Business of Law

March 28, 2024
Ex-BigLaw Atty Calls For Injunction Amid Online Harassment

A former Greenberg Traurig LLP patent attorney locked in litigation in Florida federal court with a social media influencer over claims the influencer mounted a campaign to get him fired and destroyed his reputation reiterated his request for a cyberstalking injunction Thursday as he detailed disturbing recent instances of online harassment he has received.
March 28, 2024
Disbarring Jeffrey Clark Would Chill Gov't Dialogue, Prof Says

A Yale Law School professor said Thursday that he does not believe former U.S. Department of Justice attorney Jeffrey Clark should face punishment for advocating to send a letter to Georgia officials purporting to identify significant concerns with the 2020 election, testifying before a Washington, D.C., attorney ethics panel that such discipline would devastate free dialogue within government agencies.
March 28, 2024
Ex-BigLaw Atty Named Acting GC At Neptune Wellness

Neptune Wellness Solutions Inc. elevated to acting general counsel one of its in-house lawyers, who previously worked in BigLaw, the consumer-packaged goods company said in a securities filing on Wednesday, just days after a federal judge's order to replace its legal counsel.
March 28, 2024
Grading Garland: Attys Give AG Mixed Reviews 3 Years In

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland's name won't be on the ticket in November, but his performance three years into his tenure is a subplot in the 2024 presidential election.
March 28, 2024
Fired Alston & Bird Aide Fights Arbitration Of Vax Claims

An Alston & Bird LLP staffer fired after refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19 told a Georgia federal court that it should refuse to force her discrimination suit into arbitration, since her employment contract was not a matter of interstate commerce.
March 28, 2024
Another Senate Dem Comes Out Against 3rd Circ. Nominee

A third Senate Democrat, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, has come out against Third Circuit nominee Adeel Mangi, who would be the first Muslim federal appellate judge if confirmed, thus putting his nomination in further peril.
March 28, 2024
Freshfields To Require Attorneys Work 4 Days In US Offices

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP will soon be mandating that all of its U.S. attorneys work from the office at least four days a week, a source with knowledge on the matter confirmed Thursday.
March 28, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

This past week in London has seen investors target fraudsters who ran a fake film tax scheme, Barclays Bank sue privately owned Russian bank PJSC Sovcombank, easyGroup bring a trademark infringement claim against online casino TGI Entertainment for its "easybet" word sign, and a bioethanol fuel company hit high-profile individuals connected to the collapsed Elysian Fuels scheme. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
March 27, 2024
Judge Agrees To Training For 'Overly Harsh' Workplace

The Judicial Council for the Second Circuit has declined to review the dismissal of a law clerk's complaint against a federal judge, who acknowledged the clerk's claims of their "overly harsh" management style and agreed to participate in workplace conduct counseling and training.
March 27, 2024
Sedgwick Trustee's Valuation Of Firm Flawed, Judge Told

An accounting expert hired by two ex-partners fighting the Sedgwick LLP trustee's bid to claw back $1.1 million testified at the close of a three-day California bench trial Wednesday that the trustee expert's valuation analysis is "materially flawed" and took a "sledgehammer" to the law firm's book value.
March 27, 2024
Calif. Judge Decries DOJ's Broken Promises In Travel Ban Suit

A California federal judge reprimanded U.S. Department of Justice attorneys for causing delays, breaking promises and hobbling the administration of justice while granting class certification to individuals who sought waivers to former President Donald Trump's travel ban targeting mostly Muslim-majority countries.
March 27, 2024
Eastman Should Be Disbarred, Calif. State Bar Judge Rules

A State Bar Court of California judge on Wednesday recommended disbarring Donald Trump's onetime attorney John Eastman, who helped plan and promote the former president's strategy to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
March 27, 2024
Ex-GC With Lockheed Martin Space Joins Sherman & Howard

A former general counsel and longtime attorney at Lockheed Martin has joined Sherman & Howard LLC as co-leader of the aerospace industry group, the law firm said Wednesday.
March 27, 2024
Feds Say Murdaugh Lied, Broke Plea Deal Over $9M Fraud

Alex Murdaugh, the South Carolina attorney serving a life sentence for killing his wife and son, was dishonest with the government and should potentially face a harsher prison sentence than the one proposed in a plea agreement on federal charges of stealing at least $9 million from clients, prosecutors said.
March 27, 2024
Lateral Hiring Plummets As Post-COVID Talent Wars Cease

Lateral lawyer hiring plummeted 35% overall in 2023 — marking the second consecutive annual decline and the softest market in 13 years, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Association for Law Placement.
March 27, 2024
Weil Latest Firm To Cut Back On China Presence

Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP is the latest to join a growing list of major international law firms scaling down their operations in China, confirming Wednesday that it has closed its Beijing office and is considering consolidating its Shanghai office with its operation in Hong Kong.
March 27, 2024
Rosen Tells Ethics Panel Jeffrey Clark Was 'Out Of Bounds'

Former acting U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen testified Wednesday that his onetime subordinate, former U.S. Department of Justice attorney Jeffrey Clark, went far beyond the scope of his duties in the final days of the Trump administration, as Clark faces disciplinary charges from a Washington, D.C., attorney ethics panel.
March 27, 2024
Ex-SDNY Clerk Can't Skirt Prison For Bribe Plot, Feds Say

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York pushed back on a former court clerk's request for no prison time after he was convicted of scheming to refer clients to a defense attorney for kickbacks, calling for a sentence of 41 to 51 months.
March 26, 2024
Meridian Capital Taps Former Top Regulator As New CEO

Meridian Capital Group announced Tuesday that it has appointed top banking executive and former financial regulator Brian Brooks as its CEO and chairman amid a breakdown in the firm's relationship with Freddie Mac.
March 26, 2024
Sedgwick Judge Rips Attys 'Playing Games' In Clawback Trial

A California federal judge presiding over the Sedgwick LLP trustee's bid to claw back $1.1 million from two ex-partners overruled defense objections to Sedgwick's financial statements, asking, "How am I supposed to do this without numbers?" and telling counsel, "You're playing games with me on this, because I need to see numbers."
March 26, 2024
Trailblazing SEC Commissioner Roberta Karmel Dies At 86

Roberta Karmel, a well-regarded legal scholar who pushed back against early-career sexism to become the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's first female commissioner, died over the weekend at the age of 86, according to the law school where she taught for decades.
March 26, 2024
Judge Declines 'Mini-Trial' Over Fees In 'Reply All' TM Suit

A federal magistrate judge in Brooklyn has awarded nearly $1.1 million in legal fees to Spotify's Gimlet Media while calling out "the extensive finger-pointing and mutual accusations" from a software company and its lawyers over who owes fees after bringing a failed trademark suit targeting the "Reply All" podcast.
March 26, 2024
Meta, Porn Stars Fight Over Fate Of OnlyFans Suit

Meta traded barbs with adult entertainment performers about how to end a suit claiming the social media giant conspired with OnlyFans to boost the risqué platform over competitors, with the performers fighting to drop their California federal court allegations in a way that they could still be refiled.
March 26, 2024
Trump Hit With Gag Order In NY Criminal Trial After Threats

The New York judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush money case on Tuesday imposed a limited gag order on the former president, barring him from speaking publicly about jurors or witnesses and limiting what he can say about any attorneys in the case, prosecutors, court staff or their families.
March 26, 2024
In Abortion Case, Gorsuch Frets 'Rash' Of National Injunctions

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch renewed his criticisms of nationwide injunctions Tuesday, saying a Texas judge's universal order limiting access to popular abortion medication mifepristone turned a potentially small legal challenge into a national debate.

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.