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The legal industry had another action-packed week as BigLaw firms expanded their footprints and Donald Trump scored a court victory. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.
Blanche Law PLLC and Continental PLLC lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a Florida federal judge tossed the criminal case against former President Donald Trump over his allegedly illegal retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP's headcount has declined by more than 20% since the law firm's seminal combination, according to firm data, with a surge of lateral departures this spring and summer. Sources have told Law360 Pulse that firm leaders are currently seeking a merger partner.
Allen Overy Shearman Sterling said Friday that it's paying a $50,000 bonus to employees who refer an associate or counsel who is hired at the firm, in a move that reflects the "tough" recruitment market for legal employers.
Prolific patent litigator Bill Ramey has pushed back against Microsoft's bid to sanction his law firm in Texas federal court, filing his own sanctions motion that claims the tech giant and its attorney "gleefully" filed an improper declaration in the case to defame him and his firm.
A Texas federal judge said Thursday he would give a Houston law firm another chance to make its case that the U.S. Small Business Administration was wrong in denying the firm's bid for loan forgiveness under a COVID-19-era relief program, but noted he was "not really optimistic" the firm would be able to succeed with its suit.
Law firm partners are busy. Even as some flexibility has emerged for other lawyers in law firms, those who have taken on the partner role often have a heavy workload. Here, five busy partners on their strategies for balancing work and everything else in their lives.
A team of three former Reed Smith attorneys specializing in financial transactions in the energy sector have recently moved their practices to Blank Rome LLP's Houston and Pittsburgh offices.
Federal judges may be running afoul of ethics rules in boycotting law clerks from certain schools over political activity related to the Israel-Hamas war, a move that could erode confidence in the courts, exacerbate inequities in the clerk-hiring process, and ripple out to law firms and their clients, experts say.
Reed Smith LLP announced Thursday that it has promoted an information technology pro who has been with the firm for more than two decades to be its chief information officer.
Los Angeles-headquartered Michelman & Robinson LLP has tapped a trio of new leaders for its firm, including a new litigation department chair and two practice group heads.
Sony has urged a Texas federal court to sanction a baseball training company and its counsel in a trademark dispute over the digital giant's use of the phrase "future star series" in a popular video game, claiming they launched a lawsuit without investigating material facts and refused to eliminate false allegations.
An investor suing Jackson Walker LLP over an ex-employee's secret romantic relationship with a former Texas bankruptcy judge told the court Tuesday that, despite what the firm says, recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on standing do not change the fact that he suffered real harm from the firm.
In relocating eight of its 19 locations over the past two years, international law firm Haynes and Boone LLP developed a set of standards for the new spaces that prioritize efficiency and attorney wellness. Law360 Pulse recently sat down with Chief Operating Officer Dave Boden to discuss the relocations and the firm's priorities for their design.
Lone Star State business boutique Brown Fox PLLC has strengthened its labor and employment bench with a partner in Dallas who came aboard from Jackson Lewis PC.
With the deals market showing signs of recovery, law firms are once again actively hunting top corporate lawyers, especially those skilled in mergers and acquisitions and private equity, as they seek to get ahead of the anticipated uptick in transactional activity.
Jackson Walker and the U.S. Trustee's Office on Tuesday defended the questions they plan to ask former bankruptcy judge David R. Jones during a deposition over his concealed romantic relationship with an ex-partner of the law firm, telling a Texas bankruptcy judge the inquiries aren't barred by confidentiality protections.
Jackson Lewis PC has brought aboard a new chief technology officer with decades of law firm-focused information technology and management experience, who most recently held the role of chief digital officer for professional services firm Citrin Cooperman.
A man is suing the lawyer who was representing him in an employment case because the attorney didn't disclose his "extensive" history of legal malpractice, telling a Texas state court that the attorney broke his fiduciary duties by not revealing his past misdeeds.
Fisher Phillips announced Tuesday that it has upped the headcount at its new Dallas location with a partner who came aboard from Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC.
Law firms' ongoing initiatives to address diversity challenges have driven another year of progress, with the representation of minority attorneys continuing to improve across the board, albeit at a slower pace than in previous years. Here's our data dive into minority representation at law firms in 2023.
Attorneys of color now represent 27.6% of nonpartners at law firms, a new high-water mark for the industry. But progress has lagged higher up. Here's a more detailed look at the representation of minority attorneys at the associate and partner levels.
Data from Law360 Pulse's law firm survey reveals that while firms are continuing to diversify their attorney ranks, progress has slowed. Just 15.6% of firms top the benchmarks for the 2024 Diversity Snapshot ranking — a lower percentage than last year. Here’s the latest look at how diversity in law firms' headcounts compares with what it could be based on the potential marketplace of new hires.
Law360’s law firm survey shows that firms' efforts to diversify their equity partner ranks are lagging. But some have embraced a broader talent pool at the equity partner level. Here are the ones that stood out.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP has strengthened its corporate practice in Houston with a partner who came aboard following an in-house role at private equity firm Stonepeak.
Krill Strategies’ Patrick Krill, who co-authored a new study that revealed alarming levels of stress, hazardous drinking and associated gender disparities among practicing attorneys, highlights how legal employers can confront the underlying risk factors as both warnings and opportunities in the post-COVID-19 era.
While international agreements for space law have remained relatively unchanged since their creation decades ago, the rapid pace of change in U.S. laws and policies is creating opportunities for both new and veteran lawyers looking to break into this exciting realm, in either the private sector or government, says Michael Dodge at the University of North Dakota.
Series
Ask A Mentor: What Makes A Successful Summer Associate?Navigating a few densely packed weeks at a law firm can be daunting for summer associates, but those who are prepared to seize opportunities and not afraid to ask questions will be set up for success, says Julie Crisp at Latham.
Law firms can attract the right summer associate candidates and help students see what makes a program unique by using carefully crafted messaging and choosing the best ambassadors to deliver it, says Tamara McClatchey, director of career services at the University of Chicago Law School.
Opinion
Judges Deserve Congress' Commitment To Their SafetyFollowing the tragic attack on U.S. District Judge Esther Salas' family last summer and amid rising threats against the judiciary, legislation protecting federal judges' personal information and enhancing security measures at courthouses is urgently needed, says U.S. District Judge Roslynn Mauskopf, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can Recalcitrant Attys Use Social Media?Social media can be intimidating for reluctant lawyers but it can also be richly rewarding, as long as attorneys remember that professional accounts will always reflect on their firms and colleagues, and follow some best practices to avoid embarrassment, says Sean Marotta at Hogan Lovells.
Neville Eisenberg and Mark Grayson at BCLP explain how they sped up contract execution for one client by replacing email with a centralized, digital tool for negotiations and review, and how the principles they adhered to can be helpful for other law firms looking to improve poorly managed contract management processes.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can Firms Coach Associates Remotely?Practicing law through virtual platforms will likely persist even after the pandemic, so law firms and senior lawyers should consider refurbishing their associate mentoring programs to facilitate personal connections, professionalism and effective training in a remote environment, says Carol Goodman at Herrick Feinstein.
As the U.S. observes Autism Acceptance Month, autistic attorney Haley Moss describes the societal barriers and stereotypes that keep neurodivergent lawyers from disclosing their disabilities, and how law firms can better accommodate and level the playing field for attorneys whose minds work outside of the prescribed norm.
Many legal technology vendors now sell artificial intelligence and machine learning tools at a premium price tag, but law firms must take the time to properly evaluate them as not all offerings generate process efficiencies or even use the technologies advertised, says Steven Magnuson at Ballard Spahr.
While chief legal officers are increasingly involved in creating corporate diversity, inclusion and anti-bigotry policies, all lawyers have a responsibility to be discrimination busters and bias interrupters regardless of the title they hold, says Veta T. Richardson at the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Every lawyer can begin incorporating aspects of software development in their day-to-day practice with little to no changes in their existing tools or workflow, and legal organizations that take steps to encourage this exploration of programming can transform into tech incubators, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
As junior associates increasingly report burnout, work-life conflict and loneliness during the pandemic, law firms should take tangible actions to reduce the stigma around seeking help, and to model desired well-being behaviors from the top down, say Stacey Whiteley at the New York State Bar Association and Robin Belleau at Kirkland.
As clients increasingly want law firms to serve as innovation platforms, firms must understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach — the key is a nimble innovation function focused on listening and knowledge sharing, says Mark Brennan at Hogan Lovells.
In addition to establishing their brand from scratch, women who start their own law firms must overcome inherent bias against female lawyers and convince prospective clients to put aside big-firm preferences, says Joel Stern at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.