Business of Law

The Year #MeToo Rocked In-House Law Departments

General counsel from various industries were forced into the spotlight and held publicly accountable this year — either because they allegedly behaved inappropriately or were accused of handling internal situations poorly — as the #MeToo movement swept through corporate America and its in-house law departments.

How To Throw A Holiday Party — Without The Legal Hangover

While holiday parties may be a time-honored tradition for many companies, they present unique challenges that can land careless employers in legal hot water, especially in a year when the #MeToo movement has pushed concerns about workplace sexual harassment to the forefront of public consciousness, attorneys say. Here, Law360 looks at four things employers should keep in mind to make sure that holiday parties don't become fodder for lawsuits.

6 Things That Rocked The Legal Industry In 2018

From a pitched battle over a U.S. Supreme Court nomination to a sea change in the way that legal employers consider their attorneys' mental health and well-being, these were some of the most significant events and trends to hit the legal industry in 2018.

Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attorneys From 71 Firms

The elite slate of attorneys chosen as Law360’s 2018 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

January 15, 2019
DC Circ. Can't Agree On DOJ Stay Requests, Judge Contends

The D.C. Circuit is being inconsistent about whether to pause cases involving the government during the ongoing federal shutdown, a judge on the appeals court said Tuesday, dissenting as a panel refused to delay briefing in a regulatory challenge.
January 15, 2019
Barr Pledges Independence In Oversight Of Mueller Probe

President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general pledged at his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday that he would allow Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to keep running independently.
January 15, 2019
Quinn Emanuel Partner Dies After Lung Cancer Battle

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP partner Steve Anderson, a founding member of the firm’s patent practice, has died after a 15-year battle with lung cancer, the firm has announced.
January 15, 2019
Boston Ripe With Opportunities For Firm Growth

About one in three small and midsize firms in Boston are open to a combination with another firm, according to a survey of law firm leaders released Tuesday, as the city continues to be a locus of growth for firms aiming to develop their presence in the market.
January 15, 2019
Florida's GrayRobinson Picks Up DC Lobbying Firm

GrayRobinson PA is acquiring Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm Eris Group LLC, extending the Florida firm’s lobbying capabilities beyond the state and helping it serve clients at a federal level, the firm announced Tuesday.
January 15, 2019
Blank Rome Can Arbitrate Ex-Dickstein Partners' $4M Suit

A Los Angeles judge told a group of former Dickstein Shapiro LLP partners Tuesday they must arbitrate claims that Blank Rome LLP mischaracterized its hire of more than 100 lawyers from the now-defunct Dickstein as an asset sale, rather than a merger, to avoid paying the former partners $4 million.
January 15, 2019
Legal Tech Download: PE Investments, Acquisitions, AI

The world of legal technology is evolving quickly, with new products coming to market in rapid succession. Here, Law360 takes a look at six recent developments.
January 15, 2019
Firms Turn To Creative Benefits To Attract Legal Talent

In-house and law firm lawyers are increasingly looking for nontraditional perks such as flexible work arrangements and paid meals in addition to six-figure salaries and hefty bonuses, according to a report released Tuesday.
January 14, 2019
Quinn Says High Court Arbitration Ruling Sinks Ex-Partners

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP seized on a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that removed one basis on which parties could escape arbitration, in order to bolster its case in a dispute against a group of former partners it contends must remit fees earned from clients they took to their new firm.
January 14, 2019
House Ousts Rep. King From Committees Over Race Remarks

Congressional leaders on Monday condemned Rep. Steve King and stripped him of his seats on the U.S. House of Representatives' Judiciary and Agriculture committees after critics accused the Iowa Republican of making racist comments in an interview with The New York Times.
January 14, 2019
Kirkland Paid AG Nominee Barr $1.2M Over Two Years

U.S. attorney general nominee William Barr earned almost $1.2 million from Kirkland & Ellis over the past two years and has multiple investments in several major companies, including in AT&T from its acquisition of Time Warner, that could lead to his potential recusal in Justice Department investigations, financial disclosures show.
January 14, 2019
Former Sullivan & Cromwell Chair Dies In Apartment Fire

The former chair and senior partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP was killed along with his wife in an apartment fire in New York City Saturday, according to a report from the New York Daily News.
January 14, 2019
DC Circ.'s First Female Judge Dies At 90

Patricia M. Wald, the first woman to serve on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and the first female attorney at the firm known today as Arnold & Porter, died at age 90 over the weekend, according to news reports.
January 14, 2019
Del. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin J. Carey To Retire In August

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin J. Carey will retire from the Delaware bench in August after nearly 14 years of presiding over insolvency cases in the state, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware announced Friday.
January 14, 2019
High Court Won’t Hear Felon's Challenge To Acting AG

The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that it would not take up a challenge to the legitimacy of controversial acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker posed by an ex-convict who is disputing the federal ban on gun ownership by felons.
January 14, 2019
The Big Picture: How The Shutdown Is Impacting Your Practice

The government shutdown is now the longest in U.S. history, and lawyers and their clients are trying to keep up with what it all means. Here, Law360 takes a look at how this is impacting practices and what lies ahead.
January 14, 2019
Mueller Probe To Dominate Barr Confirmation Hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to start grilling President Donald Trump's attorney general nominee William Barr Tuesday, and the biggest item on the menu is undoubtedly his supervision of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
January 14, 2019
Calif. Judge Accused Of 20-Year Pattern Of Sex Harassment

A California appeals judge engaged in a two-decade pattern of misbehavior that included repeatedly groping a fellow judge, making unwanted sexual advances toward police officers and appearing drunk while purportedly on official business, according to a filing in a disciplinary action made public Monday.
January 14, 2019
Fla. Gov. Taps Miami Appellate Judge For 2nd High Court Seat

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped Third District Court of Appeal Judge Robert J. Luck for an open seat on the Florida Supreme Court on Monday, making the former prosecutor and Greenberg Traurig LLP litigator the second Miami judge on the state's highest court.
January 14, 2019
15 Minutes With Tyson Foods' General Counsel

Amy Tu, who held in-house roles at Boeing, the Gap and Wal-Mart before leading the legal department at Tyson Foods beginning in 2017, doesn't recall a specific pivotal point when she knew she wanted to become a lawyer. Here, she explains her career path and what she didn't previously realize about the general counsel position, and offers advice to attorneys looking to move into the corporate realm.

Expert Analysis

Why AFAs Are Key To The Future Of Legal Practice

Alternative fee agreements can help align law firm and client interests, increase efficiency and eliminate corporate extortion, among other benefits. They are the best thing to happen to the practice of law in decades, says Kelly Eisenlohr-Moul at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.
Series

Judging A Book: Barron Reviews 'The Clamor Of Lawyers'

Can lawyers lead a revolution? According to "The Clamor of Lawyers: The American Revolution and Crisis in the Legal Profession" — a slim but elegant volume by Peter Charles Hoffer and Williamjames Hull Hoffer — they can and they did, says First Circuit Judge David Barron.
Opinion

The Case For Lawyer-Directed Litigation Funding In NY: Part 2

Lawyer-directed nonrecourse litigation funding is more likely to protect a lawyer's exercise of independent professional judgment than traditional means of litigation finance, and furthermore enables worthwhile cases that otherwise could not be funded, say Peter Jarvis and Trisha Thompson of Holland & Knight LLP.
Opinion

The Case For Lawyer-Directed Litigation Funding In NY: Part 1

Contrary to what the New York City Bar Association concluded in an ethics opinion last year, lawyer-directed nonrecourse commercial litigation funding does not violate New York rules on sharing fees with nonlawyers, say Peter Jarvis and Trisha Thompson of Holland & Knight LLP.
7 Questions To Add To Your Lateral Partner Questionnaire

Law firms should redesign the vetting process for lateral candidates so it directly addresses sexual harassment and assault issues, says Howard Rosenberg of Decipher.
Q&A

A Chat With Reed Smith Chief Marketing Officer Sadie Baron

In this monthly series, Amanda Brady of Major Lindsey & Africa interviews management from top law firms about the increasingly competitive business environment. Here we feature Sadie Baron, chief marketing officer at Reed Smith LLP.
'Flexible Work' Makes Freelancing More Viable In BigLaw

The rise of remote work capabilities and advances in technology are making flexible, freelance legal work a more accessible career option for corporate attorneys, say Elizabeth Black and Sara Eng of InCloudCounsel.
Guest Feature

Judge Weinstein On Activism, Gobbledegook, Going Robeless

Judge Jack Weinstein has served in the Eastern District of New York for over half a century. White and Williams LLP attorney Randy Maniloff visited his Brooklyn office to find out what makes the 97-year-old jurist tick.
What To Expect From Technology-Assisted Review In 2019

2018 will be remembered as a transition year for technology-assisted review, and 2019 will likely see a continued focus on how we use TAR, with refinement and expansion across the board, says Thomas Gricks of Catalyst Repository Systems LLC.
2019 Will Bring More Good News For Litigation Finance

Last year saw another round of year-over-year growth in litigation finance, as debates shifted from whether it should be permitted to how it can best be managed. The exciting news, says Alan Guy of Vannin Capital PCC, is that 2019 seems likely to bring more of the same.

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