Business of Law

July 01, 2024
High Court's 1-2 Punch Sets Up Long-Standing Regs For KO

By ending its term with a stinging combination against federal agencies, the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative bloc left behind a bruised bureaucracy and a regulatory system that's now vulnerable to a barrage of incoming attacks.
July 01, 2024
Trump Seeks To Vacate NY Verdict, Citing Immunity Decision

Former President Donald Trump's attorneys asked the New York state judge overseeing his hush money case to delay sentencing and consider setting aside the jury's guilty verdict in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity Monday.
July 01, 2024
Could Trump Get Jail In NY? We Dug Into 10 Years Of Data

Donald Trump could well be sentenced to a prison term after a New York state jury found him guilty on 34 felony counts, according to criminal justice data showing that many New York defendants convicted of those crimes face incarceration.
July 01, 2024
How Broad Immunity Could Upend Trump's 4 Criminal Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision Monday that presidential immunity shields Donald Trump from criminal charges connected to his official acts creates a "nearly impossible burden" for the special counsel prosecuting Trump in the historic federal election interference case and complicates his other criminal matters, experts say.
July 01, 2024
Atty Not 'Annoying' Enough For Restraining Order

A California appeals court affirmed Monday a finding that a personal injury attorney's aggressive behavior toward another attorney only rose to the level of "annoying" and thus didn't warrant a permanent restraining order, saying the behavior must rise to the level of "seriously annoying" to be considered harassment.
July 01, 2024
Rutgers Law Student Says Subpoenas Denied In Bad Faith

An Orthodox Jewish law student suing Rutgers University for discrimination for allegedly allowing students to mount an antisemitic "witch hunt" against him in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack accused the nonparty Council on American-Islamic Relations, New Jersey chapter, of sanctionable behavior for stonewalling subpoena requests last week.
July 01, 2024
The Top In-House Hires Of June

Two of America's largest companies, GM and ExxonMobil, decided in June to hire from the outside to replace their top lawyers, while Volkswagen Group of America promoted its next general counsel from within. Here, Law360 looks at some of the top in-house announcements from June.
July 01, 2024
Judge Acquits Firm Co-Founder, 27 Others Over Panama Papers

When authorities raided the now defunct Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca as part of their investigation into the international money laundering case known as the Panama Papers, they didn't follow the chain of custody for evidence they seized, so 28 people accused in the conspiracy must be acquitted, a Panamanian judge has ruled.
July 01, 2024
Akerman Opens In Del. With 2 McCarter & English Litigators

Akerman LLP is opening an office in Delaware with two litigation partners from McCarter & English LLP, the firm announced on Monday.
July 01, 2024
Meet The Incoming Chief Of North Carolina's Business Court

When Judge Michael L. Robinson takes the helm of the North Carolina Business Court in January after more than eight years on the bench, his colleagues agree the veteran jurist and professor will bring the right temperament, thoughtfulness, generosity and professionalism to the role.
July 01, 2024
Feds Say Ex-Magellan Officer's Atty May Have Conflict

A Donnelly Conroy & Gelhaar LLP attorney's prior representation of co-defendants in a pending fraud case against former executives of medical device company Magellan Diagnostics may have created a disqualifying conflict of interest, lawyers for the government told a Massachusetts federal judge.
July 01, 2024
Supreme Court Gives Trump Immunity For Official Acts

Former presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from prosecution related to an indefinite list of official acts, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday, partially releasing Donald Trump from liability for allegedly interfering with the 2020 presidential election, but ultimately tasking lower courts with sussing out the full extent of his immunity.
July 01, 2024
Supreme Court Widens Window To Challenge Federal Regs

Legal challenges to federal regulations can be brought outside the normal statute of limitations if someone isn't adversely affected until after the six-year window of time to file suit, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday.
June 30, 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.
June 28, 2024
Chevron's End Is Just The Start For Energized Agency Foes

By knocking down a powerful precedent that has towered over administrative law for 40 years, the U.S. Supreme Court's right wing Friday gave a crowning achievement to anti-agency attorneys. But for those attorneys, the achievement is merely a means to an end, and experts expect a litigation blitzkrieg to materialize quickly in the aftermath.
June 28, 2024
Quinn Slammed By Columbia For Its 'Continuing Audacity'

Columbia University shot back Friday against arguments from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP that Federal Circuit judges should disregard arguments made by the firm's former client, who says the firm lied to a federal court in Virginia to avoid damaging testimony in a $600 million patent case.
June 28, 2024
Girardi Wins Bid To Offer Mental Condition Testimony At Trial

Tom Girardi's defense team can call a doctor to testify at his upcoming trial as to a potential "mental condition" that they say might indirectly have bearing on his intent to defraud clients, a California federal judge ruled Thursday, rejecting prosecutors' argument that the testimony is irrelevant.
June 28, 2024
LawFirms.com Can't Dodge LegalForce's Ad Trademark Suit

A California federal judge has denied a bid by online legal services website LawFirms.com to escape a trademark suit accusing it of ripping off law firm LegalForce's stylized text and symbol used in advertisements.
June 28, 2024
FCPA, Shkreli Prosecutor To Lead EDNY's Criminal Division

Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, on Friday said Alixandra Smith, known for taking point in the prosecution of Martin Shkreli and her leading roles in foreign bribery cases, has been appointed as the new chief of the office's Criminal Division.
June 28, 2024
In Chevron Case, Justices Trade One Unknown For Another

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overrule a decades-old judicial deference doctrine may cause the "eternal fog of uncertainty" surrounding federal agency actions to dissipate and level the playing field in challenges of government policies, but lawyers warn it raises new questions over what rules courts must follow and how judges will implement them.
June 28, 2024
Parts Of Ga. Bond Law Blocked For Now Over 'Group' Meaning

A Georgia federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked certain provisions of a law set to take effect Monday that would make it illegal for people, charities and organizations to post more than three cash bonds in a year and require charitable bail funds to register as bonding agencies.
June 28, 2024
Report Shows PI Wiped Evidence Of Other Hacks, Mogul Says

A private investigator in North Carolina deleted 110,000 documents — including data reportedly stolen from an attorney — the night before he was set to testify in a London case against airline mogul Farhad Azima, according to documents filed in federal court.
June 28, 2024
Calif. Panel Won't Toss Trial Win By AT&T's Cricket

Cricket Communications Inc. won't have to worry about a 2018 jury trial win being kiboshed after a California appeals court ruled that when it overturned a pretrial ruling because a previous judge failed to disclose that he owned AT&T stock, it didn't mean the entire trial should be undone.
June 28, 2024
Girardi's Ch. 7 Evidence Fight May Raise Novel Issues

Tom Girardi told a California federal judge that FBI agents violated his constitutional rights by obtaining evidence from his law firm's bankruptcy trustee without a search warrant, an argument that, if successful, could hamstring prosecutors in his upcoming wire fraud trial and shake up law enforcement's dealings with trustees.
June 28, 2024
DC Access To Justice Leader On Making Courts User-Friendly

Erin Larkin, the first director of the D.C. Courts’ newly created Access to Justice unit, recently spoke with Law360 about plans to boost efforts to connect people with legal services and make the courts more accessible.

Expert Analysis

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.
The Most-Read Trials Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

Law360 guest columnists provided a number of tips and insights for trial attorneys this year, including pitfalls to avoid in witness preparation, color psychology pointers that can enhance trial graphics, and strategies for excluding expert testimony.
The Most-Read Access To Justice Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

In their commentary on emerging access to justice issues this year, Law360 guest experts covered the importance of tiered legal assistance in eviction cases, the evolution of financial bail conditions, and the role of public defenders in addressing the root drivers of crime.