Business of Law

July 09, 2024
Alaska Senators Condemn District Judge After Resignation

Alaska's two Republican senators reprimanded the federal judge from their state who was found by a special committee to have created a hostile work environment and had an "inappropriately sexualized relationship" with one of his clerks, and has resigned.
July 09, 2024
Texas Judge Gets Warning For Sexually Harassing Colleague

A Fort Worth trial judge has been issued a public warning and ordered to attend demeanor and sexual harassment instruction over findings that he "engaged in a pattern of sexually harassing conduct" toward a fellow judge, according to a decision by the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
July 09, 2024
Weil Opening Shops In Calif. With Latham Private Equity Pros

Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP announced Tuesday that it has launched an office in Los Angeles and will soon open in San Francisco with a pair of private equity partners who both came aboard from Latham & Watkins LLP.
July 09, 2024
Newman Loses Suit Against Fed. Circ. Over Suspension

A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman filed against her colleagues over her suspension for refusing to undergo medical tests, saying she failed to prove the judicial conduct law at issue is unconstitutional.
July 08, 2024
Resigning US Judge Had 'Sexualized Relationship' With Clerk

U.S. District Judge Joshua Kindred of the District of Alaska, who abruptly announced his resignation last week, had a "sexualized relationship" with his clerk, including sexual encounters with her shortly after she left her clerkship and joined the U.S. Attorney's Office, according to an order issued Monday by the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit.
July 08, 2024
Senate Confirms 7th Circ. Judge GOP Slammed For Backlog

The Senate voted 47-43 on Monday evening to confirm U.S. District Judge Nancy L. Maldonado to the Seventh Circuit.
July 08, 2024
NYU Settles Case Accusing It Of Fostering Antisemitism

New York University has settled a case brought by three Jewish students accusing the institution of fostering an antisemitic environment in a deal under which the school pledged to address discrimination toward Jewish and Israeli students.
July 08, 2024
PAGA Reforms Mark New Era In Calif. Labor Law, Attys Say

Recently enacted reforms to California's Private Attorneys General Act will likely curb the recent surge in multimillion-dollar PAGA settlements and help employers "stop the bleeding," legal experts told Law360, but the amendments are also likely to spur further litigation over newly created ambiguities in the novel Golden State statute.
July 08, 2024
Meet The Hunton Andrews Atty Rising To NC Biz Court Bench

The Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP partner ascending to a spot on the North Carolina Business Court bench has a methodical and meticulous approach well suited to a jurist and a knack for listening that will be equally important in his new role, according to his colleagues.
July 08, 2024
Tropical Storm Beryl Shutters Texas Law Firm Offices, Courts

As Tropical Storm Beryl slammed into the Texas coast Monday, a number of Houston-area courts and law firm offices closed their doors in the face of a bruising weather event that has reportedly led to at least two deaths and left millions without power.
July 08, 2024
1st Circ. Nominee Cut Teeth As 'Victim-Centered' Prosecutor

Maine Superior Court Justice and First Circuit nominee Julia Lipez spent most of her legal career prosecuting federal human trafficking cases, an experience former colleagues say demonstrates her sense of fairness and a sharp focus on the well-being of victims.
July 08, 2024
PierFerd Opens London Office With More FisherBroyles Attys

Pierson Ferdinand LLP announced Monday it has expanded globally with a new London office with eight partners and six staff members.
July 08, 2024
US Supreme Court Term In Review: What You Need To Know

Judicial deference, agency courts, presidential immunity, abortion and social media moderation were just some of the issues the U.S. Supreme Court considered in its latest term.
July 08, 2024
Biden Says Reelection Crucial To Supreme Court Reform

President Joe Biden told congressional Democrats his reelection is crucial to bringing about "real" reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court in a letter Monday rejecting calls for him to back out of the presidential race.
July 05, 2024
Antitrust Partner In Fatal Crash Remembered As A Mentor

Present and past colleagues this week remembered Molly Donovan, a partner at antitrust boutique Bona Law PC who died in a tragic accident earlier this month, as a powerhouse with an intricate understanding of antitrust matters who always maintained a positive outlook no matter what the status of a case.
July 05, 2024
Armstrong Teasdale Resisted Diversity, Ex-DEI VP Says

Armstrong Teasdale LLP's former vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion claims the law firm hired her to help it cultivate a more diverse workplace, but then blocked her attempts to make recommendations and improvements before wrongly firing her, according to a lawsuit recently filed in Missouri state court.
July 05, 2024
How Reshaped Circuit Courts Are Faring At The High Court

Seminal rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court's latest term will reshape many facets of American society in the coming years. Already, however, the rulings offer glimpses of how the justices view specific circuit courts, which have themselves been reshaped by an abundance of new judges.
July 05, 2024
Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review

The U.S. Supreme Court's lethargic pace of decision-making this term left the justices to issue a slew of highly anticipated and controversial rulings during the term's final week — rulings that put the court's ideological divisions on vivid display. Here, Law360 takes a data dive into the numbers behind this court term.
July 05, 2024
High Court Flexes Muscle To Limit Administrative State

The U.S. Supreme Court's dismantling of a 40-year-old judicial deference doctrine, coupled with rulings stripping federal agencies of certain enforcement powers and exposing them to additional litigation, has established the October 2023 term as likely the most consequential in administrative law history.
July 05, 2024
The Sharpest Dissents From The Supreme Court Term

The U.S. Supreme Court's session ended with a series of blockbuster cases that granted the president broad immunity, changed federal gun policy and kneecapped administrative agencies. And many of the biggest decisions fell along partisan lines.
July 05, 2024
5 Moments That Shaped The Supreme Court's Jan. 6 Decision

When the high court limited the scope of a federal obstruction statute used to charge hundreds of rioters who stormed the Capitol, the justices did not vote along ideological lines. In a year marked by 6-3 splits, what accounts for the departure? Here are some moments from oral arguments that may have swayed the justices.
July 05, 2024
The Funniest Moments Of The Supreme Court's Term

In a U.S. Supreme Court term teeming with serious showdowns, the august air at oral arguments filled with laughter after an attorney mentioned her plastic surgeon and a justice seemed to diss his colleagues, to cite just two of the term's mirthful moments. Here, we look at the funniest moments of the term.
July 05, 2024
Mayer Brown Study Shows Firms Are Playing AI Catch-Up

A recent Mayer Brown LLP report shows that leaders at financial and investment firms see mergers and acquisitions as a key method to expand their artificial intelligence platforms, but they also think their firms aren't getting up to speed fast enough.
July 05, 2024
Rutgers Faces Contempt Bid Over Discipline In Bias Suit

A Rutgers Law School student is asking a New Jersey state court to sanction the university for moving ahead with disciplinary measures against him for defamation, bullying, intimidation and harassment, arguing it violates a protective order he received in his discrimination lawsuit.
July 05, 2024
GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

A New Jersey judge ordered a former Apple lawyer to pay $1.1 million to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission stemming from criminal insider trading charges, and a Texas judge put the Federal Trade Commission's noncompete ban on hold. These are among the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

Expert Analysis

Roundup

My Hobby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Attorneys discuss how their unusual extracurricular activities enhance professional development, providing insights and pointers that translate to the office, courtroom and beyond.
Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys

Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
Roundup

The Pop Culture Docket

State and federal judges reflect on a piece of art or entertainment in popular culture, discussing what it gets right and wrong about the justice system, and what legal practitioners and the general public can learn from it.
Series

Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.
Series

The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'

The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
Opinion

Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform

The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
Taking A Walk Down Mandamus Lane After 2nd Circ. Ruling

The Second Circuit’s recent decision to deny a writ of mandamus, filed by a law firm after a lower court barred it from representing a Salvadoran oil company, adds to the nuanced and sometimes conflicting mandamus case law that requires careful research before litigants seek appellate review, says Michael Soyfer at Quinn Emanuel.
How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing

Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
Opinion

Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats

Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.
How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies

Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.
Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial

Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.
Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times

As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices

The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
Roundup

ESG Around The World

While ESG investing has recently become one of the most controversial policymaking issues in the U.S., in this Expert Analysis series, attorneys across the globe tell us about the state of ESG in each of their countries or regions.
Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees

The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.