Nike, Converse Blast Co.'s Trade Secret Case Ahead Of Trial

By Ivan Moreno

Ahead of a trial in February in Oregon federal court, Nike Inc. and Converse Inc. on Thursday blasted trade secret theft allegations involving an anti-counterfeiting system from Valmarc Corp., saying that Valmarc failed to protect its claimed secrets, that the technology at issue has been around for years and that the company's complaint is time-barred.

Memorandum attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Kirkland-Led Nordic Capital Wraps €2B Evolution II Fund

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Kirkland & Ellis LLP-advised Nordic Capital on Friday announced that it wrapped its second Evolution Fund after raising €2 billion ($2.1 billion) from investors in just four months.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fuji Soft Founder, Bain Band Together On 'Not' Hostile Bid

By Al Barbarino

Bain Capital and Fuji Soft's founder said Friday they are joining forces on a plan to snap up a 50.1% stake in the Japanese IT company and take it private, as a bidding war with Bain rival KKR kicks into high gear. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Transfers $4B Equity Stake In Media Startup To Trust

By Tom Zanki

President-elect Donald Trump has transferred control over his estimated $4 billion stake in the company that owns his social media platform to a revocable trust held by his son, according to regulatory flings.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Feature

Watershed NCAA, UFC Settlements Highlight 2024's 2nd Half

By Elaine Briseño

The second half of 2024 saw the sunset of several yearslong lawsuits that will significantly impact the world of sports, including the settlement of the NCAA's name, image and likeness antitrust litigation and the closing of the UFC's legal battle with current and former fighters. Here, Law360 explores the top sports and betting moments from the second half of 2024.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

SEC Sues Silver Point Over Atty's Receipt Of Nonpublic Info

By Craig Clough

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued investment adviser firm Silver Point Capital LP in Connecticut federal court on Friday, alleging that it failed to establish policies to safeguard material nonpublic information, particularly from a now-deceased former BigLaw attorney.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Interview

SEC's Dealer Rule Loss Is A Lesson To Regulators, Atty Says

By Aislinn Keely

A Sullivan & Cromwell LLP attorney who successfully litigated a crypto industry challenge to vacate a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule expanding the definition of dealer said the Texas federal judge's decision is another block in the recent chain of court decisions warning federal agencies to refrain from stretching old statutory terms to reach new contexts that aren't clearly within their authority.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Capital Markets Attorneys Ready For Reset After Bumpy 2024

By Tom Zanki

Capital markets activity — initial public offerings especially — posted a hesitant recovery in 2024, marginally increasing over prior-year levels before pausing altogether during a heated presidential election and postponing attorneys' hopes for a stronger rebound until 2025.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

The Top Cases Of 2024 In Texas: Year In Review

By Spencer Brewer

Texas closed out the year with blockbuster rulings on social media companies’ use of biometric data and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s expanded definition of a dealer. Here are the biggest decisions out of Texas that topped Law360’s radar this year.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOL Sues Over New York BBQ Co.'s $99M Stock Plan Deal

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Department of Labor sued Argent Trust Co. and several New York City restaurant operators in federal court, alleging they violated federal benefits law by causing a barbecue company's employee stock ownership plan to pay $99 million for overvalued company stock in a leveraged transaction.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

2024 Election Results May Prove Fortuitous For Family Offices

Thanks to the decisive Republican victories in the 2024 elections, family offices have a unique opportunity for accelerated growth and influence, particularly through the benefits afforded by patient capital, says Edward Taibi at Olshan Frome.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

MoFo, Irell Latest Firms To Unveil Competitive Bonuses

By Aebra Coe & Hailey Konnath

Morrison Foerster LLP and litigation boutique Irell & Manella LLP have joined a chorus of firms announcing associate bonuses that meet or exceed the BigLaw standard for associate bonuses this year, with MoFo offering up to $218,200 and Irell handing its lawyers as much as $175,000.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Approach The Bench: What Judges Had To Say This Year

By Cara Bayles

Jurists weighed the benefits of partisan elections, praised innovations in telehearings and worried about the future of the profession in nearly a dozen interviews with Law360 this year.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Gunster $8.5M Data Breach Deal Needs More Info, Judge Says

By Matt Perez

A Florida federal judge this week denied preliminary approval of an $8.5 million settlement in a data breach class action against Gunster and demanded more information on payouts, the plaintiffs' standing in the case and a historical breakdown of settlement rates.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Bar's Diversity Plan Isn't Biased, Panel Says

By Tracey Read

A New Jersey state appeals court reversed and remanded on Friday a lower court's ruling that found the state bar association's diversity practices to be an unlawful, discriminatory quota system.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

How Lawyers May Sue The Trump Administration … Again

By Cara Bayles

During the last Trump administration, BigLaw firms challenged White House policies, focusing on immigration, environmental regulations and healthcare. This time around, attorneys could rely on old tools, and some new tactics, to stall the executive branch.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Biden Exceeds Trump's Record On Judges By One

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Senate confirmed on Friday the last two judicial nominations from President Joe Biden, making his total of lifetime judicial appointments 235, just one over President Donald Trump's 234.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

High Court Bar's Future: Williams & Connolly's Sarah Harris

By Katie Buehler

Sarah M. Harris of Williams & Connolly LLP never planned on being a U.S. Supreme Court advocate, or even an appellate one. She stumbled upon that career path after realizing her initial goal of becoming a national security or government lawyer wasn't the right fit.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Legislators Key To Court Fee Relief, Chief Justices Say

By Cara Salvatore

Two state high court chief justices and a top judicial administrator have told the National Center for State Courts that while they've been able to make significant progress in abolishing unfair court fines and fees, lawmakers have been vital in enacting these changes.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

No, Microsoft Isn't Driving DOJ's Google Antitrust Suit: Judge

By Bryan Koenig

A D.C. federal judge pushed back Friday on Google's efforts to paint Microsoft as the true plaintiff in the Justice Department's search monopolization lawsuit, casting doubt during a hearing that Google should get even more information about Microsoft's relationship with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Feature

Litigator On The Roof: The Acting, Singing Mass. Solicitor

By Chris Villani

The top appellate lawyer in the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General will be ringing in the new year by performing a comical cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, the latest show in a lengthy side career in music.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Another Texas Judge Exits X's Advertising Boycott Suit

By Lauren Berg

The second Texas judge to oversee litigation filed by Elon Musk's X Corp. accusing the World Federation of Advertisers and others of conspiring to withhold advertising revenue from the company has recused himself from the case.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Hagens Berman Settles Suit Over Effexor Deal Atty Fees

By Bryan Koenig

A pharmaceutical reseller's in-house counsel and founder moved Friday to drop a Mississippi federal court breach of contract suit accusing Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP of stiffing him on his share of a $13 million attorney fees award from an antitrust class settlement, citing a resolution to the dispute.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Girardi's Mental Health To Be Evaluated At NC Federal Prison

By Craig Clough

A California federal judge said Friday she will order Tom Girardi to receive a psychiatric evaluation at a North Carolina federal correctional facility after she recently delayed his wire fraud sentencing to determine if he should be committed to a medical facility instead of prison due to his dementia diagnosis.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Q&A

A Judge Reflects: West Wing Call, 'Alford Plea?' Early Exit

By Hayley Fowler

When Chief Judge Louis A. Bledsoe III of the North Carolina Business Court hangs up his robes for the last time on Dec. 31, he'll leave behind a white-hot docket of high-profile cases and a profusion of opinions that helped mold the court into a tribunal fit to rival Delaware's Court of Chancery.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Andrea Keckley

This week's Legal Lions leader comes from the public sector, as federal prosecutors secured a $650 million settlement from McKinsey & Co. to resolve a lawsuit over the consulting giant's role in Purdue Pharma's promotion of OxyContin.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Max Austin

This past week in London has seen the University of Southampton sue a drone-maker over the rights to an uncrewed aircraft patent, Importers Service Corp. and its subsidiary ISC Europe take action against a former director who allegedly owes the company over £1.1 million ($1.4 million), and DAC Beachcroft face a fraud claim by a "prolific litigant." 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »