Pennsylvania Pulse


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

    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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    Legal Ethics Matters To Watch In 2025

    After an eventful 2024, industry experts are looking ahead to what might be the big topics in legal ethics in the new year, including the ethics implications of artificial intelligence and ethics opinions that may be relevant to attorneys in the incoming second Trump administration.

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    What's Keeping Law Firm Leaders Up At Night In 2025

    Law firms have experienced rapid change and growth in recent years, and 2025 will likely be no different. Firm leaders told Law360 Pulse they are bracing to respond quickly to a number of different opportunities likely to arise in the new year.

  • Pa. Cases To Watch In 2025: Climate Change And Skill Games

    President-elect Donald Trump's impending return to the White House casts a new light on certain pending cases in Pennsylvania courts with federal implications, such as a suburban Philadelphia county's climate change claims against oil companies that contend the suits are preempted and the U.S. Department of Justice's entrance into monopoly allegations against University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

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    Public Faith In State Courts Up As Trust In Fed. Courts Sinks

    Public confidence in state courts seems to be rising at the same time that trust in the federal courts and overall judicial system is plummeting, according to recent surveys that paint drastically divergent pictures of people's faith in state and national judicial systems.

  • Alston & Bird, Arnold & Porter Unveil Associate Bonuses

    Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP and Alston & Bird LLP told associates Monday they'd be receiving year-end bonuses that meet the prevailing scale for large law firms set by Milbank LLP in November — as long as they meet certain billable hours requirements, according to media reports.

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    Aurora Innovation GC Set To Leave In January

    The general counsel of self-driving vehicle technology company Aurora Innovation Inc. will step down in early January, according to a Friday U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

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    Lessons In 'Value-Centered Lawyering' From Atty Turned Prof

    Katya Cronin, a professor at George Washington University Law School and former BigLaw attorney, argued in a recent academic paper that law schools need to do more to encourage students to examine their personal values and pursue legal careers in line with them.

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    What 2024 Looked Like For 4 Small Firms

    A lot can happen in a year for small firms. Law360 Pulse caught up with four, some just getting started and others with long legacies, to talk about what their 2024 looked like.

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    Stevens & Lee Adds To Growing Estates Practice In Pa.

    The recent growth of Stevens & Lee's wealth planning and estates practice has attracted a pair of veteran attorneys who joined the firm's offices in Pennsylvania to be part of the practice's expansion.

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    How DC Students Help Blank Rome Spread Holiday Cheer

    In a tradition stretching back just over a quarter century, Blank Rome LLP taps into the Washington, D.C., community by hosting a competition for students at a local arts-focused high school to submit designs for the annual holiday card sent out to the firm’s thousands of clients.

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    3 Ways Associates Can Survive An Average Annual Review

    You're a rock star associate in your fourth or fifth year trying to make partner, and you just got an average review after previously receiving high marks. Although it's tempting to panic, experts say it's possible to come back after such setbacks by being proactive.

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    Approach The Bench: What Judges Had To Say This Year

    Jurists weighed the benefits of partisan elections, praised innovations in telehearings and worried about the future of the profession in nearly a dozen interviews with Law360 this year.

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    Reed Smith Financial Pro Jumps To Eckert Seamans As CFO

    Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC announced Friday it has hired Reed Smith's global director of financial intelligence as its firmwide chief financial officer.

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    How Law Firms Are Reinvesting 2024's Near-Record Profits

    U.S. law firms are set to close out 2024 with near-record increases in revenue and profits, according to industry surveys. Here, a look at how seven law firm leaders are planning to reinvest the windfall.

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    Secret Of Success Was All In The Family For Stephen Cozen

    Longtime colleagues of Cozen O’Connor co-founder Stephen Cozen, who died yesterday at age 85, remember the Philadelphia attorney as a hard-working advocate for his clients who built one of the biggest firms in the country with a family-oriented culture of entrepreneurship and mentorship.

  • How Lawyers May Sue The Trump Administration … Again

    During the last Trump administration, BigLaw firms challenged White House policies, focusing on immigration, environmental regulations and healthcare. This time around, attorneys could rely on old tools, and some new tactics, to stall the executive branch.

  • Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    This week's Legal Lions leader comes from the public sector, as federal prosecutors secured a $650 million settlement from McKinsey & Co. to resolve a lawsuit over the consulting giant's role in Purdue Pharma's promotion of OxyContin.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    This was another action-packed week for the legal industry as law firms announced large associate bonuses, opened up new offices, and made notable hires. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Cozen O'Connor Founder Stephen Cozen Dies At 85

    Cozen O'Connor co-founder and chairman Stephen A. Cozen died Thursday morning at age 85, the firm announced in a statement.

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    Ballard Spahr Seeks To End Paralegal's Age Discrimination Suit

    Longtime issues with her performance and a disparaging remark made about a client to a firm partner led to Ballard Spahr LLP's decision to terminate a paralegal's employment, the firm said has said, and it asked a Pennsylvania federal court to dismiss the former employee's age and gender discrimination complaint.

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    Top Takeaways For Mid-Law Firms In 2024

    In 2024, midsize, midmarket and regional firms saw an overall strong year, several notable firm mergers and much conversation around new technologies, especially generative artificial intelligence.

  • Hueston Hennigan, McKool Smith Bonuses Top Milbank Scale

    Trial firm Hueston Hennigan LLP is the latest boutique to award above-market, year-end bonuses, the firm said Thursday.

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    The Year In Legal Ethics: AI, Judicial Scandal And More

    A number of legal ethics topics dominated the conversation in 2024, including artificial intelligence and the fallout of an undisclosed relationship between a Texas bankruptcy judge and an attorney whose firm appeared before him for years.

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    Law Firms Tap Business-Savvy Leaders Amid 2024 Shakeups

    The legal industry has seen ongoing leadership changes in 2024, with law firms increasingly turning to business-savvy leaders to oversee operations and better compete in a challenging market.

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Expert Analysis

  • Guest Feature

    5 Ways Firms Can Avoid Female Atty Exodus During Pandemic Author Photo

    The pandemic's disproportionate impact on women presents law firms with a unique opportunity to devise innovative policies that will address the increasing home life demands female lawyers face and help retain them long after COVID-19 is over, say Roberta Liebenberg at Fine Kaplan and Stephanie Scharf at Scharf Banks.

  • What Hiring Law Firms Should Consider Instead Of Grades Author Photo

    With law schools forgoing traditional grading due to the pandemic, hiring firms that have heavily weighted first-year grades during the on-campus interview process should turn to metrics that allow a more holistic view of a candidate, says Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.

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