Business of Law

July 25, 2024
Loeb & Loeb Says Ex-GC's Sanctions Motion Is Bogus

Loeb & Loeb LLP urged a Colorado federal judge Wednesday to reject a former general counsel's allegations that it deliberately sent a thumb drive of documents that aren't text searchable, saying they are actually searchable and would have otherwise sent over 64,000 physical pages that weren't.
July 25, 2024
Senate Confirms First Tax Court Judge Since 2020

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed a U.S. Tax Court judge for the first time since 2020.
July 25, 2024
Patent Atty Seeks Closure Over Ex-Firm's Back Wages

Discovery in a patent attorney's suit against his former firm, Pittsburgh-based Keevican Weiss & Bauerle LLC, has produced enough evidence to support summary judgment on some of his claims, according to a new motion filed this week in Allegheny County.
July 25, 2024
Foley Hoag Hit With Overtime Wage Suit By NY Support Tech

A former support technician at Foley Hoag LLP accused the firm of "egregious violations of wage and hour laws" in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York federal court.
July 25, 2024
Nevada Man Accused Of Threatening To Kill Judges

A Las Vegas man who allegedly sent threats to kill and assault federal and state officials in New York, Montana, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. – including federal judges – has pled not guilty to a 22-count indictment unsealed this week in Nevada federal court.
July 25, 2024
11th Circ. Sets Briefing Schedule In Mar-A-Lago Docs Appeal

Briefing in special counsel Jack Smith's appeal of the dismissal of the classified documents criminal case against former President Donald Trump will run through mid-October, according to a scheduling notice from the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday.
July 25, 2024
Connecticut 'Fishing' Atty Placed On Interim Suspension

A Connecticut attorney who responded to an overdraft notice and disciplinary inquiry with an email saying the issue wasn't a priority because he was busy fishing has been suspended on an interim basis from practicing law.
July 24, 2024
FTC Chair Wary AI Tools Can Be Used For Corporate Collusion

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan weighed in on a host of topics during a discussion Wednesday at the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, expressing concerns about the agency's high legal bills for expert witnesses and describing AI price-setting tools as a potential loophole for collusion.
July 24, 2024
Solicitor General Warns Against Feds 'Winning At All Costs'

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar underscored the importance of the federal government ensuring justice is served and not "winning at all costs" during a keynote speech Wednesday at the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, defending the DOJ's changed position in a high court case concerning a criminal defendant's right to a jury trial.
July 24, 2024
Pandemic Hasn't Hindered 2020 Law Grads, NALP Says

Despite entering the workforce during a pandemic, most 2020 law school graduates are thriving, with high rates of employment and a dip in educational debt, but some still feel negative effects on their mental health, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Association for Law Placement Inc.
July 24, 2024
SF DA Sued By Staffer Fired Over 'Panties' Reply-All Snafu

A San Francisco District Attorney's Office staffer who says he was fired after accidentally sending a risqué reply-all email at work has filed a state court lawsuit accusing his former boss and the county of defamation and standing in the way of his getting future employment.
July 24, 2024
Harvard Vow To Tackle Antisemitism Can't Nix Suit, Court Told

Harvard University's arguments to dismiss claims it fails to protect Jewish students from antisemitic intimidation and threats boil down to telling the plaintiffs "cool your jets" while the school tries to address the issue, a lawyer for the students told a Massachusetts federal judge Wednesday.
July 24, 2024
Atty Can't Deduct Car Racing Costs As Ads, US Tells 10th Circ.

A personal injury lawyer who also races cars shouldn't be allowed to deduct about $300,000 for racing-related costs as ordinary business advertising expenses because they're unrelated to his law practice, the U.S. government told the Tenth Circuit on Wednesday.
July 24, 2024
Watchdog Clears DOJ In 'Unusual' Roger Stone Sentencing

The Justice Department did not bow to political pressure to push for a more lenient sentence for former President Donald Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone, but the way in which the department handled the sentencing was "highly unusual" and the result of a U.S. attorney's poor leadership, according to a watchdog report released Wednesday.
July 24, 2024
Pa. Judge Won't 'Chase' Deadline-Flouting ADA Case Attys

A Pennsylvania federal judge on Wednesday told attorneys in an Americans with Disabilities Act case against Tommy Bahama that he wasn't going to "chase" lawyers flouting scheduling orders, warning that the consequences might hurt more than just complying with the plan.
July 24, 2024
Ex-McElroy Deutsch Exec Says Ch. 11 Doesn't Pause Claims

A former McElroy Deutsch executive told a New Jersey state court that just because her husband — former McElroy Deutsch chief financial officer John Dunlea — has filed for bankruptcy does not mean she needs to pause her claims against the firm for discrimination and retaliation.
July 24, 2024
Legal Tech Co.'s $1.3M Data Privacy Deal Gets OK'd

A Kansas federal judge granted preliminary approval to a proposed $1.3 million settlement between a data and professional services company catering to law firms and a class of thousands of its customers and employees, who said their personal information was stolen in a March 2023 data breach that exposed 200 gigabytes of sensitive information.
July 24, 2024
Where Biden Stands On Judicial Noms Compared To Trump

With President Joe Biden now set to be a one-term president, it appears he can match President Donald Trump's record on district court nominees, but it's not likely he will on nominees to circuit courts.
July 24, 2024
Parts Of Klehr Harrison Bills Not Privileged, Pa. Panel Finds

Pennsylvania journalists can view the subject lines of invoice requests sent to the Pennsylvania Office of General Counsel by outside law firms, including Klehr Harrison, with a state appeals court panel determining the information falls under the state's Right-to-Know Law and is not privileged, nor is it protected by a court order.
July 24, 2024
Jenner & Block Wants Out Of COVID Vax Refusal Firing Suit

Jenner & Block LLP has asked an Illinois federal judge to toss a former employee's claims that she was fired after being denied a religious exemption from the firm's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, saying she didn't do enough to spell out her religious beliefs or how they conflict with the vaccine.
July 24, 2024
Mintz Reelects Bodian To Final Term As Managing Member

Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC announced Wednesday that Bob Bodian, who was already the longest-serving managing member in the firm's 91-year history, has been elected to a sixth and final three-year term.
July 24, 2024
Dentons Brings On Former Big 4 Exec As New Global CEO

Global law firm Dentons, which has made a name for itself by aggressive growth through combinations, has tapped a new global chief executive officer with leadership experience at accounting giant EY, the firm's first change at the top in over a decade.
July 23, 2024
Knives Out For Another Pro-Agency Landmark After Chevron

Only weeks after U.S. Supreme Court conservatives took a hatchet to the judicial deference shown to federal agencies, right-leaning lawyers are imploring the justices to rock the administrative law realm again by gutting a New Deal-era precedent at the heart of the modern regulatory system.
July 23, 2024
JetBlue Upgrades Former Deputy To General Counsel Seat

JetBlue Airways Corp. announced Tuesday that it has tapped a former member of its legal leadership team as the company's next general counsel and corporate secretary.
July 23, 2024
Hogan Lovells Wants Afghanistan Atty Fee Award Enforced

Hogan Lovells US LLP has asked a New York federal court to enforce a more than $1.2 million award it secured against Afghanistan in arbitration over fees it says it's owed for the firm's work representing the country in various legal matters, including litigation over the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Expert Analysis

7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond

The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.
5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024

Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News

Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
Legal Practice In The AI Era: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

Guest columnists explored the possibilities and challenges for the legal profession amid the rise of generative artificial intelligence, including privilege complications, demands for new types of legal skills, and the ethics of a ChatGPT-authored motion.
AI In Employment Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

This year, the most popular employment law topics related to artificial intelligence in Law360's Expert Analysis section included ChatGPT, new AI legislation, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
AI In Health Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

As the use of artificial intelligence accelerated this year, Expert Analysis writers examined AI's significant impact on the healthcare sector, ranging from key compliance considerations for companies utilizing AI tools to regulators' efforts to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies.
AI In IP Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

Keeping up with generative artificial intelligence was the name of the game for intellectual property lawyers in 2023 as the government worked to determine whether AI-generated output is protectable under the law and guest writers assessed the technology's risks and rewards.
The Most-Read Securities Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

Securities guest article topics that piqued reader interest this year include how the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission utilized seldom-used rules to go after bad actors, and how Delaware courts increased scrutiny on boards of directors — sometimes in surprising ways.
The Most-Read Employment Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

This year, some of the most popular employment topics in articles written for Law360's Expert Analysis section focused on workplace diversity, equity and inclusion, new unionization rules from the National Labor Relations Board, and proposed regulations for implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
Managing AI Risks: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

Amid the rapidly developing legal landscape around artificial intelligence, Law360 Expert Analysis writers tackled a range of compliance and litigation challenges, providing insights on privacy in the age of AI, the role of class actions in AI risk mitigation, and the creation of corporate AI policies.
The Most-Read Law360 UK Guest Articles Of 2023

Benefits of the new EU Unified Patent Court, artificial intelligence regulation and M&A trends amid rising inflation were among the hot topics U.K. Expert Analysis articles explored this year.
The Most-Read IP Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office incentives and restrictions, Federal Circuit decisions on exact meaning, and lessons from the comedic whodunit “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” were among popular intellectual property topics guest authors tackled this year.