By Pete Brush

The coming year's big-ticket cases in New York courts include fraud charges against Steve Bannon, Ghislaine Maxwell's sexual misconduct indictment and a vast opioid liability trial. But by far the biggest would be a potential criminal case targeting Donald Trump after the president's departure from the White House. Here's a rundown of litigation that Empire State attorneys will be watching in 2021.

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Ballard Spahr, Blank Rome Start New Year With 23 Promotions

By James Boyle

Ballard Spahr LLP and Blank Rome LLP kicked off 2021 with partner promotions for attorneys at their offices nationwide.

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Brown Rudnick Reaches Settlement In $300M Malpractice Suit

By Craig Clough

Brown Rudnick LLP has settled a malpractice suit "in principle" with the trustee for bankrupt Lyondell Chemical Co. after facing allegations that the firm bungled a $300 million clawback effort by failing to prove that the company was insolvent, a New York federal judge said Tuesday.

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Employment Firm Outten & Golden Promotes 5 To Partner

By Emma Cueto

Employee-side employment boutique Outten & Golden LLP has promoted five new partners in its New York and Washington, D.C., offices, the firm announced Wednesday.

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How Some Mid-Law Firms Are Growing During COVID-19

By Adrian Cruz

While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many large law firms to cut staff and reduce salaries to weather the economic storm, a number of Mid-Law leaders say their firms' lean structures and flexibility have helped them stay the course and even expand in the past year.

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Q&A

Legal Tech Expert On Pandemic Being An 'Inflection Point'

By Aebra Coe

Bob Ambrogi has been writing about legal technology for the last 30 years. Here, he tells Law360 Pulse how the pandemic has spurred a "dramatic" acceleration in the adoption of legal tech, particularly cloud technologies.

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Billable Rates Shift With Firm Size, Alma Mater, Gender

By Cara Bayles

Law partners bill a median rate of $620 per hour, but not all billable hours were created equal, a new Law360 Pulse survey reveals. Here are some of the factors that come into play.

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NY Judge Quits After Admitting To Keying Local Official's Car

By Emily Lever

Judge Gregory Burker, a justice of Watson Town Court in Lewis County in upstate New York, has surrendered his position following a disciplinary proceeding after he allegedly keyed a town official's car.

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Pulse Magazine

First Wave: The Attys Who Pioneered Law Firm Gender Suits

By Cara Bayles

In recent years, a slew of women have filed suit against law firms, alleging they were passed over for promotion because of their gender. For the attorneys who pioneered such discrimination suits decades ago, this new wave is a sign of both how much things have changed and how they haven’t.

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NY Bar Group Tackles Pandemic-Fueled Anti-Asian Crimes

By Marco Poggio

Alarmed by a spike in violence against Asian Americans amid the spread of the novel coronavirus, members of the Asian American Bar Association of New York began looking for ways to address the violence and the lack of response by authorities.

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Jones Day Adds Ex-Chief Of Staff For DOJ's Civil Rights Unit

By Kevin Penton

Jones Day has added a former Cravath attorney who most recently served as chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to its New York office.

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Firms Of All Sizes Must Consider Cyber Policy, Experts Say

By Justin Wise

Cyberattacks are becoming a growing threat in the legal industry, with BigLaw firms including Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP being targeted in the past year. Mid-size and small firms that think they don't face as much risk should think again, a panel of insurance coverage experts said during a legal malpractice and risk management conference this week.

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2nd Circ. Vacates Sanctions For Donziger In Chevron Case

By Michael Phillis

A divided Second Circuit panel on Thursday overturned $666,476 in sanctions against Steven Donziger, who helped secure a fraudulent $9.5 billion judgment against Chevron Corp. in Ecuador, saying confusing constraints imposed on his fundraising activity undermined the penalty.

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Goldman Senior Counsel Joins Jones Day In New York

By Clarice Silber

Jones Day has announced that Goldman Sachs & Co. Vice President and Senior Counsel Peter Petraro has joined the firm's financial markets practice as of counsel in its New York office.

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Despite Firms' Efforts, Associates Struggle With Remote Work

By Emma Cueto

A year into COVID-19, associates at both BigLaw and Mid-Law firms told Law360 Pulse that firms have made good efforts to ensure that associates have the same career and mentoring opportunities they would have had in person, but the pandemic has still been rough for many younger lawyers.

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Young Attys' Job Prospects Expected To Rebound This Year

By Xiumei Dong and Justin Wise

Law firms have hired fewer associates and law school graduates' full-time employment rates dropped as the economy took a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic last year, recent reports showed. But the decline likely won't carry into 2021, industry experts said, noting most firms have regained their financial footing.

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Ex-NY AG Gets 1-Year Law Suspension After Admitting Abuse

By Dave Simpson

Former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who resigned following assault allegations by multiple women in 2018, will be suspended from practicing law in the state for one year, an Empire State appellate court ruled Tuesday.

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Feds Raid Giuliani's Apartment In Escalation Of Ukraine Probe

By Jack Queen

Federal investigators raided the New York City apartment of Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday morning, his lawyer confirmed, seizing electronic devices in a major escalation of a foreign lobbying probe into Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine.

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Giuliani's Son Adds Wrinkle To Secrecy Of Dad's License Fight

By Marco Poggio

As a federal investigation into Rudy Giuliani's dealings with Ukraine on behalf of former President Donald Trump marches on, another aspect of the onetime New York mayor's life appears now to be under formal scrutiny: his attorney license.

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NYC Bar Names Ex-Fellow As Diversity And Inclusion Leader

By Marco Poggio

The New York City Bar Association has chosen a former fellow with rich experience in diversity management roles to lead its Office for Diversity and Inclusion, the association announced Tuesday.

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For Foreign Agent Legal Reform, Will 58th Try Be The Charm?

By Andrew Strickler

With a dozen bills introduced in Congress just this year meant to strengthen, broaden, modernize, or otherwise fix the much-maligned Foreign Agent Registration Act, one might think the moment for FARA reform was finally upon us. But even the more optimistic experts say getting any of the current bills through Congress remains a long shot.

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Retired NY Bankruptcy Judge Cornelius Blackshear Dies At 81

By Lauren Berg

Retired Bankruptcy Judge Cornelius Blackshear, who served 20 years in the Southern District of New York, has died, leaving a long legacy of serving Manhattan as a jurist and a police officer. He was 81.

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Crowell & Moring Adds Ex-Goodwin Procter Senior Litigator

By Sarah Martinson

An experienced commercial and financial services litigator who worked at Goodwin Procter LLP for more than 13 years has joined Crowell & Moring LLP's litigation group in New York, the firm announced Monday.

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The Firm Behind Adams' Suit Over NYC Mayoral Vote Count

By Marco Poggio

New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams filed a preemptive suit against the city's Board of Elections this week, keeping the door open for possible post-count litigation in a race that appears to be much closer than early results indicated. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at the firm leading Adams' efforts.

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Texas Atty Will Pay SEC $255K In Escrow Fraud Suit

By Emilie Ruscoe

A Texas attorney accused by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of playing a key role in a $6 million securities fraud scheme will pay more than $255,000 in connection with the regulator's allegations, a federal judge in Manhattan said Thursday.

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How They Won It

How Kasowitz Helped Celebrity RE Broker Duck Fraud Suit

By Adrian Cruz

Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP successfully defended celebrity real estate broker Ryan Serhant from an investor's claims accusing the "Million Dollar Listing New York" star of fraud by allegedly overcharging him for a Manhattan property.

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Movers & Shakers

Career Coach On Lessons Learned From Young Atty Training

By Xiumei Dong

Grover Cleveland, a former law firm partner, develops training programs for young attorneys and law firms across the country. Here, Cleveland talks about why he wanted to do associate coaching as his career, challenges he has heard from young associates, and his advice for law firms on training.

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Baker Botts' Ex-NYC Leader Joins Akin Gump

By Marco Poggio

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has snatched Baker Botts LLP's former partner-in-charge in New York as a partner in its investment management practice in the Big Apple, the firm said Tuesday.

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Mintz Group Hires Ex-Federal Prosecutor In NY, NJ As GC

By Kevin Penton

Mintz Group has added a litigator who previously served as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey and New York as its general counsel, the investigative and due diligence services firm has announced.

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Tech Industry GCs See Civil Rights As Key Responsibility

By Kelcee Griffis

Modern general counsel are taking on more responsibilities than ever before, stepping up as the "moral backbone" for their companies while maintaining more traditional compliance roles, said attorneys for Facebook, Cox Communications and the Motion Picture Association.

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The Gay & Lesbian Attorneys Behind 3 Big LGBT Rights Cases

By Aebra Coe

The LGBT rights movement has seen some major victories and intensely fought cases in the courts over the last year. Law360 spoke with gay and lesbian BigLaw attorneys who dedicated their legal talents and time pro bono to three of those high-profile cases.

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NY Giants, GC Can't Nix 'Strangle' Threat Suit, Court Told

By Bill Wichert

A fired video director with the New York Giants said Tuesday jurors should decide on his claims that the team's general counsel threatened to "strangle" him if he shared confidential information, blasting their attempt to escape his whistleblower suit in New Jersey state court over purported workplace violence complaints.

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Authors Suggest Disciplined Attorneys Might Say, 'I'm Sorry'

By Kevin Penton

When attorneys do wrong and are disciplined, they rarely do something that may cost them nothing financially but a lot emotionally: say they're sorry.

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Pandemic Spells Lasting Changes For Summer Associates

By Ryan Boysen

Attorneys across the country are finally heading back to the office, but the virtual tools and programming developed over the past two summers because of the pandemic were so well received that BigLaw firms say future summer associates are still likely to see an integrated mix of virtual and physical work.

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On The Spot

LegalZoom GC Pushing For More Accessible Services

By Sue Reisinger

Since Nicole Miller joined LegalZoom as general counsel 15 months ago, she has also filled in as interim chief people officer, took the company public amid a pandemic and ushered in a new era where her non-law firm is offering legal services through an alternative business structure.

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How Some Midsize Firms Outperform On Profits Per Partner

By Emma Cueto

A number of midsize firms outshone their peers on profits per partner, ranking alongside the industry’s giants to become Law360 Pulse’s first Prestige Leaders. Law360 Pulse spoke with the managing partners of these firms about the keys to their success.

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Boutique Susman Godfrey Tops BigLaw Associate Bonuses

By Sarah Martinson

Susman Godfrey LLP said Wednesday that its year-end payments to associates are larger than the combined bonuses that many BigLaw firms are paying attorneys based on pay scales set by Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.

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Corporate Political Disclosure Votes Hit Record High In 2021

By Sue Reisinger

Vanguard and Black Rock helped push through a record high percentage of investor votes in 2021 for the Center for Political Accountability's resolution seeking corporate disclosure of political spending.

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Offit Kurman Expands NY Footprint With White Plains Office

By Adrian Cruz

Offit Kurman said Wednesday that it merged with White Plains, New York-based Dahan & Nowick LLP, opening its third office in the New York metropolitan area as the firm continues its recent growth in the region.

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Greenberg Traurig Leaders On Expanding To Long Island

By Rachel Rippetoe

Greenberg Traurig LLP said Tuesday it is expanding into Long Island in an effort to meet both its lawyers and clients where they've been hunkering down during the pandemic.

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Analysis

Deals Boom Meets Expansive Biden Antitrust Agenda

By Justin Wise

The pace and value of corporate transactions soared to new heights in 2021 and signals point to an equally active environment in early 2022, creating a dynamic in which merger activity is surging as the Biden administration settles into a more ambitious and aggressive antitrust enforcement approach.

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What Top Public M&A Firms Can Teach Us About Deal Making

By Benjamin Horney

What does it take to become a preeminent legal adviser to the companies that are shaping industries and creating millionaires? Here’s Law360 Pulse’s list of the top firms by total public company deal-making volume and value, and a look at what it takes to become a leader in the field.

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Vulgarities Fly During Wild Avenatti Cross Of Stormy Daniels

By Pete Brush

Embattled lawyer Michael Avenatti quizzed former porn actress Stormy Daniels on Friday about wrathful public statements she has made about him, including that she hoped he would be sexually assaulted while in custody for legal troubles including allegedly stealing from her book advance.

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Former Manhattan US Atty Strauss Returns To Fried Frank

By Rachel Scharf

Former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss is rejoining Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP to work with Geoffrey S. Berman, her predecessor and former boss in the Southern District of New York, the firm announced Monday.

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Willkie Adds Ex-Chair Of O'Melveny's Sports Industry Group

By Sarah Martinson

A former co-chair of O'Melveny & Myers LLP's sports industry group with more than 25 years of experience working in the entertainment and sports sectors has moved to Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP's corporate and financial services department, Willkie said Thursday.

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Avenatti Convicted Of Defrauding Stormy Daniels

By Stewart Bishop

Disgraced celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti on Friday was convicted of defrauding former client and adult film actress Stormy Daniels out of hundreds of thousands of dollars from a book deal.

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BakerHostetler Nabs McDermott White Collar Tax Pro In NY

By Dorothy Atkins

BakerHostetler has hired a McDermott Will & Emery LLP partner with tax expertise and more than a decade of experience working for the U.S. Department of Justice to join its white collar team in New York, according to the firm.

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Sheppard Mullin Nabs 5 Life Sci Pros From Loeb & Loeb

By Adam Lidgett

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP has landed a quintet from Loeb & Loeb LLP to bolster its bench of experts focused on issues relating to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the life sciences arena.

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Dechert, Sheppard Mullin Join Salary Bonanza Bandwagon

By Matt Perez

Dechert LLP, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP and Winston & Strawn LLP raised base associate salaries to match the prevailing scale set by Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP in February, Law360 Pulse learned Thursday, joining numerous other firms to do so this month.

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Q&A

65 Project Leader Talks Holding 'Big Lie' Attys Accountable

By Justin Wise

A new group is taking aim at a coalition of lawyers who it says participated in a concerted push to overturn the 2020 election and abused the legal system in the process.

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Senate Confirms Biden's 2nd Circ. Pick, 4 Other Jurists

By Lauren Berg

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday evening confirmed President Joe Biden's pick of U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, as well as federal judges for New York, Washington and Nevada.

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FindLaw Hits Former Employee With Trade Secrets Suit

By Rachel Rippetoe

The publisher behind legal marketing company FindLaw is suing a former employee, claiming he stole company secrets before moving to a competitor.

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Why Burford Capital Raised $720M In Less Than Two Weeks

By Steven Lerner

Burford Capital LLC raised its private offering of senior notes to $360 million last week, two days after the litigation funder announced that it would cap the senior notes at $350 million.

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Freshfields Adds Ex-SDNY Fraud, Cybercrime Prosecutor

By Emily Lever

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP has hired a former federal fraud and cybercrime prosecutor for its New York litigation practice, the firm announced Monday.

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First-Time Bar Passage Rate Dipped In 2021

By Xiumei Dong

Nearly 80% of first-time test takers who sat for the bar exam in 2021 passed, a drop of about 3 percentage points from 2020, according to statistics released Tuesday by the American Bar Association.

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Movers & Shakers

Littler Helps Diverse Attys Find Mentors With SOAR Program

By Kevin Penton

Navigating the first few months at a law firm can be arduous for any young associate, but it can present additional challenges for those of diverse backgrounds. Law360 recently spoke with the co-chairs of Littler Mendelson PC’s SOAR program, which helps address those challenges by connecting young diverse attorneys with experienced lawyers at the firm.

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Could The Dobbs Leak Change Supreme Court Clerkships?

By Cara Bayles

The air of suspicion that hangs over the U.S. Supreme Court after the Dobbs draft leak could affect the work of the court's corps of 36 law clerks, and their relationships to the justices and to one another.

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Fat Salaries Are Nice But Don't Drive Summer Associates

By Andrew Strickler

For most law students, paychecks for summer programs are widely seen as at least adequate; for some, they're transformative. Law360 Pulse dives into how much firms are paying their summer associates and what a big paycheck can mean to the cohort.

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Fox Rothschild Faces New DQ Bid In Athlete Startup Case

By Ivan Moreno

A startup seeking to "tokenize" and sell shares of professional athletes said Fox Rothschild LLP should be disqualified from representing investors in a $1 million fraud lawsuit against the company, claiming the firm was "preparing to file the current complaint" while simultaneously representing those now being sued.

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Prince Lobel Expands Into NY With Cannabis Law Trio

By Sam Reisman

Boston law firm Prince Lobel Tye LLP has announced the launch of a New York expansion under the leadership of three Empire State cannabis lawyers.

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Billable Hour To Daily Mileage: This Atty Ran 50 Marathons

By Michele Gorman

For Boston corporate attorney Dan Janis, running began as a hobby to relieve stress during law school and developed into a 15-year endeavor to cross a marathon finish line in every state. He talked with Law360 Pulse about his goal, which he started as a 33-year-old lawyer in 2007 and accomplished a month ago at 48.

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Kelley Drye Elevates 19 Attorneys To Partner, Special Counsel

By Adrian Cruz

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP announced earlier this week that it elected eight new partners and promoted a further 11 attorneys to special counsel in what's been one of the firm's larger promotion classes over the last few years.

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IADC Elects Adams And Reese Partner As President

By Rachel Rippetoe

A partner at Adams and Reese LLP in New Orleans has been elected president of The International Association of Defense Counsel, the association said Monday.

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Paul Weiss Starts Civil Rights And Racial Equity Audit Practice

By Anna Sanders

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP on Tuesday announced a new civil rights and racial equity audit practice led by litigation partner and former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

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Calif. Atty Claims Ex-Counsel Misled Him On Fraud Plea

By Elliot Weld

A former Los Angeles-area lawyer accused of running an investment fraud scheme is requesting to withdraw his guilty plea, saying his former counsel backtracked on pursuing a legal strategy that involved admitting to wire fraud and then requesting a hearing to challenge the government's evidence before sentencing.

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Latham & Watkins Gains A Third Partner From Kirkland & Ellis

By Andrea Keckley

Latham & Watkins LLP has hired John Kelley from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, the third partner to join its investment funds practice from Kirkland since May.

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Apollo Investment Corp Promotes GC To CLO Amid Rebrand

By Anna Sanders

Apollo Investment Corp. has elevated its general counsel to chief legal officer, as the middle-market business development company announced its plans to rebrand.

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NY Law Firm Files Objection To DirecTV Settlement

By Tracey Read

A New York law firm is asking a California federal judge to reject a proposed $9.4 million settlement to resolve claims that DirecTV preyed upon mostly minority small businesses, alleging the satellite company is using the firm as a scapegoat in the case.

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Benesch Starts Task Force To Deal With Aftermath Of Dobbs

By Emma Cueto

Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP has launched a "post-Dobbs task force" to help clients navigate legal issues that stem from the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ending the constitutional protection for abortion, the firm announced Thursday.

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Roundup

Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

By Emma Cueto

Shutts & Bowen LLP's handling of a Florida aquarium's $130 million real estate purchase and Burr & Forman LLP's work on behalf of an Alabama name, image likeness collective lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from July 29 to Aug. 12.

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SEC Mulls Tentative Settlement With Ex-Dewey CFO

By Lauren Berg

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told a New York federal judge on Friday it has reached a tentative settlement to resolve its claims against Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP's former chief financial officer, who was convicted of fraud, but said the agency needs time to consider the deal.

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How 6 BigLaw Firms Are Making Retention A Priority

By Aebra Coe

As the hiring wars of 2021 fade into a calmer state of affairs this year, many law firms are shifting some of their focus and resources from hiring to retaining talent. Here, leaders at six large law firms share their 2022 retention strategies.

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Legal Intelligence Firm Settles Trade Secrets Fight With Rival

By Tracey Read

Legal public relations firm Baretz & Brunelle LLC has settled a suit filed in New York federal court against Decipher Investigative Intelligence, which had accused Baretz of stealing trade secrets when it hired the rival firm's co-founder.

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Blogger Cops To Assisting Attys' Alleged Immigration Scam

By Pete Brush

A New York City blogger told a Manhattan federal judge Wednesday that he assisted two lawyers in creating fraudulent asylum applications to submit to U.S. immigration authorities, pleading guilty to a conspiracy count.

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O'Melveny Adds Longtime Life Sci IP Litigator From Honigman

By Andrea Keckley

An attorney who previously launched Honigman LLP's life sciences and intellectual property litigation practice has joined O'Melveny & Myers LLP as a partner in its New York office, the firm announced Monday.

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Akerman Expands With 2 New Partners In NY, Calif.

By Tracey Read

Akerman LLP has expanded bi-coastally by adding health care regulatory and transactional partner Jordan T. Cohen in New York and corporate partner Peter Hurm in Los Angeles, the firm announced Tuesday.

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AY Strauss Grows Franchise Team With Einbinder & Dunn Atty

By Emily Lever

Boutique law firm A.Y. Strauss has added an Einbinder & Dunn LLP attorney to its franchise practice, the firm has announced.

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Duane Morris To Merge With Bicoastal Employment Boutique

By James Mills

Duane Morris LLP said Tuesday that it will add 18 attorneys through a merger with bicoastal labor and employment boutique Curley Hurtgen & Johnsrud LLP, significantly expanding its capabilities in the employment sector.

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Trump Claims NY Is Judge-Shopping $250M Fraud Case

By Frank G. Runyeon

Former President Donald Trump sought on Wednesday to have New York state's $250 million fraud lawsuit against him assigned to a judge different from the one who held him in contempt in a subpoena enforcement proceeding, rejecting the idea the cases were related.

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Fed Circ.'s Judge Dyk Recaps A 60-Year Career In New Book

By Ryan Boysen

Clerking at the U.S. Supreme Court. A storied career as a First Amendment attorney at BigLaw firms before they were big. And 20-odd years on the federal bench. If that sounds like a lot, it is. And it's all covered in U.S. Circuit Judge Timothy B. Dyk's new book.

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New McAllister Practice To Rep Spiritual Org Abuse Accusers

By Andrea Keckley

McAllister Olivarius has launched a new specialized practice dedicated to representing victims of sexual abuse by members and leaders of spiritual communities, the firm announced on Friday.

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Fugees Rapper Accused Of Using Forged Docs In $6.5M Deal

By Andrew Strickler

Prakazrel "Pras" Michel of renowned hip-hop group the Fugees, two New York entertainment lawyers, and a New Jersey investment firm have been hit with a federal complaint accusing them of fraudulently selling music catalog assets a Georgia company said was security on an unpaid $6.5 million loan.

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What Should Law Firms Take Away From Stroock's Demise?

By Xiumei Dong

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, a more than century-old legacy firm known for its deep roots in New York City, is now dissolving, and its downfall offers important lessons to peer firms on missteps to avoid, industry experts say.

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NY Jury Clears Ex-Boston Prosecutor Of Rape

By Lauren Berg

A New York state court jury on Friday found a Boston prosecutor-turned-criminal justice reform advocate not guilty of rape charges.

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Trump Mocks Hush Money Case As 'Deluded Fantasy'

By Frank G. Runyeon

Counsel for former President Donald Trump has branded the hush money charges against him as a "deluded fantasy," arguing that the Manhattan district attorney is framing the New York state court case as a conspiracy to undermine the 2016 election despite it being a "narrow business records case."

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Trump Wants New Bite At Recusal Over Judge's Daughter

By Lauren Berg

Donald Trump is again seeking the recusal of the judge overseeing his Manhattan criminal case, saying the judge's daughter and her political consulting firm stand to financially benefit from the case, while prosecutors argued Trump's "daisy chain of innuendos" isn't evidence that the judge, or his daughter, will gain anything.

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NY AG Wants Trump Insurer To Guarantee $175M Bond

By Elliot Weld

New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a Manhattan judge Thursday to make sure the California insurer that agreed to post Donald Trump's $175 million bond in his civil business fraud case can actually pay.

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Trump Can't Move Hush Money Trial, NY Appeals Judge Says

By Frank G. Runyeon

A New York appellate judge on Monday denied Donald Trump's request to halt his upcoming hush money trial due to what the former president cast as a hopelessly biased jury pool in Manhattan, as he awaited a hearing on his separate bid to lift a gag order.

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Justices Reject Missouri's Bid To Block Trump's NY Gag Order

By Dorothy Atkins

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected on Monday an effort by Missouri's Republican attorney general to lift convicted former President Donald Trump's gag order on First Amendment grounds and delay sentencing in his New York criminal hush money case until after the general election.

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Milbank LLP Lands Departing SEC Enforcement Chief Grewal

By Bonnie Eslinger

Departing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement director Gurbir Grewal will land at Milbank LLP in New York after he leaves the agency later this month, joining the law firm's litigation and arbitration group, according to a person familiar with the matter.

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Which GCs Sold Stock In May? Intuit, Microsoft, Loar Holdings

By Sue Reisinger

Microsoft's Brad Smith may not carry the title anymore, but he is still the company's top lawyer, and he cashed in $35.3 million worth of company stock in May. Other big law department winners last month were Intuit's Kerry McLean with $12.18 million and Loar Holdings Inc.'s Michael Manella with $12 million.

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Transactions Duo Joins Morgan Lewis In New York, Philly

By James Boyle

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP has expanded its transactions team in the firm's New York and Philadelphia offices with the recent additions of two attorneys who moved their practices from Dechert LLP.

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Greenberg Traurig Adds IP Atty From Kilpatrick In NY

By Christine DeRosa

Greenberg Traurig LLP has boosted its intellectual property offerings in New York with the addition of an experienced litigator from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP.

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Kirkland & Ellis Taps Longtime Private Equity Pro As 1st COO

By Andrea Keckley

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has chosen a veteran of the private equity field with a work history at EIV Capital LLC, Ares Management and Blackstone and decades of experience in the energy sector as its first chief operating officer.

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Hecker Fink Welcomes Longtime Cravath Trial Lawyer In NY

By Andrea Keckley

Hecker Fink LLP announced Wednesday that a longtime Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP attorney known for her work on high-stakes commercial litigation has joined its New York office.

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Judge Denies Early Win For Family Of Atty Seeking 9/11 Fees

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge denied an early win for the estate of a 9/11 families attorney suing the firm that contracted him over fees Tuesday, lambasting the contracts at the center of the litigation for their lack of clarity and suggesting that a trial might be the only way to discern their meaning.

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NY US Atty Faces Watchdog's Ethics Suit After Altercation

By Katherine Smith

Legal ethics watchdog Campaign for Accountability on Wednesday called for an ethics probe of acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III of the Northern District of New York, alleging that he made a number of deceptive claims arising from a June altercation.

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Haynes Boone Grows NY Office With Ex-Winston Strawn Atty

By Kevin Penton

Haynes Boone has added a litigator previously with Winston & Strawn LLP who once headed the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation division as chair of its financial services investigations and enforcement practice in New York, the firm has announced.

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7 Ways Attys Can Improve Their LinkedIn Summaries

Lawyers can use LinkedIn to strengthen their thought leadership position, generate new business, explore career opportunities, and better position themselves and their firms in search results by writing a well-composed, optimized summary that demonstrates their knowledge and experience, says Guy Alvarez at Good2bSocial.

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BigLaw Vs. Mid-Law Summer Programs: The Pros And Cons

There are major differences between BigLaw and Mid-Law summer associate programs, and each approach can learn something from the other in terms of structure and scheduling, the on-the-job learning opportunities provided, and the social experiences offered, says Anna Tison at Brooks Pierce.

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