Small Law


  • DC Circ. Scraps Foley's Atty Fee Win In 13-Year IRS Saga

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday vacated a district court ruling giving Foley & Lardner LLP first dibs on nearly $800,000 in fees for representing a conservative nonprofit in a 13-year-old suit against the Internal Revenue Service, giving Bopp Law Firm a chance to argue for a larger cut of the pie.

  • Conn. Justices Block Agency's Bias Probe Into Atty Licensing

    Because citizens blocked the legislature from reviewing court decisions when ratifying the state's 1818 constitution, a Connecticut human rights agency has no power to investigate alleged bias in attorney licensing decisions, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Friday in a unanimous opinion.

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    Another Gov't Atty From Vt. Joins Stris & Maher's Team

    A former civil chief of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont has joined Stris & Maher LLP's practice as a partner, the firm announced Friday.

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    Fla. Atty Faces Possible Bar Referral For Citing Bogus Cases

    A divorce attorney may be referred to the Florida Bar for discipline after a Florida state appeals court found she filed a petition and reply that contained nonexistent cases, likely hallucinated by artificial intelligence.

  • Calif. Atty Avoids Sanctions For Filing Bogus Citations With AI

    A California attorney has avoided sanctions over his use of artificial intelligence for a filing in a civil rights case, which resulted in false citations.

  • Gambling Tech Co. Seeks To Add Rival In NJ Defamation Case

    A gambling technology company asked a New Jersey state court to add a rival company as a defendant in its defamation suit against investigative firm Black Cube and law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP, accusing the rival of orchestrating a smear campaign in an effort to eliminate competition.

  • Hicks Thomas DQ'd Over Aide's Past Work For Other Side

    Siding with two lower courts, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday held that Hicks Thomas LLP must be disqualified from a long-running suit over a hospital project because of a firm legal assistant's past work for the other side of the case.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    Business of law headlines this week included a major law firm combination, a hefty GC paycheck, and data on Mid-Law's appetite for growth. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Two personal injury firms in Michigan lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions for their work to secure a more than $300 million verdict against a prison health services provider and one of its doctors for refusing to approve a 34-year-old man's surgery while he was detained at a local jail.

  • Fed. Circ. Chief Feels 'Bright-Line Rule Coming' For IP Marking

    As a Federal Circuit panel reprimanded embattled attorney William Ramey on Thursday for the "disrespect" shown in his failed 3D glasses patent litigation against Volkswagen, the Federal Circuit's chief judge suggested precedent may be needed to define the role of marking in admissionless settlements.

  • Trade Secrets Suit Is A 'Far-Flung Conspiracy,' Law Firm Says

    A Georgia law firm wants a Nevada federal court to throw out a lawsuit accusing it of stealing trade secrets from litigation lead generator Archetype Capital Partners, calling the whole case "a far-flung conspiracy."

  • Insurer Won't Have To Defend Firm In $2M Fraud Case

    National Liability & Fire Insurance doesn't have to insure a Texas law firm for claims it fraudulently disbursed nearly $2 million of a safety equipment company's money for COVID-19 tests, a Pennsylvania judge has ruled, finding the insurer has shown that policy exclusions exempt it from coverage.

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    MMA Law Accuses Lawyer, Insurance Co. Of RICO Scheme

    Embattled Texas firm MMA Law has filed nearly a score of complaints amid an ongoing bankruptcy action, including accusing a Louisiana attorney, his wife and an insurer of working together to "target, dismantle and destroy" the firm in an effort to avoid sharing a cut of legal fees stemming from storm damage claims.

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    AI-Based Firm Norm Law Hires Ex-Ropes & Gray PE Partner

    Norm Law LLP, the firm offshoot of the legal and compliance startup Norm Ai, expanded its private equity offerings on Thursday with the hiring of Bill Mone, a former longtime partner at Ropes & Gray LLP.

  • Ecolab Says Personal Injury Law Firm Holding Back $148K

    Ecolab and its self-funded employee benefit plan have accused a North Carolina personal injury firm of withholding around $148,000 in settlement funds the food safety company says it's owed for covering a worker's medical bills after a car accident.

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    Heim Payne Adds New TM Litigation & Appeals Group Leader

    Houston-based Intellectual property boutique Heim Payne & Chorush LLP has brought on an attorney with decades of experience, including time as an examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office early in her legal career, to lead the firm's trademark litigation and appeals practice.

  • Del. Judge Orders Disclosures Over PE Investors In Law Firms

    As ethics concerns mount over the growing interest in allowing outside investment in the legal industry, Delaware's top federal judge is requiring attorneys seeking pro hac vice admission in his court to certify that they do not practice law or share fees with nonlawyers, with certain exceptions.

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    Peckar & Abramson Expands To San Diego With 4-Atty Hire

    Peckar & Abramson PC announced that it has launched a San Diego office after hiring a four-attorney group who specialize in construction law and government contracts.

  • Colorado Firm Drops Google Suit Over Deleted Biz Profile

    A Colorado state judge has granted a bankruptcy attorney's request to dismiss his complaint against Google, in which he accused the company of removing his firm's business profile without explanation.

  • ABA Says Attys Must Reveal When A Judge Needs To Recuse

    Attorneys have an ethical obligation to speak up when they have information that could lead to a judge's disqualification from a case, according to a new ethics opinion released by the American Bar Association on Wednesday.

  • Insurer Says NC Law Firm's $130K Forgery Loss Isn't Covered

    Law firm Narron and Holdford PA isn't owed close to $130,000 in coverage for a forged cashier's check and wire transfer because the incident doesn't trigger coverage under the insurance policy it has with a pair of insurance companies, the insurers have told a North Carolina federal court. 

  • $8.7M FCA Whistleblower Attys Award Too High, 9th Circ. Says

    The Ninth Circuit held Monday that a district court's award of $8.7 million in fees and expenses to attorneys representing a whistleblower who claimed Academy Mortgage submitted false insurance claims was too high, saying the case is not "exceptional," and the court didn't justify its lodestar multiplier of 1.75.

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    11th Circ. Faults Job Seeker's Atty But Upholds $3.4M Win

    The Eleventh Circuit declined Tuesday to grant a trucking company a new trial on a $3.4 million verdict handed to an applicant who claimed the business walked back a job offer after learning that he is Black, ruling his attorney's "improper" arguments didn't taint the trial's outcome.

  • Texas Panel Keeps Ex-GC's Suit Over Unpaid Bonuses Alive

    A Texas appeals court on Tuesday kept in play a suit by a dairy equipment manufacturer's former general counsel over unpaid bonuses, holding that updated anti-SLAPP rules applied to newly added claims in the suit and that the company failed to meet procedural requirements in trying to dismiss them.

  • Law Firms Dodge Online Casinos' NY Retaliatory Litigation

    A New York state judge has tossed a malicious prosecution suit by online casinos against two law firms attempting to arbitrate consumer claims alleging illegal gambling, finding that the speech targeted by the suit falls within a state law protecting citizens from strategic lawsuits against public participation.

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Expert Analysis

  • Fla. Bar's Cyber Incident Response Plan Sets Precedent Author Photo

    The incident response plan developed by the Florida Bar's cybersecurity and privacy committee might not seem all that consequential, but it's a long overdue framework that could go a long way toward protecting the highly sensitive data law firms handle — and could even set a model for other professional organizations to follow, says Chris Boehm at Zero Networks.

  • Why Attorneys Should Write About Justices' Minority Opinions Author Photo

    Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s searing dissents this past term serve as a reminder for attorneys to analyze U.S. Supreme Court minority opinions in their thought leadership for three key reasons, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • 3 Business Development Lessons From Mozart's 'Magic Flute' Author Photo

    Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” offers a useful framework for attorneys to build relationships and develop new business, inspired by Prince Tamino’s curiosity, courage and consistency, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 5 Ways Legal Teams Can Use KPIs To Quantify Their Value Author Photo

    As in-house legal departments are increasingly expected to do more with less, developing a thoughtful framework to measure key performance indicators can help them both maximize and demonstrate their contribution to business success, say co-founders at New Era ADR.

  • 5 Emerging Themes Shaping Lateral Partner Moves This Year Author Photo

    A few key trends have arisen in partners’ lateral movements in the first half of 2025, reflecting a legal market defined by macroeconomic uncertainty, shifts in firm structures and rising scrutiny of firm affiliations, say legal recruiters at Macrae.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Be A Mentor Or Mentee Author Photo

    Mentorship is a powerful tool for business development when both mentors and mentees approach their relationships with strategic purpose, ensuring professional success while supporting broader business goals, say Angela Liu at Dechert and Jessica Lewis at WilmerHale.

  • 4 Biz Dev Steps For Attys Who Don't Know What They Want Author Photo

    Junior attorneys are increasingly expected to start building books of business while they are still figuring out their long-term career goals, but a few pointers can help young lawyers develop business even when they’re uncertain about their future direction, says Lana Manganiello at Practice Growth Partner.

  • Protecting Client Funds From Cyberattacks Author Photo

    As cyberattacks on law firms continue to escalate, bar associations, law firms and individual lawyers must all take steps to protect client funds in attorney trust accounts — from imposing cyber hygiene mandates to reimagining malpractice coverage — because once that money is gone, it’s generally gone for good, says Michael Epstein at The Epstein Law Firm.

  • Making Legal Cents: For Billing, Think Value, Not Time Author Photo

    Pricing strategy is one of the most consistently discussed but underleveraged tools in a firm's arsenal, and rather than keeping hourly billing because it's easy, firms should consider their differentiators when structuring more effective fee models, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.

  • Series

    Achieving Organic Growth For A Legal Nonprofit Author Photo

    We started Law Rocks to promote music education for underprivileged youth and raise funds for local nonprofits, and our 15-year journey has shown that enthusiasm, persistence and a great network can lead to a surprising amount of organic growth, say Nick Child and Ted Scott at Secretariat.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Engage With The Media Author Photo

    Business development is all about awareness — and by taking existing skills and adapting them to build media relationships and thereby address today's audiences, lawyers can expand their outreach and use thought leadership to build a more complete, compelling personal brand, says Michael Goodwin at Stanton PR.

  • What GCs Value Most: 7 Habits Of Great Relationship Partners Author Photo

    When seeking outside legal advisers, general counsel want commercially savvy lawyers who cultivate relationships of trust with their in-house counterparts, back up the GC's authority and focus on actionable advice instead of abstract legal analysis, say Andrew Dick at The L Suite and Rob Morvillo at Olo.

  • Roundup

    Nonprofit Launch Tips From Founders In The Legal Industry Author Photo

    In this season of giving, take a look back at this Law360 series featuring legal professionals who have founded industry-related nonprofits. They discussed the biggest challenges to getting started, and how to balance the launch and management of an organization along with the demands of their primary work.

  • Nonequity Partner Frustrations Reflect Erosion Of Opportunity Author Photo

    Nonequity partners report the lowest satisfaction, highest stress and poorest financial outlook of any group of lawyers, highlighting a growing structural disconnect that leaves attorneys at many firms feeling like the ladder has been pulled up behind those who already ascended, says Jake Carroll at Nelson Mullins.

  • Learn Your Colleagues To Cross-Sell Their Services Fearlessly Author Photo

    Understanding where colleagues in other practice areas shine can help attorneys confidently cross-sell each other's services and bring in business to keep the firm afloat in hard times, says Joe Calve at Calve Communications.

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