The Federal Trade Commission announced Friday that it has sent warning letters to 42 major law firms for their purported participation in an outside diversity, equity and inclusion program, alleging their participation could constitute anticompetitive collusion.
Law360
Competition
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

FTC_Chair_at_a_Congressional_Hearing_71946.jpg

FTC Warns 42 Law Firms Of DEI 'Anticompetitive Collusion'

By Sarah Jarvis

The Federal Trade Commission announced Friday that it has sent warning letters to 42 major law firms for their purported participation in an outside diversity, equity and inclusion program, alleging their participation could constitute anticompetitive collusion.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

$2.7B Material Handling Tech Deal OK'd With DOJ Sales

By Bryan Koenig

Columbus McKinnon Corp. will have to sell its power chain hoist and chains businesses under a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice permitting the company's $2.7 billion purchase of Kito Crosby Ltd. from KKR-managed funds.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FTC Requires Facility Sales For $835M Healthcare Deal

By Matthew Perlman

The Federal Trade Commission reached an agreement Friday allowing Sevita Health to move ahead with an $835 million deal for BrightSpring Health Services Inc.'s community living business, conditioned on the sale of more than 100 facilities.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Requires Divestitures For Reddy Ice-Arctic Glacier Tie-Up

By Jared Foretek

The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division is forcing Reddy Ice to divest assets in five geographic areas in order to win approval for a $126 million acquisition of competitor Arctic Glacier.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Inferential Leap' Kills Academic Researchers' Conspiracy Suit

By Bryan Koenig

A New York federal judge took a proposed class of academic researchers to task Friday, permanently dismissing their lawsuit accusing six of academia's largest journal publishers of colluding to stifle their leverage and eliminate pay for peer review work, finding that the publishers' rules being contested do nothing of the sort.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2026 Editorial Boards

Law360 is looking for avid readers of our publications to serve as members of our 2026 editorial advisory boards.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

MERGER REVIEW

Kroger, Albertsons Look To Block FTC Testimony Handover

By Cara Salvatore

Grocery giants Albertsons and Kroger asked a California federal judge to protect sensitive expert testimony that helped the Federal Trade Commission torpedo their planned merger in 2024, which a new FTC target said is urgently needed to show that the regulator is creating contradictory market analyses.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

UP, Norfolk Southern Rip Rival BNSF's Merger Docs Demands

By Linda Chiem

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have accused rival railroad BNSF Railway of trying to delay the regulatory review for their proposed $85 billion mega-merger by demanding that they share thousands more documents, emails and other operational details in what they called a "fishing expedition."

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LITIGATION

Live Nation Plaintiff States Fight Plan To Stay Antitrust Claims

By Ben Adlin

Nearly three dozen states accusing Live Nation of stifling competition in the live entertainment industry urged a New York federal judge not to pause their state-law claims in order to focus on federal law, arguing that handling all claims at once "will be the most efficient approach."

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Drugmakers Ask To Appeal Overarching Conspiracy Claim

By Lauren Berg

A group of pharmaceutical companies that failed to secure a pretrial win on an overarching conspiracy claim in a sprawling generic-drug antitrust enforcement action is asking a Connecticut federal judge to let them seek Second Circuit review, saying the ruling raises a novel legal issue.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

OpenAI Challenges X's Deposition Bid In Antitrust Case

By José Luis Martínez

OpenAI said one of its former executives shouldn't be deposed in an antitrust case brought by X Corp. regarding ChatGPT integration on Apple devices, saying he had nothing to do with the deal.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fanatics, Leagues Want Out Of Card Buyers' Antitrust Suit

By David Steele

Trading card customers accusing Fanatics of manipulating the market through its exclusive deals with the major sports leagues make premature and implausible conclusions, the collectibles giant told a New York federal judge in its bid to dismiss the suit.

4 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Drug Cos. Want Rethink Of DQ Bid Targeting Ex-Prosecutor  

By Aaron Keller

More than two dozen pharmaceutical companies accused of fixing generic-drug prices have again asked a Pennsylvania federal judge to disqualify a former Connecticut assistant attorney general now in private practice from representing insurers Humana Inc. and Molina Healthcare Inc. in a sprawling multidistrict litigation proceeding.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Snoop Dogg's Ice Cream Co. Wants To Mediate 'Swizzle' Claim

By Brian Steele

The rapper Snoop Dogg's ice cream company and multiple Edible Arrangements entities have asked a Connecticut federal court to send their trademark dispute over use of the word "Swizzle" to a magistrate judge for mediation and pause all deadlines in the case until that process is complete.

Report attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

POLICY & REGULATION

US Rebukes WTO Siding With China On Energy Tax Credits

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. Trade Representative condemned the World Trade Organization's decision to side with China in a dispute over energy tax credits passed during former President Joe Biden's term Friday, calling the global body's dispute resolution mechanism inadequate.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

PEOPLE

FTC Taps Goodwin Atty For Consumer Protection Deputy Role

By Emilie Ruscoe

A veteran of Goodwin Procter LLP has been tapped to serve as deputy director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, the regulator announced.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

EXPERT ANALYSIS

Viewing The Merger Landscape Through An HPE-Juniper Lens

If considerations beyond antitrust law were taken into account to determine whether Section 7 of the Clayton Act was violated in the Hewlett Packard Enterprise-Juniper Networks deal, then legal practitioners advocating deal clearance may now have to argue that deals should be justified by considerations not set forth in the merger guidelines, says Matthew Cantor of Shinder Cantor.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Aviation Watch: Busy Skies, Tough Market For Airlines In 2026

After a turbulent year in the U.S. commercial aviation sector, demand for air travel and premium service shows no signs of slackening in 2026, with airlines facing the need to compete in a saturated market, while seeking opportunities for consolidation and pursuing other avenues to profitability, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Aerospace And Defense Law: Trends To Follow In 2026

Some of the key 2026 developments to watch in aerospace and defense contracting law stem from provisions of this year's National Defense Authorization Act, a push to reform procurement, executive orders that announced Trump administration priorities, the upcoming Artemis space mission and continuing efforts to deploy artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LEGAL INDUSTRY

Analysis

Real Estate Attys 'Not Going In Blind' Amid Data Center Boom

By Chris Villani

The explosion of artificial intelligence has created a sharp demand for new data centers with no signs of slowing down, posing challenges that have some real estate attorneys turning to well-worn playbooks from other industries.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Susman Faces Suit After Ex-Client's Arbitration Loss

By Adam Lidgett

Susman Godfrey LLP and a litigation funding business were hit with a lawsuit in Texas state court by an Irish patent litigation business that is challenging the outcome of an arbitration proceeding putting it on the hook for more than $37.8 million.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Attys Rip Judge-Shopping Sanctions As Bid To 'Rewrite' Rules

By Jake Maher

Two Alabama attorneys who were sanctioned for allegedly judge shopping in a civil rights case urged the Eleventh Circuit to toss the sanctions Friday, arguing the judges accusing them were seeking to "rewrite" the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Bill Regulating Attorney AI Use Passes California Senate

By Emily Sawicki

A proposed California law that would regulate attorneys and arbitrators' use of generative artificial intelligence statewide has headed to the Assembly after the state Senate unanimously approved the measure.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Colo. Firm Hit With Proposed Class Action Over Data Breach

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado law firm failed to properly care for the personal information of clients and their customers and did not provide adequate notice of a February 2025 data breach, according to a proposed class action in state court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Litigation Funder Suit Against Janus Henderson Can Proceed

By Ryan Boysen

A lawsuit that claims a Janus Henderson Group subsidiary schemed to take over a mass torts litigation funder can go forward, after a Delaware Chancery Court judge ruled the funder's case was compelling enough to survive a motion to dismiss.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

House To Vote On Reform Of Court Nondisclosure Orders

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., fumed at the House on Friday for trying to undo a provision that allows him and other senators investigated by special counsel Jack Smith to sue for damages and held up the government funding vote as a result. But a bill the House is poised to take up next week could alleviate some of his concerns.

Bill attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

9th Circ. Says DOJ Can Withhold VW Grand Jury Records

By Emily Field

The Ninth Circuit on Friday held that the U.S. Department of Justice couldn't be forced to hand over about 6 million Volkswagen documents that were part of a Jones Day investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal, as the government obtained them through a grand jury subpoena.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

The Message From Delaware Courts: Change Is Coming

By Jeff Montgomery

Delaware's Supreme Court delivered a reminder to the state's corporation law ecosystem recently with a reversal of a Court of Chancery decision invalidating a 7-year-old stockholder agreement that granted broad corporate powers to investment bank Moelis & Co.'s founder.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Max Austin

This past week in London saw collapsed solar bonds company Rockfire Capital sue the Royal Bank of Scotland, e-ticket platform Eventbrite target the owners of Salford Red Devils rugby club over an alleged contract breach, and Scottish distiller William Grant & Sons square off against a former MP in a trademark tussle tied to its Glenfiddich whisky. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

When Minnesota-based companies publicly called for de-escalation after two fatal shootings by federal ICE agents, the nation saw how CEOs and their general counsel can step up amid controversy. And a new study shows that white collar offenders received more than half of all recent pardons. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Kellogg Hansen Todd Figel & Frederick PLLC leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a D.C. Circuit panel revived a lawsuit that accuses pharmaceutical companies of aiding a Hezbollah-linked militia's terrorism in Iraq.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Promo that reads 2025 Practice Groups of the Year

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

A&O Shearman

Addleshaw Goddard

Advisors LLC

Alston & Bird

Alston Asquith

Arnold & Itkin

Arnold & Porter

Axinn Veltrop

Bailey & Glasser

Bailey Duquette

Baker & Hostetler

Baker Botts

Baker McKenzie

Berger Montague

Blank Rome

Bradley Arant

Buchanan Ingersoll

CJ Jones Solicitors

CMS Cameron McKenna

Charhon Callahan

Christensen Law LLC

Clark Hill

Cleary Gottlieb

Clyde & Co

Competition Law Partners

Cooley LLP

Covington & Burling

Cravath Swaine

Curtis Mallet-Prevost

DAC Beachcroft

DLA Piper

DWF LLP

Davis Malm & D’Agostine

Davis Polk

Debevoise & Plimpton

Dechert LLP

Dentons

Dominick Feld

Faegre Drinker

Fine Kaplan

Finn Dixon

Finnegan

Foley & Lardner

Fox Rothschild

Fried Frank

Gibson Dunn

Goodwin Procter

Gordon Rees

Greenberg Traurig

Hausfeld LLP

Hogan Lovells

Holland & Knight

Husch Blackwell

JCP Solicitors

Jackson Lewis PC

Jones Day

K&L Gates

Kaplan & Grady

Kasowitz LLP

Keker Van Nest & Peters

Kellogg Hansen

Kelly Hart

King & Spalding

Kirkland & Ellis

Knights PLC

Kuit Steinart

Labaton Keller

Latham & Watkins

Law Offices of David W. Klasing

Law Offices of Irving L. Wiesen

Leach & Walker

Lester Aldridge

Lewis Brisbois

Lieff Cabraser

Lightfoot Franklin

Linklaters LLP

Littler Mendelson

Lowey Dannenberg

Lynn Pinker

Mayer Brown

Maynard Nexsen

McDermott Will & Schulte

McGuireWoods

Meritz Reddy

Milberg Coleman

Mills & Reeve

MoloLamken

Montgomery Little

Morgan Lewis

Morris Nichols

Nabarro LLP

Nelson Mullins

Norton Rose

Ogletree Deakins

Pashman Stein

Paul Weiss

Perkins Coie

Polsinelli PC

Proskauer Rose

Reed Smith

Robbins Alloy

Robins Kaplan

Ropes & Gray

Rule Garza

Russell-Cooke

Saxton & Stump

Schneider Wallace

Shakespeare Martineau

Sheppard Mullin

Shinder Cantor

Shook Hardy

Sidley Austin

Signature Litigation LLP

Skadden Arps

Smith Gambrell

Sperling Kenny

Sullivan & Cromwell

Susman Godfrey

Tannenbaum Helpern

Taylor Wessing

Thompson Hine

Troutman

Venable LLP

Wachtell Lipton

Weil Gotshal

White & Case

Wiggin & Dana

WilmerHale

Wilson Elser

Wilson Sonsini

Winston & Strawn

Zelle LLP

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

3M Co.

AirTran Holdings, Inc.

Allergan PLC

American Airlines Group Inc.

Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Apple Inc.

Arctic Glacier Inc.

Arxada

Ascend Laboratories LLC

Ashland Inc.

Association of Corporate Counsel

AstraZeneca PLC

Aurobindo Pharma Ltd.

Avenue Capital Group

Avet Pharmaceuticals Inc.

BNSF Railway Co.

Baker Hughes Co.

Bank of America Corp.

Bank of Cyprus Holdings PLC

Barclays PLC

Bausch Health Cos. Inc.

Beacon Specialized Living

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.

Berkshire Hathaway Energy GT&S

Breckenridge Pharmaceutical Inc.

BrightSpring Health Services

Burke Inc.

CSX Corp.

Canadian National Railway Company

Canadian Pacific Kansas City

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.

Cargill Inc.

Cisco Systems Inc.

Clayton Dubilier & Rice LLC

Columbus McKinnon Corporation

Comcast Corp.

Convex Insurance UK Ltd.

Costco Wholesale Corp.

Cottrell Inc.

Delta Air Lines Inc.

ESPN Inc.

Edible Arrangements LLC

Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Epic Pharma LLC

Eventbrite Inc.

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

FTI Consulting Inc.

Fanatics Inc.

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc.

Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Frontier Airlines Inc.

G&W Laboratories Inc.

GE HealthCare Technologies Inc.

Google LLC

HDI Global SE

HSBC Holdings PLC

Hawaiian Holdings Inc.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

Hulu LLC

Humana Inc.

Insurance Europe Ltd.

Investments Ltd.

Janus Henderson Group PLC

JetBlue Airways Corp.

John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Johnson & Johnson

Juniper Networks Inc.

Justice Catalyst Law

Kansas City Southern

Kito Crosby

Lambda Legal Defense & Educational Fund

Lannett Company, Inc

Leidos Holdings Inc.

LexisNexis Legal & Professional

LinkedIn Corp.

Live Nation Entertainment Inc.

Lloyds Bank PLC

Longford Capital Management LP

Lupin Ltd.

Major League Baseball Inc.

Marriott International Inc.

Match.com Inc.

McDonald's Corp.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. SA

Meta Platforms Inc.

Microsoft Corp.

Moelis & Co.

Molina Healthcare Inc.

National Westminster Bank PLC

Norfolk Southern Corp.

Novo Nordisk A S

OpenAI OpCo LLC

Oxford University Press Ltd.

Paramount Global

Perrigo Co. PLC

Pfizer Inc.

RELX PLC

RPA

Reddy Ice Holdings Inc.

Rocket Homes

Sage Publications Inc.

Sam's Club

Sandoz International GmbH

SentencingStats.com Inc.

Sevita

Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits LLC

Southwest Airlines Co.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Spectrum Management Holding Co.

Spirit Airlines Inc.

Springer Nature Ltd.

Sprouts Farmers Market LLC

Stanford University

Sun Country Airlines

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

T-Mobile US Inc.

Target Corp.

Tech Policy Institute

Tesla Inc.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

The Boeing Co.

The Carlyle Group Inc.

The Home City Ice Co.

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC

The UPS Store

The Walt Disney Co.

TikTok Inc.

Union Pacific Corp.

United Airlines Holdings Inc.

United Parcel Service Inc.

University of Arkansas

University of Iowa

University of Virginia

Viatris Inc.

Victory Park Capital Advisors LLC

Vinci SA

Volkswagen AG

Walmart Inc.

William Grant & Sons Ltd.

Wolters Kluwer

X Corp.

YouTube Inc.

Zydus Pharmaceuticals Inc.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Alabama Attorney General's Office

Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals

California Air Resources Board

Companies House

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Delaware Court of Chancery

Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Trade Commission

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

New York Attorney General's Office

Serious Fraud Office

Surface Transportation Board

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Transportation

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Government Accountability Office

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

UK High Court

UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO)

United States District Court for the District of Colorado

World Trade Organization