Illinois

  • June 09, 2026

    Ill. Wage Law Doesn't Mirror Fed. Work Limits, 7th Circ. Says

    Illinois wage law does not incorporate a federal test limiting compensable work to tasks performed primarily for an employer's benefit, the Seventh Circuit held Tuesday, reviving Amazon warehouse workers' claims that they were owed overtime for mandatory preshift COVID-19 screenings.

  • June 09, 2026

    Ascend Cannabis Workers In Illinois Back Strike Option

    Cannabis workers at multistate operator Ascend Wellness Holdings have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike after more than a year of bargaining for their first contract, according to an announcement by the Teamsters, their collective bargaining representative.

  • June 09, 2026

    Boston Beer Seeks To Undo $175.5M Aluminum Can Verdict

    A Boston Beer affiliate argued Monday that evidence doesn't support the lost profit damages a jury recently awarded to an aluminum can supplier alleging the company didn't purchase the agreed-upon number of beverage cans, saying the $175.5 million verdict is "the cumulative product of multiple errors" and arguing for either judgment or a new trial.

  • June 09, 2026

    The Law360 400: A Look At The Top 100 Firms

    The race to build the legal industry's largest law firm accelerated in 2025, with major firms leaning on mergers, lateral hiring and strategic expansion to climb the ranks of the Law360 400.

  • June 08, 2026

    NCUA Moves To Preempt Ill. Swipe-Fee Law For Credit Unions

    The National Credit Union Administration moved Monday to shield federal credit unions from state-level efforts to limit swipe fees, issuing a fast-tracked rule that escalates national regulatory pushback against the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act.

  • June 08, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs FERC Rejection Of Grid-Planning Deal

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was allowed to reject a proposal by PJM transmission owners that would've allowed the regional grid operator to make grid-planning decisions without the approval of its members committee over an issue with a single amendment, the D.C. Circuit has said.

  • June 08, 2026

    7th Circ. Says Wis. County Jail Must Face Forced Labor Suit

    The Seventh Circuit revived a lawsuit alleging Kenosha County forced civil immigrant detainees housed at its jail to do unpaid janitorial work or be punished, ruling Friday the forced labor statute doesn't allow local jails to force detainees to work "on pain of solitary confinement" or loss of phone privileges. 

  • June 08, 2026

    7th Circ. Denies Spousal Petition Review After Conviction

    An American man convicted of sexually abusing a minor cannot sponsor his wife for a green card, the Seventh Circuit ruled after concluding it lacks the authority to review immigration officials' assessment that he may pose a risk to her.

  • June 08, 2026

    Warranty Seller Wins Injunction For Rival's Deceptive Calls

    An Illinois federal judge has enjoined a Chicago-area extended auto warranty service's rival from violating trademark and competition laws in a dispute over its allegedly deceptive customer calls and web impersonation, saying the company is likely to prove the conduct was illegal.

  • June 08, 2026

    PBGC Backs 'Full Value' Pension Exit Credits At 7th Circ.

    The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. urged the Seventh Circuit to reject a Teamsters pension plan's bid to reinstate a $23 million withdrawal liability bill against a concrete company, asking the court to endorse a methodology giving companies full credit for partial plan withdrawals if they later make a complete exit.

  • June 08, 2026

    100+ Ex-Prosecutors Question Chicago US Atty's Leadership

    More than 100 former Illinois federal prosecutors issued a statement Monday saying there's been a "failure of leadership" in the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago and that "once-forbidden political considerations are infecting prosecutorial decisions" in the wake of an Illinois federal judge accusing the office of mishandling grand jury proceedings in a case against six immigration activists.

  • June 08, 2026

    7th Circ. Says Hotel Must Rehire Worker Fired Over Knife

    The Seventh Circuit on Friday affirmed an arbitration award requiring a Chicago hotel group to reinstate a union employee fired for displaying a knife at work, saying the arbitrator deemed the incident nonviolent and that courts can't second-guess an arbitrator's factual conclusions.

  • June 08, 2026

    Justices Won't Review Van Gogh Painting Recovery Dispute

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will not review a decision affirming the dismissal of a suit brought by a German Jewish art collector's heirs who sought to recover Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" painting from a Japanese insurance company.

  • June 08, 2026

    Trump's $100K H-1B Fee Is Unauthorized Tax, Judge Rules

    A Massachusetts federal judge ruled Monday that President Donald Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa payment constitutes a tax that Congress did not authorize the president to impose, declaring the fee unlawful and vacating it in its entirety.

  • June 05, 2026

    USDA Food Assistance Conditions Halted By Mass. Judge

    A Massachusetts federal judge Friday blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture from conditioning funding for programs like school lunches and food assistance on compliance with Trump administration policies on gender, women's sports, diversity and immigration.

  • June 05, 2026

    Investment Adviser Took Millions From Clients, SEC Says

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday accused a purported Chicago investment adviser in federal court of stealing millions from family, friends and others by convincing them to put their money toward an investment pool he then "perpetually drained" through unsuccessful trading and personal spending.

  • June 05, 2026

    JPML Denies Industrywide Spinal Device Injury MDL Bid

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation declined to consolidate dozens of product liability cases over spinal cord stimulator devices manufactured by Boston Scientific Corp., Abbott Laboratories, Nevro and Medtronic, finding Friday that while centralization of the actions against Boston Scientific was appropriate, an industrywide action was not.

  • June 05, 2026

    7th Circ. Says Ind. Can Bar Press From Attending Executions

    A divided Seventh Circuit panel on Friday ruled that an Indiana prison rule restricting journalists' access to inmate executions does not violate the First Amendment, as reporters are not actually prevented from covering executions.

  • June 05, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs FERC In Midwest Grid Rate Refund Fight

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday affirmed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's order of refunds in a long-running dispute over rates charged by Midwest transmission owners, saying the agency heeded instructions the court gave in 2022 when it nixed previous FERC orders in the rate case.

  • June 05, 2026

    Klarna Says 'Buy Now, Pay Later' Users Agreed To Arbitration

    Klarna is fighting to send to arbitration a proposed class action that alleges its "buy now, pay later" service targets financially vulnerable people without screening out unaffordable lending, saying the lead plaintiffs have agreed multiple times to arbitrate disputes over Klarna's products and services.

  • June 05, 2026

    Ill. Class Gets Cert. In Apple Photos Biometric Privacy Suit

    An Illinois federal judge on Friday granted certification to a class of Illinois iPhone users who sued Apple Inc. over alleged violations of the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act, finding the class had sufficiently shown that whether Apple committed these violations could be determined on a classwide basis.

  • June 05, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs Melinta Patent Win In Injections Case

    Nexus Pharmaceuticals lost its appeal of an Illinois federal judge's finding that it infringed a pair of patents relating to a line of injections that treat infections, after the Federal Circuit on Friday shot down the drugmaker's challenge to the lower court's interpretation of key patent terms.

  • June 05, 2026

    FINRA's 'Absolute Immunity' Claim Fails, Broker-Dealers Say

    The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority isn't immune to claims it improperly interfered with Nasdaq membership applications as it pushed two broker-dealers to settle anti-money-laundering compliance claims, the broker-dealers have argued.

  • June 05, 2026

    Zillow Can't Force Compass To Turn Over MLS Conversations

    An Illinois federal judge rejected Zillow's attempt to force Compass and a Midwest multiple listing service to disclose their communications with each other, finding the request was "unduly burdensome."

  • June 05, 2026

    ITC Opens Patent Probe Of Imported Pickleball Paddles

    The U.S. International Trade Commission announced it is opening an investigation into pickleball paddles made by Franklin Sports and 19 other companies that a Maryland manufacturer alleges violate two of its patents.

Expert Analysis

  • 2 Discovery Rulings Break With Heppner On AI Privilege Issue

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    While a New York federal court’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner suggests that some litigants’ communications with AI tools are discoverable, two other recent federal court decisions demonstrate that such interactions generally qualify for work-product protection under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, says Joshua Dunn at Brown Rudnick.

  • Series

    Isshin-Ryu Karate Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My involvement in martial arts, specifically Isshin-ryu, which has principles rooted in the eight codes of karate, has been one of the most foundational in the development of my personality, and particularly my approach to challenges — including in my practice of law, says Kaitlyn Stone at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Prepping For White House's Proposed AI Framework

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    The artificial intelligence legislative framework issued by the White House last month reframes the policy landscape, creating a number of near-term developments for companies to track as congressional committees attempt to convert the framework into legislative text, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    State Bars Need To Get Specific About AI Confidentiality

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    Lawyers need to put actual client information into artificial intelligence tools to get their full value, but they cannot confidently do so until state bars offer clear, formal authority on which plan tiers of the three most popular generative AI tools are safe to use when sharing specific client details, says attorney Nick Berk.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Restraint Anchors Constitutional Order

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    Contrasting opinions in two recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings — Trump v. CASA and Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections — demonstrate how the judiciary’s constitutionally entrusted role can easily be preserved or disrupted, and invite renewed attention to the enduring importance of judicial restraint, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

  • Series

    Alpine Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Skiing has shaped habits I rely on daily as an attorney — focus, resilience and the ability to remain steady when circumstances shift rapidly — and influences the way I approach legal strategy, client counseling and teamwork, says Isaku Begert at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Chicago Suits Highlight Struggle Over Piercing Corporate Veil

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    A union's latest lawsuit against the owners of a storied Chicago bar and restaurant that closed in 2023 illustrates how doing business via a limited liability company does not necessarily protect owners' personal assets — but also that obtaining a judgment does not mean that collection is automatic, says James Trail at Ginsberg Jacobs.

  • Ohio Case Reflects States' Aggressive Criminal Antitrust Turn

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    The Ohio Attorney General's Office’s recent bid-rigging indictment of an online auctioneer is the latest signal that states, through attorneys general pursuing more kickback cases and legislators expanding the reach of antitrust laws, are shedding their historical reluctance to wield their criminal antitrust enforcement powers, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Exploring When Fraud Asset Freezes Limit Right To Pick Atty

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    The defendant’s claim in the Seventh Circuit’s pending U.S. v. Shah case that the government restrained his assets until he couldn’t afford his chosen counsel presents a useful case study in how criminal forfeiture procedure interacts with U.S. Supreme Court rulings on Sixth Amendment rights and appealing complex fraud convictions, says Elisha Kobre at Sheppard.

  • Defense Counsel Options Widen As No-Bill Rate Increases

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    Citizens impaneled on grand juries in politically motivated cases who are reasserting their role as a critical check on state power could provide criminal defense attorneys an opportunity to pursue seldom-used preindictment strategies, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Series

    Ultramarathons Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Completing a 100-mile ultramarathon was tougher, more humbling and more rewarding than I ever imagined, and the experience highlighted how long-distance running has sharpened my ability to adapt to the evolving nature of antitrust law and strengthened my resolve to handle demanding, unforeseen challenges, says Dan Oakes at Axinn.

  • Series

    Pa. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    The first quarter of 2026 brought several consequential developments for Pennsylvania financial institutions, including the state banking department's first assessment overhaul in 10 years, a bill prohibiting interchange fees on card transaction sales taxes and a federal appeals court's upholding of a $52 million enforcement action, say attorneys at Gross McGinley.

  • Madison Capital Action Displays SEC's Emphasis On Process

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent enforcement action against Madison Capital reflects the SEC's view that when market conditions materially change, valuation methodologies must be reassessed in real time, highlighting the importance of internal processes, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Getting The Most Out Of Learning And Development Programs

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Junior associates can better develop the legal, business and interpersonal skills they need for long-term success by approaching their firms’ learning and development programs armed with five tips for getting the most out of these resources, says Lauren Hakala at Reed Smith.

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