DC Pulse


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    Judiciary OKs Student Interns To Accept Certain Law Firm Stipends

    The federal judiciary's ethics arm has approved a policy allowing law firms to pay judicial interns, as long as the payments are not directly related to their work for the courts and not paid out during their internship or externship.

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    Virginia Law Prof Says He'll Take USPTO General Counsel Job

    A University of Virginia School of Law professor who has taught tort, administrative, patent and international intellectual property law there for more than 15 years recently said he plans to become the new general counsel of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

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    Womble Bond Adds 15 Lewis Brisbois Auto Defense Attys

    Womble Bond Dickinson has added a 29-person consumer warranty and product liability litigation group from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP that specializes in defending automobile manufacturers, the firm announced Wednesday.

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    Akerman Adds AI Development Director From Munck Wilson

    Akerman LLP announced Wednesday that it has rounded out its artificial intelligence leadership team by bringing on a former Munck Wilson Mandala LLP litigator to serve as the firm's first director of AI development.

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    The 2026 Diversity Snapshot: By The Numbers

    Law360 Pulse's latest Diversity Snapshot showed that law firms continued to make incremental gains in diversity, though attorneys of color remained less represented in the partnership ranks. Here's our data dive into representation at law firms in the U.S.

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    What's Next As Law Firms Go Quiet On Diversity Data

    Law firms may be less public about their diversity, but legal industry advisers and diversity experts say much of the underlying work around recruiting, retaining and advancing talent continues.

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    The 2026 Diversity Snapshot: Explore The Data

    Law360's Diversity Snapshot report explores firms' demographics across the hierarchy of private practice, and how those numbers compare to the available talent pool. Dig into the data to see a detailed look at every rung of the ladder.

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    Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Hires FDA Chief Counsel

    Hogan Lovells Cadwalader has hired a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration leader, who has more than 35 years of experience at the agency and worked as chief counsel, as a new member of its Washington, D.C., office, according to a Wednesday announcement.

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    Cleary Creates New Role For Ex-Paul Weiss AI Leader

    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP announced Wednesday that it has brought on the former director of knowledge and innovation at Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP to take on the newly created role of chief innovation officer.

  • DHS Asks Justices To Revive Voter Citizenship Database

    The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday to reinstate the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's upgraded citizenship verification database ahead of this year's midterm elections, claiming a lower court's finding that the system is unlawful threatens election integrity.

  • Mo. Keeps GOP Election Map Despite High Court Setback

    Missouri can use a new congressional map that favors Republicans in the midterms — even though it is supposed to obtain voter approval, and the U.S. Supreme Court earlier rejected an emergency bid to reinstate it — after a federal judge paused the state high court's decision prohibiting the map's use in November.

  • AG Blanche To Speak At GOP Midterm Convention

    Attorney General Todd Blanche will speak at the Republican midterm convention this week in his "personal capacity."

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    ABA Law School Accrediting Arm Repeals Diversity Standard

    The American Bar Association council responsible for law school accreditation voted Tuesday to eliminate its diversity and inclusion standard, the final step in a process that the council hopes will ensure it remains an accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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    Venable Adds Ex-SEC Commissioner Crenshaw To DC Office

    Venable LLP announced Tuesday it has hired Caroline Crenshaw, who was the lone Democratic member of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission until her term ended in January, as a partner in the firm's Washington office.

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    Ed Martin Joins Trump Ally's Think Tank

    Ed Martin, the recently departed White House pardon attorney, has joined a conservative policy think tank started by a key ally of President Donald Trump.

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    Baker Botts Names New Energy, Infrastructure Leaders

    Baker Botts LLP announced Tuesday that it has appointed a group of longtime partners to leadership roles across practices central to the firm's energy and infrastructure work.

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    Insurance Defense Law Firms Draw Interest From PE Investors

    The high-volume business and institutional clients at insurance defense law firms are attracting interest from private equity outfits looking for more avenues into the legal sector.

  • Missouri Asks Justices To Prevent Election 'Disaster'

    Missouri has implored the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the state high court's ruling prohibiting the use of a new congressional map drawn to help Republicans in this year's midterms and requiring the map be submitted for voter approval, claiming the decision will create an unconstitutional "disaster." 

  • USPS Asks High Court To Allow 'Modest' Mail Ballot Rules

    The Trump administration has once again asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a Massachusetts federal judge's order barring the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing new mail-in ballot regulations ahead of this year's midterms, arguing the "modest" changes are well within USPS' authority and don't affect election administration. 

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    Associate Rates Hit $2,500 Per Hour, Outpacing Partner Hikes

    The ceiling on law firm associate billing rates is approaching $2,500 per hour, increasing at a faster pace than partner rates, particularly at the industry's largest law firms, according to a report released Monday by LexisNexis' CounselLink.

  • Justices Let FCC's New Campaign Ad Rates Take Effect

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for the Federal Communications Commission to extend discounted television and radio advertising rates previously reserved for political candidates to political parties and joint fundraising committees that buy spots in coordination with candidates.

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    Motley Rice Founder Remembered As Titan Of Mass Tort Bar

    Motley Rice LLC co-founder Joseph F. Rice, who died Thursday, was remembered by former colleagues and friends as a "transformational" attorney and "giant in the civil litigation bar" who spent decades working on some of the most high-profile mass torts and obtaining landmark asbestos, opioid and tobacco settlements.

  • Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Morgan Verkamp LLC and Sparacino PLLC lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Eleventh Circuit held that the False Claims Act's qui tam provisions do not violate the appointments clause of the U.S. Constitution.

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    DC Panel's Rare Rebuke Over AI Errors Flags Rules Gap

    A D.C. appellate court panel issued a rare sua sponte sanctions order on Thursday after finding nonexistent case citations in a brief filed by a McCabe Weisberg & Conway LLC attorney representing Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. in a foreclosure action, noting an apparent gap in the rules governing the court's sanctions authority.

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    Brownstein Hires DHS Office Leader For Public Affairs Team

    Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP has hired away the assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Partnership and Engagement as director, public affairs, in Washington, the firm said Thursday.

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Expert Analysis

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Build Relationship Habits Author Photo

    Meaningful relationships are foundational to business development, and they can be deliberately fostered through a set of habits for authentically, intentionally and consistently connecting with clients and colleagues — starting with people you already know and like, says Matthew Moran at V&E.

  • Legal Leaders Are Asking The Wrong Questions About AI Author Photo

    Artificial intelligence is already woven into everyday work for attorneys, so beyond questioning whether AI was used and approving such tools, legal leaders need to create a shared foundation for what good AI use looks like on their team, says Alex Denniston at Factor.

  • In-House Leaders Can Turn Contract Data Into Growth Insight Author Photo

    A company's contracts contain final, negotiated commercial commitments that reveal important growth, revenue and strategy insights, but for organizations that aren’t making two key structural changes, the information tends to remain within the legal department — untranslated and unused, says Shimane Smith at NerdWallet.

  • PE's Path In UK Legal Market Offers Playbook For US Firms Author Photo

    The U.K. offers 14 years' worth of data on private equity's involvement in the legal market, demonstrating for U.S. firms what worked, what didn’t and why, and illustrating several lessons about operational readiness, cultural fit and timing, says Tom Lenfestey at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • 8 Mistakes That Derail Law Firms' Sector Strategies Author Photo

    When firms attempt to deliberately organize their expertise, client relationships, business development, and thought leadership around specific industry verticals – sometimes called industry sector programs – several missteps commonly arise, but with discipline and alignment any firm can successfully grab market share, say Heidi Gardner at Harvard Law School and David Harvey at Harvey Global Consulting.

  • Making Legal Cents: A Strategic Plan For Lateral Partner Hires Author Photo

    Firms of all sizes are accelerating lateral hiring of experienced partners because investing in senior expertise can pay off big — but for such an investment to work, firms need a disciplined strategy for vetting candidates, supporting their integration, and ensuring they'll generate real returns, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • As AI Rewrites BigLaw Hiring, Mid-Law May Snag Edge Author Photo

    Similar to the way the transfer portal changed how many NCAA men’s basketball teams are built, artificial intelligence use in the legal industry is changing BigLaw’s lateral hiring market and creating a field where midmarket firms that develop their talent will hold an edge in the legal profession's next era, says Michael Ott at Ice Miller.

  • 5 Firm Structure Changes To Adequately Address Atty Burnout Author Photo

    While wellness programs, flexible schedules and mental health resources are meaningful steps toward addressing burnout in the legal industry, a more effective approach must involve a redesign of law firm incentive structures, says retired attorney Jason Ward.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Be An Industry Expert Author Photo

    Although taking the time to fully invest in a client and its industry is a big ask, it is well worth it for attorneys to understand the pressures, trends and constraints of a client's industry in order to build enduring business relationships, says Nonnie Shivers at Ogletree.

  • Talking Mental Health: Fostering Cultures Where Women Excel Author Photo

    Sylvie Rodrigue at Torys discusses why authenticity is essential to women's career growth, why burnout is not the result of a lack of resilience, how the legal industry can better support women's mental health needs, and how firms can address gender gaps in senior roles.

  • How Clients Can Make The Most Of Law Firm Partner Moves Author Photo

    Outside counsel’s lateral career moves can create uncertainty and disruption for companies, but if managed strategically, in-house legal teams can leverage partner mobility for more complete service, better pricing and stronger relationships with their law firms, says Theodore Edelman at GCE Advisors.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: Countering 4 AI Efficiency Myths Author Photo

    Perceived efficiency gains from artificial intelligence can create unsustainable workload expectations for in-house legal departments, so general counsel must proactively educate executives, reframe assumptions and tie legal judgment to business outcomes, say Karineh Khachatourian at KXT Law and Catie Cambridge at Docsum.

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    Notes From A Partner-In-Charge On Lateral Hiring Strategy Author Photo

    In regional recruiting, firms that stand out to laterals can articulate a clear vision that connects local insight with global opportunity, demonstrate a culture that is lived rather than stated, and offer genuine room for growth, says Jason Novak, leader of Norton Rose's San Francisco office.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Team Up With Marketing Author Photo

    There are several ways attorneys can engage with resources already at their fingertips in the form of their in-house law firm marketing departments, which can help you gain some visibility, earn kudos and build a solid book of business, say Ada Kase and Liz Lindley at Jaffe PR.

  • Biz Dev Impostor Syndrome May Actually Be Good Judgment Author Photo

    Attributing lawyers’ sense of unease with business development to self-doubt or weakness may misidentify an important source of discomfort — a keen intuition that an ask isn’t yet appropriate for the relationship — and lead to advice that ultimately backfires, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

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