Conn. Law Firm Sued Over $7.5M Truck Crash Judgment

By Aaron Keller

A Connecticut food distributor is suing Harlow Adams & Friedman PC in state court over a $7.5 million judgment from a personal injury lawsuit, saying the law firm miscalculated the suit's value, didn't keep its client informed and missed deadlines at the trial and the appellate levels.

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Unilever Class Must Show Standing Before OK Of $3.6M Deal

By Aaron Keller

Unilever and two groups of customers have until Dec. 5 to explain to a Connecticut federal judge whether a proposed $3.6 million settlement defines a class so broad that it could include individuals who lack standing to sue on claims that certain aerosol dry shampoo propellants contained benzene.

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Conn. Must Pay $2.5M Over Foster Teen's Death

By Mike Curley

A Connecticut state judge has awarded $2.5 million to the estate of a teenager who died in therapeutic foster care, finding the state's poor records and communication led to the teen not receiving the care he needed.

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Conn. Family Can't Go After ENT Insurer Following Failed Deal

By Hope Patti

A Connecticut state court tossed a family's suit seeking a declaration as to the insurance coverage available to an ear, nose and throat center that rejected the family's settlement offer in an underlying malpractice case, saying the family hasn't alleged an actual dispute or injury in order to establish standing.

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21 States Get Judge To Halt Trump Cuts Of 4 Fed. Agencies

By Joyce Hanson

A Rhode Island federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from eliminating four federal agencies that support museums and libraries, minority businesses, organized labor, and homeless services, handing a win to a coalition of 21 states that challenged the legality of the cuts.

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Ill. Judge Blocks Trump's DEI Conditions For Disaster Grants

By Allison Grande

An Illinois federal judge has temporarily enjoined the Trump administration from imposing certain conditions on the city of Chicago and other local governments seeking federal emergency funds, including that they halt diversity, equity and inclusion programs, finding that the challengers had demonstrated these conditions are "likely unlawful."

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Mass. Judge Says States Can Fight Planned Parenthood Cuts

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday chided a Trump administration lawyer for continuing to argue that a coalition of states lacks standing to seek to block what it says is the effective defunding of Planned Parenthood, even as it only just received a lengthy list of new requirements for Medicaid reimbursement.

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DOJ Looks To Settle RealPage Rent Price-Fixing Claims

By Isaac Monterose

The federal government filed a proposed final judgment on Monday that aims to settle antitrust claims accusing property management software company RealPage Inc. and multiple landlords of conspiring to use RealPage's revenue management software to fix rent prices.

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High Court Won't Revive UBS Retaliation Case Again

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it would not again take up a fired UBS worker's whistleblower retaliation lawsuit concerning whether the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires whistleblowers to show proof of discrimination or proof of retaliation.

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Series

The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Making The Case To Combine

When making the decision to merge, law firm leaders must factor in strategic alignment, cultural compatibility and leadership commitment in order to build a compelling case for combining firms to achieve shared goals and long-term success, says Kevin McLaughlin at UB Greensfelder.

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Bonus Spotlight

5 BigLaw Firms Match Prevailing Year-End, Special Bonuses

By Anna Sanders

BigLaw continues to dole out extra cash for attorneys just in time for the holidays, with five more firms matching the year-end and special bonuses previously announced by their peers.

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Feds' Claim Against Judge Weighing Trans Troops Ban Tossed

By Lauren Berg

The D.C. Circuit's chief judge tossed the U.S. Department of Justice's misconduct complaint against the federal judge overseeing litigation challenging the Trump administration's ban on transgender troops serving in the military, saying judicial misconduct proceedings are not the appropriate avenue to address concerns about a judge's impartiality.

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Comey, James Defeat Charges Over Halligan's Appointment

By Ryan Boysen

A federal judge on Monday dismissed the headline-grabbing indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, finding the controversial prosecutor handling both cases was not properly appointed.

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Calif. Personal Injury Law Firm Sued Over Ransomware Attack

By Gina Kim

A former Adamson Ahdoot LLP client lodged a proposed class action in California state court on Friday over a Nov. 3 ransomware attack, alleging the law firm failed to protect his personal information despite touting on its website that it follows industry standards to do so.

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Feature

Prep, Panic & Poise: Inside An Associate's First Oral Argument

By Jeff Overley

Fraser M. Holmes followed a long professional path to a Texas court's lectern. He'd been a baseball blogger, travel writer and social studies teacher before appellate law beckoned. After years of toil, a milestone moment — his first oral argument — finally arrived, but as justices took the bench, his heart sank: "Oh, my God. I think I've just forgotten my entire argument."

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Google Calls Rumble's Recusal Bid Irrelevant To Its Appeal

By Andrea Keckley

Google is urging the Ninth Circuit to disregard concerns Rumble has raised about the trial judge's relationship with the tech giant's litigation vice president, saying Friday that the information is irrelevant to the YouTube rival's appeal of the court's ruling that its antitrust lawsuit was filed too late.

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Oversight Chair Seeks USPTO Briefing On Litigation Funding

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is seeking a briefing by the end of the month from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on third-party litigation funding and reforms the agency is working on.

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8th Circ. Won't Force Judge's Recusal In Pork Price-Fixing Case

By Matthew Perlman

The Eighth Circuit has denied a mandamus petition from Agri Stats Inc. and major pork producers who are seeking a Minnesota federal judge's recusal in price-fixing litigation based on a law clerk's previous work on a related case.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court last week delivered a packed mix of fraud allegations, merger fallout, corporate-governance reforms and jurisdictional fights, while a new academic report ignited debate over attorney fee awards in Delaware's influential corporate forum.

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