Business of Law

March 27, 2025
Texas IP Attys Get $60K Sanction For Unauthorized Practice

A San Francisco federal magistrate judge has leveled more than $60,000 in personal sanctions against Texas intellectual property lawyer William Ramey III and two other attorneys from his high-volume patent firm, saying two of them practiced law without a California license in numerous cases to escape paying out-of-state admission fees of $328 per lawyer.
March 27, 2025
Guo Trustee Settles Clawbacks From Versace, Firms

The Chapter 11 trustee handling convicted Chinese exile Miles Guo's estate has asked a Connecticut bankruptcy judge to approve 10 clawback settlements with Hodgson Russ LLP, BakerHostetler, luxury retailer Versace and others, ending claims totaling $8.6 million but keeping the terms under wraps for six months.
March 27, 2025
Ga. Restrictions On Litigation Funders Near Final Passage

Georgia's House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Legislature's first attempt to rein in third-party litigation funders with new restrictions on the industry, advancing the other half of a sweeping civil litigation reform package championed by Republicans this spring.
March 27, 2025
Ex-Troutman Atty Says Racial Bias Suit Should Go To Trial

A former Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP associate who says she was fired for calling out racial bias told a Washington, D.C., federal judge that the firm's own documents and testimony show it saw her as a valuable attorney, despite saying she was let go over performance.
March 27, 2025
1st Circ. Denies Gov't Bid To Enforce Funding Freeze

The First Circuit has declined to interfere with a Rhode Island federal judge's order that the government continue releasing federal funds while the Trump administration appeals a ruling blocking its efforts to enforce the freeze.
March 26, 2025
Sotomayor Urges Caution On Nondelegation Doctrine Revamp

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor cautioned her colleagues during oral arguments Wednesday against using a challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's administration of a broadband subsidy program as a way to resurrect the long-dormant nondelegation doctrine. Several conservative justices, however, seemed willing to disregard that admonition.
March 26, 2025
Judge Newman Maintains Fitness Probe Must Be Transferred

Counsel for suspended 97-year-old Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman on Wednesday told the D.C. Circuit that its decision to transfer ethics complaints against a senior district court judge, lodged by his own colleagues, supported her contention that her fellow circuit judges shouldn't investigate her fitness to remain on the bench.
March 26, 2025
Baker McKenzie Partner Joins DOJ Antitrust Leadership Team

The new head of antitrust enforcement at the U.S. Department of Justice has landed a Baker McKenzie partner for her leadership team who previously worked in the office during the administration of Barack Obama.
March 26, 2025
Senate Confirms Aaron Reitz To Lead DOJ Legal Policy Office

Aaron Reitz, chief of staff for Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and a former deputy attorney general in the Lone Star State, was confirmed on Wednesday to lead the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Policy by a 52-46 vote in the Senate.
March 26, 2025
New Bill Would Make Supreme Court Televise Future Sessions

The U.S. Supreme Court could conduct oral arguments in front of television cameras for the first time if a bipartisan pair of senators get their way and succeed in passing a new bill that would require the high court's open sessions to be open to the public via video.
March 26, 2025
Women Make Up 13% Of Attys In Front Of The PTAB

Women account for 13% of attorneys appearing in front of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in post-grant proceedings going back to the board's founding in 2012 despite comprising up to 30% of all patent attorneys, according to a report from the PTAB Bar Association.
March 26, 2025
Susman Godfrey, Kelley Drye Attys Named FTC Deputies

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson further filled out his senior leadership Wednesday with the announcement of deputy directors for the bureaus of Competition and Consumer Protection, filled respectively by a Susman Godfrey LLP associate and a partner at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP.
March 26, 2025
State AGs, Bars Urge Attys To Speak Up Over Trump Orders

In a pair of letters released on Wednesday, dozens of bar associations and over 20 state attorneys general urged lawyers to speak out against perceived threats to the rule of law in response to President Donald Trump's recent executive orders against prominent law firms and his call for the impeachment of a federal judge.
March 26, 2025
BCBS Settlement Opt-Outs Ordered To Disclose Funding Deals

Four law firms representing hospitals that opted out of the landmark $2.8 billion Blue Cross Blue Shield antitrust settlement must disclose whether their clients were motivated by a "quick payment" from litigation funders, an Alabama federal judge ordered Tuesday.
March 26, 2025
DOJ Can't DQ Judge In Perkins Coie Suit Over Trump Order

A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday shot down a demand from the U.S. Department of Justice that she step aside from Perkins Coie LLP's lawsuit against the federal government over President Donald Trump's executive order targeting the firm.
March 26, 2025
Even With Few Openings, Courts Can Still Shift Under Trump

There were record low vacancies on the federal bench when Donald Trump took office in January, but the president could still radically alter some courts and swing the judiciary rightward, especially if Congress creates more judgeships during his second tenure.
March 26, 2025
Goldstein's Devices Must Be Monitored, Judge Affirms

A Maryland federal judge on Tuesday rejected U.S. Supreme Court lawyer and SCOTUSblog publisher Tom Goldstein's request to dismiss a bail condition that requires his electronic devices to be monitored out of concerns that he's been hiding millions in cryptocurrency from the government and could flee while facing tax evasion charges.
March 26, 2025
Associate Recruitment Helps Boost Law Firm Lateral Hiring

After a two-year market downturn, U.S. law firm lateral hiring grew almost 14% overall in 2024, driven by a significant boost in associate recruitment, a report released Wednesday by the National Association for Law Placement found.
March 26, 2025
Holland & Knight Gains Ex-EPA Regional Leader In Dallas

Holland & Knight LLP has boosted its ability to serve clients with complex environmental challenges by bringing on a former Environmental Protection Agency regional counsel as a partner in Dallas.
March 26, 2025
Quinn Emanuel Boosts Federal Clerkship Bonus To $175K

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP confirmed Wednesday that it is now offering $175,000 federal clerkship bonuses, plus $25,000 more for those with two qualifying back-to-back clerkships.
March 26, 2025
Mitchell Silberberg Promotes IP Litigator To Firm Chair

Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP has tapped a Los Angeles-based longtime entertainment and intellectual property litigator, who once was vice president of legal at NBCUniversal Television, to be the new chair of the firm.
March 25, 2025
Diddy Producer's Atty Gets Warning For 'Shocking' Statement

A New York federal judge threatened counsel for one of Sean "Diddy" Combs' former music producers with sanctions Monday for a pattern of false statements and inappropriate insults in civil sexual assault litigation, calling one statement in the attorney's court filings "not just disturbing, but shocking."
March 25, 2025
Fix It Early, Do Your Homework: Bank Legal Chiefs Share Tips

Deutsche Bank's chief legal officer advised firms facing regulatory investigations to begin the remediation process sooner rather than later in a Tuesday panel featuring the legal chiefs for some of the world's biggest banks discussing lessons they've learned and their relationships with outside counsel.
March 25, 2025
FIFA Cites New 'Nonexistent' Quotes By Attys Accused Of AI

Soccer's international governing body pressed a Puerto Rico federal judge Tuesday to sanction attorneys accusing it and others of trying to block island rivals, arguing that in trying to rebut claims they used artificial intelligence that cited nonexistent cases, the lawyers introduced "new defective citations and nonexistent quotations."
March 25, 2025
Jenner & Block Latest BigLaw Firm Targeted In Trump Order

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at Jenner & Block LLP, suspending security clearances for its employees and taking other actions in response to the firm's pro bono work and a former partner's role as a top deputy to former special counsel Robert Mueller.

Expert Analysis

Associate Issues In The 2024 Spotlight

Law360 guest writers provided insights on a range of issues affecting associates this year, from the challenges of training new lawyers in the era of artificial intelligence, to nonfinancial factors that junior attorneys should consider before accepting a job offer.
ESG And DEI: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

In their commentary on ESG and DEI topics this year, Law360 guest authors discussed Project 2025’s potential impact, the rise of greenwashing litigation, strategies for fostering employee retention amid a shaky regulatory landscape, and more.
AI Questions: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

As the legal discourse surrounding artificial intelligence shifted from theoretical to concrete this year, guest commentary focused on the proliferation of new AI-related litigation, enforcement actions and best practices, while tracking the judiciary’s experimentation with generative AI.
Cybersecurity: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

From the CrowdStrike failure to the plethora of new and sometimes tricky regulatory requirements, to early decisions interpreting cyberinsurance coverage, guest authors broke down the implications of the biggest cybersecurity developments this year.
Election Impact: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

Donald Trump's election win initiated a deluge of predictions for the incoming administration, with Law360 guest writers covering key policy areas such as immigration, tax, energy, labor and competition, plus potential congressional themes and investigations.
Noncompetes: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

Employee noncompete issues took center stage this year, as Law360 guest writers covered everything from state-level enforceability trends and alternative methods for protecting business interests, to a National Labor Relations Board ruling and the Federal Trade Commission’s attempted ban.
The Most-Read IP Law360 Guest Articles Of 2024

Double-patenting was one of the top intellectual property topics tackled in Law360’s Expert Analysis section this year, along with the intersection of copyright law and artificial intelligence, case distribution in the Western District of Texas, and more.
The Most-Read Securities Law360 Guest Articles Of 2024

This year, popular securities guest article topics included controversial Delaware court decisions and their legislative aftermath, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s focus on emerging industries amid struggles to implement its rulemaking agenda.
The Most-Read Employment Law360 Guest Articles Of 2024

Readers were drawn to employment law commentary on a range of 2024 developments, including the U.S. Supreme Court's Title VII ruling, impactful activity from the National Labor Relations Board, and state legislation targeting employee noncompete agreements.
The Most-Read Access To Justice Guest Articles Of 2024

Law360 guest commentary addressed several emerging access to justice issues this year, including growing case backlogs, a dearth of legal services in rural communities and amendments to long-standing sentencing policies.
The Most-Read Law360 UK Guest Articles Of 2024

The start of a generational shift in U.K. employment law under Labour, a ruling on artificial intelligence-driven credit scores and strategic law firm expansion were among the hot topics U.K. Expert Analysis articles explored this year.
Reviewing 2024's Crucial Patent Law Developments

As 2024 draws to a close, significant rulings and policies aimed at modernizing long-standing legal practices or addressing emerging challenges have reached patent law, says Michael Ellenberger at Rothwell Figg.
Series

Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.
2024's Most Notable FTC Actions Against Dark Patterns And AI

In 2024 the Federal Trade Commission ramped up enforcement actions related to dark patterns, loudly signaling its concern that advertisers will use AI to manipulate consumer habits and its intention to curb businesses' use and marketing of AI to prevent alleged consumer deception, say attorneys at Goodwin.
Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.