Analysis

Georgia Cases To Watch In 2025

By Chart Riggall

The fate of a prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump, Ford's ongoing fight over claims it hid the rollover dangers of its Super Duty trucks, and a feeding frenzy of class actions after a major metro Atlanta industrial fire are among the cases that will take center stage in Georgia's courts this year.

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Analysis

The Hottest Topics Appellate Attys Are Tracking In 2025

By Jeff Overley

Appellate lawyers in 2025 should probably stock up on coffee and expect some all-nighters — numerous high-profile appeals, a new presidential administration and a new framework for legal challenges to regulations suggest it'll be an uncommonly tumultuous trip around the sun.

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Analysis

Trump Begins 2nd Term With At Least 45 Judge Seats To Fill

By Courtney Bublé

Incoming President Donald Trump will take office Jan. 20 with 45 seats on the federal bench to fill. Currently, there are 39 empty seats on U.S. district and circuit courts and 6 pending vacancies due to announced retirements and plans to take senior status, three of which opened on Dec. 31 and another that opened Jan. 2.

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Analysis

The Top Sports & Betting Cases To Keep An Eye On In 2025

By David Steele

The name, image and likeness class action the NCAA settled in 2024 for $2.78 billion was a long time coming and packs a punch that will be felt for years to come. It overshadowed other ongoing, status quo-rocking litigation involving the NFL, NBA, MLB and more. Here, Law360 looks at the top sports and betting cases the legal world will be watching in 2025.

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Analysis

Top Federal Tax Cases To Watch In 2025

By Kat Lucero

Over the next year, tax practitioners will be closely monitoring suits that challenge the IRS' use of the economic substance doctrine, take advantage of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision curbing federal agencies' regulatory authority and dispute the government's handling of worker retention credits. Here, Law360 looks at key federal tax cases to follow in 2025.

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Analysis

Copyright & Trademark Policy And Trends To Watch In 2025

By Ivan Moreno

Congress has its sights set on cracking down on deepfakes this year with a pair of proposals aimed at establishing uniform protections for individuals nationally, and intellectual property attorneys are watching Illinois, which has become a go-to place to pursue online counterfeiters. Here are Law360's picks for the copyright and trademark policies and trends to watch this year.

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Analysis

Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice Cases To Watch In 2025

By Y. Peter Kang

A pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling over the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' rule on so-called ghost guns and Pennsylvania's top court's possible invalidation of a government injury damages cap are among the cases injury and malpractice attorneys will be following in 2025.

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Expect Continued Momentum For Nuclear Power In 2025

With increasing electricity demand, growing interest in carbon-free energy and recent policy initiatives favoring atomic power, the future is looking bright for the U.S. nuclear energy industry — and the imminent switch of administrations in Washington is unlikely to change that, say attorneys at Venable.

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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.

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After Busy 2024, Law Firms Eye More Mergers In Year Ahead

By Aebra Coe

The popularity of U.S. law firm combinations surged in 2024, with announcements increasing by about a dozen year-over-year and approaching historic heights, according to data collected by Law360 Pulse, but law firm merger consultants say a robust pipeline of deal talks could mean a busier 2025.

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Bonus Spotlight

DLA Piper, More Boutiques Meet, Exceed Milbank Bonus Scale

By Tracey Read

Bonus news continued over the holiday week, with several law firms announcing they'll follow or exceed Milbank LLP's lead on 2024 associate bonuses, and others reversing their stance on special bonuses, according to memos shared with Law360 Pulse and media reports.

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The Top In-House Hires Of December

By Sue Reisinger

Legal department hires in the past month included high-profile appointments at Eaton Corp., Conde Nast, Constellation Energy Corp. and Turing. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from the past few weeks.

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Analysis

How Jimmy Carter Transformed The Federal Bench

By Jess Krochtengel

Former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday, presided over the country's largest judicial expansion, an opportunity he seized to fill seats on the federal bench with more women and people of color than ever before.

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Retired Justice Breyer To Sit On 1st Circ. As Visiting Judge

By Dorothy Atkins

Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is returning to the bench this month as a visiting judge on the First Circuit, joining three-judge panels hearing oral arguments Jan. 8 and 10, including a financial adviser's appeal of its $93 million loss to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Judicial Conference Closes Thomas Gift Probe With No Action

By Katie Buehler

The Judicial Conference of the United States will not refer ethics complaints accusing U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of unlawfully failing to disclose decades of luxury gifts and travel to the U.S. Department of Justice for further investigation, according to letters released Thursday.

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Biden Lauds Bipartisanship In Confirming Record No. Of Judges

By Courtney Bublé

With less than three weeks left in office, President Joe Biden on Thursday celebrated putting 235 lifetime judges on the federal bench.

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DOJ Says Hur Tapes Are Protected From GOP Contempt Effort

By Courtney Bublé

Two U.S. Department of Justice legal opinions made public on New Year's Eve further explain the Biden administration's positions opposing attempts by Republicans to obtain the audio recordings of President Joe Biden and his ghostwriter speaking with special counsel Robert Hur for his investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents.

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Feds Ask High Court To Unpause Corporate Transparency Law

By Jared Foretek

The federal government is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a Texas judge's injunction against the Corporate Transparency Act, telling the justices in a new application that the 2021 anti-money laundering law's compliance deadlines should take effect while the Fifth Circuit hears the full case.

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Ga. Judge Dies By Apparent Suicide In Courtroom

By Emily Johnson

A Georgia state judge died in an apparent suicide in the courtroom earlier this week during his final days in office shortly after Gov. Brian Kemp rejected his resignation and said it would have nullified the results of a runoff election that the judge lost last year.

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Calif. Federal Judge Escapes House Party Brawl Suit, For Now

By Rachel Scharf

A California federal judge has been dropped, for now, from litigation over an alleged assault during a party supposedly hosted at the jurist's Pasadena home with underage drinking and insufficient supervision.

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