Business of Law

September 23, 2025
Watchdog Calls For DC, Md. Bar Investigations Into Carr

A government accountability watchdog brought a complaint against Federal Communications Chair Brendan Carr to the D.C. Bar Association on Tuesday, claiming Carr violated conduct rules when he threatened to bring FCC action against ABC if it declined to discipline Jimmy Kimmel over his remarks following Charlie Kirk's murder.
September 23, 2025
Feds Illegally Denying Immigrant Bond Hearings, Suit Says

The Trump administration is deliberately misclassifying immigrants marked for removal proceedings in an effort to illegally skirt their right to a bond hearing, according to a proposed class action filed Tuesday in Massachusetts federal court.
September 23, 2025
Atty-Trustee Conflicts Doom Scaife Estate's $26M Tax Refund

A Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky attorney was also acting as Mellon heir Richard Scaife's lawyer, trustee and media executive when he signed releases that kept Scaife's spending of his inheritance secret from his children, so a resulting $200 million settlement between the children and Scaife's estate was not a bona fide tax-exempt expense, a Pennsylvania appeals court ruled Tuesday.
September 23, 2025
Ice Miller Corporate Atty Elected Chief Managing Partner

Ice Miller LLP announced Tuesday that an Indianapolis-based corporate attorney who has been with the firm for nearly two decades has been elected chief managing partner for the start of 2026.
September 23, 2025
Law Firms Sued Over La. Hurricane Claim Fee Scheme

Two law firms and certain attorneys engaged in a scheme to "grossly and blatantly" inflate damages estimates for hurricane-related property insurance claims in order to "collect an exorbitant fee which they would all share," a group of seven Louisiana residents told a Louisiana federal court.
September 23, 2025
Chief Judge In Ala. To Take Semiretirement Status Next Year

Chief U.S. District Judge David Proctor of the Northern District of Alabama has informed the president that he will take senior status Jan. 1, 2026.
September 23, 2025
Minnesota's Deepfake Crackdown Foreshadows Legal Clashes

Minnesota's law cracking down on deepfake videos aimed at influencing elections has drawn separate court challenges to stop its enforcement, including one by X Corp., offering a glimpse into the hurdles other states and Congress may face as they address the proliferation of digital replicas created with artificial intelligence.
September 23, 2025
NJ Justices Won't Hear Challenge To State Bar Diversity Plan

The New Jersey Supreme Court has allowed to stand an appellate decision approving a New Jersey State Bar Association system for fostering diversity in its leadership, which a state attorney accused of being a discriminatory quota system.
September 23, 2025
Westlaw Notes Uncopyrightable, AI Company Tells 3rd Circ.

An artificial intelligence-powered legal search engine has asked the Third Circuit to reverse a district court's decision that its use of Westlaw headnotes did not constitute fair use, arguing its utilization of them "radically promoted scientific progress" and increased access to justice.
September 23, 2025
Full Effects Of US Tariffs 'Yet To Be Felt,' OECD Report Says

Economic growth in the U.S. is expected to dip in 2026 partly because of global trade tensions, the full effects of which "have yet to be felt," the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported Tuesday.
September 23, 2025
NC Paralegal Says Cancer Is Disability In Bias Fight With Firm

A paralegal in North Carolina said The Driscoll Firm PC can't duck her suit claiming she was fired a day after informing higher-ups that her ovarian cancer had come back, arguing the complaint contains sufficient allegations of her disability and the firm's wrongful discharge.
September 22, 2025
WSJ Says Epstein Story At Heart Of Trump's $10B Suit Is True

The Wall Street Journal has asked a Florida federal court to toss President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation suit over a July 17 article reporting he sent a "bawdy" birthday letter to deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, arguing the reporting is true and accurately describes what Epstein's estate shared with Congress.
September 22, 2025
Trump Appoints 'Loyal' Aide Following Va. US Atty's Exit

One of President Donald Trump's White House aides and former personal attorneys Monday was sworn in as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, a day after the resignation of the office's previous Senate-approved top prosecutor, who had declined to bring charges against two of the president's foes.
September 22, 2025
$100K H-1B Fee Will Likely Hurt Both US And Foreign Workers

The new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas, which took effect on Sunday with little advance notice, blindsided immigration attorneys who told Law360 that it could ultimately hurt domestic workers by driving U.S. companies to do business elsewhere.
September 22, 2025
Baker McKenzie Says Atty Is 'Trolling' Firm With Assault Claims

A former Baker McKenzie tax associate who has flooded social media with allegations that she was sexually assaulted by the leader of the international law firm's D.C. office is now facing a defamation lawsuit accusing her of "trolling" the firm with false claims.
September 22, 2025
Newman Urges Full DC Circ. To Let Judges Sue Their Courts

U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman has invoked a D.C. Circuit panel's "implicit invitation" for the full court to reconsider precedent limiting the rights of disciplined judges, as she continues to fight her suspension.
September 22, 2025
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

Last week, Match.com secured approval for a $30M settlement over its 2019 reverse spinoff from IAC, and Vice Chancellor Morgan T. Zurn urged decorum among Delaware lawyers, comparing recent legal turmoil to dark times in British monarchy history. Here's the latest from the Chancery Court.
September 22, 2025
Girardi Loses Bid To Avoid Prison During Appeal

Disgraced attorney Tom Girardi will have to wait in prison while he appeals his wire fraud conviction for stealing from his own clients, a California federal judge has ruled.
September 22, 2025
DOJ Presses For 30-Year Sentence In Attempt On Kavanaugh

The government wants a defendant to spend at least 30 years in prison for attempting to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, while defense counsel is seeking an eight-year sentence.
September 22, 2025
Crime-Fraud Exemption Applies To Eletson Docs, Judge Says

Reed Smith LLP has until the end of the day on Monday to turn over a dozen client files related to its prior representation of shipping company Eletson Holdings amid a dispute with rival Levona, after a Manhattan federal judge found probable cause that a fraud was committed in an underlying arbitration.
September 22, 2025
DOJ Fights Dismissal Bid In NY ICE Courthouse Arrests Case

The Trump administration has doubled down on its challenge to a New York law that blocks immigration officials from making arrests near state courthouses, saying the law poses "intolerable obstacles" to immigration enforcement and must be swept aside.
September 22, 2025
Floridians Defend Moore & Van Allen Malpractice Claims

A proposed class of Floridians accusing Moore & Van Allen PLLC of mishandling their employee stock ownership trust have told a federal court that a change in venue is unwarranted, and that despite the law firm's claims to the contrary, they have personal standing to sue on behalf of the trust.
September 22, 2025
High Court Allows FTC Firing, Will Review Trump's Power

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that President Donald Trump can fire Democratic Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter without cause, and it agreed to reconsider limits on the president's authority to remove members of the FTC.
September 22, 2025
Houston Boutique AZA Outdoes BigLaw First-Year Pay Scale

Houston trial boutique Ahmad Zavitsanos & Mensing announced Monday that it plans to outpace the BigLaw salary scale by hiking its pay for first-year lawyers to $235,000, a figure $10,000 higher than what first-year associates generally earn at BigLaw firms.
September 19, 2025
In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

Expert Analysis

2024 Pointers On Persuading Jurors

In a year where nuclear verdicts continued to proliferate, Law360 guest commentary focused on how trial attorneys can better select and connect with jurors, offering strategies for identifying anti-corporate sentiments and tactics to land one’s closing argument.
The Latest Legal Writing Tips

In 2024, Law360 guest experts provided advice for improving many kinds of legal writing — explaining how attorneys can use syllogistic reasoning, emulate master chefs, and clean up drafts produced by generative artificial intelligence tools.
Associate Issues In The 2024 Spotlight

Law360 guest writers provided insights on a range of issues affecting associates this year, from the challenges of training new lawyers in the era of artificial intelligence, to nonfinancial factors that junior attorneys should consider before accepting a job offer.
AI Questions: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

As the legal discourse surrounding artificial intelligence shifted from theoretical to concrete this year, guest commentary focused on the proliferation of new AI-related litigation, enforcement actions and best practices, while tracking the judiciary’s experimentation with generative AI.
Election Impact: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

Donald Trump's election win initiated a deluge of predictions for the incoming administration, with Law360 guest writers covering key policy areas such as immigration, tax, energy, labor and competition, plus potential congressional themes and investigations.
Cybersecurity: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

From the CrowdStrike failure to the plethora of new and sometimes tricky regulatory requirements, to early decisions interpreting cyberinsurance coverage, guest authors broke down the implications of the biggest cybersecurity developments this year.
ESG And DEI: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

In their commentary on ESG and DEI topics this year, Law360 guest authors discussed Project 2025’s potential impact, the rise of greenwashing litigation, strategies for fostering employee retention amid a shaky regulatory landscape, and more.
Noncompetes: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

Employee noncompete issues took center stage this year, as Law360 guest writers covered everything from state-level enforceability trends and alternative methods for protecting business interests, to a National Labor Relations Board ruling and the Federal Trade Commission’s attempted ban.
The Most-Read Employment Law360 Guest Articles Of 2024

Readers were drawn to employment law commentary on a range of 2024 developments, including the U.S. Supreme Court's Title VII ruling, impactful activity from the National Labor Relations Board, and state legislation targeting employee noncompete agreements.
The Most-Read Securities Law360 Guest Articles Of 2024

This year, popular securities guest article topics included controversial Delaware court decisions and their legislative aftermath, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s focus on emerging industries amid struggles to implement its rulemaking agenda.
The Most-Read Access To Justice Guest Articles Of 2024

Law360 guest commentary addressed several emerging access to justice issues this year, including growing case backlogs, a dearth of legal services in rural communities and amendments to long-standing sentencing policies.
The Most-Read IP Law360 Guest Articles Of 2024

Double-patenting was one of the top intellectual property topics tackled in Law360’s Expert Analysis section this year, along with the intersection of copyright law and artificial intelligence, case distribution in the Western District of Texas, and more.
The Most-Read Law360 UK Guest Articles Of 2024

The start of a generational shift in U.K. employment law under Labour, a ruling on artificial intelligence-driven credit scores and strategic law firm expansion were among the hot topics U.K. Expert Analysis articles explored this year.
Reviewing 2024's Crucial Patent Law Developments

As 2024 draws to a close, significant rulings and policies aimed at modernizing long-standing legal practices or addressing emerging challenges have reached patent law, says Michael Ellenberger at Rothwell Figg.
Series

Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.