Business of Law

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 engaged in judicial misconduct when he ordered that a crying 13-year-old girl in his courtroom be handcuffed, 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.
April 30, 2024
HSF's Paula Hodges On Arbitration's Future — And Her Own

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP announced earlier this month that Paula Hodges KC will retire from the firm as of Wednesday, with Simon Chapman KC and Andrew Cannon taking her place as co-heads of the global arbitration practice. Law360 recently sat down with Hodges, who spent her entire 37-year career at Herbert Smith Freehills, to talk about what's next, how commercial arbitration has evolved over her career, and her experience as one of the first women in international arbitration.
April 30, 2024
Atty Sanctioned Over Missed Depo During Solar Eclipse Trip

A Florida lawyer whose client missed his own deposition while the attorney was solar eclipse viewing has been ordered to pay related attorney fees incurred by AAA as the business fights a gender discrimination lawsuit.

Expert Analysis

What Will Keep Legal Talent Professionals Up At Night In 2023

Hybrid work environments, high demand for lateral hires and a potential slowdown of the economy defined 2022 in the always-busy marketplace for legal talent, and as BigLaw looks at the year ahead, there are five major sources of concern for the teams charged with securing and retaining that talent, say advisers at Baretz+Brunelle.
The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2022

A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from the "great resignation" to potential expansion of attorney-client privilege.
Remote Work: The Top Law360 Guest Articles Of 2022

In 2022, Law360 Expert Analysis writers examined how remote and hybrid work is affecting the legal industry and many areas of law, including employment, cybersecurity, patent venue, immigration and tax.
The Most-Read IP Law360 Guest Articles Of 2022

IP Law360 guest experts dug into sanctions on Russia, Elizabeth Holmes' trade secret defense, and other key topics including non-fungible tokens, patent examiner classification and inventor testimony in a busy 2022.
Artificial Intelligence: The Top Law360 Guest Articles Of 2022

This has been a hugely transformative year for artificial intelligence, with rapid advancements in AI capabilities raising a variety of novel legal questions that Law360 Expert Analysis writers explored, including copyright conundrums, murky legal rights and the troubling possibility of deepfake evidence.
Perspectives

The Most-Read Access To Justice Law360 Guest Articles Of 2022

Law360 guest experts weighed in on a broad slate of emerging access to justice issues last year, ranging from evidence of ineffective counsel to opportunities for nonlawyers to provide legal help and the presumption of innocence.
ESG: The Top Law360 Guest Articles Of 2022

This year, as many companies embraced environmental, social and corporate governance strategies, Law360 Expert Analysis discussions revolved around increasing scrutiny from investors, regulators and state attorneys general, and the influx of anti-ESG bills and litigation.
The Metaverse: The Top Law360 Guest Articles Of 2022

As the metaverse became a popular destination to explore new business opportunities this year, it raised regulatory questions, with Law360 guest experts discussing risk assessments and compliance procedures across various industries, and NFT issues related to intellectual property, privacy and securities law.
The Most-Read Employment Law360 Guest Articles Of 2022

This year, issues related to noncompetes, no-poach enforcement and abortion access were among the most popular employment law topics in Law360's Expert Analysis section.
Trial Tips: The Top Law360 Guest Articles Of 2022

Law360 guest experts offered commentary on the high-profile trials of 2022 and highlighted best practices for attorneys, such as key principles for sound closing arguments that win over jurors, strategies to help witnesses stay focused, and how to recognize the most common cognitive distortions that can cripple witnesses' testimony.
The Most-Read Securities Law360 Guest Articles Of 2022

Ongoing regulatory uncertainty for cryptocurrencies created fertile ground for litigation and enforcement this year, with Law360 Expert Analysis writers discussing a flurry of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission actions that fulfilled the agency's promises of a clampdown.
What 3 Legal Industry Trends From 2022 Mean For Next Year

Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey & Africa looks back on the year in legal recruiting, including practice areas that saw the most movement, which regions seemed most ripe for new office openings and who was promoted to partner, and makes some look-ahead predictions for 2023.
Learning From This Year's Legal Industry Discrimination Suits

To limit the risk of lawsuits and make the workplace a more welcoming environment for female attorneys, it is important to reflect on lawyers' recent discrimination and sexual harassment claims against law firms and public employers, says Hope Comisky at Griesing Law.
Roundup

The Future Of Legal Ops

Legal operations professionals discuss the most important demands facing corporate legal departments today, and how companies are changing or are expected to change in order to adapt.
Series

The Future Of Legal Ops: AI Has Important Role To Play

Though the debut of OpenAI's ChatGPT has prompted some fears about negative impact on lawyers, artificial intelligence technology can be a powerful tool for legal operations professionals if used effectively to augment their work, say Justin Ben-Asher and Gwendolyn Renigar at Steptoe, and Elizabeth Matthews at TotalEnergies.