Snap Investors' $65M Deal OK'd, But Attys Face 'Cheap' Judge

By Craig Clough

A California federal judge said Thursday he will grant preliminary approval of a $65 million deal to resolve a proposed securities class action against Snapchat, but warned the plaintiffs' side they will "have to see" about the request for 30% of the settlement in attorney fees because he is "notoriously cheap."

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Fla. Gov Floats AI 'Bill Of Rights' Amid Federal Pushback

By Allison Grande

Florida's Republican governor on Thursday put forth a proposed framework to protect consumers from potential risks posed by artificial intelligence systems, including unauthorized uses of their data and the harms that chatbots pose to minors, a move that comes as the Trump administration and some Republicans in Congress push for states to be blocked from regulating the emerging technology.

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Watchdog Says Hegseth's Signal Use Could've Harmed Pilots

By Madeline Lyskawa

A Pentagon watchdog released a report Thursday finding that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's use of Signal to discuss plans to bomb targets in Yemen earlier this year exposed sensitive information that could have put U.S. pilots at risk of harm. 

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SEC Investor Panel Presses For Corporate AI Disclosures

By Jessica Corso

A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission working group is urging the agency to adopt regulations that could standardize the way publicly traded companies report the way they use artificial intelligence, arguing Thursday that investors are not always being kept informed about the risks of the technology.

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Analysis

Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

By Jeff Overley

Is the False Claims Act constitutional? Will Mark Zuckerberg be deposed in high-profile privacy litigation? Did a major drugmaker's shenanigans cost investors nearly $7 billion? That's a small sample of the intriguing legal questions we're exploring in this preview of December's top appellate action.

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1st Spot Crypto Market To Launch Amid CFTC 'Crypto Sprint'

By Emilie Ruscoe

Derivatives exchange Bitnomial said Thursday it is poised to launch the first spot crypto exchange regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, with guidance from Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP.

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Solmate To Acquire RockawayX, Creating 'Crypto Giant'

By Katryna Perera

Solmate Infrastructure, formerly known as Irish sports ownership holding company Brera Holdings, announced Thursday it has entered into a business combination with the blockchain arm of venture capital firm Rockaway Capital, RockawayX.

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NJ Panel OKs Cell Data In Rape Case Despite Flawed Warrants

By Elizabeth Daley

Cellphone tower data is admissible evidence against two men accused in a robbery and rape case, a New Jersey state appeals court ruled Thursday, clarifying requirements for "tower dump warrants" while concluding that the initially ill-gotten data would have been obtained by lawful means.

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Data Co. Seeks To Consolidate NJ Judicial Privacy Law Cases

By Jake Maher

The data privacy firm Atlas Data Privacy has asked the New Jersey Supreme Court to consolidate over 100 ongoing cases where it is suing data brokers under the state judicial privacy statute Daniel's Law into a single multicounty litigation, according to a notice to the bar filed this week.

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Belgian Court Refers FATCA Data Case To EU's Top Court

By Josh White

A Brussels court referred a case to the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning whether transfers of U.S. taxpayer data breach EU privacy law, according to a court document released Thursday.

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Crypto Investors Fight To Revive Ripple Suit At 9th Circ.

By Dorothy Atkins

A certified class of investors urged the Ninth Circuit on Thursday to revive allegations Ripple Labs violated securities laws through unregistered sales of digital-token XRP, arguing the lower court misapplied the Ninth Circuit's SEC v. Murphy precedent in granting Ripple summary judgment under a three-year statute of repose.

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Nixon Peabody Hires Cybersecurity Atty For Boston Office

By Joyce Hanson

Nixon Peabody LLP has added to its cybersecurity and privacy team in Boston with a newly hired attorney from Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, saying she focuses on privacy, governance, risk, compliance and public policy matters.

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Series

Preaching Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Becoming a Gospel preacher has enhanced my success as a trial lawyer by teaching me the importance of credibility, relatability, persuasiveness and thorough preparation for my congregants, the same skills needed with judges and juries in the courtroom, says Reginald Harris at Stinson.

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Immigration Lawyers Battle Burnout Amid Deportation Surge

By Daniel Connolly

As the Trump administration carries out a mass deportation campaign across the country, immigration attorneys faced with heavy demand and changing norms are feeling the impact of burnout and stress on their practices and emotions, they told Law360.

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Calif. Agency Hires Ex-DOJ Crypto Enforcement Director

By Sarah Jarvis

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation has brought on a new general counsel who previously served in leadership positions with the U.S. Department of Justice, including director of its cryptocurrency enforcement team.

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Fla. Judge OKs Release Of Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts

By Rae Ann Varona

A Florida federal judge on Friday ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from an investigation of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, citing a newly enacted law that the government said overrides a prohibition on disclosing the documents to the public.

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Bonus Spotlight

Katten Exceeds Market Bonus Scale, Orrick Matches

By Tracey Read

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has joined a select few law firms that have gone beyond the BigLaw norm for year-end and special bonuses.

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Brief

Holland & Knight Adds Ex-House Speaker's Adviser In DC

By Tracey Read

Holland & Knight LLP has added the former senior policy adviser and counsel to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., as a public policy and regulation practice group partner.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

An SEC panel has asked the agency to adopt regulations that could standardize the way publicly traded companies report details about AI use. Meanwhile, the FCC approved AT&T's $1 billion UScellular deal after AT&T became the latest of the big three mobile carriers to agree to do away with diversity, equity and inclusion policies. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Gupta Wessler LLP and Block & Leviton LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Eleventh Circuit revived a proposed class action against NextEra Energy Inc. that seeks to hold the energy company liable for a share price drop that followed political interference allegations involving a subsidiary.

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Mass. IOLTA Panel Says It's Owed Slice Of Residual Funds

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts panel that oversees Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts asked the state's highest court Friday to at least partially unwind a $4 million class action settlement, saying a lower court didn't give it a chance to argue for a portion of what it says are "significant" residual funds.

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Judges Beat Ethics Suits For Dropping Retirement Post-Trump

By Jake Maher

A Fourth Circuit judge and two district court judges have defeated ethics complaints from a conservative legal organization alleging they improperly reversed their decisions to take senior status after President Donald Trump was elected.

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Court Staff Attys Settle Claims Of Undermining Colleague

By Julie Manganis

Six months after Massachusetts' highest court revived some of a former Appeals Court staff attorney's claims in a suit alleging two supervisors intentionally undermined him, the parties have reported reaching a settlement in the case.

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