DC Pulse


  • High Court Bars Mo. From Using GOP Map In Midterms

    Missouri cannot use a newly drawn congressional map that favors Republicans in the midterms, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday when it stayed a federal judge's order that would've required state election officials to use the challenged map despite the Missouri Supreme Court deeming it invalid without voter approval.

  • Mo. Voters Ask High Court To Sort Out 'Irreconcilable' Rulings

    Voters opposed to Missouri's newly drawn congressional map that favors Republicans in the midterms asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to lift a federal judge's order requiring state election officials to use the challenged map, which the Missouri Supreme Court deemed invalid without voter approval.

  • States, Amici Ask Justices To Keep Mail Ballot Rules On Ice

    Nearly half of the states and the District of Columbia urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to leave in place a federal judge's order blocking the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing new mail-in ballot regulations in this year's midterms, arguing the changes are a major political decision USPS had no authority to make. 

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    Labaton Reboots Whistleblower Practice With Ex-SEC Chair

    Investor-side firm Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP has tapped two former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission veterans to lead a new practice representing whistleblowers before the SEC and other federal regulators, reviving a service that the firm provided five years ago.

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    Judiciary OKs Student Interns To Accept Certain Law Firm Stipends

    The federal judiciary's ethics arm has approved a policy allowing law firms to pay judicial interns, as long as the payments are not directly related to their work for the courts and not paid out during their internship or externship.

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    Virginia Law Prof Says He'll Take USPTO General Counsel Job

    A University of Virginia School of Law professor who has taught tort, administrative, patent and international intellectual property law there for more than 15 years recently said he plans to become the new general counsel of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

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    Womble Bond Adds 15 Lewis Brisbois Auto Defense Attys

    Womble Bond Dickinson has added a 29-person consumer warranty and product liability litigation group from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP that specializes in defending automobile manufacturers, the firm announced Wednesday.

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    Akerman Adds AI Development Director From Munck Wilson

    Akerman LLP announced Wednesday that it has rounded out its artificial intelligence leadership team by bringing on a former Munck Wilson Mandala LLP litigator to serve as the firm's first director of AI development.

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    What's Next As Law Firms Go Quiet On Diversity Data

    Law firms may be less public about their diversity, but legal industry advisers and diversity experts say much of the underlying work around recruiting, retaining and advancing talent continues.

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    The 2026 Diversity Snapshot: By The Numbers

    Law360 Pulse's latest Diversity Snapshot showed that law firms continued to make incremental gains in diversity, though attorneys of color remained less represented in the partnership ranks. Here's our data dive into representation at law firms in the U.S.

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    The 2026 Diversity Snapshot: Explore The Data

    Law360's Diversity Snapshot report explores firms' demographics across the hierarchy of private practice, and how those numbers compare to the available talent pool. Dig into the data to see a detailed look at every rung of the ladder.

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    Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Hires FDA Chief Counsel

    Hogan Lovells Cadwalader has hired a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration leader, who has more than 35 years of experience at the agency and worked as chief counsel, as a new member of its Washington, D.C., office, according to a Wednesday announcement.

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    Cleary Creates New Role For Ex-Paul Weiss AI Leader

    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP announced Wednesday that it has brought on the former director of knowledge and innovation at Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP to take on the newly created role of chief innovation officer.

  • DHS Asks Justices To Revive Voter Citizenship Database

    The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday to reinstate the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's upgraded citizenship verification database ahead of this year's midterm elections, claiming a lower court's finding that the system is unlawful threatens election integrity.

  • Mo. Keeps GOP Election Map Despite High Court Setback

    Missouri can use a new congressional map that favors Republicans in the midterms — even though it is supposed to obtain voter approval, and the U.S. Supreme Court earlier rejected an emergency bid to reinstate it — after a federal judge paused the state high court's decision prohibiting the map's use in November.

  • AG Blanche To Speak At GOP Midterm Convention

    Attorney General Todd Blanche will speak at the Republican midterm convention this week in his "personal capacity."

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    ABA Law School Accrediting Arm Repeals Diversity Standard

    The American Bar Association council responsible for law school accreditation voted Tuesday to eliminate its diversity and inclusion standard, the final step in a process that the council hopes will ensure it remains an accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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    Venable Adds Ex-SEC Commissioner Crenshaw To DC Office

    Venable LLP announced Tuesday it has hired Caroline Crenshaw, who was the lone Democratic member of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission until her term ended in January, as a partner in the firm's Washington office.

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    Ed Martin Joins Trump Ally's Think Tank

    Ed Martin, the recently departed White House pardon attorney, has joined a conservative policy think tank started by a key ally of President Donald Trump.

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    Baker Botts Names New Energy, Infrastructure Leaders

    Baker Botts LLP announced Tuesday that it has appointed a group of longtime partners to leadership roles across practices central to the firm's energy and infrastructure work.

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    Insurance Defense Law Firms Draw Interest From PE Investors

    The high-volume business and institutional clients at insurance defense law firms are attracting interest from private equity outfits looking for more avenues into the legal sector.

  • Missouri Asks Justices To Prevent Election 'Disaster'

    Missouri has implored the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the state high court's ruling prohibiting the use of a new congressional map drawn to help Republicans in this year's midterms and requiring the map be submitted for voter approval, claiming the decision will create an unconstitutional "disaster." 

  • USPS Asks High Court To Allow 'Modest' Mail Ballot Rules

    The Trump administration has once again asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a Massachusetts federal judge's order barring the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing new mail-in ballot regulations ahead of this year's midterms, arguing the "modest" changes are well within USPS' authority and don't affect election administration. 

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    Associate Rates Hit $2,500 Per Hour, Outpacing Partner Hikes

    The ceiling on law firm associate billing rates is approaching $2,500 per hour, increasing at a faster pace than partner rates, particularly at the industry's largest law firms, according to a report released Monday by LexisNexis' CounselLink.

  • Justices Let FCC's New Campaign Ad Rates Take Effect

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for the Federal Communications Commission to extend discounted television and radio advertising rates previously reserved for political candidates to political parties and joint fundraising committees that buy spots in coordination with candidates.

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Expert Analysis

  • Legal Tech Talks: WordSmith AI's CEO On Shifting Mindsets Author Photo

    Ross McNairn, founder and CEO of Wordsmith AI, discusses how the lawyers who treat legal work like an engineering problem and can deploy legal intelligence at scale will define the next decade.

  • Justices Widen Path For Confiscated Cuban Property Claims Author Photo

    For Americans holding claims to confiscated Cuban property, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Havana Docks v. Royal Caribbean Cruises means that the expiration of their property interest is no longer a bar and that any company using such property is now a potential defendant, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • Avoiding The Changing Pitfalls Of Firm Website Redesigns Author Photo

    BigLaw firms about to tackle a website redesign need to understand the fundamental changes to costs, timelines, vendors and technology since their last big update so their leadership teams can steer resource management decisions away from costly potential mistakes, says Stephan Roussan at Vertical Minds.

  • Public AI Disclosures Raise Stakes For AI Agent Oversight Author Photo

    Two recent reports shift the legal posture of every organization deploying artificial intelligence agents because they establish the foreseeability, for negligence liability purposes, of an AI agent becoming weaponized for data exfiltration, says Camilo Artiga-Purcell at Kiteworks.

  • How Firms Can Win Market For Unified Legal Client Services Author Photo

    Firms willing to develop a new operating model, where AI-powered legal tech is paired with deep industry expertise and a different incentive structure, can win over companies looking to consolidate their legal needs with a single provider, says Lana Manganiello at Practice Growth Partner.

  • 7 AI Training Tips For Law Firm Summer Associate Programs Author Photo

    Law firms trying to weave artificial intelligence into summer associate programs should build a program that isn't really about AI but teaches students how to think about using AI, with the goal of building judgment, understanding implications and leveling up in a way that's repeatable, says Zeynep Ersin at Seyfarth.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Don't Obstruct Knowledge Author Photo

    Lawyers and firms should treat knowledge transfer as a business development function, using the sharing of context and institutional know-how to preserve continuity through change, strengthen relationships and create long-term competitive advantage, says Mark Wraight at Stinson.

  • How Private Equity Priorities Will Test The Law Firm Model Author Photo

    The biggest question about private equity moving into the legal sector is no longer whether it can financially succeed, but how law firms can contend with the unavoidable economic, institutional and ethical tensions introduced by external ownership without compromising their core professional commitments, say Kirsten Vasquez and Allison Rosner at Major Lindsey.

  • AI-Powered Search Demands New Legal Marketing Playbook Author Photo

    As potential clients use artificial intelligence tools instead of search engines when looking for counsel, it is a democratizing moment for specialized midsize firms and a compression threat for generalist big-firm brand positioning, says Ronn Torossian at 5WPR.

  • What Law Firm MSOs Can Learn From Accounting Co. Model Author Photo

    Private equity capital has been flowing into accounting firms for years, with investors developing creative structures to work within that field's specific ownership restrictions, and the framework developed by these transactions offers valuable insights for law firms looking for outside investment, says Russell Shapiro at Levenfeld Pearlstein.

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    Legal Tech Talks: StrongSuit CEO On The AI Gold Rush Author Photo

    Justin McCallon, CEO of StrongSuit, discusses how the potential for automation and insight generation with artificial intelligence is massive, but that in legal work, especially litigation, the margin for error is essentially zero.

  • How Leaders Can Foster Professional Growth With Feedback Author Photo

    When law firm leaders provide work product feedback by identifying errors instead of offering guiding input, they miss a key opportunity to treat feedback as a professional development and leadership tool, but several practices can help bridge the gap between intent and impact, says Janet Jackson at Well-Law.

  • Why Marketing Teams Are Vital For Law Firm AI Storytelling Author Photo

    Many law firms are using generic decks for multiple client presentations to articulate their artificial intelligence strategy, but in order to differentiate themselves, it's important to bring marketing teams into the fold to identify what's actually distinctive about how a firm uses AI, says Eric Greenberg at Cox Media.

  • Legal Marketing Conference Highlights Pivotal Time For Firms Author Photo

    The Legal Marketing Association's recent annual conference underscored how advances in artificial intelligence and shifting client expectations are causing law firms to evolve into more structured, data-driven businesses that place greater emphasis on strategy, implementation and measurable results, say Maria Aronson and Gina Rubel at Furia Rubel.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Build Relationship Habits Author Photo

    Meaningful relationships are foundational to business development, and they can be deliberately fostered through a set of habits for authentically, intentionally and consistently connecting with clients and colleagues — starting with people you already know and like, says Matthew Moran at V&E.

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