Meet The Judge Hearing Comey's, James' US Atty Challenges

By Jack Karp

The South Carolina federal judge who will consider former FBI Director James Comey's and New York Attorney General Letitia James' challenges to the authority of the interim U.S. attorney who brought separate criminal charges against them is known for her rigorous preparation and exacting standards.

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Comey Wins Bid For Judge Oversight In Privilege Dispute

By Jared Foretek

A Virginia federal judge has appointed U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Fitzpatrick to preside over the privilege review of seized materials in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against former FBI Director James Comey, denying the DOJ's proposal for an outside "filter team" of government attorneys to conduct the review themselves.

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Sidley's 'Incomplete' Story Hid Fraud Scheme, Family Says

By Chart Riggall

A family alleging it was roped into an illegal tax sheltering scheme on the advice of a former Sidley Austin LLP attorney has urged a Georgia federal judge to keep its suit against the firm alive, arguing a jury should decide when the family knew enough about the fraud to move forward with its claims.

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Bob Mackie Claims JCPenney's Apparel Rips Off His Name

By Dorothy Atkins

Celebrity fashion designer Robert Mackie hit JCPenney with a lawsuit in New York federal court Wednesday, alleging the retailer recently launched its "Mackie: Bob Mackie" clothing collection without his permission and claiming the licensing deal may have been illegitimately cut by his former general counsel who he cut ties with.

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Wash. Justices Debate Judge's Future Amid Court Discord

By Ben Adlin

The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday asked about the practical effect of returning a suspended municipal judge to the bench, probing whether there's any evidence that Judge Tracy S. Flood and staff of the Bremerton Municipal Court would be able to avoid further discord and subsequent impacts on litigants if she went back to her post.

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Atty Accused Of Embezzling $2M Can't Avoid GPS Monitoring

By Elizabeth Daley

A Boston attorney accused of embezzling nearly $2 million from clients before being arrested en route to Iran must remain monitored while awaiting trial, Massachusetts' highest court ruled Thursday, denying his request to remove his GPS tracking device or expand the area he is allowed to traverse.

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California State Judge Admonished For Acts Of Misconduct

By Rose Krebs

A California state judge has been hit with a public admonishment by a judicial watchdog for "numerous acts of misconduct," including discussing litigants and pending cases "in an area of the courthouse where she could be overheard."

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Judge Blasted For Violent Sexual Comments Against Minors

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct has reprimanded a municipal judge for directing sexual remarks at children and wishing sexual violence upon them, noting that the judge exhibited racial bias from the bench.

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Fla. Attys Face Stricter Penalty For Settling Dead Client's Case

By David Minsky

The Florida Supreme Court justices on Thursday said they favored a three-year suspension for two attorneys facing ethics charges, rejecting a recommended 18-month penalty for settling a client's case after he died. 

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Wash. Justices Doubt Lawyer's Bid For Disbarment Rehearing

By Ben Adlin

An attorney for a Washington state lawyer facing disbarment for allegedly stealing more than $250,000 in client funds urged the state's highest court Thursday to reverse the disbarment recommendation and order a rehearing in the disciplinary case.

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Suspended NC Atty Fights Disbarment Bid Over Tax Issues

By Emily Sawicki

A North Carolina attorney currently serving a five-year suspension for misconduct, including tax crimes and commingling funds in a client trust account, is fighting the state bar's appeal seeking to disbar him, telling the state's intermediate appeals court that his failure to withhold income taxes from his own wages is not a crime.

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Habba Cites Essayli Ruling To Defend Role In NJ Cases

By Carla Baranauckas

The U.S. Department of Justice has urged the Third Circuit to reinstate Alina Habba's authority in two criminal prosecutions, arguing a recent California ruling backs her power to supervise cases as first assistant, even if she's barred from acting as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey under federal vacancy law.

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McCarter & English Used Doctrine As 'Whipsaw,' Panel Hears

By George Woolston

A biotech company on Thursday urged a New Jersey appellate panel to revive its legal malpractice suit against McCarter & English LLP, arguing that the claims were distinct from the firm's own suit seeking unpaid fees.

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Ga. Judges OK Axing Of Atty's Slander Suit Against Ex-Client

By Chart Riggall

A Georgia appellate panel Thursday backed the dismissal of an attorney's lawsuit against a former client who sued him for legal malpractice, ruling that the complaint boiled down to an abusive litigation claim that couldn't be pursued until the underlying case was complete.

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Ethics Atty Says Tattler's Timing Supports 'Blackmail' Threat

By Matthew Santoni

A Pennsylvania attorney told a Florida bankruptcy court that debtors he'd been trying to collect from for years had unreported assets, just days after he allegedly threatened their lawyer that he would do so if they didn't pay up, state ethics watchdogs told a disciplinary panel Thursday.

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Mo. Judge Warns Of Sanctions In Peru Lead Poisoning Case

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

A Missouri federal judge is threatening attorneys representing a mining company controlled by billionaire Ira Rennert in a lawsuit over pollution in Peru with serious sanctions for repeatedly disregarding and misrepresenting his orders.

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Ga. Judge Should DQ Self From Med Mal Case, Couple Say

By Kelcey Caulder

A Florida couple have moved to disqualify a Georgia federal judge from presiding over their medical malpractice case, citing alleged conflicts of interest involving the judge's family members and their connections to Southeast Georgia Health System Inc.

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Analysis

Defamation Litigation Roundup: Drake, IRS, Greenpeace

By Theresa Schliep

In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 highlights notable developments in California's anti-SLAPP law following a major Ninth Circuit opinion, as well as a decision — and appeal — in Drake's fight with his record label over Kendrick Lamar's diss track.

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Series

Practicing Stoicism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Practicing Stoicism, by applying reason to ignore my emotions and govern my decisions, has enabled me to approach challenging situations in a structured way, ultimately providing advice singularly devoted to a client's interest, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

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Judges See An Immigration Court Gutted From Inside

By Marco Poggio

Eight former immigration judges who spoke to Law360 say the rough treatment of the immigration courts in President Donald Trump's second term poses an unprecedented threat to judicial independence and is eroding immigrants' due process rights.

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Alaska Joins Utah In Firing Motley Rice From Opioid Case

By Lauren Berg

Alaska joined Utah this month in terminating its contract with Motley Rice LLC, which the state hired nearly a decade ago to pursue litigation over the opioid crisis, saying the law firm didn't disclose it was simultaneously representing other clients in separate opioid litigation.

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Roundup

Up Next At High Court: Tariffs, Fugitives & Contractor Liability

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court will begin its November oral argument session Monday, during which the justices will consider President Donald Trump's authority to impose tariffs on foreign countries under an emergency statute, whether military contractors can be held liable for alleged breaches of contracts in war zones, and if there are time limits for litigants who want to vacate a void judgment. Here, Law360 breaks down the week's oral arguments.

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Texas Atty Sanctioned For Not Disclosing AI Use

By Lynn LaRowe

A Texas federal judge has sanctioned a Dallas-area attorney for failing to disclose that he used artificial intelligence to prepare a summary judgment response that included inaccurate information in a wrongful termination case.

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Ill. Judge Prefers 'Clean' Dismissal Against Ex-Girardi Attys

By Lauraann Wood

An Illinois federal judge told Edelson PC on Friday to either dismiss its conversion case against two former Girardi Keese attorneys in a "clean" and "unadulterated" stipulation or submit legal authority supporting its desire to condition the dismissal on him adopting side agreements the parties outlined in their filing.

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Troutman Owes $3.5M For Malpractice, Med Tech Co. Says

By George Woolston

A healthcare tech company urged a New Jersey state judge on Friday to have Troutman Pepper Locke LLP pay the more than $3.5 million in counsel fees and costs the company and its managing partner incurred successfully litigating legal malpractice claims against the firm, arguing the path to a trial win was lengthy and complex.

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New Rule Limits Loan Forgiveness For Public Service Workers

By Alison Knezevich

The Trump administration has finalized a rule to limit who can qualify for a federal student loan forgiveness program that has been a key incentive for attorneys to pursue public service and nonprofit careers.

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Analysis

Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

By Jeff Overley

In this installment of Wheeling & Appealing, November's appellate calendar features a Trump lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, New York City housing disputes, drug pricing battles, immigrant rights cases, and challenges to so-called patent troll laws.

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Students Defend Law School Application Fee Antitrust Suit

By James Boyle

Plaintiffs in a proposed class action accusing the Law School Admission Council of fixing application fees with its member schools claim in a new filing their complaint is strong enough to survive a motion to dismiss.

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Q&A

First Trans Judge In Mass. Advocates Courtroom Courtesy

By Parker Quinlan

Boston Municipal Court Judge Connor M. Barusch spent nearly two years navigating the complicated process to become a judge in Massachusetts. In this interview with Law360, they say their path to becoming the first judge in state history who identifies as nonbinary and transgender will help diversify the bench and better serve the community.

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IP-Focused Judges Say Less Is More In Patent Litigation

By Theresa Schliep

Attorneys litigating patent cases should exercise discretion when redacting documents, limit the length and volume of motions, and talk to judges the way they talk to juries about complicated intellectual property issues, a panel of IP-focused judges advised Thursday.

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Practising Law Institute Launches Legal Innovation Council

By Andrea Keckley

The Practising Law Institute announced Friday that it is launching its first-ever Innovation Council, which will offer guidance on the integration of emerging technological innovations into the legal industry.

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AccessLex, Southwestern Law Join Up To Study Admissions

By Matt Perez

Legal education nonprofit AccessLex Institute has announced that Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles will be the first school to go through its Admission Innovation Project, which supports and funds efforts by universities to implement and assess new approaches to selecting first-year law students.

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Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

By Bryan Koenig

The Justice Department battled with state attorneys general trying to peek behind its controversial settlement clearing Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Juniper purchase, United Kingdom officials deepened their probe into Getty's proposed acquisition of Shutterstock and Pfizer cried foul when Novo Nordisk tried to swoop in over its Metsera purchase.

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Hub Hires: Cooley, Hinckley Allen, Weil Gotshal

By Chris Villani

The month of October brings with it shorter days, crisp fall weather, and a handful of fresh legal homes for some of Boston's top talent. Cooley boosted its life sciences practice, Hinckley Allen strengthened its litigation team, and Weil snagged an appellate pro.

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

By Max Austin

This past week in London has seen two regional law firms clash at the intellectual property court over the name Amicus Solicitors, Bill's Restaurant face a breach of contract suit by its former executive chair, and a Capita subsidiary sue the Metropolitan Police over a multimillion-pound procurement dispute. 

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GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

Among the stories in corporate legal news in the past week: Google and Apple fired back at an effort to depose their respective CEOs in an antitrust case, and a new survey found most corporate legal departments expect to seek much more help from outside counsel next year.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Kellogg Hansen Todd Figel & Frederick PLLC, Motley Rice LLC and Powell & Majestro PLLC lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Fourth Circuit overturned a key ruling by a West Virginia federal judge in the first federal bellwether in multidistrict opioid litigation.

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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.

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