Business of Law

Digital display with glowing blue text reading “TOP 10” over a pixelated grid background

The Law360 Pulse Prestige Leaders: A Look At The Top Firms

Clients flock to firms with prestigious reputations, and so does top talent. Here's a peek at the top 10 firms in this year's Law360 Pulse Prestige Leaders — a ranking of law firms the industry recognizes for their prominence, power and distinction.

Male wooden figure walking up steps. (iStock.com/Jirsak)

Law360 Names Attys Who Moved Up The Firm Ranks In Q2

A promotion to partner or election to practice group chair means a slew of new responsibilities and also lots of well-deserved recognition. Law360 reveals the list of attorneys whose commitment to legal excellence earned them highly coveted spots in the law firm leadership ranks. Find out if your old legal friends — or rivals — moved up in the second quarter of the year.

Young professionals converse in an office

Law360 Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40

Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

Large white columned building with a partly cloudy sky

US Supreme Court Term In Review: What You Need To Know

The U.S. Supreme Court considered many significant legal issues this term, including the proper venue for challenging agency actions and the level of scrutiny courts should apply to bans on gender-affirming care for transgender minors. But the emergency docket and a decision limiting nationwide injunctions loomed large. Here, Law360 takes a look at the cases and those who litigated them, as well as the sharpest writings from the justices.

January 07, 2026
Bulk Of SDNY Attys Are Tasked With Reviewing Epstein Docs

Over half of the more than 220 assistant U.S. attorneys at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York have been tasked with sifting through documents related to the investigation of the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a Justice Department disclosure filed in federal court.
January 07, 2026
DOJ To Appeal Reinstatement Of Clearance For Mark Zaid

The Trump administration told a D.C. federal judge on Wednesday that it will obey his injunction to reinstate attorney Mark Zaid's security clearance as it appeals the ruling in the D.C. Circuit, but left open the possibility that government intelligence agencies could try to revoke it again for new reasons.
January 07, 2026
Jurisdiction Questioned In NY Fried Frank Data Breach Suit

A New York federal judge is threatening to toss a proposed class action data security suit against Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP over a data breach involving private equity funds maintained by firm client Goldman Sachs, unless plaintiffs properly plead that the Manhattan court has jurisdiction.
January 07, 2026
Law Firms Step Up To Navigate Biz Opportunities In Venezuela

Law firms are gearing up to assist clients exploring potential business opportunities in Venezuela following President Donald Trump's announcement that the U.S. would "run" the country for the time being after the arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on narco-conspiracy charges.
January 07, 2026
Cruz Tells House Speaker To Move On Judicial Impeachments

Ahead of a hearing on impeachment of "rogue judges" on Wednesday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, increased pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to advance impeachment proceedings against federal judges in D.C. and Maryland.
January 07, 2026
Objector To PACER Overcharge Settlement Faces Uphill Battle

An objector to a $125 million settlement to end class claims alleging the federal government overcharged nonprofits and other lawyers to access court documents faced a skeptical Federal Circuit panel Wednesday, with judges indicating they had not found legal errors in the district court's approval of the deal.
January 07, 2026
Feds Want To Use Goldstein's Comments To NYT At Trial

Federal prosecutors preparing to try SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein for tax crimes next week are looking to use his comments in a New York Times Magazine article against him, claiming that admissions and details from the article "directly prove" certain charges the government has brought.
January 07, 2026
McGlinchey Stafford To Close After 51 Years

New Orleans-based firm McGlinchey Stafford PLLC announced Tuesday that it has decided to wind down operations after over half a century, citing difficult market conditions and unspecified "internal circumstances."
January 07, 2026
DOJ Nominee Says He'll Work Within Blue-Slip 'Parameters'

A nominee for a top U.S. Department of Justice position that handles judicial nominees appeared to give a nod to the Senate's blue-slip process, despite President Donald Trump's vocal opposition to the tradition.
January 06, 2026
Halligan Ordered To Explain Why She's Still Listed As US Atty

A Virginia federal judge Tuesday ordered Lindsey Halligan to explain why she was still identifying herself as a U.S. attorney despite another judge's order finding that the former insurance lawyer hadn't been properly appointed and was serving illegally on an interim basis.
January 06, 2026
Judiciary Advisers Predict Clashes Over AI, Remote Testimony

The federal judiciary's policy advisers appeared divided Tuesday over efforts to align procedural rules with digital age technology and preferences, and they predicted a torrent of impassioned input if they open up their delicate internal debates to the entire public.
January 06, 2026
'Get Over' Yourself, Ho Says To Judges' Independence Worry

U.S. Circuit Judge James C. Ho snapped back at colleagues on the bench who have raised the alarm over threats to judicial independence, writing in an article that those complaining judges "need to get over themselves" and stop bowing to the "cultural elites" who oppose the Trump administration.
January 06, 2026
Trump Announces First Judicial Picks Of 2026

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday evening his first judicial nominees of 2026, a slate of four district court picks for Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.
January 06, 2026
Atty Apologizes For ChatGPT-Hallucinated Citations In Briefs

A patent attorney has apologized to a Kansas federal judge for submitting a court filing with case citations hallucinated by ChatGPT, calling the experience "shameful and embarrassing" and saying he was in a poor mental state at the time due to his mother and aunt being hospitalized and dying shortly after.
January 06, 2026
Texas Justices Erase ABA Approval In Bar Admissions

The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday issued an order ending a longstanding rule requiring graduation from a law school approved by the American Bar Association for admittance to the state bar, with the court giving itself the authority for accreditation.
January 06, 2026
Girardi Keese CFO Must Use His Own Atty For Chicago Appeal

Girardi Keese's former financial chief cannot have counsel appointed to help him challenge the Illinois sentence he is serving alongside his 10-year California sentence for helping Tom Girardi steal millions from clients because he isn't pursuing the appeal in good faith, an Illinois federal judge has ruled.
January 06, 2026
WH Says Judge Can't Pursue Immigration Contempt Probe

The Trump administration has once again told the D.C. Circuit that U.S. District Judge James Boasberg lacks the constitutional authority to open a contempt probe into the government's removal of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants against his emergency order in March, calling the investigation an "unprecedented criminal fact-finding inquisition."
January 06, 2026
Judgeship Nomination Not Renewed Amid Fla. Charity Probe

The nomination of John Guard, senior counselor to the attorney general of Florida, for a Middle District of Florida federal judgeship, has not been renewed for the new session of Congress after he came under scrutiny in a criminal probe regarding a charity connected to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
January 06, 2026
National Judicial College Names Idaho Law Dean As President

The National Judicial College has named a new president and chief executive officer, selecting the dean of the University of Idaho College of Law to become the first woman to hold the position.
January 05, 2026
Federal Court Wrong Place For Judges' Suit, Justices Told

Federal immigration officials have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse an appellate decision that allowed immigration judges to hash out their spat over a newly created speech policy in district court instead of within the congressionally designated special review system.
January 05, 2026
Quinn Emanuel Contempt In $600M Row Probed By Fed. Circ.

A contempt finding against Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP that contributed to a more than $600 million patent judgment against the firm's former client NortonLifeLock was scrutinized by a Federal Circuit panel on Monday, with one judge saying the order appeared to be invalid.
January 05, 2026
McGuireWoods Atty Fined Over Citation Errors In BoA Suit

A Georgia federal judge has slapped a McGuireWoods LLP attorney with a $1,500 fine for using incorrect citations in a brief lodged in a recently dismissed mortgage suit against Bank of America.
January 05, 2026
Wis. Judge Resigns After Conviction In ICE Arrest Case

A Wisconsin state judge has resigned from the bench after being convicted of felony obstruction for helping an unauthorized immigrant in her court evade arrest by federal immigration officers, the Wisconsin Assembly speaker confirmed to Law360 Monday.
January 05, 2026
Average Quinn Emanuel Partner Payouts Rise To $9.5M

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP saw a 10% uptick in its profits per equity partner in 2025, bringing the firm's average partner pay up over $9 million last year amid an active litigation market, a firm spokesperson confirmed Monday.
January 05, 2026
The Top In-House Hires Of December

Legal department hires during the last month of 2025 included high-profile appointments at Apple, Berkshire Hathaway and LPL Financial. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from December.

Editor's Picks

Kirkland And Other Law Firms Explain Deals With Trump

The most recent law firms to cut deals with the Trump administration told lawmakers in letters, obtained by Law360 on Monday, that the deals affirmed their commitment to merit-based hiring and to pro bono work as they continue to choose their own clients.
Is The 'Prevailing Party' Over For Civil Rights Attys?

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that preliminary injunctions don't entitle civil rights plaintiffs to recoup attorney fees was partly an attempt to reduce lengthy fee litigation, but it may have also reduced litigants' ability to vindicate their rights in court.
Law360 Names Firms Of The Year

Eight law firms have earned spots as Law360's Firms of the Year, with 54 Practice Group of the Year awards among them, steering some of the largest deals of 2024 and securing high-profile litigation wins, including at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Expert Analysis

Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Intentional Career-Building

A successful legal career is built through intention: understanding expectations, assessing strengths honestly and proactively seeking opportunities to grow and cultivating relationships that support your development, say Erika Drous and Hillary Mann at Morrison Foerster.
4 Developments That Defined The 2025 Ethics Landscape

The legal profession spent 2025 at the edge of its ethical comfort zone as courts, firms and regulators confronted how fast-moving technologies and new business models collide with long-standing professional duties, signaling that the profession is entering a period of sustained disruption that will continue into 2026, says Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG Law.
Tips On Working With Witnesses

As courts in 2025 sharpened scrutiny of expert testimony, Law360 guest writers mapped out practical courtroom strategies, including juror psychology principles to demystify complex testimony, trust-fall questions to head off witness credibility questions, and a less-is-more approach to cross-examination.
AI Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2025

Law360 guest writers looked at how evolving laws and enforcement priorities are shaping artificial intelligence use across industries, with commentary spanning workplace compliance, environmental and insurance risk, federal policy shifts, and a wide range of intellectual property, antitrust and litigation issues.
DEI: The Top Guest Articles Of 2025

Amid a federal crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Law360 Expert Analysis articles dissected the executive orders, agency guidance, enforcement shifts and court rulings that are transforming compliance, insurance and litigation exposure across the public and private sectors.
The 2025 Legal Ethics Landscape

Guest authors this year tackled some of the profession’s most charged ethical flashpoints, from Trump administration actions that tested lawyers’ professional obligations, to the boundaries of attorney online speech after Charlie Kirk’s murder, to renewed debate over who should be allowed to own and control law firms.
Navigating AI In The Legal Industry

As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly integral part of legal practice, Law360 guest commentary this year examined evolving ethical obligations, how the plaintiffs bar is using AI to level the playing field against corporate defense teams, and the attendant risks of adoption.
Class Action Insights From The Last Year

Law360 guest writers covered a wide range of class action topics in 2025, including shifting circuit court standards for class certification and diversity jurisdiction, emerging trends in consumer and securities class actions, and the expanding — and increasingly scrutinized — role of artificial intelligence.
Tariffs: The Top Guest Articles Of 2025

Tariffs were a major focus of Law360 Expert Analysis this year, with guest writers examining court challenges and regulatory uncertainty, potential changes to rules of origin, heightened customs fraud and False Claims Act enforcement, and the ripple effects across contracts, disclosures, insurance and intellectual property.
Crypto: The Top Guest Articles Of 2025

With crypto regulation in flux this year, Law360 Expert Analysis contributors considered changes in federal and state crypto oversight, emerging enforcement trends, compliance issues tied to staking and tokenization, intensifying efforts to curb crypto fraud, and the legal lessons from prominent prosecutions.
The Most-Read Securities Law360 Guest Articles Of 2025

This year, popular guest article topics explored major shifts in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission leadership and enforcement priorities, particularly its evolving stance on crypto, as well as the implications of Delaware corporate law amendments and emerging trends in securities class actions.
The Most-Read Access To Justice Guest Articles Of 2025

Law360 guest commentary addressed several emerging access to justice issues this year, including courtroom transparency and public access, the constitutional and practical implications of new policing and surveillance technologies, and the importance of trauma-informed practices in sensitive cases.
The Most-Read Employment Law360 Guest Articles Of 2025

Readers gravitated to employment law analysis spanning a variety of developments in 2025, including the Trump administration's sweeping impact on diversity, equity and inclusion programs; Title VII litigation and religious accommodation issues; state-level noncompete laws; and federal agencies lacking a quorum.
The Most-Read IP Law360 Guest Articles Of 2025

Shifting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office policy was one of the top intellectual property topics tackled in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, along with the intersection of artificial intelligence and fair use, and the patent-drafting implications of new Federal Circuit rulings.
How Fractional GCs Can Manage Risks Of Engagement

As more organizations eliminate their in-house legal departments in favor of outsourcing legal work, fractional general counsel roles offer practitioners an engaging and flexible way to practice at a high level, but they can also present legal, ethical and operational risks that must be proactively managed, say attorneys at Boies Schiller.