Senate Banking Committee Pushes Crypto Markup To 2026

By Aislinn Keely

The Senate Banking Committee anticipates marking up a crypto market structure proposal in the new year as bipartisan negotiations on the bill continue, a spokesperson for committee chairman Tim Scott, R.-S.C, said Monday.

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PCAOB Challenger Tells DC Circ. He Should Stay Anonymous

By Katryna Perera

An anonymous accountant challenging the constitutionality of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has told the D.C. Circuit he should be allowed to proceed in district court as a John Doe plaintiff, aiming to reverse a ruling that he cannot continue to litigate the suit pseudonymously.

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SEC Settles With Digital Ad Co. Accused Of $2.8M Fraud

By Sydney Price

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday that the founder of a purported social media advertising company will pay $125,000 to end the agency's claims they misled potential investors about the company's revenue and growth prospects.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jeff Montgomery

Litigation in Delaware's Court of Chancery sprawled from a dispute over control of banana plantations along Africa's Congo River to a fight over the late musician Prince's estate last week. Along the way, a court ruling rejected a motion for a quick decision favoring Blue Bell Creameries director and officer calls for liability releases in a tainted ice cream saga that dates to 2015.

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Brief

Texas, Toronto Stock Exchanges End Trademark Dispute

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas Stock Exchange has buried the hatchet with the Toronto Stock Exchange and ended its suit seeking a court finding that the two exchanges' logos are dissimilar. 

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Danske Bank Exits DOJ Probation Under $2B AML Deal

By Sarah Jarvis

Danske Bank announced Monday that it has finished a three-year corporate probation imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a $2 billion settlement over allegations the Danish lender misled U.S. banks about its anti-money laundering controls for high-risk customers in Estonia.

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Trustee Sues SafeMoon Leaders Over Alleged Fraud Scheme

By Rick Archer

The liquidating trustee for cryptocurrency asset company SafeMoon has filed a lawsuit in Utah bankruptcy court accusing former top executives of looting tens of millions of dollars from "liquidity pools" and ultimately doing at least $100 million in damage to the company.

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DouYu Investors Get Final OK For $2.25M Settlement

By Emilie Ruscoe

Investors in Chinese livestreaming platform DouYu International Holdings Ltd. have gotten final approval for their $2.25 million deal ending claims the company took risky measures to gin up user engagement, causing share prices to fall after Chinese authorities cracked down on the company over gambling and pornography on the platform.

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Starbucks Investors Get Claims Against Ex-CFO Revived

By Sydney Price

A federal judge in Seattle has reinstated claims against Starbucks' former chief financial officer in a suit accusing the coffee giant's leaders of misleading shareholders about its struggling plan to reinvent itself, saying the investors plausibly allege the ex-executive was a controlling person under the securities laws.

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Cooley Adds Crypto-Focused Atty From Waymaker

By Emilie Ruscoe

A fintech litigator whose clients have included Mango Markets trader Avraham Eisenberg and Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm is heading to Cooley LLP after 12 years at Waymaker LLP, Cooley announced Monday.

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Sen. Tim Scott's Ex-Chief Of Staff Joins Holland & Hart

By Jack Rodgers

Holland & Hart LLP has tapped the former chief of staff for Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., to serve as a senior director of federal affairs in the firm's Washington, D.C., office, according to a Monday announcement.

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The Tricky Issues Underscoring Prediction Market Regulation

Prediction markets are not merely testing the boundaries of commodities law — they are challenging the conventional divisions between gambling regulation and financial market oversight, and in doing so, may reshape both, says Braeden Anderson at Gesmer Updegrove.

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Series

The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Integrating Practice Groups

Enacting unified leadership and consistent client service standards ensures law firm practice groups connect and collaborate around shared goals, turning a law firm merger into a platform for growth rather than a period of disruption, says Brian Catlett at Fennemore Craig.

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Former DLA Piper Associate Alleges Ex-Partner Raped Her

By Lynn LaRowe

A former Boston-based DLA Piper associate on Monday launched a state lawsuit alleging she was raped at the firm's Delaware office by a former partner purportedly known for heavy drinking and inappropriate workplace conduct toward female subordinates.

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Bonus Spotlight

Elsberg Baker Exceeds, Cohen Ziffer Matches Atty Bonuses

By Tracey Read

Trial boutique Elsberg Baker & Maruri PLLC announced Monday that its associates will earn up to $226,250 in extra cash this year.

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'Hardworking' 9th Circ. Senior Judge Sandra Ikuta Dies At 71

By Hailey Konnath

Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta of the Ninth Circuit, who has been semi-retired since early November, died on Dec. 7 at the age of 71, exactly one month after assuming senior status, according to the Federal Judicial Center.

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ABA Flags AI Fears: Making Attys 'Worse At Their Jobs'

By Steven Lerner

The erosion of skills for junior associates, deepfakes as evidence in court and the lack of technical knowledge in law firms were among the top fears and challenges listed by the American Bar Association in a new report about artificial intelligence in the legal profession.

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Ex-US Attys Say Pardons, Loyalty Demands Hurt Rule Of Law

By Adrian Cruz

A bipartisan group of former U.S. attorneys spoke publicly Monday on their concerns regarding the direction the U.S. justice system has taken since the start of the second Trump administration and the potential risks that may pose to the rule of law.

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Arbitration Ruling Stands In Morgan & Morgan Class Action

By Chart Riggall

A Georgia federal judge said Monday she won't backtrack on her decision to send a malpractice lawsuit from a former client of Morgan & Morgan PA to arbitration, once again rejecting his arguments that his proposed class claims were exempt from an agreement to arbitrate disputes.

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Atty Seeks To Block Law Banning Fee-Sharing With ABS Firms

By Emily Sawicki

The attorney challenging a California law that blocks fee-sharing with out-of-state law firms owned by nonlawyers has petitioned for enforcement of the law to be suspended before it is set to go into effect on Jan. 1.

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Judge Won't Boot Bondi-Appointed Prosecutor In LA

By Emily Sawicki

A federal judge has refused to reconsider his ruling disqualifying Bill Essayli from holding the role of U.S. attorney but allowing him to serve as the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, finding that Essayli's appointment by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi is valid.

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Judge Willing To Take 'Heat' For Blocking ICE Arrest, Jury Told

By Nate Beck

A Wisconsin judge was willing to "take the heat" for using a staff hallway to usher an unauthorized immigrant out of her courtroom, a federal jury heard Monday, as a defense attorney argued she can't be found guilty by association just because someone in her courtroom tried to flee immigration agents.

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