'Miracle Worker': Menendez's Wife Was Given New Car, Jurors Told

By Carla Baranauckas

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez's wife received a $67,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible thanks to the efforts of two of the congressman's associates, one of whom she called a "miracle worker," jurors heard Wednesday in the government's bribery case in New York federal court.

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Massive NFL Sunday Ticket Antitrust Trial Kicks Off In LA

By Craig Clough

The California federal trial in a multibillion-dollar antitrust suit against the NFL by Sunday Ticket subscribers kicked off Wednesday with the seating of eight jurors and two alternates, after some potential jurors were eliminated for expressing strong views on former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, player concussions and the league's significant wealth.

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Trump Gag Order Still Needed Through Sentencing, DA Says

By Elliot Weld

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has asked a judge not to lift the gag order on Donald Trump before the convicted former president's sentencing next month, arguing in a letter released Wednesday that there is still a need to "protect the integrity" of the hush money case.

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Hunter Biden's Ex-Wife, Ex-Lover Testify About His Drug Use

By Leslie A. Pappas

Hunter Biden's trial on felony gun charges continued in Delaware federal court on Wednesday with testimony from his ex-wife, a former girlfriend and the salesman at the shop where he bought the Colt Cobra revolver on Oct. 12, 2018.

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1st Circ. May Undo Tribal Casino Bribery Convictions

By Brian Dowling

First Circuit judges hinted Wednesday that jurisdictional flaws and other issues could reverse the bribery convictions of an architect and tribal chairman in connection with a proposed $1 billion casino in southeastern Massachusetts.

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Bank Shareholders Say Venezuelan Takeover Cost Them $27M

By Carolina Bolado

Shareholders in a small Miami bank told jurors Wednesday that board members working for the Venezuelan government had taken control of the bank and cost shareholders $27 million by engaging with the sanctioned Venezuelan government.

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3rd Circ. Won't Put Trade Secrets Atty Fee Fight Before Jury

By Bonnie Eslinger

The Third Circuit on Wednesday backed a jury verdict in favor of two former employees that a power trading company claimed took trade secrets to start a new firm, but rejected one defendant's bid to have a jury determine whether he gets attorney fees for what he called "bad-faith" litigation.

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Archegos Ex-Exec Who Sued Fund Testifies At Founder's Trial

By Pete Brush

An investment pro who claims in a $50 million suit that he was pressured to defer his Archegos pay testified Wednesday in the $36 billion market manipulation case against fund founder Bill Hwang that Hwang called the shots and was rarely questioned.

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Nissan Driver's Injuries Came From Head Strike, Surgeon Says

By Cara Salvatore

A Nevada neurosurgeon told a jury Wednesday that the neck injuries he saw on a Nissan driver whose airbags allegedly misdeployed were "objectively" caused by a strong force against the forehead, despite a radiologist's differing opinion.

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Meta Can't Dodge Trial In Monopoly Suit, FTC Says

By Ali Sullivan

The Federal Trade Commission said "voluminous evidence" cuts against Meta's bid to avoid trial over claims the social media giant illegally entrenched its monopoly in the market for personal social networking by acquiring WhatsApp and Instagram.

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4th Circ. Affirms Insurer's Win In Couple's Home Damage Suit

By Hope Patti

A West Virginia couple wasn't entitled to a new trial in a property damage coverage dispute, the Fourth Circuit ruled Wednesday, saying a lower court did not abuse its discretion or err in excluding the couple's expert witness and allowing the insurer's expert to testify.

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Black Jurors Wrongly Excluded From Fla. Trial, 11th Circ. Told

By David Minsky

A Florida attorney on Wednesday urged an Eleventh Circuit panel to revive his federal complaint against the city of Orlando, saying the wrong statute of limitations standard was used to dismiss a lawsuit alleging his civil rights were violated when opposing lawyers had Black jurors removed from his personal injury trial against the city.

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10 Tips To Build Trust With Your Witness During Trial Prep

Preparing a witness for deposition or trial requires more than just legal skills — lawyers must also work to cultivate trust with the witness, using strategies ranging from wearing a hat when conducting mock cross-examination to offering them a ride to court before they testify, say Faye Paul Teller and Sara McDermott at Munger Tolles.

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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

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Google Legal Dept. Goes From Crisis Mode To Long Term

By Bryan Koenig

As much of the major antitrust litigation against Google winds down, the company is shuffling around its in-house legal departments to add more people and settle from crisis mode into the more sustainable posture of a technology giant where lawsuits have likely become a permanent feature of its existence.

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After Judge Takes Trip To Israel, Attys Want Him Off Gaza Case

By Cara Bayles

Palestinian rights activists asked a Ninth Circuit judge to recuse himself from a case claiming that the Biden administration flouted international laws barring genocide by supporting Israel's military efforts in Gaza, noting that the judge recently took a trip to Israel sponsored by the World Jewish Congress.

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Rutgers Law Students Must Provide Comms In Bias Suit

By Madison Arnold

A pair of Rutgers Law School students must turn over recordings and messages in a Jewish classmate's lawsuit accusing the school of antisemitic bias for opening a disciplinary investigation against him after he spoke out against the same two students for allegedly spreading antisemitism, a New Jersey state judge has ruled.

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Federal Judges Facing Scrutiny For Clerk-Hiring Boycotts

By Jack Karp

The federal judiciary must take a look at its judges' hiring practices in the wake of some jurists' public refusal to hire students from certain law schools over on-campus political activity over the Israel-Hamas war, a nonprofit government watchdog said Wednesday.

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Interview

DLA Piper Atty, Ex-UK Official On Practicing Across The Pond

By Alison Knezevich

In returning to the United States after nearly two decades in London, former Serious Fraud Office official Judy Krieg says DLA Piper was the ideal place to serve clients and leverage the skills she has gained from working on both sides of the Atlantic.

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An Ex-BigLaw Atty Shot His Wife. Who Gets Her Settlement?

By Kelcey Caulder

The administrator of the estate of Diane McIver, who was fatally shot by her husband, former Fisher Phillips partner Claud "Tex" McIver, while driving through Atlanta in 2016, has asked a Georgia state court to decide who is entitled to settlement funds from a wrongful death case brought by the estate.

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Brown Rudnick Partner's 50% Fee Hike Nixed In Ch. 11 Case

By Hilary Russ

A Brown Rudnick LLP bankruptcy partner Wednesday had his 50% fee increase rejected by a Delaware judge, who took issue with the proposed hike to $1,500 an hour for representing the creditors' committee in Kidde-Fenwal Inc.'s Chapter 11 case.

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Ga. Trump Election Case On Hold For DA DQ Appeal

By Kelcey Caulder

The Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday temporarily halted proceedings in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants while it reviews a trial judge's ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis to continue prosecuting the case.

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Atty Carried Gun, Rope During Attempted Break-In, Police Say

By Lauren Berg

Police in Royal Oak, Michigan, said Tuesday they have arrested a Dearborn personal injury attorney after he allegedly tried to break into the home of a former co-worker while carrying a firearm, knife, handcuffs and other "concerning items."

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Lippes Mathias Merges With Syracuse Health, Business Firm

By Andrea Keckley

Buffalo, New York-based firm Lippes Mathias LLP said this week that it had created one of the state's largest healthcare attorney teams outside New York City in combining with Syracuse business and healthcare boutique CCBLaw, a move that will ultimately add 11 lawyers and eight nonlawyer professionals to its ranks.

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From Small Town To 11th Circ., Nominee Pledges 'Open Mind'

By Jake Maher

A nominee for an Eleventh Circuit seat on Wednesday discussed his small-town upbringing, award-winning career as a prosecutor and the "obligation" he feels to be a role model for others considering a career in the law, saying he would approach cases with an "open mind" if confirmed to the federal appeals court.

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NY Gov. Denies Cop-Shoving Judge New Term

By Frank G. Runyeon

A Buffalo judge censured for brawling with neighbors, shoving a police officer and bragging about his ties to power was denied a second term by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who took the unusual step of rejecting the judge's request for reappointment.

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AAA Says Fee Critique 'Flawed' For Missed Eclipse Day Depo

By Lynn LaRowe

An attorney sanctioned for missing a deposition in Florida while he was in Arkansas viewing April's solar eclipse used "guesswork" in a response asking a federal judge in the Sunshine State to whittle a request for $7,800 in fees down to just over $1,200, according to a reply filed this week by AAA in a lawsuit by a former employee.

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Ex-Sacks Weston Atty Blames 'Toxic' Firm For His Theft

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A Philadelphia attorney convicted of defrauding his former law firm told a state ethics panel Wednesday that he was remorseful for his deeds, but he noted he was driven to his crime by being owed money by his firm for too long.

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PwC Asks Calif. Justices To Revive $2.5M Sanction Against LA

By Gina Kim

PwC urged the California Supreme Court on Wednesday to revive a $2.5 million sanction against the city of Los Angeles for yearslong discovery misconduct in an underlying utility billing dispute, arguing the trial court's inherent authority to pose such penalties isn't limited to nonmonetary sanctions.

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