Business of Law

January 23, 2025
9th Circ. Nixes Attys' Challenge To Arizona Victim Contact Law

A Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday rejected a group of lawyers' constitutional challenge to an Arizona law that requires defense attorneys and their teams to initiate contact with victims through the prosecutor's office.
January 23, 2025
Many Attorneys Not Meeting ABA's 50-Hour Pro Bono Goal

While most attorneys have volunteered pro bono services at some point in their career, many lawyers are not meeting the American Bar Association's goal for every lawyer to provide 50 hours of pro bono work every year, and lack of time was the biggest discouraging factor, according to a recent report.
January 23, 2025
Judge Puts 'Unconstitutional' Trump Citizenship Order On Ice

A Washington federal judge paused nationwide enforcement of President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship on Thursday, calling the order "blatantly unconstitutional" and expressing disdain for attorneys backing the presidential decision while hearing four states' emergency bid for a temporary restraining order.
January 23, 2025
Paul Hastings Adds Ex-Chair Of Willkie Farr Music Practice

Paul Hastings LLP has added the former chair of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP's music and digital media practice as a partner in its Los Angeles office and as chair of its own music industry practice, the firm announced Thursday.
January 22, 2025
Chutkan Says Trump's Pardon Can't 'Whitewash' Jan. 6 Terror

President Donald Trump's pardon of defendants accused of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol "cannot whitewash the blood, feces and terror that the mob left in its wake," U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan wrote Wednesday in an order dismissing one such case.
January 22, 2025
Ex-Solicitor General Prelogar Joins Harvard Law

Former U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar, acclaimed for her oral advocacy in the U.S. Supreme Court's biggest cases during the Biden administration, has temporarily joined Harvard Law School, where she will teach a class called "Changing Paradigms in the Supreme Court," Law360 confirmed Wednesday.
January 22, 2025
BigLaw Firms Report Record Lobbying Revenues For 2024

Several BigLaw firms pulled in record federal lobbying revenues in 2024, and now the change at the White House and in Congress has lobbyists gearing up for another busy year.
January 22, 2025
Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds Slam Baldoni Atty's 'Media Blitz'

Counsel for celebrity couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds told a New York federal judge that Justin Baldoni's attorney from Liner Freedman Taitelman & Cooley LLP has violated ethical rules with an "all-out media blitz" during their thorny litigation over the movie "It Ends With Us."
January 22, 2025
Kentucky, New Mexico Federal Judges To Take Senior Status

Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves of the Eastern District of Kentucky and U.S. District Judge James O. Browning of the District of New Mexico announced this week that they are taking senior status over roughly the next year.
January 22, 2025
Kirkland Adds 5 Skadden Attys As Firm Plans Philly Launch

National law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP has announced plans for a new Philadelphia office to be helmed by a civil litigator who is one of five attorneys moving their practices to the firm from Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.
January 22, 2025
Committee's Trump Probe Subpoenas Are Moot, Willis Says

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has urged a Georgia state court to quash a bid to enforce subpoenas from a state Senate committee investigating her handling of the prosecution of President Donald Trump, arguing the subpoenas are moot because "the old special committee no longer exists."
January 22, 2025
Case Removal Rules Aimed At Fairness, Ex-Atty Tells 5th Circ.

Several Fifth Circuit judges seemed keen Wednesday to clarify what activity in state court would bar litigants from removing their cases to federal court, as the full appeals court reconsidered a remand order for a Houston firm's poaching suit.
January 22, 2025
The 2025 In-House Counsel Satisfaction Survey

Law360 Pulse asked in-house counsel about their jobs, workplace and career prospects. Find out how satisfied corporate lawyers are with their schedules, hours, work-life balance, opportunities for advancement and more.
January 22, 2025
DOJ Aims To Prosecute Local Officials Who Impede Removals

The U.S. Department of Justice instructed its staff to investigate and take enforcement actions against state and local officials who interfere with the Trump administration's plans to deport unlawfully present immigrants, according to an internal agency memo.
January 21, 2025
Key Justices Stay Quiet As High Court Weighs FCC Deference

Several U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared open to giving district courts more leeway to review the Federal Communciations Commission's tome of regulations under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, although the two justices expected to cast pivotal votes refrained from posing questions.
January 21, 2025
Trump Names Interim Top Prosecutors In Manhattan, Brooklyn

President Donald Trump named two high-ranking prosecutors to be interim U.S. attorneys in the Southern and Eastern districts of New York while his long-term picks for the posts await Senate confirmation, spokespeople for the offices confirmed Tuesday.
January 21, 2025
Bondi Pledges To Consult DOJ Ethics Team On Trump Matters

Following last week's hearing for President Donald Trump's attorney general nominee, Democrats further questioned Pam Bondi on how she would maintain independence from Trump due to her past relationships with him.
January 21, 2025
As Fire Victims Seek Legal Help, Experts Warn Of Red Flags

As lawyers from across the nation descend upon Southern California to sign up those affected by the devastating wildfires, fire victims should not rush to hire an attorney, lest they also become victims of fraud or other predatory practices, the state bar and ethics-savvy attorneys warn.
January 21, 2025
Akin Beefs Up GOP Lobbying Roster In DC

The start of a second Trump administration and a Republican Party-controlled Congress has Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP deepening its lobbying and public policy practice with two advisers who have deep GOP connections.
January 21, 2025
Dozen Morris Manning Attys Headed To Reed Smith, Firm Says

A dozen attorneys from Morris Manning & Martin LLP's Atlanta office, including the firm's private equity co-chair and other leaders, have told the firm they are leaving to join Reed Smith LLP, a Morris Manning spokesperson told Law360 Pulse on Tuesday.
January 21, 2025
Womble Bond Atty Appeals Contempt Ruling To 4th Circ.

A Womble Bond Dickinson partner is appealing a North Carolina federal judge's December ruling holding him in contempt of court for failing to correct misrepresentations he allegedly made to a Dutch tribunal in parallel litigation involving a software developer and its former Dutch partner.
January 21, 2025
Union Calls For Block To Trump's Federal Workers Order

President Donald Trump must halt efforts to enforce his executive order easing the process to fire certain federal employees, the National Treasury Employees Union argued in a lawsuit, claiming thousands of workers could be at risk of termination "for any reason including political agenda."
January 21, 2025
Spencer West Launches In US With SF, NYC Offices

Spencer West LLP has opened two offices in the U.S. to mark its entry in the world's largest legal market as it continues to expand its legal services offerings across the globe.
January 21, 2025
Harvard Settles Antisemitism Complaints By Student Groups

Harvard University said Tuesday it has partially settled cases over the school's allegedly inadequate response to the harassment of Jewish students on campus amid protests over the war in Gaza.
January 21, 2025
Trump Eyes Mass. Federal Prosecutor For US Atty In Boston

President Donald Trump plans to nominate Leah Foley to be Massachusetts' next U.S. attorney, elevating a longtime prosecutor in the office to the top spot after she had sought the job during Trump's first administration, Law360 has learned.

Expert Analysis

An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.
This Year's Insights On Attorney Well-Being

With the legal industry increasingly grappling with attorney burnout, depression, anxiety, stress and substance use disorders, Law360 guest experts proposed solutions this year ranging from mental health first aid training to exercises that build flexible optimism.
New Strategies For Enhancing Firm Culture

How can law firms work toward retaining legal talent and meeting business goals? This year, Law360 guest commentary dove into tips like embracing cognitive diversity and conducting so-called stay interviews.
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.
2024 Pointers On Persuading Jurors

In a year where nuclear verdicts continued to proliferate, Law360 guest commentary focused on how trial attorneys can better select and connect with jurors, offering strategies for identifying anti-corporate sentiments and tactics to land one’s closing argument.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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 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.