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Most summer associates used generative artificial intelligence tools at their firms this year, but views on adoption were mixed. Students told Law360 Pulse the tools were useful for research and drafting, but voiced concerns over reliability, job loss and diminished writing skills.
We asked this year's cohort about the most valuable lessons they learned during their summer associateship. Here's the advice they shared for those ready to jump into law firm life.
Those looking to change the nation's laws first need to understand how they work and why they are in place, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor told a packed auditorium at New York Law School on Tuesday.
The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to review a lower court's ruling disqualifying Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the 2020 Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and his co-defendants.
Indicted appellate luminary Tom Goldstein cannot cover his legal bills by selling his multimillion-dollar home, because it's a "tainted asset" worth "far less" than his attorney fees, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a blistering court filing, adding that Goldstein may flee the country as his reputation and marriage collapse.
West Virginia and Idaho urged the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that courts should not use subjective preferences when analyzing whether laws that ban transgender athletes from competing on sports teams different from their sex assigned at birth violate the Constitution.
A Connecticut judge on Monday seemed skeptical of a former chief state public defender's challenge to her ouster, questioning whether the lawyer could support her claim that the Public Defender Services Commission should have called live witnesses to testify during an administrative hearing that led to her termination.
Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary I. Yu has announced she'll step down at the end of 2025 after a dozen years on the court and nearly a quarter-century on the state bench.
The federal government has urged the Third Circuit to reverse a district court ruling disqualifying acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba from prosecuting two criminal cases in New Jersey after the clock allegedly ran out on her interim term, arguing that her appointment is valid and that the court erred in its interpretation of the statute.
Jackson Walker LLP says bondholders' proposed class action accusing the firm of covering up a romance between a one-time partner and bankruptcy judge is an attempt at invalidating an already confirmed Chapter 11 plan and should be tossed.
An attorney representing four women suing comedian Katt Williams in Georgia federal court said that the presiding judge in the case should step down from the matter because he showed bias and questioned the lawyer's "honesty, candor and credibility" at a hearing last month that involved discussions of a brief she submitted containing artificial intelligence hallucinations.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced Monday that he has appointed a longtime prosecutor with a track record of handling high-profile corruption cases to lead the state Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.
Maurene Comey, a former Manhattan federal prosecutor who brought high-profile criminal cases against the likes of Jeffrey Epstein and Sean "Diddy" Combs, sued the Justice Department on Monday alleging her abrupt July firing came "solely or substantially" because she is the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, a Trump critic.
Hueston Hennigan is expanding its trial team, welcoming a former federal prosecutor, who worked as an associate at the firm early in his career, back as of counsel in its Los Angeles office.
An alternative investment firm pressed the U.S. Supreme Court to not review a Fifth Circuit decision narrowing releases and so-called "gatekeeper" provisions in bankrupt Texas investment group Highland Capital Management's Chapter 11 plan.
The Second Circuit on Friday affirmed the convictions of a pair of ex-Drug Enforcement Administration agents over a bribery scheme but overturned an order requiring both to forfeit funds, saying it would constitute a double payment for the same crime.
The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to wade into a potential firestorm over using the law governing federal agency rulemaking as an alternative to halt Trump administration actions after the justices limited lower courts' use of nationwide injunctions.
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP has strengthened its Cincinnati roster with the recent addition of a litigator who spent more than 25 years with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
The justice-focused institute at Atlanta's John Marshall Law School trains students to pursue criminal defense, civil rights and plaintiffs' personal injury matters, combating what its leader calls an inadequate number of attorneys in these areas in the U.S.
The New Jersey Attorney General's Office is asking a state judge to dismiss the state Office of the Public Defender's lawsuit seeking the release of an internal legal memorandum about the use of rapid DNA technology, saying the complaint is time-barred and its release would breach attorney-client privilege.
A Philadelphia judge has indefinitely stayed a lawsuit by a personal injury firm accusing an ex-Holland & Knight LLP partner of unlawfully accessing firm files amid a hostile divorce proceeding, in light of new allegations that the lawyer texted his ex-wife, an attorney at the injury firm, suggesting that the judge had taken a bribe.
An Indiana superior court judge who "wielded his position of power like a tyrant" during his three years on the bench has been permanently barred from judicial service by the state's Supreme Court.
A BigLaw firm naming its next managing partner and the parent company of an NBA team hiring a new legal chief were among the industry's key moves this week. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.
Retired federal judges speaking at a Federal Bar Association panel in California Thursday criticized the U.S. Supreme Court's increasing use of "shadow docket" emergency rulings that offer little or no explanation, with retired Ninth Circuit Judge Paul Watford saying the high court has "an obligation to give more of a ruling."
A California federal judge pushed back Thursday on arguments by Tom Girardi's lawyer that he should be free on bond while he appeals his wire fraud conviction, saying that debating the case doesn't automatically mean it raises "fairly debatable" questions sufficient to meet the Ninth Circuit's standard for remaining free on appeal.
Amid ongoing disagreements on whether states should mandate implicit bias training as part of attorneys' continuing legal education requirements, Stephanie Wilson at Reed Smith looks at how unconscious attitudes or stereotypes adversely affect legal practice, and whether mandatory training programs can help.
To become more effective advocates, lawyers need to rethink the ridiculous, convoluted language they use in correspondence and write letters in a clear, concise and direct manner, says legal writing instructor Stuart Teicher.
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Ask A Mentor: How Can I Negotiate My Separation Agreement?Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey discusses how a law firm associate can navigate being laid off, what to look for in a separation agreement and why to be upfront about it with prospective employers.
Recent legal challenges against DoNotPay’s "robot lawyer” application highlight pressing questions about the degree to which artificial intelligence can be used for legal tasks while remaining on the right side of both consumer protection laws and prohibitions against the unauthorized practice of law, says Kristen Niven at Frankfurt Kurnit.
At some level, every practicing lawyer is experiencing the ever-increasing speed of change — and while some practice management processes have gotten more efficient, other things about the legal profession were better before supposed improvements were made, says Jay Silberblatt, president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Law firms will be able to reap great long-term benefits if they adopt strategies to nurture four critical components of their employees' psychological wellness and performance — hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, says Dennis Stolle at the American Psychological Association.
Generative AI applications like ChatGPT are unlikely to ever replace attorneys for a variety of practical reasons — but given their practice-enhancing capabilities, lawyers who fail to leverage these tools may be rendered obsolete, says Eran Kahana at Maslon.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent elimination of a rule that partially counted pro bono work toward continuing legal education highlights the importance of volunteer work in intellectual property practice and its ties to CLE, and puts a valuable tool for hands-on attorney education in the hands of the states, say Lisa Holubar and Ariel Katz at Irwin.
Recommendations recently issued by a special committee of the Florida Bar represent a realistic, pragmatic approach to increasing the accessibility and affordability of legal services, at a time when the disconnect between the legal profession and the public at large has widened considerably, says Gary Lesser, president of the Florida Bar.
To assist Texas lawyers in effectively executing their duties, we should be working on succession planning, attorney wellness, and increasing understanding of the grievance system by both bar members and the public, says Laura Gibson, president of the State Bar of Texas.
Marjorie Peerce and Peter Jaslow at Ballard Spahr discuss the challenges of building a new law firm practice group from the ground up, and how sustained commitment, communication and collaboration are the key ingredients for success.
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Ask A Mentor: How Do I Relay Shortcomings To Associates?Michael Cohen at Duane Morris discusses the best ways to articulate how an associate is not meeting expectations, and why documentation of performance management is crucial for their growth and protecting the firm from discrimination suits.
Several forces are reshaping partners’ expectations about profit-sharing, and as compensation structures evolve in response, firms should keep certain fundamentals in mind to build a successful partner reward system, say Michael Roch at MHPR Advisors and Ray D'Cruz at Performance Leader.
The legal profession faces challenges that urgently demand new solutions, and lawyers and firms can address this by leaning on other industries that have more experience practicing, teaching and incorporating innovation into their core business and service models, says Jennifer Leonard at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Americans with Disabilities Act and rules of professional conduct may help the legal profession promote lawyer well-being by focusing on mental conditions' actual impact, rather than on associated stereotypes, says Alex Long at the University of Tennessee College of Law.