The Law360 400: Tracking The Largest US Law Firms

By Sam Bell and Pamela Wilkinson

The legal market expanded more tentatively in 2023 than in previous years amid a slowdown in demand for legal services, especially in transactions, an area that has been sluggish but is expected to quicken in the near future.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Strategic Hiring Was The New Normal For BigLaw In 2023

By Emma Cueto

The 400 largest law firms by headcount in the U.S. grew more slowly in 2023 than in the previous two years, while Kirkland & Ellis LLP surpassed the 3,000-attorney threshold, according to the latest Law360 ranking.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Rests In NY Hush Money Trial, Declining To Testify

By Frank Runyeon and Stewart Bishop

Donald Trump rested his defense Tuesday in the Manhattan district attorney's criminal hush money case, closing out the testimony and setting the stage for deliberations next week after the former president opted not to take the witness stand.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Coverage Recap: Day 16 Of Trump's NY Hush Money Trial

By Stewart Bishop

Law360 reporters are providing live updates from the Manhattan criminal courthouse as Donald Trump goes on trial for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments ahead of the 2016 election. Here's a recap from Tuesday, day 16 of the trial.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ, VW Ask 9th Circ. To Void Jones Day Docs Release Order

By Linda Chiem

The U.S. Department of Justice and Volkswagen have told the Ninth Circuit that forcing them to release confidential Volkswagen documents that were part of a Jones Day investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal would have far-reaching, chilling implications for federal criminal prosecutions.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

More Classified Docs Were Found After Mar-A-Lago Raid

By Carolina Bolado

Additional classified documents were found at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, including in Trump's bedroom, after the FBI's August 2022 search of the Florida property, according to a filing unsealed Tuesday in the criminal case accusing him of mishandling classified documents.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Feds Can't Show Autonomy Jury Report Showing Audit Issues

By Bonnie Eslinger

The California federal judge overseeing a criminal trial over claims Autonomy's former CEO conned HP into buying the U.K. company for $11.7 billion denied prosecutors' bid Tuesday to show jurors a British accounting watchdog's findings that Deloitte failed to catch misleading information in Autonomy's books.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

TotalEnergies Hit With Climate Criminal Complaint In France

By Madeline Lyskawa

Three environmental groups, alongside eight victims of climate change, filed a criminal complaint on Tuesday in Paris against French petroleum company TotalEnergies' board of directors and main shareholders for their alleged contribution to climate change and its impact on humans and the environment.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

22 States Tell 11th Circ. Corp. Transparency Act Goes Too Far

By Sanjay Talwani

The federal Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutionally displaces state authority and its enforcement would economically harm states and their residents, attorneys general from 22 states told the Eleventh Circuit, urging it to uphold a ruling that struck down the law.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

SEC Slams Ripple's Bid To 'Hide' Financial Info From Public

By Jessica Corso

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is protesting Ripple Labs' bid to conceal certain financial information from the public as it fights the agency's attempt to impose a $2 billion penalty for unregistered cryptocurrency sales, arguing that the company's call for transparency in the case should extend to itself.

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fla. Scientist Fights Contempt Ruling In Data Theft Suit

By David Minsky

A Florida Everglades scientist urged a state appeals court Tuesday to reverse a contempt ruling against him over violating an injunction to preserve computer data from his prior job, saying that the order was ambiguous and that the lower court wrongly appointed opposing counsel to prosecute the violation.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

PetroSaudi Says $380M Award Feud Close To Resolution

By Caroline Simson

A PetroSaudi unit and the Biden administration are nearing a settlement to resolve a bitter dispute over the proceeds of a nearly $380 million arbitral award allegedly tied to embezzled 1Malaysia Development Berhad funds, which the government has been looking to seize for years, the parties said Monday.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-AUSA Blames Inexperience For Outcome Forfeiture Error

By Lauraann Wood

Former prosecutors who pursued the $1 billion fraud trial against Outcome Health executives said Tuesday they never suspected their asset restraint efforts were an overreach, noting they lacked the expertise to notice potential mistakes themselves.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Disbarred Atty Gets 9 Years For $1.4M COVID Relief Fraud

By Ryan Harroff

A New York federal judge sentenced former attorney Douglas Arntsen to nine years in prison Tuesday for running a $1.4 million COVID-19 relief scheme, stating that the disbarred lawyer "has not gotten the message" that he should not steal from people despite his prior conviction for grand larceny.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Conn. Atty Denies Involvement In $1.4M Transfer Scam

By Brian Steele

Connecticut attorney Carole W. Briggs has issued a sweeping, albeit untimely, denial of the allegations in a lawsuit filed by a New Jersey real estate developer in Connecticut federal court that accused her of playing a role in a business email compromise scam that stole $1.4 million.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Texas Court Questions Luxottica On 'Playing Favorites' In Sale

By Spencer Brewer

A Texas appellate court on Tuesday asked whether an eyewear conglomerate was "playing favorites by not disclosing" alleged fraud by its franchisees in a sale of two stores to other franchisees, questioning Luxottica's assertion it had to keep its hands off the transaction.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Tuna Buyers Seeking $1B In July Price-Fixing Trial

By Nadia Dreid

Tuna buyers who are taking StarKist, its parent company and a private investment firm that put money into Bumble Bee Foods to trial on allegations of conspiring to hike the price of the tinned fish will be asking for over $1 billion in damages once all is said and done.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

5 Lessons From Ex-Vitol Trader's FCPA Conviction

The recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and money laundering conviction of former Vitol oil trader Javier Aguilar in a New York federal court provides defense takeaways on issues ranging from the definition of “domestic concern” to jury instruction strategy, says attorney Andrew Feldman.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Attys With AI Skills Command Pay Bumps In The US, UK

By Steven Lerner

Lawyer job listings that require artificial intelligence skills carry a wage premium of up to 49% higher in some markets, according to a report released Tuesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

ABA Faces Racial Bias Complaint Over Diversity Programs

By Ryan Boysen

A conservative nonprofit on Tuesday hit the American Bar Association with a Title VI complaint, claiming a handful of "nefarious" ABA-led programs meant to connect minority law school students with judges are "racially discriminatory."

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Willis And Judge In Ga. Election Case Win Their Elections

By Kelcey Caulder

Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis and Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, two key figures in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump, won their elections Tuesday night.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate Backs Federal Prosecutor For Ariz. District Judgeship

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 66-26 on Tuesday to confirm Assistant U.S. Attorney Krissa M. Lanham to the District of Arizona.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

High Court Ethics Bill In 'High Consideration,' Schumer Says

By Courtney Bublé

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on Tuesday that a bill to institute an ethics code for the U.S. Supreme Court was in "high consideration" to come before the full Senate for a vote, following the report last week that an upside-down flag, which has become a symbol for former President Donald Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen, was flown outside Justice Samuel Alito's house after the attack on the U.S. Capitol a month later.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

$93M Lipitor Antitrust Deal Sparks Dispute Over Fee Division

By Carla Baranauckas

Attorneys representing a class of buyers in antitrust litigation against Pfizer over the cholesterol medication Lipitor are squabbling over how to divide up to $31 million in attorney fees before a New Jersey federal judge even approves the total, according to court documents.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-LA DA Sues State Farm Over Gun Incident Legal Fees

By Elizabeth Daley

Former Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey sued her insurer in California state court Tuesday, alleging State Farm cost her more than $2.1 million by failing to cover legal fees when she and her late husband were sued because he brandished a gun against protesters at their home.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Barrier-Breaking Conn. Chief Justice To Retire In September

By Aaron Keller

Saying it's "time for a change" after a career in government service, Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson, the first Black chief justice in state history, announced he will retire from the bench effective Sept. 6, according to statements from the Connecticut Judicial Branch and Gov. Ned Lamont.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »