Business of Law

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AI Terms, 'Coffee Badging' Among Top New Words In Law

Burton's Legal Thesaurus recently announced this year's top new words in law, with entries like "coffee badging" and "hot-tubbing" joining the echelons of 2022's "meme stock" and 2023's "hallucination" as the thesaurus brings to light some of the most novel terms and talking points for lawyers in 2024.

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'Twice The Pace': 2024 Was A Busy Year For Law Firms

Even as mergers and acquisitions activity has remained relatively "soft," large and midsize law firms have experienced a substantial increase in demand over the last year at twice the historic average rate of increase, according to the co-author of a Thursday report on U.S. law firm financial results.

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Law360 Names Attys Who Moved Up The Firm Ranks In Q3

A promotion to partner or election to practice group chair means a slew of new responsibilities and also lots of well-deserved recognition. Law360 reveals the list of attorneys whose commitment to legal excellence earned them highly coveted spots in the law firm leadership ranks. Find out if your old legal friends — or rivals — moved up in the third quarter of the year.

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The 2024 Prestige Leaders

Check out our Prestige Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their financial performance, attractiveness to attorneys and law students, ability to secure accolades and positive legal news media representation.

December 23, 2024
Anti-Laundering Law Is Likely Constitutional, 5th Circ. Rules

The Fifth Circuit on Monday lifted a lower court's nationwide block of a federal corporate transparency law, ruling in an unpublished order that the federal government made a "strong showing" that it could successfully defend the law's constitutionality.
December 23, 2024
Biden Vetoes Bill To Add New Judgeships

President Joe Biden vetoed a bill Monday that would have added more federal judgeships, despite the judiciary's plea that more seats on the bench are needed desperately.
December 23, 2024
'Tragedy To Farce': Menendez Makes 3rd New Trial Bid

Former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and two co-defendants, convicted of bribery in July, have made a third push for a new trial in Manhattan federal court, contending that the government's latest admission of an evidence gaffe bolstered their case.
December 23, 2024
Trump Taps Ex-Homeland Security Atty As DOJ Chief Of Staff

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Chad Mizelle, who formerly held top legal roles at Trump's Department of Homeland Security and is married to Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Kathryn K. Mizelle, as chief of staff at the Department of Justice.
December 23, 2024
Alston & Bird, Arnold & Porter Unveil Associate Bonuses

Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP and Alston & Bird LLP told associates Monday they'd be receiving year-end bonuses that meet the prevailing scale for large law firms set by Milbank LLP in November — as long as they meet certain billable hours requirements, according to media reports.
December 23, 2024
New Jersey US Atty Resigning Before Trump Returns

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger of the District of New Jersey announced Monday that he was resigning, making him the latest appointee of President Joe Biden to make departure plans ahead of the incoming Trump administration.
December 23, 2024
Thompson Coburn Data Breach Plaintiffs Aim To Consolidate

Plaintiffs seeking restitution from Thompson Coburn LLP over a data breach filled a motion Friday to consolidate the group's eight proposed class actions, as well as appoint three attorneys to interim class counsel over the potential master case.
December 23, 2024
McElroy Deutsch Beats Former Exec's Malicious Claim

McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP got a claim for malicious prosecution against it dismissed without prejudice in litigation against its former business development director, who the firm accused of embezzling millions from it.
December 23, 2024
Attys Get A Third Of $1.3M Settlement With Legal Data Co.

A Kansas federal judge has awarded counsel one-third of a $1.3 million settlement in a class action against data and professional services company UnitedLex Corp. that allegedly exposed 200 gigabytes of sensitive information during a March 2023 data breach.
December 23, 2024
House Report Says Gaetz Paid For Sex, Accepted Gifts

Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz regularly paid women for sex, including with one 17-year-old girl, used illicit drugs and accepted a trip to the Bahamas in excess of permissible gift amounts, according to a report released Monday morning by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics.
December 23, 2024
3 Ways Associates Can Survive An Average Annual Review

You're a rock star associate in your fourth or fifth year trying to make partner, and you just got an average review after previously receiving high marks. Although it's tempting to panic, experts say it's possible to come back after such setbacks by being proactive.
December 20, 2024
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.
December 20, 2024
Another Texas Judge Exits X's Advertising Boycott Suit

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.
December 20, 2024
Girardi's Mental Health To Be Evaluated At NC Federal Prison

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.
December 20, 2024
High Court Bar's Future: Williams & Connolly's Sarah Harris

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.
December 20, 2024
Litigator On The Roof: The Acting, Singing Mass. Solicitor

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.
December 20, 2024
Legislators Key To Court Fee Relief, Chief Justices Say

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.
December 20, 2024
Hagens Berman Settles Suit Over Effexor Deal Atty Fees

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.
December 20, 2024
No, Microsoft Isn't Driving DOJ's Google Antitrust Suit: Judge

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.
December 20, 2024
Biden Exceeds Trump's Record On Judges By One

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.
December 20, 2024
Approach The Bench: What Judges Had To Say This Year

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.
December 20, 2024
A Judge Reflects: West Wing Call, 'Alford Plea?' Early Exit

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.
December 20, 2024
Gunster $8.5M Data Breach Deal Needs More Info, Judge Says

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.
December 20, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

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."
December 20, 2024
NJ Bar's Diversity Plan Isn't Biased, Panel Says

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.

Expert Analysis

This Year's Insights On Attorney Well-Being

With the legal industry increasingly grappling with attorney burnout, depression, anxiety, stress and substance use disorders, Law360 guest experts proposed solutions this year ranging from mental health first aid training to exercises that build flexible optimism.
New Strategies For Enhancing Firm Culture

How can law firms work toward retaining legal talent and meeting business goals? This year, Law360 guest commentary dove into tips like embracing cognitive diversity and conducting so-called stay interviews.
The Latest Legal Writing Tips

In 2024, Law360 guest experts provided advice for improving many kinds of legal writing — explaining how attorneys can use syllogistic reasoning, emulate master chefs, and clean up drafts produced by generative artificial intelligence tools.
2024 Pointers On Persuading Jurors

In a year where nuclear verdicts continued to proliferate, Law360 guest commentary focused on how trial attorneys can better select and connect with jurors, offering strategies for identifying anti-corporate sentiments and tactics to land one’s closing argument.
Associate Issues In The 2024 Spotlight

Law360 guest writers provided insights on a range of issues affecting associates this year, from the challenges of training new lawyers in the era of artificial intelligence, to nonfinancial factors that junior attorneys should consider before accepting a job offer.
Cybersecurity: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

From the CrowdStrike failure to the plethora of new and sometimes tricky regulatory requirements, to early decisions interpreting cyberinsurance coverage, guest authors broke down the implications of the biggest cybersecurity developments this year.
AI Questions: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

As the legal discourse surrounding artificial intelligence shifted from theoretical to concrete this year, guest commentary focused on the proliferation of new AI-related litigation, enforcement actions and best practices, while tracking the judiciary’s experimentation with generative AI.
ESG And DEI: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

In their commentary on ESG and DEI topics this year, Law360 guest authors discussed Project 2025’s potential impact, the rise of greenwashing litigation, strategies for fostering employee retention amid a shaky regulatory landscape, and more.
Election Impact: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

Donald Trump's election win initiated a deluge of predictions for the incoming administration, with Law360 guest writers covering key policy areas such as immigration, tax, energy, labor and competition, plus potential congressional themes and investigations.
Noncompetes: The Top Guest Articles Of 2024

Employee noncompete issues took center stage this year, as Law360 guest writers covered everything from state-level enforceability trends and alternative methods for protecting business interests, to a National Labor Relations Board ruling and the Federal Trade Commission’s attempted ban.
The Most-Read Access To Justice Guest Articles Of 2024

Law360 guest commentary addressed several emerging access to justice issues this year, including growing case backlogs, a dearth of legal services in rural communities and amendments to long-standing sentencing policies.
The Most-Read IP Law360 Guest Articles Of 2024

Double-patenting was one of the top intellectual property topics tackled in Law360’s Expert Analysis section this year, along with the intersection of copyright law and artificial intelligence, case distribution in the Western District of Texas, and more.
The Most-Read Employment Law360 Guest Articles Of 2024

Readers were drawn to employment law commentary on a range of 2024 developments, including the U.S. Supreme Court's Title VII ruling, impactful activity from the National Labor Relations Board, and state legislation targeting employee noncompete agreements.
The Most-Read Securities Law360 Guest Articles Of 2024

This year, popular securities guest article topics included controversial Delaware court decisions and their legislative aftermath, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s focus on emerging industries amid struggles to implement its rulemaking agenda.
The Most-Read Law360 UK Guest Articles Of 2024

The start of a generational shift in U.K. employment law under Labour, a ruling on artificial intelligence-driven credit scores and strategic law firm expansion were among the hot topics U.K. Expert Analysis articles explored this year.