Business of Law

  • October 02, 2025

    Tenn. 'Gag Order' Ruling Against Atty Axed After Rule Change

    The Sixth Circuit has vacated a decision that a Nashville attorney lacked standing to challenge a since-rescinded Middle District of Tennessee rule restricting lawyers' so-called extrajudicial statements.

  • October 02, 2025

    Baker McKenzie Brings New Suit Against Ex-Associate In DC

    A former Baker McKenzie tax attorney who publicly accused the firm's Washington, D.C., managing partner of sexual assault was previously in a relationship with the managing partner's son, the firm has said in a revised defamation complaint.

  • October 01, 2025

    Trump Taps Federal Immigration Judge As Next Wash. US Atty

    Federal Immigration Judge Charles Neil Floyd has reportedly been selected by President Donald Trump as the next U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington.

  • October 01, 2025

    Squires Jumps Right Into Patent Eligibility Reform

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires used his first week at the agency to make bold statements about what should be eligible for patenting, with patent owners celebrating his support of diagnostics, crypto and machine learning technologies.

  • October 01, 2025

    Google Unit Flags China-Linked Cyberthreat To Legal Sector

    The U.S. legal sector, as well as the software and tech industries, are being targeted by hackers with suspected ties to the Chinese government who use malware to creep into computer systems and maintain access to the targeted organizations, according to a warning issued by Google's Threat Intelligence Group.

  • October 01, 2025

    Prosecutors, Defense Face Confrontation Crisis After Smith

    As state courts grapple with the U.S. Supreme Court's broadened application of the Sixth Amendment's confrontation clause, unwary prosecutors and defense attorneys could easily end up in an evidentiary bind.

  • October 01, 2025

    Reed Smith Seeks 2nd Circ. Help Over Eletson Orders

    Reed Smith LLP has urged the Second Circuit to nix an order displacing the firm as counsel and requiring it to turn over client files for international shipping group Eletson Holdings Inc. to lawyers representing the company's new owners, saying Eletson's bankruptcy plan has not validly taken effect.

  • October 01, 2025

    Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

    The Federal Trade Commission put the final tweaks on its deal allowing a $13.5 billion merger of marketing companies to move ahead and pushed its bid to block a merger in the medical device coatings industry, while U.K. enforcers launched a number of merger probes.

  • October 01, 2025

    USPTO Lays Off Employees, Closes Rocky Mountain Office

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office laid off some employees Wednesday as part of a reduction-in-force that's affecting around 1% of the agency's workforce, making the move on the first day of the government shutdown, according to sources familiar with the plans.

  • October 01, 2025

    Fed. Bill Would Let Judges Be Sued Over Repeat Offenders

    A federal lawmaker from North Carolina has proposed a bill to create a pathway for crime victims and their families to sue judges found to have acted with "intentional disregard for public safety" by releasing individuals convicted of violent crime who go on to re-offend.

  • October 01, 2025

    The Top In-House Hires Of September

    Legal department hires over the past month included high-profile appointments at Microsoft, TD Bank and Compass. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from September.

  • October 01, 2025

    Ex-Immigration Judge, DOJ Settle Bias Suit

    The U.S. Department of Justice and a former immigration judge agreed Wednesday to settle a lawsuit in Florida federal court alleging she was denied a hardship transfer and reasonable accommodation due to her gender and age.

  • October 01, 2025

    Va. Prosecutor Indicting Comey Tapped For Full US Atty Role

    The interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who is bringing charges against former FBI Director James Comey, has been tapped by President Donald Trump for the full-term role.

  • October 01, 2025

    Hub Hires: Morgan Lewis, WilmerHale, Simpson Thacher

    Other than the Red Sox and a few muggy late summer days, few things were hotter in September than the Boston legal market. Morgan Lewis made four lateral hires, WilmerHale welcomed back an experienced life sciences attorney, and Simpson Thacher snagged a former Goodwin banking lawyer.

  • October 01, 2025

    Pick For Del.'s 3rd Circ. Seat Advances Despite Few State Ties

    Jennifer L. Mascott, nominee for a Delaware seat on the Third Circuit, who is currently serving in the White House Counsel's Office and has come under scrutiny for her lack of ties to the state, had her nomination voted out of committee along party lines Wednesday.

  • September 30, 2025

    Nevada US Atty 'Not Validly Serving,' Judge Says In DQ Order

    Nevada's top federal prosecutor was disqualified from overseeing a handful of criminal cases after a federal judge on Tuesday determined she is "not validly serving as acting U.S. attorney" and that her involvement in the cases "would be unlawful."

  • September 30, 2025

    Full 5th Circ. To Revisit Trump Use Of Wartime Removal Law

    The Fifth Circuit on Tuesday ordered all of its judges to revisit a split decision that found President Donald Trump's proclamation invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members to be likely unlawful.

  • September 30, 2025

    DOJ Sues LA Sheriff's Department Over Delayed Gun Permits

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday accused the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department of infringing Californians' Second Amendment rights, days after the DOJ announced a new office focused on affirmative litigation against local governments and private entities that interfere with federal policies.

  • September 30, 2025

    'Unseemly': Judge Blasts Feds' 'End Run Around' Grand Jury

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge has refused to accept an indictment after learning that prosecutors used a local grand jury to get a do-over when the initial federal grand jury declined to indict, saying he "will not rubberstamp the breaking of decades-long norms and the rule of law."

  • September 30, 2025

    Murdaugh's Banker Sentenced To 60 Months After Guilty Plea

    The onetime bank CEO who pled guilty in South Carolina federal court to helping ex-lawyer and convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh steal client money has been sentenced to 60 months in prison, the same amount specified in his plea deal.

  • September 30, 2025

    Mass. Judge Issues Stinging Rebuke Of Protester Removals

    A Massachusetts federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration's policy of arresting, detaining and trying to deport foreign students for Palestinian advocacy violates the First Amendment, which the judge said protects the free speech of noncitizens and citizens alike.

  • September 30, 2025

    Senate Bill Would Allow Claims Against AI Cos.

    A pair of senators unveiled a bill Tuesday that would classify artificial intelligence technologies as products under the law to allow consumers to sue if an AI product causes harm, an issue testing the courts as litigation targets AI-fueled chatbots.

  • September 30, 2025

    Ford Says 'Reckoning' At Hand For Lemon Law Firms

    The Ford Motor Co. has urged a Los Angeles federal judge to keep alive a racketeering lawsuit alleging three law firms specializing in California's lemon law engaged in a "death-by-a-thousand-cuts" fraudulent billing scheme to bleed the automaker dry, arguing the firms' immunity claims don't hold up.

  • September 30, 2025

    Deel Urges Court To DQ Quinn Emanuel In Trade Secrets Fight

    Payroll and human resources company Deel Inc. is urging a Delaware state court to disqualify Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP from representing its competitor Rippling in a trade secrets fight, saying its request is "a textbook case for disqualification" due to a conflict of interest.

  • September 30, 2025

    FCA Suit Tainted By Expert's AI 'Hallucination' Gets Dismissed

    A False Claims Act suit rocked by allegations of AI-generated hallucinations in an expert's report ended Tuesday after the federal government joined the case and quickly urged a Utah federal judge to throw it out.

Expert Analysis

  • Considering Chevron's End Through A State Tax Lens

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    States took the lead in encouraging Chevron's demise, turning away from Chevron-type deference in state tax administration ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, a trend likely to accelerate as courts take a more active role in interpreting tax laws, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Comparing Antitrust Outlooks Amid Google Remedy Review

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    As the U.S. Justice Department mulls potential structural remedies after winning its recent case against Google, increased global scrutiny of Big Tech leaves ex post and ex ante antitrust approaches ripe for evaluation, say Nishant Chadha at the Indian School of Business and Manisha Goel at Pomona College.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • Series

    After Chevron: The Future Of OSHA Enforcement Litigation

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion in Loper Bright provides a blueprint for overruling the judicial obligation to defer to an agency's interpretation of its own regulations established by Auer, an outcome that would profoundly change the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s litigation and rulemaking landscape, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

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