SEC's Atkins Says Proxy Season Disproved 'Dire Predictions'

By Sarah Jarvis

This year's corporate proxy season saw none of the "dire predictions" some had forecasted following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's step back from responding to companies' bids to exclude shareholder proposals from their ballots, the agency's Chairman Paul Atkins said Thursday, while adding that he is rethinking the proposal system as a whole.

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Analysis

State Of 2026 Energy Dealmaking: Midyear Report

By Keith Goldberg

The war in Iran is the most influential development that has shaped energy dealmaking so far in 2026, and that figures to still be the case in the second half of the year. Other factors include data center demands and tax credits. Here, attorneys outline to Law360 the trends that are defining energy transactions this year.

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CFTC Puts CME's 24/7 Crude Oil Contract Trading On Ice

By Aislinn Keely

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Thursday slammed the brakes on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's plan to offer round-the-clock trading on crude oil futures, calling the exchange's attempt to self-certify the contracts "wholly inappropriate" after the agency publicly sought feedback on the risks of 24/7 trading in the energy industry.

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Coinbase CLO Grewal To Exit, Advise Company Through Oct.

By Michele Gorman

Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal, who led the cryptocurrency exchange through a prolonged, high-profile battle with U.S. regulators, will step down at the end of the month and be succeeded by the company's current vice president of legal, according to a securities filing late Thursday.

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Ropes & Gray, Goodwin Steer Sale Of Russell Investments

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Investment solutions provider Russell Investments, led by Goodwin Procter LLP, on Thursday announced that it has agreed to be bought by a consortium led by Ropes & Gray LLP-advised B Capital.

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Blue Origin's Valuation Soars To $130B, Plus More Rumors

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Blue Origin's valuation hit $130 billion after a $10 billion funding round; state lawyers are finalizing an antitrust lawsuit related to Paramount's planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery; and Fiserv is considering selling its payments infrastructure business to U.S. banking giants.

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Wells Fargo Illegally Fired Muni Bond Whistleblower, Suit Says

By Katryna Perera

A former Wells Fargo municipal strategist says he faced retaliation and was illegally fired for his complaints alleging his senior leaders were suppressing negative information about municipal bonds and inflating bond prices to the detriment of retail investors, in a new suit in New York federal court.

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Levona Pans Greenberg Traurig, Reed Smith Privilege Claims

By Andrea Keckley

Levona Holdings has urged a New York federal judge to order Reed Smith LLP and Greenberg Traurig LLP to turn over privilege logs in discovery related to the company's motion for sanctions, saying there are "reasons to doubt" the firms' privilege claims.

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Zeta Must Face Suit Over 'Opted-In' User Data, NY Judge Says

By Katryna Perera

Zeta Global Holdings Corp. must face a proposed securities class action accusing the marketing technology company of misleading investors about the way it collected consumer data and its use of so-called consent farms, with a New York federal judge finding that the suit adequately pleads material misstatements and knowledge of wrongdoing.

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Cookies Retail Led Dispensary Into $1.9M Tax Crisis, Suit Says

By Jonathan Capriel

Six entrepreneurs alleged in a California state court lawsuit that cannabis giant Cookies Retail pushed them out of their dispensary and took control over its bank accounts, leaving the retail shop saddled with nearly $2 million in unpaid taxes.

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Series

NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

The year's second quarter brought several notable banking law developments to New York, including a proposal to align state stablecoin rules with the federal Genius Act, fresh fair lending and cybersecurity guidance from state regulators, and a significant Second Circuit holding on preemption, say attorneys at Ashurst Perkins Coie.

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Series

Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

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Bradley Adds Bankruptcy Atty From Arnall Golden In Atlanta

By Emily Johnson

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has added an Arnall Golden Gregory LLP partner in its Atlanta office, strengthening its bankruptcy and creditors' rights practice with an attorney who brings more than 25 years of legal experience.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen lawyer Ian Rosenblatt launch legal action against music mogul Simon Cowell, Boohoo face a fresh investor claim after previously facing allegations that it feigned ignorance of labor abuses in its supply chain, and an ex-Tory MP and his chief of staff sued by their former employer. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

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Oura Health Swaps In Sidley For Quinn After Ex-CEO's DQ Bid

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge granted Oura Health's request to swap in Sidley Austin LLP for Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP in breach-of-contract litigation by the fitness tracker company's former CEO after the ex-executive sought to disqualify Quinn Emanuel for purportedly having access to his confidential data.

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11th Circ. Upholds Airline's Win In COVID Discrimination Case

By Irene Spezzamonte

A group of workers for a commercial airline and a related entity failed to support their claims that the companies' COVID-19 pandemic-era policies discriminated against their religious beliefs, the Eleventh Circuit ruled Friday, while sharply criticizing their attorney for his misuse of artificial intelligence.

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Brooklyn Legal Aid Provider's Union Sets Strike Deadline

By Andrea Keckley

The union for the Brooklyn Defender Services has voted to authorize a strike if it doesn't reach an agreement with managers by the morning of July 16.

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4 Takeaways From Probe Of Feb. 2025 Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco

By Emily Sawicki

Poor implementation of the February 2025 California Bar Exam resulted in millions of dollars in extra costs and negatively affected "a significant portion" of test-takers, according to a new report by the California State Auditor.

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UChicago Law Takes On AI With Phone And Laptop Ban

By Matt Perez

The University of Chicago Law School will prohibit the use of electronic devices such as laptops, tablets and phones in all first-year law school sections and courses as part of new policies dictating the use of artificial intelligence at the school.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

Among the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week: The SEC chair said this year's corporate proxy season saw none of the "dire predictions" some had forecast, and in a recent survey, hundreds of law firm leaders said they're increasingly losing clients, citing problems in delivering their legal services.

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Reed Smith Creates AI-Focused Legal Services Team

By Emily Johnson

Reed Smith LLP has created a department to bring lawyers, e-discovery and AI professionals and others to support clients and the firm with legal, business and technology-focused guidance, and tapped a partner in Philadelphia to spearhead the effort.

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Baker Donelson Wins $45K From Tenn. Firm Over AI Misuse

By Lynn LaRowe

Tennessee personal injury firm Reaves Law Firm PLLC must pay more than $45,000 in attorney fees to Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC over Reaves Law's misuse of artificial intelligence in a federal malpractice suit against Baker Donelson.

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NJ Panel Urges Attys To Be 'Introspective' Before Retirement

By Jake Maher

A panel of attorneys and retired judges encouraged New Jersey lawyers to be "introspective" and plan ahead as they navigate leaving their identity as a lawyer behind in retirement.

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What To Know About New US Atty For Texas' Southern District

By Lynn LaRowe

Aaron Reitz, who was previously a top deputy to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and served in the U.S. Department of Justice before a failed bid for state attorney general, is now U.S. attorney for the Lone Star State's Southern District.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Greene Broillet & Wheeler LLP and Ludd & Ludd lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a San Diego jury ordered Hyatt to pay $15.5 million over the death of a guest who was left uncontacted for a day after failing to check out.

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HHS' Ex-GC Committed Ethics Violations, Watchdog Says

By Craig Clough

A watchdog organization filed a complaint Thursday with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General seeking an investigation into former HHS general counsel Michael Stuart over alleged federal ethics violations, saying it appears he failed to divest from prohibited financial holdings and made prohibited investment purchases after taking office.

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