Connecticut Pulse


  • Court Closure Sought Over Taunts By Florida Gun Shop Owner

    The Connecticut Attorney General's Office urged a state judge to protect the identity of its investigator in filings and to close the courtroom during their testimony at trial in a lawsuit alleging a Florida company deceptively sold do-it-yourself gun kits, saying anonymity is needed because of the owner's online taunts.

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    Share Of New Partners Who Are Women Decreased This Year

    More than 80 major law firms had new partner classes in 2024 made up of at least 50% women, according to an analysis released Tuesday by a think tank focused on diversity and workplace flexibility. However, the analysis also found that the proportion of new U.S.-based partners who are women decreased.

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    Approach The Bench: Judge Rosenthal Praises Zoom Hearings

    While U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal calls the pandemic a disaster that "discombobulated" the federal courts, she thinks there was also a silver lining to the experience.

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    How Certifications Became Ubiquitous For Privacy Attorneys

    As privacy has become a more prominent and popular practice area, many attorneys have turned to certifications offered by the International Association of Privacy Professionals to market their skills, with those in the field saying that the popularity is the result of privacy's rapid evolution and the ubiquity is unlikely to diminish.

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    The Psychology Of Top Firms' Growing Partner Pay Spreads

    Dan Binstock, a legal recruiter who works with top law firms, recently said to me about partner pay, "You can never please everybody."

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    National Footprints Scramble Partner Pay's Link To Location

    Law firm partners' increasing pay often varies based on where those attorneys are located, a fact reinforced by a new study out Thursday, but experts say the relationship between compensation and location has become more complicated as more firms operate on a national scale. 

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    Insurers Have Long Used AI; Now Litigation Funders Want In

    As State Farm waded into the nascent field of "artificial intelligence" tools in the mid-1980s, its mainframe computers began to overheat under the strain of calculating the values of claims.

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    Milber Makris Expands Trial Capabilities With 15 Attys In NY

    Milber Makris Plousadis & Seiden LLP, a full-service civil litigation defense firm for the insurance industry, has expanded its litigation and trial capabilities with the addition of 15 attorneys from Zaklukiewicz Puzo & Morrissey LLP and Gartner & Bloom PC in New York.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry had another action-packed week as firms prepared for increased lobbying activity in anticipation of the upcoming election, while lawyers nationwide came together to support a nonpartisan initiative focused on protecting the electoral process. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Kemp Jones LLP, Parker Nelson & Associates and Campbell & Williams lead this week's list of Law360 legal lions with back-to-back wins in ongoing litigation against a bankrupt "alkaline water" company.

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    Brach Eichler Healthcare Leader Jumps To Pullman & Comley

    The vice chair of Brach Eichler LLC's healthcare practice has joined Pullman & Comley LLC as a partner based in the firm's Westport, Connecticut, office.

  • Alex Jones Atty Laments Sharing Sandy Hook Families' Info

    The lead attorney in conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Sandy Hook Elementary School defamation trial in Connecticut acknowledged Thursday that he "erred" when he allowed a hard drive containing the plaintiffs' confidential records to be transmitted to other attorneys, an act that led to ongoing disciplinary proceedings that threaten his law license.

  • Conn. Bar Committee Wants Software Crash Suit Tossed

    The Connecticut Bar Examining Committee says a test-taker's federal lawsuit linking her failing grade to computer malfunctions or software crashes must be dismissed, because two different statistical analyses showed her tech woes "likely had no impact on her ultimate score."

  • Conn. High Court Snapshot: $13M Tax Appeals, Will Dispute

    The Connecticut Supreme Court's second term of the 2024-2025 season will commence Monday with a dispute over whether an attorney bungled a will that sought to divide a $845,368 TD Ameritrade account among five beneficiaries, only one of whom received any cash.

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    In-House Tech Atty Returns To Private Practice At Day Pitney

    A veteran in-house technology and outsourcing attorney has returned to private practice at Day Pitney LLP, expanding the firm's ability to help clients adapt to the rapid pace of technological advancements.

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    Jet Leasing Co. Promotes Longtime Atty To Chief Legal Officer

    Connecticut-headquartered Aircastle Ltd., a company that acquires, leases and sells commercial jet aircrafts to airlines around the globe, will have a new legal leader in 2025.

  • Conn. Firm Botched €1.6M Settlement For UK Client, Suit Says

    Connecticut firm Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP is responsible for the loss of €1.6 million ($1.7 million) a U.K. client paid toward a failed global bankruptcy settlement agreement, according to a legal malpractice suit filed in Connecticut state court.

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    Big Jump In Outside Counsel Spending Forecast For 2025

    Spending on outside counsel will rise 6.9% in 2025, the largest increase in 10 years, according to a report Thursday from BTI Consulting Group, which forecasts that litigation spending will see the biggest jumps and that practice areas including labor and employment and mergers and acquisitions will also see large spending increases.

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    Legal Sector Is Adopting GenAI, Preparing For Talent Shifts

    The integration of generative AI is fundamentally transforming how legal professionals manage their daily tasks, with many anticipating that these AI-driven efficiencies will lessen the reliance on billable hours, according to a survey report posted Thursday.

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    BigLaw Partner Pay Soars, But Not At The Same Clip For All

    Average partner compensation at the 200 largest law firms in the U.S. by revenue has almost doubled in the last decade and has increased by 26% in the past two years alone, according to the results of a survey by recruiter Major Lindsey & Africa LLC that were released Thursday.

  • Judges Hint Settlement May Have Waived Atty's Free Speech

    Attorney Timothy Brignole and his Hartford law firm, Brignole Bush & Lewis LLC, may have surrendered free speech rights when they signed a nondisparagement agreement with a former employee, stripping them of the ability to claim First Amendment protection over comments attributed to them in a lawsuit, judges of the Connecticut Appellate Court hinted Wednesday.

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    Stigma Of Disability In Legal Industry Is 'Very Real,' Panel Says

    People with disabilities still face challenges when pursuing a legal career, but law firms, law schools, bar associations and corporate legal departments can take steps to help advance disability equality, according to panelists speaking Tuesday for National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

  • Amazon, Meta Say Ch. 11 Trustee Can't Take Guo Co. Cash

    Amazon.com, Meta, Fox News and dozens of other corporate powerhouses, along with several law firms, have asked a Connecticut bankruptcy judge to block a Chapter 11 trustee from recouping cash payments for services that flowed through shell companies connected to convicted Chinese exile Miles Guo.

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    Lawyers For Good Government Recognizes Yale Law, 3 Firms

    The nonprofit Lawyers for Good Government, or L4GG, announced the recipients of its 2024 Pro Bono Awards on Monday, recognizing three law firms and Yale Law School for their work in support of environmental justice, immigrant rights, children's rights, racial equity and reproductive freedom.

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    How Law Firms Get And Keep Elite Status

    For decades, a handful of New York-based law firms thoroughly dominated the national consciousness when it came to power, profitability and prestige. But in today's legal market, increased movement of partners and clients from one firm to the next has begun to shake things up and create opportunities for go-getters to ascend the ranks.

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Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Turn Deferral To My Advantage? Author Photo

    Diana Leiden at Winston & Strawn discusses how first-year associates whose law firm start dates have been deferred can use the downtime to hone their skills, help their communities, and focus on returning to BigLaw with valuable contacts and out-of-the-box insights.

  • Resume Gaps Are No Longer Kryptonite To Your Legal Career Author Photo

    Female attorneys and others who pause their careers for a few years will find that gaps in work history are increasingly acceptable among legal employers, meaning with some networking, retraining and a few other strategies, lawyers can successfully reenter the workforce, says Jill Backer at Ave Maria School of Law.

  • Law Firm Guardrails For Responsible Generative AI Use Author Photo

    ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence tools pose significant risks to the integrity of legal work, but the key for law firms is not to ban these tools, but to implement them responsibly and with appropriate safeguards, say Natalie Pierce and Stephanie Goutos at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Opinion

    We Must Continue DEI Efforts Despite High Court Headwinds Author Photo

    Though the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down affirmative action in higher education, law firms and their clients must keep up the legal industry’s recent momentum advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the profession in order to help achieve a just and prosperous society for all, says Angela Winfield at the Law School Admission Council.

  • Law Firms Cannot Ignore Attorneys' Personal Cybersecurity Author Photo

    Law firms that fail to consider their attorneys' online habits away from work are not using their best efforts to protect client information and are simplifying the job of plaintiffs attorneys in the case of a breach, say Mark Hurley and Carmine Cicalese at Digital Privacy and Protection.

  • Why Writing CLE Should Be Mandatory For Lawyers Author Photo

    Though effective writing is foundational to law, no state requires attorneys to take continuing legal education in this skill — something that must change if today's attorneys are to have the communication abilities they need to fulfill their professional and ethical duties to their clients, colleagues and courts, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona.

  • How To Find Your Inner Calm When Client Obligations Pile Up Author Photo

    In the most stressful times for attorneys, when several transactions for different partners and clients peak at the same time and the phone won’t stop buzzing, incremental lifestyle changes can truly make a difference, says Lindsey Hughes at Haynes Boone.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Support Gen Z Attorneys? Author Photo

    Meredith Beuchaw at Lowenstein Sandler discusses how senior attorneys can assist the newest generation of attorneys by championing their pursuit of a healthy work-life balance and providing the hands-on mentorship opportunities they missed out on during the pandemic.

  • Law Firm Cybersecurity Should Not Get Lost In The Cloud Author Photo

    A recent data leak at Proskauer via a cloud data storage platform demonstrates key reasons why law firms must pay attention to data safeguarding, including the increasing frequency of cloud-based data breaches and the consequences of breaking client confidentiality, says Robert Kraczek at One Identity.

  • Advice For Summer Associates Uneasy About Offer Prospects Author Photo

    There are a few communication tips that law students in summer associate programs should consider to put themselves in the best possible position to receive an offer, and firms can also take steps to support those to whom they are unable to make an offer, says Amy Mattock at Georgetown University Law Center.

  • How Law Firms Can Cautiously Wield AI To Streamline Tasks Author Photo

    Many attorneys are going to use artificial intelligence tools whether law firms like it or not, so firms should educate them on AI's benefits, limits and practical uses, such as drafting legal documents, to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving legal market, say Thomas Schultz and Eden Bernstein at Kellogg Hansen.

  • Keys To Managing The Stresses Of Law School Author Photo

    Dealing with the pressures associated with law school can prove difficult for many future lawyers, but there are steps students can take to manage stress — and schools can help too, say Ryan Zajic and Dr. Janani Krishnaswami at UWorld.

  • Can Mandatory CLE Mitigate Implicit Bias's Negative Impacts? Author Photo

    Amid ongoing disagreements on whether states should mandate implicit bias training as part of attorneys' continuing legal education requirements, Stephanie Wilson at Reed Smith looks at how unconscious attitudes or stereotypes adversely affect legal practice, and whether mandatory training programs can help.

  • Ditch The Frills And Start Writing Legal Letters In Plain English Author Photo

    To become more effective advocates, lawyers need to rethink the ridiculous, convoluted language they use in correspondence and write letters in a clear, concise and direct manner, says legal writing instructor Stuart Teicher.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Negotiate My Separation Agreement? Author Photo

    Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey discusses how a law firm associate can navigate being laid off, what to look for in a separation agreement and why to be upfront about it with prospective employers.

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