Business of Law

April 18, 2025
How Manatt Beat A Crypto Trader's 'Code As Law' Defense

After a crypto user exploited a software bug to create millions of dollars' worth of new tokens from a blockchain network, a Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP team defeated his claim to the tokens — and won an award worth millions — by showing that faulty code can't stand in for rule of law.
April 18, 2025
WilmerHale, Feds Dispute Reach Of Trump Order Against Firm

WilmerHale and the U.S. Department of Justice traded salvos in the BigLaw firm's challenge to President Donald Trump's executive order targeting it, with the firm and the government offering "starkly different" versions of what's at stake in the dispute.
April 18, 2025
Joel Katz, Music Law's Longtime Power Broker, Dies At 80

Joel Katz, the powerful music industry lawyer who co-founded Greenberg Traurig LLP's media and entertainment practice and helped bring the firm to the Atlanta market, has died at the age of 80, Law360 confirmed Friday.
April 18, 2025
Judge Nixes Feds' DQ Bid In Migrant Kids Legal Funding Case

A California federal judge has denied the Trump administration's bid to remove her from a lawsuit challenging funding cuts that prevent attorneys from representing child migrants, ruling her employment at one of the plaintiffs nearly seven years ago doesn't undermine her impartiality.
April 18, 2025
Judiciary Faces Security Risks Amid Spending Freeze

The federal judiciary is warning congressional appropriators that funding shortfalls could threaten courthouse security.
April 18, 2025
Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

Schlichter Bogard LLC and the University of Virginia School of Law Supreme Court Litigation Clinic lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court revived a class action from Cornell University workers who said their retirement plans were saddled with excessive fees.
April 18, 2025
GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

Google and its chief legal officer have now lost two major antitrust cases to DOJ prosecutors after a federal judge ruled Thursday the search engine monopolized markets and servers related to display advertising. Meanwhile, a new study shows companies are disclosing their business risks, and how they are trying to mitigate those risks, amid changing tariffs and the uncertainty of the U.S.-China trade war. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.
April 17, 2025
Solicitor General's Office Now Features Two Top Lieutenants

Mere days after the U.S. Solicitor General's Office got a new leader, it also got a new leadership structure featuring two BigLaw alums in the traditional second-in-command post, according to a hearing list the U.S. Supreme Court released Thursday.
April 17, 2025
4th Circ. Refuses To Halt Abrego Garcia Probe In Sharp Order

A Fourth Circuit panel on Thursday rejected the Trump administration's "extraordinary" emergency motion to stay a discovery order in litigation over Kilmar Abrego Garcia's deportation to El Salvador, while cautioning the administration against ignoring federal courts, saying it could degrade both executive and judicial branch powers and that "law in time will sign its epitaph."
April 17, 2025
K&L Gates Bungled Crypto Co.'s Bankruptcy Claim, Suit Says

Gryphon Digital Mining has sued its former counsel K&L Gates LLP, claiming it dropped the ball on a bankruptcy filing that cost the company millions of dollars and complicated another legal case, all while allegedly overbilling the crypto mining firm by $1 million for related matters.
April 17, 2025
Top Democrats Urge DOJ To Defend GAO's Legislative Status

Three top House Democrats are looking for assurances from the U.S. Department of Justice that it will "zealously defend" a government watchdog in upcoming litigation by a conservative legal organization that challenges its status in the government.
April 17, 2025
Judge Accused Of Sexting, Misusing Bench For Ex-Client

A Colorado state judge improperly used his position to help a former client with legal advice and exchanged sexually explicit texts with her while on the bench, according to a judicial disciplinary complaint that also alleged the judge failed to disclose their "prior sexting" when he later presided over her case.
April 17, 2025
Jenner & Block Fights DOJ Bid To Toss Exec Order Suit

Jenner & Block LLP on Thursday urged a D.C. federal court to reject the government's bid to dismiss its lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's executive order targeting the firm, saying the "legal profession as a whole is watching."
April 17, 2025
Debt Firm's Successor, Ch. 11 Trustee End Latest Pay Dispute

A law firm that bought thousands of client files left over from the collapse of bankrupt California-based debt relief business Litigation Practice Group PC has agreed to pay nearly $1 million to the bankruptcy estate to help settle a payment dispute that began months ago.
April 17, 2025
Calif. Judge To Resign Over Misconduct Amid Office Romance

A California state judge will resign and be barred from serving on the bench after engaging in misconduct that included pretending to be the lawyer for his judicial secretary with whom he was having an affair, according to a Thursday decision.
April 17, 2025
'Latter-Day Machiavelli' Defamed Calif. Law Firm, Court Told

California employment law firm Lawyers for Justice PC has filed a suit in state court accusing one of its former clients of defamation in what the firm calls "a scorched-earth crusade against her former attorneys."
April 17, 2025
Akerman Sues To Block Malpractice Claim, Secure $750K Fees

Akerman LLP sued the healthcare services company Rennova Health Inc. and three medical laboratories in Florida state court this week, alleging that they owe the firm about $750,000 in unpaid fees and are now threatening to sue the firm for malpractice even though they have already released any claims.
April 17, 2025
High Court Sets Arguments Over Birthright Pause

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ordered special oral arguments over President Donald Trump's bid to pause or limit three nationwide court orders prohibiting implementation of his executive order aimed at limiting birthright citizenship, keeping the president's mandate on hold until at least mid-May.
April 17, 2025
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

The past week in London has seen the producers of West End show "Elf the Musical" face a contract dispute, Korean biotech company ToolGen Inc. bring a fresh patents claim against pharma giant Vertex, and ousted car tycoon Peter Waddell bring a claim against the private equity firm that backed his business. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
April 17, 2025
LegalZoom Scores Arbitration In Unlawful Practice Suit

A suit accusing online legal services provider LegalZoom of engaging in the unauthorized practice of law will head to arbitration, after a New Jersey federal judge ruled the claims fall within the scope of an enforceable arbitration agreement.
April 16, 2025
Ed Martin Discloses Russia TV Spots, Coloring Books, Jan. 6

Ed Martin, President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, has disclosed dozens of additional media interviews with right-wing and Russian-state outlets, according to a letter obtained on Wednesday by Law360.
April 16, 2025
DC Judge Considers Bid To Block IRS Info Sharing With ICE

A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday questioned whether immigrant advocacy groups have standing to block a tax information-sharing agreement between the IRS and immigration enforcement agencies, but she also outlined concerns that the agreement could be abused.
April 16, 2025
Jackson Walker Hits Back At Bankruptcy Court Standing Brief

Jackson Walker LLP told a federal judge that the CEO of a now-bankrupt barge company is improperly trying to relitigate the issue of standing in bankruptcy court with his suit over a former judge's secret romance with a firm partner.
April 16, 2025
Firms Mum As EEOC Deadline For Diversity Data Passes

Tuesday marked the deadline for large law firms to answer the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's acting chair's request for detailed information about their diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and neither the firms nor the EEOC would confirm if or how the legal heavyweights had responded.
April 16, 2025
Former McCarter & English Atty Fights Bid To Toss Firing Suit

A former McCarter & English LLP attorney and Navy SEAL has accused the firm in New Jersey state court of trying to "smear" him by claiming he was fired for his offensive social media posts rather than his advocacy for veterans.

Expert Analysis

This Year's Insights On Attorney Well-Being

With the legal industry increasingly grappling with attorney burnout, depression, anxiety, stress and substance use disorders, Law360 guest experts proposed solutions this year ranging from mental health first aid training to exercises that build flexible optimism.
New Strategies For Enhancing Firm Culture

How can law firms work toward retaining legal talent and meeting business goals? This year, Law360 guest commentary dove into tips like embracing cognitive diversity and conducting so-called stay interviews.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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 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 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 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.