Business of Law

May 01, 2024
NJ, NY Law Firms Dominate Class Action Filings Since 2021

Class actions have been steadily increasing over the past decade, with two firms from New Jersey and New York filing the most suits over the past three years, according to a new Lex Machina report surveying the class action field.
May 01, 2024
NY Lawmakers Call For Cop-Shoving Judge's Replacement

New York State Senate Judiciary Committee members said that either the governor or senate should ensure Justice Mark Grisanti is ousted after an ethics panel opted not to remove the Buffalo judge who brawled with neighbors, shoved a cop and invoked his ties to power, among other unethical behavior.
May 01, 2024
Trump's Firm Can't Yet Withdraw After Atty-Client 'Breakdown'

A Manhattan federal judge won't yet allow the attorneys representing Donald Trump's campaign to withdraw from a pregnancy retaliation suit brought by a former campaign aide over what they called an "irreparable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship," but on Wednesday set a conference to review the request behind closed doors.
May 01, 2024
Fed. Judge's Handcuffing Of Girl Was Misconduct, Panel Says

The Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit found Wednesday that a California federal judge who ordered a crying 13-year-old girl in his courtroom be handcuffed engaged in judicial misconduct, issuing a reprimand for his actions and ordering that the judge not be assigned new criminal cases for three years.
May 01, 2024
Median Patent Damages Awards Are Shrinking

A New York accounting firm that provides damages experts for intellectual property cases has found in a new study that median damages awards in patent cases have declined over the last 15 years.
May 01, 2024
NJ Judge Kugler Retiring From Federal Bench At Month's End

Senior U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler will step down from the New Jersey federal bench at the end of the month, concluding nearly 22 years there, Law360 has learned.
May 01, 2024
Kirkland Rips 'Tortured' Theory In Texas Judge Romance Suit

Kirkland & Ellis LLP's inclusion in a Texas federal suit accusing it of conspiring with Jackson Walker LLP, a disgraced Texas bankruptcy judge and a former Jackson Walker partner who was his romantic partner to oust a CEO is based on "a tortured theory" and "flimsy facts," the firm declared.
May 01, 2024
In Trump Staredown With NY Judge, 'Somebody Has To Blink'

Experts say Donald Trump will likely continue to ignore warnings from the court, and possibly his own attorneys, as his Manhattan hush money trial resumes Thursday with a fresh set of arguments over the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's out-of-court statements.
May 01, 2024
Skadden Atty To Join Simpson Thacher's New Boston Office

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP announced Wednesday it will open an office in Boston later this year with the help of a new registered funds partner who recently left Skadden's investment management group.
May 01, 2024
Law Firm Fabiani Hit With Race, Gender Bias Suit

A Black female insurance and construction law attorney sued Fabiani Cohen & Hall LLP and its three name partners Tuesday in New York federal court, alleging she was subjected to a "despicable campaign" of harassment for more than a decade.
May 01, 2024
The Top In-House Hires Of April

Legal department hires during the past few weeks included high-profile appointments at Sony Pictures, TikTok and IBM. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from April.
May 01, 2024
NC Lawmakers Seek $231M Boost For Retired Judges, Others

North Carolina legislators offered Wednesday a $231 million proposal to raise the retirement benefits for judicial and other former state workers, framing it as a cost-of-living adjustment that would become effective July 1.
May 01, 2024
Federal Prosecutor Confirmed As Illinois District Judge

The Senate voted 54-44 on Wednesday to confirm Assistant U.S. Attorney Georgia N. Alexakis as a U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of Illinois.
May 01, 2024
Ex-FDIC Atty Gets 20-Year Sentence In Child Exploitation Case

A former attorney with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. who admitted to participating in online groups aimed at sexually exploiting children has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
May 01, 2024
Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Baron & Budd's Scott Summy

Fighting early in his career on behalf of two North Carolina trailer parks across the street from a gas station that was leaking a gasoline additive, Scott Summy of Baron & Budd PC had an idea that would reshape drinking water litigation in the United States and even lead to him being called "the most important water lawyer in American history" by his co-counsel.
May 01, 2024
Here's Why This GC Went Public With Her Bipolar Diagnosis

Kelly Rentzel, who has held several general counsel positions throughout her career, largely credits her law degree for giving her the confidence to talk publicly about her bipolar diagnosis — which is something she had contemplated for two decades before taking the initial steps that ultimately led her to a lectern.
April 30, 2024
Blank Rome Opens Boston Office With New 25-Atty Team

Blank Rome LLP said Wednesday that it has opened a Boston office with 25 corporate and finance attorneys from Burns & Levinson LLP, including 13 partners.
April 30, 2024
Texas Appeals Panel Keeps Court Reporter's AI Case Alive

An Austin, Texas, appeals panel on Tuesday kept alive a court reporter's attempt to pursue an administrative complaint against an artificial intelligence-powered "digital reporting firm," rejecting a state agency's argument that jurisdictional issues block the court reporter from seeking a writ of mandamus compelling the agency to consider her claims.
April 30, 2024
Atty Tells Trump Jury That Hush Money Deal Almost Tanked

An attorney who previously represented adult film star Stormy Daniels told jurors Tuesday in the New York criminal trial of Donald Trump about how the $130,000 hush money agreement at the heart of the case was nearly derailed after former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen would not close the deal.
April 30, 2024
9th Circ. Says Calif. Bar Didn't Violate Student's Fed. Rights

The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the dismissal of an octogenarian law school student's claims that the State Bar of California violated his 14th Amendment protected rights when it refused to excuse his delay in taking a first-year exam, saying the California Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over admission matters.
April 30, 2024
Atty Wants Out Of 'Coup' Suit Over Judge Romance

The former Jackson Walker LLP attorney whose secret relationship with a Texas judge ignited an ethics scandal wants out of a racketeering suit accusing her of "orchestrating a coup" in a bankruptcy case, calling the suit a "dubious" attempt to blame her for an ex-CEO's "disastrous" mismanagement of his family business.
April 30, 2024
6th Circ. Nominee Denies Ethics Accusations Again

A nominee for the Sixth Circuit provided more detail to bolster his denial of claims of ethical misconduct during his time as a prosecutor, as outlined in a follow-up questionnaire.
April 30, 2024
Special Master Rejects Fee Bid In NFL Concussion Case

Goldberg Persky & White PC should not receive a cut of legal fees for its unsuccessful efforts to receive a settlement that another law firm later secured for a former National Football League player related to concussion-linked disability claims, a special master has said.
April 30, 2024
Buffalo Judge Won't Be Ejected For Brawl, Ethics Failures

New York state's judicial ethics watchdog said Tuesday that a Buffalo judge should be censured but not removed following an investigation into a street fight with neighbors during which the judge shoved an officer and touted his ties to the mayor and police, among other ethical lapses.
April 30, 2024
ABA Knocks Down 'Implausible' Data Breach Class Action

The American Bar Association members suing the organization over a data breach have not identified any security measures the ABA failed to take, a New York federal judge said Tuesday when nixing what the organization called the members' "implausible" proposed class action.

Expert Analysis

AI In Health Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

As the use of artificial intelligence accelerated this year, Expert Analysis writers examined AI's significant impact on the healthcare sector, ranging from key compliance considerations for companies utilizing AI tools to regulators' efforts to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies.
AI In IP Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

Keeping up with generative artificial intelligence was the name of the game for intellectual property lawyers in 2023 as the government worked to determine whether AI-generated output is protectable under the law and guest writers assessed the technology's risks and rewards.
The Most-Read Securities Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

Securities guest article topics that piqued reader interest this year include how the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission utilized seldom-used rules to go after bad actors, and how Delaware courts increased scrutiny on boards of directors — sometimes in surprising ways.
The Most-Read Employment Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

This year, some of the most popular employment topics in articles written for Law360's Expert Analysis section focused on workplace diversity, equity and inclusion, new unionization rules from the National Labor Relations Board, and proposed regulations for implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
Managing AI Risks: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

Amid the rapidly developing legal landscape around artificial intelligence, Law360 Expert Analysis writers tackled a range of compliance and litigation challenges, providing insights on privacy in the age of AI, the role of class actions in AI risk mitigation, and the creation of corporate AI policies.
The Most-Read Law360 UK Guest Articles Of 2023

Benefits of the new EU Unified Patent Court, artificial intelligence regulation and M&A trends amid rising inflation were among the hot topics U.K. Expert Analysis articles explored this year.
The Most-Read IP Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office incentives and restrictions, Federal Circuit decisions on exact meaning, and lessons from the comedic whodunit “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” were among popular intellectual property topics guest authors tackled this year.
The Most-Read Trials Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

Law360 guest columnists provided a number of tips and insights for trial attorneys this year, including pitfalls to avoid in witness preparation, color psychology pointers that can enhance trial graphics, and strategies for excluding expert testimony.
The Most-Read Access To Justice Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

In their commentary on emerging access to justice issues this year, Law360 guest experts covered the importance of tiered legal assistance in eviction cases, the evolution of financial bail conditions, and the role of public defenders in addressing the root drivers of crime.
The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.
So You Want To Write A Guest Article?

If your New Year's resolution is to spend more time writing, here's everything you need to know to pitch guest article ideas to Law360.
Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.
How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
Series

Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.