Worker Can't Force Ogletree Off ADT Pregnancy Bias Suit

By Grace Elletson

A Georgia federal judge rejected a worker's attorney's push to disqualify Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC from defending a security company in a pregnancy bias suit, saying Tuesday that the request lacks merit and "borders on frivolous."

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Ill. Judge's Suit Over MAGA Ouster Paused, But Not Tossed

By Ryan Boysen

A retired Illinois judge whose reinstatement was canceled over a pro-MAGA opinion column will have to sue the state Supreme Court justices in state court, a federal judge ruled Monday, saying the suit doesn't belong in federal court.

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Texas Biz Court Says Exxon Bonus Fight Isn't 'Internal Affairs'

By Elaine Briseño

The Business Court of Texas shifted the $5 million racial discrimination lawsuit of a former Exxon Mobil Corp. executive back to state district court, determining that no provision in the state's governing laws gives it jurisdiction over employment disputes.

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Raymond James, Ex-VP Wrap Up Sex Bias Case

By Grace Elletson

Financial services company Raymond James and a former vice president who said she was fired for complaining about sexism and denied promotions formally ended their Florida federal court battle Tuesday, almost two years after the company got her case kicked to arbitration.

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Feds Argue NASA Union Local Can't Halt Library Shutdown

By Emily Brill

The union local representing workers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland shouldn't be allowed to join its parent union's lawsuit against the Trump administration, the administration is arguing, asking a D.C. federal judge to deny the local's attempt to intervene to save a NASA library.

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Colo. Panel Weighs EFAA's Limits In Club Retaliation Case

By Zach Dupont

A Colorado Court of Appeals panel at oral arguments Tuesday grappled with dueling interpretations of the limits of the phrase "related to" in the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, weighing in on a Denver strip club's appeal attempting to arbitrate a former bartender's retaliation claims.

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4th Circ. Says Worker Can't Revive Wage Classes After Deal

By Benjamin Morse

The Fourth Circuit dismissed a former auto parts worker's appeal of an order decertifying wage and hour classes and a collective action, finding Tuesday he lost standing when he voluntarily settled his individual claims.

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Union Seeks To Enforce Space Needle Worker's Rehire Win

By Katherine Smith

A UNITE HERE local has asked a Washington federal court to enforce an arbitration award ordering the operator of Seattle's Space Needle to reinstate a fired worker, arguing that the company has failed to establish a basis for vacating the award.

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WARN Act Plaintiffs Vie For Control In First Brands Ch. 11

By Vince Sullivan

Attorneys representing two groups of employees terminated by bankrupt auto parts maker First Brands Group asked to be put in control of mass termination litigation against the company, each saying on Tuesday that they have the necessary experience to guide the cases toward class certification.

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Operational AI Washing: Dismantling Claims Before Discovery

Operational AI washing claims can be rebuffed before discovery extracts their true costs by turning the documentary record established in earnings calls and public disclosures into a layered defense, which can exploit the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act’s heightened pleading standards, say attorneys at Akerman.

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2 'Rocket Dockets' And The Rules That Propel Them

The fastest civil trial courts in the country are currently in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida, and their chief judges provide insights into the court rules that keep them ahead, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

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Milbank Raises Associate Pay Scale, Topping Out At $455K

By Kevin Penton

Milbank LLP is increasing associate pay by $10,000 to $20,000 annually, with new salary floors of $235,000 and pay reaching as high as $455,000 for more experienced attorneys, according to the firm.

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BigLaw Could Tap PE Money For Advantage In Talent Wars

By Ryan Boysen

BigLaw firms may soon partner with private equity to gain an edge in the talent wars, potentially reshaping the U.S. legal industry despite fears that the shift could corrode firms' cultures.

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Fox Rothschild Atty Censured Over $2.7M In Unapproved Fees

By Adrian Cruz

A New Jersey-based bankruptcy partner at Fox Rothschild LLP has been censured by the Supreme Court of New Jersey after she was found to have wrongfully disbursed over $2.7 million in fees to her former firms without approval.

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Chicago US Atty Report Denies Grand Jury Misconduct Claim

By Lauraann Wood

The Northern District of Illinois' top prosecutor sought to offer clarity Tuesday surrounding accusations of his possible interference with grand jury proceedings that preceded a criminal conspiracy indictment against six protesters, releasing a special report one defendant's attorney says raises more questions than it answers.

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7th Circ. Fines Deported Migrant's Atty For ChatGPT Misuse

By Emily Sawicki

The Seventh Circuit has rejected a Mexican citizen's petition challenging an immigration court's removal order on the merits, while sanctioning his attorney $5,000 for filing two legal briefs "riddled with" fabricated quotes and case citations hallucinated by ChatGPT.

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Exclusive

Cooley Launches Global Hearings Practice As Scrutiny Rises

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

Cooley LLP has established a global hearings and inquiries practice to help companies prepare comprehensive strategies as they face increased regulatory scrutiny across multiple jurisdictions, the firm exclusively told Law360 on Tuesday.

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Ex-McDermott, Venable Attys Sued Over Estate's $40M Tax Bill

By Dorothy Atkins

The estate of a successful dentist who died in 2017 sued McDermott Will & Schulte LLP, Venable LLP and two attorneys in California state court Monday, alleging they gave negligent legal advice in planning the dentist's estate causing it to owe the IRS $40 million in taxes and penalties.

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Dem AGs Slam Climate Science Removal From Judicial Guide

By Jack Karp

The federal judiciary's decision to strike a chapter on climate change from its guide to scientific evidence is misguided, partisan and "will impede the judiciary's ability to pursue truth," according to a Tuesday letter from nearly two dozen Democratic state attorneys general.

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Bipartisan Bill Would Modernize Court Records Systems

By Matt Perez

U.S. Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Tuesday jointly introduced the Open Courts Act, which they said would modernize the court records systems PACER and CM/ECF.

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Feature

AI Software Contracts Need Careful Review, Attys Are Warned

By Aaron Keller

Attorneys considering adopting artificial intelligence tools must ensure software contracts comply with data privacy laws, and firms should not be afraid to quiz software sales representatives, including by asking how long the software retains data, representatives from two law firms told Connecticut lawyers Tuesday.

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Analysis

Attys Worried Where ICE Will Draw Line In Asylum Crackdown

By Britain Eakin

Immigration attorneys are bracing for heightened scrutiny after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it would crack down on attorneys filing fraudulent asylum claims, expressing fears that the agency could blur the line between fraud and legitimate advocacy.

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DOJ Won't Move Forward With $1.8B Fund, Blanche Confirms

By Courtney Bublé

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers Tuesday, "we're not moving forward" with the controversial $1.8 billion settlement fund.

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Senate Confirms Montana, Kansas Judges

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate confirmed judges Tuesday for Montana and Kansas, one of whom was the first judicial nominee of the second Trump administration to receive a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association.

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Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Arias Sanguinetti's Mike Arias

By Joyce Hanson

When she was team captain with a track and field scholarship at the University of Southern California in the 1990s, Nicole Haynes was in good health and rarely had to see a doctor. So when she got a bad stomachache and her friends encouraged her to visit the USC health center, Haynes said she didn't have the right words to explain why her experience with Dr. George Tyndall had felt so invasive and wrong.

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