After nearly two hours of argument in which counsel for the founding partner of a trusts and estates law firm argued that the firm should have to notice his departure to thousands of clients, a North Carolina Business Court judge seemed a bit perplexed Wednesday as to why the parties didn't resolve the client list spat with a North Carolina State Bar ethics opinion.
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TOP NEWS

Ex-Partner Seeks 2,000 Client Notices In NC Estate Firm Fight

By Abigail Harrison

After nearly two hours of argument in which counsel for the founding partner of a trusts and estates law firm argued that the firm should have to notice his departure to thousands of clients, a North Carolina Business Court judge seemed a bit perplexed Wednesday as to why the parties didn't resolve the client list spat with a North Carolina State Bar ethics opinion.

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Foreign Aides' RICO Labor Suit Against PruittHealth Hits NC

By Abigail Harrison

A Tennessee federal judge has agreed to transfer to North Carolina a year-old class action in which foreign workers say a healthcare system and recruiter trapped them in punitive contracts and buried them in grueling labor, after a judge said the action could have been filed in the Tar Heel State in the first place.

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Co.'s Dual Citizenship Doesn't Kill Jurisdiction, 4th Circ. Told

By Hayley Fowler

A medical supply company urged the Fourth Circuit on Wednesday to revive its suit against a U.K. company over COVID-19 test kits, arguing the Chinese citizenship of one of its members doesn't destroy a North Carolina federal judge's ability to hear the case.

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Uber Has Duty Of Safety Under NC Law, Passenger Claims

By Jonathan Capriel

Uber is "obviously" a transportation company providing rides to the public and therefore can be held liable when its drivers sexually assault customers, a passenger told the California federal court overseeing the sprawling multidistrict litigation, urging the court not to fall for the company's "misdirection."

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LITIGATION

Oak View Exec Tells Jury Of Deal To Hype Ticketmaster

By Stewart Bishop

The CEO of Oak View Group told a Manhattan federal jury Wednesday that his company didn't inform other venue owners that it was being paid to "advocate" for them to use Ticketmaster as a vendor for ticketing services, but said he still would recommend the Live Nation subsidiary anyway since it's the best in the business.

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FOURTH CIRCUIT

4th Circ. Says Md. Justices, Gov. Not To Blame For Debt Writs

By Tom Lotshaw

A split Fourth Circuit panel has ruled that three military families cannot blame Maryland's supreme court justices or governor after state court clerks recognized allegedly defective out-of-state judgments and issued garnishment writs freezing their bank accounts.

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FINRA Constitutionality Case Belongs In 4th Circ., Judge Says

By Jessica Corso

A North Carolina federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's in-house disciplinary process, saying the case belongs before the Fourth Circuit.

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Md. Tells 4th Circ. Not To Revive Pot Licensing Suit

By Mike Curley

Maryland cannabis regulators are urging the Fourth Circuit to leave dismissed a California entrepreneur's suit alleging that its social equity licensing program discriminates against out-of-state operators, saying her complaint fails to establish any real harm.

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POLICY & REGULATION

PTAB Was Never '100% Discretionary,' Rep. Issa Tells Squires

By Dani Kass

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires is exceeding the authority Congress intended to grant him in the America Invents Act for discretionarily denying patent challenges, the U.S. House of Representatives' intellectual property leader said Wednesday.

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Lawmakers Aim To Advance Bills Bolstering Patent Rights

By Ryan Davis

A bipartisan pair of lawmakers said at a conference Wednesday that they plan to make a push to pass legislation aimed at establishing stronger patent rights in the coming year, including bills limiting patent challenges and setting rules on which inventions are eligible for patents.

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DEALS

Nexstar Says No Harm On The Horizon From $6.2B Tegna Deal

By Nadia Dreid

Nexstar and Tegna have come out swinging against a "last-minute, unfounded" attempt by eight states to block the companies from continuing to co-mingle their businesses following their $6.2 billion television station merger after receiving the go-ahead from the Federal Communications Commission.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

White & Case Staffer Sues Firm Over Nude Photo Ridicule

By Dorothy Atkins

A White & Case LLP staffer sued the law firm in New York state court Wednesday, alleging the firm's purported "hostile work environment" shielded his colleagues after they allegedly shared nude photos of him, which he claims were taken by his supervisor while he was unconscious at a firm-sponsored party.

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Akin Must Explain Client's 'Self-Indulgent' 9th Circ. Appeal

By Lauren Berg

Upholding a foreign arbitration award against a wine importer, the Ninth Circuit on Thursday ordered its attorneys at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP to explain why they and their client shouldn't pay their opponent's attorney fees for bringing a "frivolous" and "self-indulgent" appeal.

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Troutman, Former Associate Fight Over Scope Of Bias Trial

By Emily Sawicki

Weeks ahead of an anticipated May trial over discrimination and retaliation claims brought by a former Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP associate, the firm and its onetime employee are sparring over the scope of evidence that may be presented at trial.

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Maduro Judge Hints US Should Reconsider Legal Fee Refusal

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge suggested Thursday that the Trump administration should revisit its refusal to allow former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to access his country's funds to pay for his defense against narco-terrorism and trafficking charges.

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Antitrust Leaders Say Lobbyists Don't Impact Outcomes

By Matthew Perlman

The leaders of the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division said Thursday that companies can lobby the agencies all they want, but enforcers will still make merger and conduct decisions based on the facts and the law.

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Bill To Give Admin More Control Over US Attys Advances

By Courtney Bublé

A Republican-led bill that would give the executive branch more authority over the installation of U.S. attorneys was advanced out of a House committee Thursday.

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Promo that reads 2025 Practice Groups of the Year

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Akin Gump

Arnold & Porter

Bartko Pavia

Brady Cobin

Chaffin Luhana LLP

Cravath Swaine

Eisenberg & Baum

Gibson Dunn

Girard Sharp

Hall & Taylor Law

Harris St. Laurent

Holland & Knight

King & Spalding

Kirkland & Ellis

Latham & Watkins

Littler Mendelson

Maynard Nexsen

McGuireWoods

Milberg PLLC

Morrison & Foerster

Noble Law Firm

O'Melveny & Myers

Oak City Law

Parker & Sanchez

Peiffer Wolf

Perkins Coie

Robinson Bradshaw

Troutman

White & Case

Wigdor LLP

Winston & Strawn

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Axon Enterprise Inc.

Center for Strategic and International Studies

FGS Global Inc.

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

Juniper Networks Inc.

Live Nation Entertainment Inc.

Marriott International Inc.

Nexstar Media Group Inc.

North Carolina State Bar

Pacific Legal Foundation

PruittHealth

Tegna Inc.

Uber Technologies Inc.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

European Union

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Trade Commission

Maryland Attorney General's Office

New York Supreme Court, New York County

Office of Foreign Assets Control

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

U.S. Attorney's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of the Treasury

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

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

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

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

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United Nations