolution, but it may have violated labor law, a New York federal judge said, letting a trimmed version of the members' lawsuit against the union proceed.
July 16, 2025
Fish & Richardson Avoids DQ From GM Patent Fight

A Chicago federal judge has declined to disqualify intellectual property firm Fish & Richardson PC from representing General Motors Co. in a suit over patents for fender designs, rejecting arguments that the firm sought to target a paralegal who had previously handled the case for opposing counsel.
July 16, 2025
Florida AG Faces Pushback On Out-Of-State Atty Proposal

A proposal from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to allow out-of-state attorneys to work for the state government without having to take the state's bar exam is facing criticism within the Florida bar, with its board of governors set to consider whether to formally oppose the rule change.
July 16, 2025
Tech Co. Can't DQ MoFo In IP Suit After Perkins Coie Ouster

A California federal judge denied on Wednesday a motion by the biometric security company FaceTec to disqualify Morrison & Foerster LLP from representing a competitor in its ongoing patent infringement lawsuit.
July 16, 2025
Jeanine Pirro Scrutinized On Jan. 6, Ex-Husband's Pardon

Former Fox News host and New York state judge Jeanine Pirro, nominated to be U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, fielded questions from senators Wednesday on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and President Donald Trump's pardon of her ex-husband, ahead of the anticipated committee vote on her nomination.
July 16, 2025
WilmerHale Can't Stay As Verizon's Attys In Texas Patent Trial

A federal judge in Texas has sided with a magistrate judge who found that a pair of WilmerHale lawyers representing Verizon in a dispute with Headwater Research LLC should be disqualified because the firm previously represented the owner of the patents at issue.
July 16, 2025
After Hiring Blitz, Dunn Isaacson Formally Opens In DC

After quickly growing its ranks to more than 20 attorneys, the new litigation boutique Dunn Isaacson Rhee LLP said Wednesday it has opened its first location in Washington, D.C., and plans offices in New York and San Francisco.
July 15, 2025
Jackson Walker, US Trustee Tell Court 'There's No Deal'

Jackson Walker LLP and the federal government's bankruptcy watchdog told a Texas federal judge Tuesday that they have not reached an agreement to resolve a fee dispute stemming from a former bankruptcy judge's previously undisclosed romantic relationship with a onetime partner of the firm.
July 15, 2025
Judge Denies Early Win For Family Of Atty Seeking 9/11 Fees

A D.C. federal judge denied an early win for the estate of a 9/11 families attorney suing the firm that contracted him over fees Tuesday, lambasting the contracts at the center of the litigation for their lack of clarity and suggesting that a trial might be the only way to discern their meaning.
July 15, 2025
Trump Admin Fires 17 More Immigration Judges, Union Says

The Trump administration has fired 17 more immigration judges, bringing the total of immigration judges that have either been terminated, transferred or accepted retirement offers since January to 103, according to an announcement made Tuesday by the union that represents them.
July 15, 2025
The Biggest IP Agency Developments Of 2025: Midyear Report

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office have not been spared from the Trump administration's shake-ups and changes across the federal government in the first half of the year.
July 15, 2025
SEC Drops Bribery Suit Against Ex-Cognizant Execs

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told a New Jersey federal court Tuesday that it will drop its lawsuit against the former president and chief legal officer of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. over an alleged bribery scheme, after the U.S. Department of Justice dropped a related criminal case.
July 15, 2025
Grassley Rejects Dems' Push For 2nd Hearing On Emil Bove

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Tuesday rebuffed the request from Democrats on his committee for the whistleblower who made claims regarding Third Circuit nominee Emil Bove to testify and said the committee will proceed with the vote on Bove's nomination Thursday.
July 15, 2025
High Court Term Yields Gains For Criminal Defendants

The U.S. Supreme Court addressed several contentious issues this term, with the conservative majority prevailing in numerous high-profile cases. Yet, in a notable trend, the court also issued multiple rulings favorable to criminal defendants, including expanding prisoners' rights in civil lawsuits and reinforcing due process protections in capital cases.
July 15, 2025
Wisconsin Judge Says Actions Were Part Of Judicial Duties

The Wisconsin state judge accused of helping an immigrant living in the country illegally avoid arrest objected to a federal judge's recommendation not to have her indictment dismissed, arguing Tuesday that her actions were lawful and that accepting the recommendation would set a dangerous precedent.
July 15, 2025
Court Reporters Defend Suit Saying Group Coerces Dues

A pair of court reporters defended their New Jersey federal court proposed class action accusing the National Court Reporters Association of anticompetitively conditioning needed certification on expensive membership with the group, arguing the NCRA can't try to argue that membership and certification are one and the same.

Expert Analysis

The Latest Legal Writing Tips

In 2024, Law360 guest experts provided advice for improving many kinds of legal writing — explaining how attorneys can use syllogistic reasoning, emulate master chefs, and clean up drafts produced by generative artificial intelligence tools.
Associate Issues In The 2024 Spotlight

Law360 guest writers provided insights on a range of issues affecting associates this year, from the challenges of training new lawyers in the era of artificial intelligence, to nonfinancial factors that junior attorneys should consider before accepting a job offer.
Election Impact: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

Donald Trump's election win initiated a deluge of predictions for the incoming administration, with Law360 guest writers covering key policy areas such as immigration, tax, energy, labor and competition, plus potential congressional themes and investigations.
Cybersecurity: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

From the CrowdStrike failure to the plethora of new and sometimes tricky regulatory requirements, to early decisions interpreting cyberinsurance coverage, guest authors broke down the implications of the biggest cybersecurity developments this year.
ESG And DEI: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

In their commentary on ESG and DEI topics this year, Law360 guest authors discussed Project 2025’s potential impact, the rise of greenwashing litigation, strategies for fostering employee retention amid a shaky regulatory landscape, and more.
AI Questions: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

As the legal discourse surrounding artificial intelligence shifted from theoretical to concrete this year, guest commentary focused on the proliferation of new AI-related litigation, enforcement actions and best practices, while tracking the judiciary’s experimentation with generative AI.
Noncompetes: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

Employee noncompete issues took center stage this year, as Law360 guest writers covered everything from state-level enforceability trends and alternative methods for protecting business interests, to a National Labor Relations Board ruling and the Federal Trade Commission’s attempted ban.
The Most-Read Access To Justice Guest Articles Of 2024

Law360 guest commentary addressed several emerging access to justice issues this year, including growing case backlogs, a dearth of legal services in rural communities and amendments to long-standing sentencing policies.
The Most-Read Employment Law360 Guest Articles Of 2024

Readers were drawn to employment law commentary on a range of 2024 developments, including the U.S. Supreme Court's Title VII ruling, impactful activity from the National Labor Relations Board, and state legislation targeting employee noncompete agreements.
The Most-Read IP Law360 Guest Articles Of 2024

Double-patenting was one of the top intellectual property topics tackled in Law360’s Expert Analysis section this year, along with the intersection of copyright law and artificial intelligence, case distribution in the Western District of Texas, and more.
The Most-Read Securities Law360 Guest Articles Of 2024

This year, popular securities guest article topics included controversial Delaware court decisions and their legislative aftermath, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s focus on emerging industries amid struggles to implement its rulemaking agenda.
The Most-Read Law360 UK Guest Articles Of 2024

The start of a generational shift in U.K. employment law under Labour, a ruling on artificial intelligence-driven credit scores and strategic law firm expansion were among the hot topics U.K. Expert Analysis articles explored this year.
Reviewing 2024's Crucial Patent Law Developments

As 2024 draws to a close, significant rulings and policies aimed at modernizing long-standing legal practices or addressing emerging challenges have reached patent law, says Michael Ellenberger at Rothwell Figg.
Series

Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.
2024's Most Notable FTC Actions Against Dark Patterns And AI

In 2024 the Federal Trade Commission ramped up enforcement actions related to dark patterns, loudly signaling its concern that advertisers will use AI to manipulate consumer habits and its intention to curb businesses' use and marketing of AI to prevent alleged consumer deception, say attorneys at Goodwin.