DC Pulse


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    More Associates Are Leaving Their First Legal Jobs Early

    Nearly 12% of the class of 2024 have already left their first jobs at the top 50 firms, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP has taken in the most first-year laterals, according to new statistics from legal data company Firm Prospects LLC.

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    Mich. Gets Judge With Blue Slips In 1st For Trump Admin

    The U.S. Senate voted 62-36 on Wednesday to confirm Michael Martin, a longtime federal prosecutor, to the Eastern District of Michigan and Benjamin Flowers, former solicitor general of Ohio, to the Sixth Circuit.

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    Smith Currie Adds McGuireWoods Gov't Contracts Atty In DC

    Smith Currie Oles LLP has grown its government contracts practice in the nation's capital with the addition of an experienced attorney from McGuireWoods LLP.

  • DC Bar Leaders Say DOJ Ethics Suit Encourages Misconduct

    Washington, D.C., attorney regulators continue to garner support in their effort to toss a Justice Department lawsuit over alleged "weaponizing" of executive branch lawyer discipline, with D.C. bar organizations, scores of legal scholars and more than 500 former DOJ attorneys backing the disciplinary authorities.

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    Sullivan & Cromwell Adds National Security, Investment Atty

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP has hired a new national security and foreign investments and trade regulations practice partner for its Washington, D.C., office, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • Thompson Hine Opens Energy Practice With 4-Atty Team

    Thompson Hine LLP on Wednesday announced the opening of an energy practice with a four-lawyer team split between the East and West coasts.

  • Dems Press Skadden On Trump Pro Bono Pact, Intel Deal Work

    A group of Democrats demanded Tuesday that Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP disclose details of its pro bono arrangement with the Trump administration in light of allegations the firm advised both Intel Corp. and the U.S. Department of Commerce when the administration received a 10% company stake.

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    Ex-AT&T Attorney Whistleblower Denies Violating Ethics Rules

    A former AT&T attorney and whistleblower who is accused of violating lawyer-client privilege 18 years ago while exposing purported company wrongdoing has vehemently denied the charges in his reply and motion to dismiss the disciplinary case in Washington, D.C.

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    Firms See Lobbying Records In 2nd Quarter As Midterms Near

    Federal lobbying revenue reached new highs for some law and lobbying firms in the second quarter of the year, growth that comes as lobbyists and their clients prepare for potential political changes after the midterm elections.

  • Reagan-Appointed NC Federal Judge To Take Senior Status

    U.S. District Judge Terrence William Boyle of the Eastern District of North Carolina plans to take senior status — a form of semi-retirement that gives federal judges a reduced caseload — at a date yet to be determined, according to a recent update from the federal judiciary.

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    House To Probe DEI Role In ABA's Law School Accreditation

    A congressional task force focused on constitutional rights plans to hold a hearing Wednesday to look into what its Republican chairman called the American Bar Association's use of law school accreditation to promote diversity, equity and inclusion policies in academia.

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    Baker McKenzie Hires Life Sciences, IP Attys In DC, NY

    Baker McKenzie has hired two attorneys, in Washington, D.C., and New York, who focus their practices on life sciences transactional matters and intellectual property issues, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • Blanche Denies Conflict With Family's Firearms Company

    Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has close ties through his wife's family to a gun manufacturer that does federal contracting, but he told senators in questions following his confirmation hearing there is no conflict of interest, despite his service on a Justice Department task force aimed at rolling back gun control initiatives around the country.

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    States Make Up Growing Front In Litigation Finance Battle

    U.S. business interests are turning to state legislatures to stymie litigation funders after a string of failed efforts in Congress, fueling a flurry of recent legislation that could shape the future of the multibillion-dollar industry.

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    To Move The Needle, Top Firms Scout Practice Group Leaders

    Practice group leaders at the 50 largest law firms in the U.S. by revenue are increasingly on the move, with data showing lateral hiring rising substantially in the position over the last five years as law firms look to make good on their growth strategies via splashy additions.

  • Wells Fargo Compliance Executive Joins Buchanan Ingersoll

    Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC has brought in a new shareholder who was an executive director and regulatory compliance manager at Wells Fargo & Co. for more than five years, the firm announced Monday.

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    Trump Admin Wants Susman Godfrey DQ In ABA's EO Suit

    Over a year into a suit by the American Bar Association challenging 2025 executive orders targeting law firms, the Trump administration is looking to have Susman Godfrey LLP disqualified as plaintiffs' counsel, alleging the firm can't act as counsel in a case where it's also a key witness.

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    AGs Say DOJ Suit Would 'Upend' Atty Discipline System

    Attorneys general in 20 states have raised alarms over the U.S. Department of Justice's "unprecedented effort" to halt a disciplinary case in D.C. against former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Clark, warning the Trump administration is trying to "upend a centuries-old system of attorney discipline" and put federal government lawyers beyond the reach of local disciplinary authorities.

  • Split DC Circ. Halts Block Of DOD Escort Rule

    A divided D.C. Circuit panel has paused a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Defense's policy that reporters must be escorted whenever they're in the Pentagon.

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    DOJ Unveils Law Firm Subpoenas In ABA Docs Bid Fight

    The BigLaw firms that cut deals with the Trump administration last year to skirt punitive executive orders are now grappling with subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Justice seeking deal-related communications and depositions of the firms' managing partners or chairs, according to Friday court filings.

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    State AGs Flex Muscle In Paramount Suit Amid DOJ Inaction

    A dozen state attorneys general sued this week to block Paramount Skydance's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, the latest and largest example of states launching an enforcement action when the federal government chooses to go with a lighter touch.

  • Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

    Wiley Rein's work on a software company acquisition and Dilworth Paxson's representation of the city of Pittsburgh in an antitrust suit lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from July 3 to 17.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Hogan Lovells Cadwalader leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Second Circuit determined that a lower court properly found that Nielsen cannot condition media company Cumulus' access to national radio ratings data on buying its local offerings.

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    New Holtzman Vogel Group Focuses On Faith-Based Clients

    A new practice group at Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak PLLC aims to serve the legal needs of religious institutions, schools, ministries and nonprofits with lawyers who understand the mission-driven nature of these clients' work, its leaders told Law360 Pulse this week.

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    Business As Usual: Why Most GCs Still Choose Law Firms

    Chief legal officers using external service providers outside traditional law firms are barely a blip on the radar, despite the ever-rising costs of working with private practice attorneys. But a general counsel’s use of ALSPs can be more complicated than the surface level tells us.

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Expert Analysis

  • How To Prep As Private Equity Starts Investing In Law Firms Author Photo

    Law firms eyeing legal services organization models, which allow outside capital to support nonlegal business functions while preserving lawyer ownership, can prepare for the expansion of private equity investment in the area by balancing commercial objectives and compliance imperatives, say attorneys at Rivkin Radler.

  • What Legal Leaders Can Learn From Marine Corps Principles Author Photo

    The small-unit leadership principles that are foundational to the U.S. Marine Corps experience — from tight feedback loops to top-down tactfulness — offer a blueprint for addressing leadership gaps that persist in the legal profession, says Edet Nsemo at Tucker Ellis.

  • Venture Capital Practices Can Improve Law Firm Lateral Hiring Author Photo

    As law firms pursue increasingly ambitious growth goals in a competitive market for talent, they should consider supplementing traditional lateral hiring due diligence with practices inspired by the venture capitalist framework, says Henry O’Connor at Jones Walker.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2026 Author Photo

    After a pivotal year for the legal industry, lawyers and their clients face an evolving litigation finance landscape in 2026 that will be shaped by developments ranging from new policies governing patent lawsuits to the reemergence of appellate monetization funding, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Think Like A Waiter Author Photo

    To convert casually interested restaurant patrons into satisfied, repeat customers, a good waiter relies on four service-oriented habits that proactive attorneys can borrow to cultivate lasting client relationships, say attorneys at Maynard Nexsen.

  • 6 Strategies To Set Up New CCOs For Success Author Photo

    As demand for chief compliance officers rises among a growing range of complex issues, organizations looking to hire and retain top-notch CCOs can adopt a series of strategies including defining success metrics and allowing the CCO to build a team, says Cara Bain at Major Lindsey.

  • Making Legal Cents: How Firms Can Navigate 2026 Trends Author Photo

    From the adoption of artificial intelligence infrastructure to increasing client attrition, a number of trends will likely define the legal industry in 2026, and law firms will need to strategically lean into these shifts to gain a competitive advantage, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

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    Notes From A Partner-In-Charge On Integrating Lateral Talent Author Photo

    When done thoughtfully through three strategies, bringing laterals into the fold can propel growth and create significant business opportunities that enhance the law firm's cultural fabric, says James Sullivan, leader of Alston & Bird's New York office.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: Drafting As AI Alters Admin Of Law Author Photo

    As generative artificial intelligence tools become embedded in mainstream legal practice, they are reshaping the administration of law itself, from how experts document and validate their work to how joint defense teams operate, demanding a new level of contractual clarity and operational discipline, says Karineh Khachatourian at KXT Law.

  • How Attorneys Can Plan Now For Biz Dev Success In 2026 Author Photo

    As the year winds down and the pace of work slows, attorneys should reflect on what did and didn’t work to generate business in 2025, and start mapping out their 2026 business development plan now to set themselves up for success, says Ezra Crawford at Crowell.

  • How Firms Can Retain Rainmakers, Now And All Year Long Author Photo

    Though firm leaders feel the most urgency about retaining rainmakers now, during compensation season, effective retention strategies are preemptive and year-round efforts anchored in meaningful support, tactical execution and credible follow-through, says Tom Orewyler at TO Comms.

  • What GCs Value Most: 7 Ways To Earn Clients' Trust Author Photo

    Trust is the foundation of any great client relationship, but it isn’t built overnight or maintained passively — rather, counsel must consistently show up in small but important ways to become the trusted partner clients rely on when judgment matters most, says Andrew Dick at The L Suite.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Make An Onboarding Plan Author Photo

    The investment required for a personalized client onboarding plan is minimal, but the return on investment — measured in client satisfaction, relationship strength and longevity, client referrals, and other business development opportunities — can be extraordinary, says John Reed at Rain BDM.

  • Law Firm Content Strategies To Stay Competitive In 2026 Author Photo

    A number of trends will continue to reshape how people search, consume and trust information next year, and law firms will need to adopt forward-thinking content strategies — from generative engine optimization to interactive legal tools — to stand out, says Elizabeth Lampert at Elizabeth Lampert PR and Nancy Myrland at Myrland Marketing and Social Media.

  • What Law Firm Liability Risks In 2025 Signal For Year To Come Author Photo

    Trends and statistics reveal that law firms of all sizes and practice areas remained attractive litigation targets this year, so firms must take concrete steps to avoid professional liability risks in the year to come, say Douglas Richmond and Andrew Ricke at Lockton Companies.

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