Business of Law

May 01, 2024
Here's Why This GC Went Public With Her Bipolar Diagnosis

Kelly Rentzel, who has held several general counsel positions throughout her career, largely credits her law degree for giving her the confidence to talk publicly about her bipolar diagnosis — which is something she had contemplated for two decades before taking the initial steps that ultimately led her to a lectern.
April 30, 2024
Blank Rome Opens Boston Office With New 25-Atty Team

Blank Rome LLP said Wednesday that it has opened a Boston office with 25 corporate and finance attorneys from Burns & Levinson LLP, including 13 partners.
April 30, 2024
Texas Appeals Panel Keeps Court Reporter's AI Case Alive

An Austin, Texas, appeals panel on Tuesday kept alive a court reporter's attempt to pursue an administrative complaint against an artificial intelligence-powered "digital reporting firm," rejecting a state agency's argument that jurisdictional issues block the court reporter from seeking a writ of mandamus compelling the agency to consider her claims.
April 30, 2024
Atty Tells Trump Jury That Hush Money Deal Almost Tanked

An attorney who previously represented adult film star Stormy Daniels told jurors Tuesday in the New York criminal trial of Donald Trump about how the $130,000 hush money agreement at the heart of the case was nearly derailed after former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen would not close the deal.
April 30, 2024
9th Circ. Says Calif. Bar Didn't Violate Student's Fed. Rights

The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the dismissal of an octogenarian law school student's claims that the State Bar of California violated his 14th Amendment protected rights when it refused to excuse his delay in taking a first-year exam, saying the California Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over admission matters.
April 30, 2024
Atty Wants Out Of 'Coup' Suit Over Judge Romance

The former Jackson Walker LLP attorney whose secret relationship with a Texas judge ignited an ethics scandal wants out of a racketeering suit accusing her of "orchestrating a coup" in a bankruptcy case, calling the suit a "dubious" attempt to blame her for an ex-CEO's "disastrous" mismanagement of his family business.
April 30, 2024
6th Circ. Nominee Denies Ethics Accusations Again

A nominee for the Sixth Circuit provided more detail to bolster his denial of claims of ethical misconduct during his time as a prosecutor, as outlined in a follow-up questionnaire.
April 30, 2024
Special Master Rejects Fee Bid In NFL Concussion Case

Goldberg Persky & White PC should not receive a cut of legal fees for its unsuccessful efforts to receive a settlement that another law firm later secured for a former National Football League player related to concussion-linked disability claims, a special master has said.
April 30, 2024
Buffalo Judge Won't Be Ejected For Brawl, Ethics Failures

New York state's judicial ethics watchdog said Tuesday that a Buffalo judge should be censured but not removed following an investigation into a street fight with neighbors during which the judge shoved an officer and touted his ties to the mayor and police, among other ethical lapses.
April 30, 2024
ABA Knocks Down 'Implausible' Data Breach Class Action

The American Bar Association members suing the organization over a data breach have not identified any security measures the ABA failed to take, a New York federal judge said Tuesday when nixing what the organization called the members' "implausible" proposed class action.
April 30, 2024
HSF's Paula Hodges On Arbitration's Future — And Her Own

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP announced earlier this month that Paula Hodges KC will retire from the firm as of Wednesday, with Simon Chapman KC and Andrew Cannon taking her place as co-heads of the global arbitration practice. Law360 recently sat down with Hodges, who spent her entire 37-year career at Herbert Smith Freehills, to talk about what's next, how commercial arbitration has evolved over her career, and her experience as one of the first women in international arbitration.
April 30, 2024
Atty Sanctioned Over Missed Depo During Solar Eclipse Trip

A Florida lawyer whose client missed his own deposition while the attorney was solar eclipse viewing has been ordered to pay related attorney fees incurred by AAA as the business fights a gender discrimination lawsuit.
April 30, 2024
New Florida Moms To Be Excused From Jury Duty

Florida women who have recently given birth will soon be excused from jury duty, with Gov. Ron DeSantis signing a bipartisan bill into law last week.
April 30, 2024
DC Bar Prosecutors Say Jeffrey Clark 'Betrayed His Oath'

Attorney disciplinary authorities in Washington, D.C., have urged an ethics hearing committee to recommend disbarring former U.S. Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark, saying he "betrayed his oath" to the Constitution by aiding former President Donald Trump's efforts to undermine the 2020 elections, and "is not fit to be a member of the District of Columbia Bar."
April 30, 2024
Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: BLB&G's Jeroen Van Kwawegen

Were it not for the University of Amsterdam's study abroad program, Netherlands-born Jeroen van Kwawegen might have never moved to the United States. And were it not for a long-distance relationship that got its start in the U.S., van Kwawegen might still be based across the Atlantic.
April 30, 2024
Ex-DOJ Antitrust Atty Joins Kressin Meador As Name Partner

A former U.S. Department of Justice official who most recently worked at Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLC has joined antitrust boutique Kressin Meador Powers LLC, formerly known as Kressin Meador LLC, as a name partner.
April 30, 2024
Ethics Probes Take Mental Toll On Solo, Small Firm Attorneys

Facing a disciplinary complaint can take a toll on any attorney’s mental health. But for solo practitioners and small firm lawyers, who typically juggle all aspects of their business from handling client matters to administrative tasks like managing trust accounts, it can threaten to upend their lives.
April 30, 2024
Trump Held In Contempt For Trashing Witnesses In NY Trial

A New York state judge on Tuesday found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court for repeatedly violating a gag order in his criminal hush money case by publicly attacking expected witnesses, including his former attorney Michael Cohen.
April 30, 2024
Coverage Recap: Day 5 Of Trump's NY Hush Money Trial

Law360 reporters are providing live updates from the Manhattan criminal courthouse as Donald Trump goes on trial for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments ahead of the 2016 election. Here's a recap from day five.
April 29, 2024
Robinhood's Top Lawyer Saw Pay Slashed By 29% In 2023

Dan Gallagher, the chief legal officer for online securities trading company Robinhood, earned $10.7 million in 2023, a nearly 30% decrease from the $15.1 million he came away with in 2022, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
April 29, 2024
'Hell No': Judge Rejects Ex-NSA Worker's Lighter Sentence Bid

A Colorado federal judge on Monday sentenced a former National Security Agency employee to nearly 22 years in prison for trying to sell classified national security information to someone he believed to be a Russian agent, calling the conduct "as close to treasonous as you can get."
April 29, 2024
Kirkland Adds 2nd Funds Group From Goodwin This Year

Kirkland & Ellis LLP has hired a group of four attorneys specializing in investment funds from Goodwin Procter LLP, the firm said Monday, following its addition of five investment funds lawyers from the same firm in February.
April 29, 2024
NJ Legal Groups Fight Ban On Out-Of-State Atty Referral Fees

The New Jersey State Bar Association and other Garden State professional legal groups are looking to reverse guidance from a New Jersey Supreme Court ethics committee prohibiting the state's certified attorneys from paying referral fees to out-of-state lawyers.
April 29, 2024
11th Circ. Should Nix Tax Court Judges' Shield, Widow Says

The widow of a supermarket butcher told the Eleventh Circuit that the U.S. Tax Court not only wrongly upheld tax liabilities against her stemming from her husband's tax filings but also erroneously affirmed unconstitutional job protections for its judges.
April 29, 2024
Turkey Cos. Seek Swift Appeal Of Burford's Ability To Sue

Some of the country's largest turkey producers have asked an Illinois federal court for permission to immediately appeal a March ruling that allows a Burford Capital investment unit to pursue price-fixing allegations against them, arguing the Seventh Circuit should weigh in on whether the investor is permitted to bring such a claim.

Expert Analysis

AI In IP Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

Keeping up with generative artificial intelligence was the name of the game for intellectual property lawyers in 2023 as the government worked to determine whether AI-generated output is protectable under the law and guest writers assessed the technology's risks and rewards.
The Most-Read Securities Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

Securities guest article topics that piqued reader interest this year include how the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission utilized seldom-used rules to go after bad actors, and how Delaware courts increased scrutiny on boards of directors — sometimes in surprising ways.
The Most-Read Employment Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

This year, some of the most popular employment topics in articles written for Law360's Expert Analysis section focused on workplace diversity, equity and inclusion, new unionization rules from the National Labor Relations Board, and proposed regulations for implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
Managing AI Risks: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

Amid the rapidly developing legal landscape around artificial intelligence, Law360 Expert Analysis writers tackled a range of compliance and litigation challenges, providing insights on privacy in the age of AI, the role of class actions in AI risk mitigation, and the creation of corporate AI policies.
The Most-Read Law360 UK Guest Articles Of 2023

Benefits of the new EU Unified Patent Court, artificial intelligence regulation and M&A trends amid rising inflation were among the hot topics U.K. Expert Analysis articles explored this year.
The Most-Read IP Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office incentives and restrictions, Federal Circuit decisions on exact meaning, and lessons from the comedic whodunit “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” were among popular intellectual property topics guest authors tackled this year.
The Most-Read Trials Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

Law360 guest columnists provided a number of tips and insights for trial attorneys this year, including pitfalls to avoid in witness preparation, color psychology pointers that can enhance trial graphics, and strategies for excluding expert testimony.
The Most-Read Access To Justice Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

In their commentary on emerging access to justice issues this year, Law360 guest experts covered the importance of tiered legal assistance in eviction cases, the evolution of financial bail conditions, and the role of public defenders in addressing the root drivers of crime.
The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.
So You Want To Write A Guest Article?

If your New Year's resolution is to spend more time writing, here's everything you need to know to pitch guest article ideas to Law360.
Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.
How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
Series

Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.
How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys

Excerpt from Practical Guidance

Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.