Business of Law

  • August 15, 2024

    Amicus Beef: Judiciary Kicks Off Heated Transparency Debate

    The federal judiciary's main policy panel Thursday floated a major overhaul of mandatory financial disclosures in appellate amicus briefs, a move that's being fueled by perceptions of shadowy "judicial lobbying" and already coming under siege by big business.

  • August 15, 2024

    Tom Girardi Has Dementia, USC Neurologist Tells Calif. Jury

    A University of Southern California neurology professor testified Thursday in Tom Girardi's California federal criminal trial that she diagnosed him with mild-to-moderate dementia months after his law firm collapsed, although the lawyer insisted at the time that his memory was fine and that he was still busily working at his firm.

  • August 15, 2024

    Colo. Atty Sues Bank, Opposing Counsel Over Hack Attack

    A Colorado attorney and conservative radio personality is suing Wells Fargo and opposing counsel in a divorce proceeding over their alleged role in a hacking incident that apparently caused him to wire $375,000 for a client's divorce settlement to Hong Kong.

  • August 15, 2024

    Bloom Firm Settles False Claims Act Suit Over Virus PPP Loan

    Civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom, her Calabasas, California-based firm and her husband have agreed to pay a combined $274,000 to settle a rival law firm's False Claims Act suit alleging they provided false information to obtain a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • August 15, 2024

    BigLaw Gambling Probe Halts Notre Dame Men's Swimming

    The University of Notre Dame has suspended its men's swimming program after a Ropes & Gray LLP investigation confirmed reports of widespread gambling in violation of National Collegiate Athletics Association rules, a matter the university's athletics director called "a deeply embedded team culture dismissive of Notre Dame's standards for student-athletes."

  • August 15, 2024

    Trump's $100M Tort Claim Against DOJ Faces Uphill Climb

    Experts say Donald Trump's $100 million claim against the federal government for the search of his Mar-a-Lago estate and the prosecution of the allegedly illegal retention of classified documents there will be an uphill climb for the former president because of the limited application of the Federal Tort Claims Act.

  • August 15, 2024

    9th Circ. Judges Seem To Split On Wash. Abortion Coverage

    A Ninth Circuit judge asked Thursday how a church could be harmed by a Washington law requiring employee health plans to cover abortions, since none of its workers had ever actually sought one, while another judge asked if tossing the case would slam the door on religious objections.

  • August 15, 2024

    'Rise Of The Insurance Beast': Cases Take Over Colo. Courts

    Colorado's chief U.S. magistrate judge told a room full of attorneys Thursday that insurance cases have started to dominate the court's dockets, comprising almost half the district's civil jury trials last year.

  • August 15, 2024

    Lin Wood Must Pay Ex-Partners $3.75M, Ga. Jurors Say

    A Georgia federal jury said Thursday that controversial ex-attorney Lin Wood must pay $3.75 million to his three former law partners and cover their attorney fees and costs, with the exact amount of those fees to be determined Friday morning.

  • August 15, 2024

    NJ Gov. To Replace Menendez With Former Chief Of Staff

    New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy reportedly will tap his former chief of staff, George Helmy, to serve out the term of convicted U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., whose resignation takes effect Aug. 20.

  • August 15, 2024

    No Dismissal Yet In Dispute Over Education Law Firm TM

    A Philadelphia-based education law firm's suit seeking to cancel registration for its competitor's trademark "The Education Lawyers" must continue because open questions remain, a Pennsylvania federal judge said.

  • August 15, 2024

    Morelli Settled Ex-Worker's Sex Assault Claims, Filing Says

    Morelli Law Firm PLLC and its founding partner Benedict Morelli settled sexual assault allegations from an associate at its predecessor firm, Morelli Ratner PC, before she filed suit against fellow named partner David Ratner, according to a motion Ratner filed in New York state court Tuesday seeking a copy of the settlement.

  • August 15, 2024

    No Harm In SEC Releasing More Info On Breach, Judge Told

    A conservative civil liberties group questioned the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's claims that releasing additional materials related to its handling of an internal firewall breach would harm the public interest Thursday, telling a D.C. federal judge in court that so much was already out, more sunlight couldn't hurt.

  • August 15, 2024

    Prof Rips DOJ, VW's 9th Circ. Bid To Shield Jones Day Docs

    A Loyola Marymount University professor has urged the Ninth Circuit to shut down the U.S. Department of Justice and Volkswagen AG's relentless "obfuscation" in a long-running dispute over access to confidential Volkswagen documents that were part of a Jones Day investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal.

  • August 15, 2024

    NY Asks Top Court To Reinstate Ethics Body Cuomo Axed

    The Office of the New York State Attorney General has submitted a brief urging the state's highest court to reinstate an ethics commission that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo had convinced a state judge was unconstitutional.

  • August 15, 2024

    Feds, NJ Judiciary Reach Deal Over Language Access Bias

    The New Jersey judiciary has reached a settlement to resolve a federal investigation into alleged discrimination against non-English speakers in Monmouth County court, agreeing to increase training and translation services systemwide, according to an announcement Thursday.

  • August 15, 2024

    Conn. 'Fishing' Atty Submits Resignation From State Bar

    A Connecticut attorney who responded to an overdraft notice and disciplinary inquiry with an email saying the issue wasn't a priority as he was busy fishing has submitted his resignation from the state bar.

  • August 15, 2024

    Trump Seeks To Delay NY Sentencing Until After Election

    Donald Trump asked to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case until after the 2024 presidential election, arguing he needs time to potentially appeal if he loses an attempt to erase the felony conviction on the basis of presidential immunity.

  • August 14, 2024

    Lin Wood Defends Social Posts In Long Day Of Testimony

    Controversial ex-attorney Lin Wood was pushed on his claim that social media posts he made about three of his former law partners following the 2020 dissolution of his firm were an attempt at self-defense when he took the stand Wednesday in Georgia federal court.  

  • August 14, 2024

    Girardi Kept 'Opening A Wound,' Tearful Ex-Client Tells Jury

    A woman whose son was seriously injured in a car accident shed tears Wednesday while testifying in Tom Girardi's criminal trial, recalling her increasingly desperate attempts to get a final $1 million owed to her from a lawsuit settlement as the embattled attorney gave her varying excuses for why she wasn't getting the funds.

  • August 14, 2024

    Holland & Knight Out, Polsinelli In For Tesla After Atty Moves

    As Holland & Knight LLP steps out of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's lawsuit alleging Tesla allowed rampant racism to overtake a California factory, a California federal judge allowed Polsinelli PC to step in as the electric carmaker's counsel after three attorneys switched to the incoming firm.

  • August 14, 2024

    Denver Law Grad Sanctioned In Suit Over Externship Failure

    A University of Denver law school graduate with disabilities who was fired by the Denver District Attorney's Office during a school externship cannot sue the school for discrimination, a Colorado federal judge has ruled, sanctioning the former student for misogynistic attacks against opposing counsel and other behavior.

  • August 14, 2024

    Del. Justices Affirm $266M Atty Fee Award In Dell Class Suit

    Delaware's Supreme Court on Wednesday backed a Chancery Court decision awarding an almost record-breaking $266.7 million fee for stockholder attorneys who settled a class action against Dell Technologies Inc. for $1 billion, saying the Chancery "did not exceed its discretion in setting the fee percentage."

  • August 14, 2024

    Texas Atty Must Pay Volkswagen $200K In Fees For Patent Suit

    A Texas federal judge has ordered litigation firm VDPP LLC and its counsel, Texas attorney William Ramey III of Ramey LLP, to pay Volkswagen $207,543 in fees stemming from a now-dismissed patent case after determining a fee multiplier that applies to "exceptional" cases was appropriate due to the suit's "obvious lack of merit."

  • August 14, 2024

    Zantac Judge Won't Step Aside Over Wife's Reed Smith Role

    A Pennsylvania state judge overseeing the Zantac mass tort litigation against GlaxoSmithKline denied a motion to recuse himself Wednesday after expressing skepticism about the plaintiffs' contention that he could be unconsciously partial because his wife works for a firm defending the drugmaker in other jurisdictions.

Expert Analysis

  • Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?

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    A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Series

    Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Challenges Loom For PBGC Actions

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    After Loper Bright, two recent actions taken by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. already under scrutiny seem destined to be challenged and resolved under the new standard of judicial deference, which will greatly affect employers with potential withdrawal liability exposure, say Robert Perry and David Pixley at Jackson Lewis.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

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    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Don't Let Loper Lead To Bank Compliance Lull

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    Banking organizations are staring down a period of greater uncertainty over the next few years as the banking agencies and industry navigate the post-Chevron world, but banks must continue to have effective compliance programs in place even in the face of this unpredictability, say Lee Meyerson and Amanda Allexon at Simpson Thacher.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

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    Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    After Chevron: New Lines Of Attack For FCA Defense Bar

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    Loper Bright has given defense counsel new avenues to overcome the False Claims Act elements of falsity and scienter, as any FCA claim based upon ambiguous statutory terms can no longer stand solely on agency regulations to establish the statute's meaning, which is itself necessary to satisfy the FCA's basic requirements, says Elisha Kobre at Bradley Arant.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Delegation Of Authority And Tax Regulators

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    The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service will face higher standards following Loper Bright’s finding that courts should determine whether agency rules meet the best possible interpretation of the tax code, as well as the scope of the authority delegated by Congress, says Edward Froelich at McDermott.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • Series

    After Chevron: What Loper Bright Portends For The NLRB

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court has a long history of deferring to the National Labor Relations Board's readings of federal labor law, the court's Loper Bright v. Raimondo decision forces courts to take a harder look at the judgment of an agency — and the NLRB will not be immune from such greater scrutiny, says Irving Geslewitz at Much Shelist.

  • Series

    After Chevron: NRC Is Shielded From Loper Bright's Effects

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Loper Bright v. Relentless decision brought an end to Chevron deference, Congress' unique delegation of discretionary authority to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will likely insulate it from the additional judicial scrutiny that other federal agencies will face, say Ryan Lighty and Scott Clausen at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    After Chevron: ERISA Challenges To Watch

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    The end of Chevron deference makes the outcome of Employee Retirement Income Security Act regulatory challenges more uncertain as courts become final arbiters of pending lawsuits about ESG investments, the definition of a fiduciary, unallocated pension forfeitures and discrimination in healthcare plans, says Evelyn Haralampu at Burns & Levinson.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

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