Business of Law

October 08, 2025
LA County Probes Firm's Conduct In $4B Sex Abuse Deal

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has unanimously voted to launch an investigation into a record $4 billion sex abuse settlement it approved earlier this year following claims that the Downtown L.A. Law Group paid people to file complaints.
October 08, 2025
Gov't Shutdown Essentially 'Freezes' IPO Market, Attys Say

While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission technically remains open during the ongoing government shutdown that has now exceeded one week, staffing shortages have made it increasingly difficult for companies to launch initial public offerings, leaving them with few options.
October 08, 2025
The Legal Advocacy Behind Fan Fiction's Biggest Site

A nonprofit that appears on the docket as a friend of the court in some of the most important copyright cases at the U.S. Supreme Court and federal appeals courts is also responsible for running one of the largest fan fiction sites on the internet.
October 08, 2025
Mass. Atty Gets 9 Years For $3.5M Theft Schemes

A Massachusetts attorney was sentenced on Wednesday by a federal judge to nine years in prison for stealing nearly $3.5 million from friends and two vulnerable relatives, including one who ended up in subsidized housing struggling to afford food.
October 08, 2025
Arnall Golden Sanctioned For Giving Feds ERISA Suit Docs

A California federal judge has ordered Arnall Golden Gregory LLP to pay a $50,000 penalty for giving the U.S. Department of Labor confidential documents United Behavioral Health turned over in a class action accusing the insurer of overcharging workers for out-of-network substance use disorder treatments.
October 08, 2025
Gibbons, Frost Brown Combining As 800-Atty Nationwide Firm

Gibbons PC and Frost Brown Todd LLP announced Wednesday that they will combine at the beginning of 2026 to form FBT Gibbons LLP, creating a nationwide firm with strengths in litigation and transactional work.
October 08, 2025
NJ US Atty Appointment Was 'Shell Game,' 3rd Circ. Told

Two New Jersey criminal defendants this week blasted the Trump administration's attempt to name Alina Habba as U.S. attorney for the state after her interim term ended, telling the Third Circuit that the government's plan was a "shell game."
October 08, 2025
Comey Pleads Not Guilty, Will Contest US Atty's Appointment

Former FBI Director James Comey pled not guilty Wednesday to one count of false statements and another count of obstructing a congressional hearing, appearing in a Virginia federal courthouse for the first time after a shake-up at the U.S. attorney's office netted a grand jury indictment last month.
October 07, 2025
Fed. Circ. Talks Judge Denzel Washington, AI Susan Sarandon

More than half of the Federal Circuit's judges were in Boston on Tuesday conducting out-of-town oral arguments, and afterward they discussed the most concerning and most promising elements of artificial intelligence, how to write a good brief, why en banc hearings are rare and which celebrities they'd love to see on a panel.
October 07, 2025
Williams & Connolly Says It Was Targeted By Foreign Hackers

Williams & Connolly LLP recently discovered that hackers had wormed their way into a few attorney email accounts but that there is no evidence the threat is ongoing, the firm told Law360 Tuesday, amid other attacks on the legal and technology sectors by hackers with suspected ties to the Chinese government.
October 07, 2025
Attys Urge Mass. Courts To Protect Immigrants' Court Access

Civil rights lawyers urged the Massachusetts trial court system to better protect migrants' due process rights amid increasing arrests by federal immigration officers inside and outside courthouses, saying Tuesday the court is "well within its right" to do so.
October 07, 2025
Goldstein's $968K Border Cash Claim To Be Admitted At Trial

A Maryland federal jury will hear claims from prosecutors that SCOTUSblog publisher Tom Goldstein told Dulles International Airport border guards that the $968,000 in cash he brought into the country in 2018 had been gambling winnings, after a judge shot down his efforts to suppress his alleged statements Tuesday.
October 07, 2025
Musk Atty Alex Spiro Faces DQ Bid Ahead Of Twitter Deal Trial

A certified class of former Twitter investors accusing Elon Musk of tanking the social media platform's stock during acquisition negotiations has urged a California federal judge to disqualify Musk's proposed lead trial counsel Alex Spiro before a January trial, arguing he's a "critical first-hand witness" and may testify, according to documents unsealed Monday.
October 07, 2025
Senate Confirms 2 DOJ Nominees, 16 US Attys

The U.S. Senate voted 51-47 Tuesday, along party lines, to confirm a slew of nominees for the U.S. Department of Justice.
October 07, 2025
Senate Confirms Boyden Gray Atty As Trump's Labor Solicitor

The Senate confirmed on Tuesday a Boyden Gray PLLC managing partner as President Donald Trump's nominee for labor solicitor, the third-highest-ranking position at the U.S. Department of Labor.
October 07, 2025
Judge Concerned As Feds Keep Immigration Atty's Phone Data

A federal prosecutor told a Massachusetts judge on Tuesday that the government has returned a phone it seized from an immigration lawyer but does not intend to delete data it pulled from the device, prompting the court to raise concerns that the information could be used to identify and arrest immigrants.
October 07, 2025
Approach The Bench: Judge Kaplan On Suit Against The Gov't

U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Elaine Kaplan's docket doesn't always garner attention in the same way trial court cases do, but that may change as the executive branch makes sweeping budget and policy changes that could lend more political significance to monetary claims against the government.
October 07, 2025
Fitch Even's $1.2M Fee Fight Appears Headed To Arbitration

Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery LLP's $1.2 million fee dispute with a former client and a litigation funder's CEO may be paused and sent to arbitration before the firm can convince an Illinois federal judge to halt any alleged use or transfer of the money at issue.
October 07, 2025
NJ Justices Won't Disturb Locke Lord Win In Oil Co.'s Suit

The New Jersey Supreme Court has declined to review a lower appellate court decision handing a victory to Locke Lord LLP over malpractice claims from an oil processing company on the grounds that the firm does not have a significant connection to New Jersey and cannot be sued in the state's courts.
October 07, 2025
Ex-Reed Smith Atty Says NJ Pay Bias Law Goes Back 6 Years

A former Reed Smith LLP attorney suing the firm for gender discrimination told a New Jersey appeals court Tuesday that a 2018 equal pay law was intended by the Legislature to be a "game changer" and be applied retroactively, expanding the scope of her claims.
October 07, 2025
Bondi Declines To Discuss James Comey Indictment

Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi deflected when questioned on the recent indictment of former FBI Director James Comey and other controversies involving the U.S. Department of Justice.
October 07, 2025
SEC's Atkins Wants To 'Future-Proof' Deregulatory Agenda

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins said Tuesday that he hopes that moving quickly to adopt new rules deregulating the public and private markets will "future-proof" his agenda against potential tampering by succeeding presidential administrations.
October 06, 2025
Chief DC Judge Rejects Feds' Bid To Force Local Indictment

The chief judge for the Washington, D.C., federal court rejected the government's request to make a magistrate judge accept an indictment secured through a local grand jury when the initial federal grand jury declined to indict, after prosecutors argued the tactic is legal and has been used for decades.
October 06, 2025
Womble Bond Atty Tells 4th Circ. He Didn't Mislead Dutch Court

There's no evidence that Womble Bond Dickinson partner Pressly Millen misled a Dutch court or violated a federal judge's correction order in a $28 million trademark dispute, Millen has told the Fourth Circuit in a bid to reverse a contempt order against him.
October 06, 2025
Grassley Probes Judges' Possible AI Use In Faulty Rulings

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed two federal judges on Monday about their possible use of artificial intelligence in court orders that contained a multitude of errors.

Expert Analysis

Series

My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.
8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.
Series

Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.
Opinion

Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.
Series

Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.
DOJ Atty Firing Highlights Tension Between 2 Ethical Duties

The U.S. Department of Justice's recent firing of a prosecutor-turned-whistleblower involved in the Abrego Garcia v. Noem case illustrates the tricky balancing act between zealous client advocacy and a lawyer’s duty of candor to the court, which many clients fail to appreciate, says David Atkins at Yale Law School.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard

District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
Series

Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Opening myself up to new experiences through competing in modern Olympic pentathlon has shrunk the appearance of my daily work annoyances and helps me improve my patience, manage crises better and remember that acquiring new skills requires working through your early mistakes, says attorney Mary Zoldak.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.
How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication

As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.
When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility

As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.
Series

Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.