Bribery Prosecutions Revive Following 2012 Lag, Says Report

Prosecutions under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act against individuals, businesses or government entities dropped by 52 percent in 2012, compared to 2011, according to TRACE, a Maryland-based nonprofit that focuses on anti-bribery compliance. However, enforcement actions are surging this year, said Julie Coleman, TRACE's senior director of advisory services. "Originally, it was off to a slow start, but there are a lot of things percolating."

Judge Orders Parties to Hire Expert to Probe Facebook

Granting limited discovery in a social media dispute, a Pennsylvania judge has ordered the parties in a personal injury case to hire a "neutral forensic computer expert" to review the plaintiff's private Facebook page during a 17-day window in which the defendants claim the woman alleging injuries was photographed playing in the snow.

Conservative Group Sues IRS Over Tax-Exempt Status

A Texas-based conservative group called True the Vote filed suit today against the IRS in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The complaint for declaratory action against the agency echoes revelations last week that the IRS used political criteria to target conservative groups for extra scrutiny on applications from tax-exempt organizations.

Federal Circuit Upholds Alexsam Patent

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A divided Federal Circuit has affirmed a jury verdict upholding the validity of a patent owned by licensing company Alexsam that covers systems used to process prepaid phone and gift cards. But it reversed the Marshall, Texas, jury's finding that IDT Corp., had infringed the patent for one system, and affirmed the district court's ruling that there was no infringement on another.

In Leak Case, DOJ Considered Reporter 'Co-Conspirator'

With the U.S. Department of Justice under fire for secretly obtaining Associated Press phone records, a newly unsealed court document has revealed that federal prosecutors seized far more than phone records in one pending leak case. A DOJ investigation into leaks about classified information about North Korea also looked at a reporter's security badge access records and his personal emails.

Former U.S. Attorney to Face Ethics Review in Leak Probe

The Justice Department's legal ethics division will look at whether a former U.S. Attorney violated department rules when he disclosed information to a news reporter, an inspector general report released Monday states. Dennis Burke admitted to releasing to a Fox News producer a memorandum related to the Operation Fast and Furious gun-trafficking program, the report found.

On Eve of Retrial, Brocade and A10 Settle

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Everyone knows that litigation often settles on the eve of trial. But sometimes it takes the reality of a retrial to bring the parties to the bargaining table. That was the case for Silicon Valley rivals Brocade Communications and A10 Networks, which reached a settlement in their long-running intellectual property spat even as jury selection was under way for a new trial on damages.

Taking the Reins of Legal Department Operations

The recently established Institute for Law Department Excellence is on a mission to enable in-house attorneys to focus on practicing law, and to help those in key operations learn from each other. "If you are going to enable your lawyers to do lawyering," ILDE president Bill Young says, "they cannot be spending 25 to 40 percent of their time on administrative stuff."

LegalTech West Coast to Kick Off With 'Tech Audit' Keynote

LegalTech West Coast kicks off Tuesday with keynote from D. Casey Flaherty. Monica Bay interviews Cisco's ethics team and Stanford Law's Roland Vogl. [MORE]

Spurned Attorney Who Waged Vendetta Gets Suspended

An Indiana attorney has been suspended from practice for three years for pursuing a romantic relationship with a summer law clerk and attempting to destroy her legal career when she rejected his advances.

Supreme Court Defers to Agencies in Jurisdiction Case

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Simpson Helps Yahoo, Tumblr Connect for $1 Billion Deal

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is advising Yahoo in connection with its largest acquisition in a decade: the $1.1 billion cash purchase of blogging and social media platform Tumblr. Tumblr, meanwhile, is represented by Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian.

Latham Fights Disqualification in Freight Rail Class Action

Latham & Watkins is fighting an attempt to disqualify the firm as lead trial counsel for Union Pacific Railroad, a defendant in multidistrict litigation over freight rail fuel surcharges.

Amici Line Up to Block 'Morrison' End-Run in UBS Appeal

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Companies have wielded the Supreme Court's Morrison v. National Australia Bank in case after case to strike down securities claims related to overseas investments. So it's no surprise that the defense bar -- including the lawyer who won Morrison back in 2010 -- came out in force Friday to back UBS AG in an appeal that could blunt or even undermine Morrison's force.

Judge Revives $774 Million Securities Case Against JPMorgan

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Last month, a federal judge wiped out all but $5.7 million in potential damages from Dexia's $774 million fraud case against JPMorgan Chase over mortgage-backed securities. But now, the judge has brought the case back from the dead, ruling that he never had jurisdiction to hear the case in the first place.