DC Pulse


  • Justices Revive Mississippi Death Row Inmate's Batson Claim

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a Black Mississippi death row prisoner who argued racial discrimination tainted his jury selection is entitled to habeas corpus relief, finding that Mississippi's courts improperly rejected his challenge to the prosecutor's juror strikes.

  • Justices Say First Step Act Not 'Vehicle' For Innocence Claim

    The U.S. Supreme Court held Thursday that judges lack wide discretion to pare down sentences for criminal defendants under the First Step Act based on questions about the validity of a conviction, shutting the door on a potential wave of postconviction relief petitions, experts said.

  • High Court Says First Step Act Can't Inform Early Releases

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that changes in mandatory minimum sentences cannot be considered retroactively when weighing if a federal prisoner should be granted early release.

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    Justices Say 'Last-Mile' Drivers Can Skip Arbitration

    An exemption to federal arbitration requirements for workers engaged in interstate commerce can extend to what are known as last-mile drivers who locally deliver goods that travel interstate, the U.S. Supreme Court held Thursday, resolving an issue that lingered after previous high court decisions.

  • Meet Biden's Attys Fighting DOJ Release Of Memoir Materials

    Former President Joe Biden has selected Hecker Fink LLP lawyers well acquainted with politically charged litigation for his extraordinary new lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Justice of orchestrating a congressional inquiry in order to divulge "highly personal" records to the Heritage Foundation.

  • DOJ Urges Justices To Skip $400M Spain Award Cases

    The Trump administration is urging the U.S. Supreme Court not to disturb a D.C. Circuit decision laying a path to enforce more than $400 million in arbitral awards against Spain, arguing that the decision, while flawed, does not warrant further review because the asserted circuit conflict is "shallow."

  • US Tells Justices To Hold 'Lightning Rod' Health Ministry Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court should hold out on deciding whether a New Mexico insurance law violates the religious rights of nonprofit healthcare-sharing ministries that provide cheap, Christian-focused health insurance options while the justices decide a similar case, the U.S. solicitor general told the court. 

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    Ex-DC Prosecutor Brings Victim Focus To Plaintiffs Shop

    Longtime D.C. federal prosecutor Nicholas Miranda is part of a wave of attorneys who have left the federal government over the past year, but his career path looks different from many others. He now represents plaintiffs at Levin Law PA, a Miami-based firm that targets financial fraud and privacy violations, work he says continues his yearslong focus on victims.

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    Arnall Golden Adds 3 Real Estate Attys In Atlanta, DC

    Arnall Golden Gregory LLP has hired three attorneys in two of its offices who focus on real estate matters, bringing to the firm perspectives from having represented owner-operator and retail clients, as well as developers and financing clients.

  • Trump Taps Ohio Appeals Judge For Federal Bench

    President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he's nominating state Judge Matthew Byrne as a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Ohio.

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    Spencer Fane Charts Growth With Eye On Culture, Client Base

    Spencer Fane LLP has grown to become a national firm of more than 600 attorneys through a merger-heavy growth strategy that has recently begun to include larger markets, while also looking to preserve its culture and commitment to midmarket clients.

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    Sher Tremonte Hires DOJ Antitrust Litigation Director

    Sher Tremonte announced on Wednesday that it has hired the former litigation director of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, touting her work at the helm of historic monopolization and conduct cases.

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    Experienced Hires Overtook Law School Recruiting In 2025

    Most associate hiring occurred at the experienced level last year rather than from law schools, a marked shift from previous years, according to a white paper released Wednesday by legal data company Firm Prospects.

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    Quinn Emanuel Sues To Collect $1.5M From Binance's Zhao

    Quinn Emanuel has filed suit in Washington, D.C., against former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, who was pardoned by President Donald Trump last fall, asking the court to enforce an arbitral award of nearly $1.5 million in unpaid attorney fees and other costs.

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    Arnall Golden Adds Foley Hoag Arbitration Lead

    Arnall Golden Gregory LLP has tapped a former Foley Hoag LLP partner to serve as its international dispute resolution lead in Washington, D.C., where she will represent sovereign states and state-owned entities as well as private clients in investor-state arbitrations.

  • Copyright Suits Against Jan. 6 Attys Won't Be Tossed

    Attorneys who represented Jan. 6 defendants will have to face a consultant's claims that they copied her jury-attitude report without permission after a D.C. federal judge rejected their arguments that their conduct fell under fair use and the public's right to access court records.

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    Wiley Hit With Proposed Class Action Over Data Breach

    Wiley Rein LLP has been hit with a proposed class action accusing the Washington, D.C., firm of negligence after the firm said a group that may be affiliated with the Chinese government accessed emails of firm personnel.

  • Foley & Lardner Expands Use Of AI Platform Harvey

    Foley & Lardner LLP has expanded its artificial intelligence capabilities with a recent deployment of AI platform Harvey firmwide after what it says was a successful pilot program.

  • Justices To Consider Taking Judge Newman Case On June 11

    The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide whether to take up U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's petition seeking to overturn her suspension from the Federal Circuit on June 11, according to a notice posted Tuesday.

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    BigLaw Enters Its Post-Partnership Era Of Governance

    The days of BigLaw equity partners having a say in the daily operations of a law firm are all but gone, as firms shift away from consensus and toward executive decision-making amid fierce competition in the legal industry.

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    Pirro, Blanche Fight DQ Bid In Attempted Assassination Case

    U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche are fighting a bid from the California man accused of an attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner to disqualify them from handling the case.

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    Justices Order Redo In Immigration Judges' Free Speech Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed a Fourth Circuit order that had revived the immigration judges union's challenge to restrictions on their ability to speak publicly, finding the lower court abused its discretion by relying on arguments not raised by either party, and ordered further proceedings.

  • Justices Won't Review Mining Co.'s Federal Indemnity Bid

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to tackle a uranium mining company's lawsuit seeking $15 million in legal costs from the federal government related to nuclear contamination liabilities.

  • Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar

    This past year, 10 lawyers across the country at plaintiffs' firms big and small helped secure millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for their clients, going up against powerful defendants like Google, Monsanto and the Trump administration, earning the attorneys recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2026.

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    Ogletree Revamps Gov't Contracts Team Amid Trump Orders

    Labor and employment firm Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC has revamped its practice group for clients who do business with the government, expanding the team's focus as federal contractors face new executive orders and regulatory changes.

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Expert Analysis

  • 5 Best Practices For Firms Designing DEI Programs Author Photo

    Nikki Lewis Simon, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Greenberg Traurig, discusses best practices — and some pitfalls to avoid — for law firms looking to build programs aimed at driving inclusion in the workplace.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs Author Photo

    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Juggle Billables And Other Activities? Author Photo

    While involvement in internal firm initiatives can be rewarding both personally and professionally, associates' billable time requirements don’t leave much room for other work, meaning they must develop strategies to ensure they’re meeting all of their commitments while remaining balanced, says Melanie Webber at Fisher Phillips.

  • Making Legal Cents: How To Adapt As Clients Tighten Budgets Author Photo

    Amid a dip in corporate legal spending and client pushback on bills, Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants highlights specific in-house counsel frustrations and explains how firms can provide customized legal advice with costs that are supported by undeniable value.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents Author Photo

    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • General Counsel And Legal Ops Must Work Together Author Photo

    It is critical for general counsel to ensure that a legal operations leader is viewed not only as a peer, but as a strategic leader for the organization, and there are several actionable ways general counsel can not only become more involved, but help champion legal operations teams and set them up for success, says Mary O'Carroll at Ironclad.

  • How Generative AI's Growing Memory Affects Lawyers Author Photo

    A new ChatGPT feature that can remember user information across different conversations has broad implications for attorneys, whose most pressing questions for the AI tool are usually based on specific, and large, datasets, says legal tech adviser Eric Wall.

  • A Model For Optimal Legal Tech Investment Strategy Author Photo

    Legal organizations struggling to work out the right technology investment strategy may benefit from using a matrix for legal department efficiency that is based on an understanding of where workloads belong, according to the basic functions and priorities of a corporate legal team, says Sylvain Magdinier at Integreon.

  • Series

    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Recruiter Author Photo

    Self-proclaimed "Lawyer Doula" Danielle Thompson at Major Lindsey shares how she went from Columbia Law School graduate and BigLaw employment associate to a career in legal recruiting — and discovered a passion for advocacy along the way.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Balance Social Activism With My Job? Author Photo

    Corporate attorneys pursuing social justice causes outside of work should consider eight guidelines for finding equilibrium between their beliefs and their professional duties and reputation, say Diedrick Graham, Debra Friedman and Simeon Brier at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Personality Tests And Machine Learning Applications In Law Author Photo

    Mateusz Kulesza at McDonnell Boehnen looks at potential applications of personality testing based on machine learning techniques for law firms, and the implications this shift could have for lawyers, firms and judges, including how it could make the work of judges and other legal decision-makers much more difficult.

  • AI Is Reshaping Lawyering: What To Expect In 2024 Author Photo

    The future of lawyering is not about the wholesale replacement of attorneys by artificial intelligence, but as AI handles more of the routine legal work, the role of lawyers will evolve to be more strategic, requiring the development of competencies beyond traditional legal skills, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Embrace Active Voice In Legal Writing — In Most Cases Author Photo

    Legal writers should strive to craft sentences in the active voice to promote brevity and avoid ambiguities that can spark litigation, but writing in the passive voice is sometimes appropriate — when it's a moral choice and not a grammatical failure, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona's James E. Rogers College of Law.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Help Associates Turn Down Work? Author Photo

    Marina Portnova at Lowenstein Sandler discusses what partners can do to aid their associates in setting work-life boundaries, especially around after-hours assignment availability.

  • How AI Legal Research Tools Are Shifting Law Firm Processes Author Photo

    Although artificial intelligence-powered legal research is ushering in a new era of legal practice that augments human expertise with data-driven insights, it is not without challenges involving privacy, ethics and more, so legal professionals should take steps to ensure AI becomes a reliable partner rather than a source of disruption, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

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