News

Equifax Software Developer to Plead Guilty to Insider Trading

R. Robin McDonald | July 23, 2018

Federal prosecutors say the employee used his knowledge of the hack to make $75,000 off Equifax stock before the hack became public.

News

No Tribal Immunity in PTO Proceedings, Federal Circuit Rules

Scott Graham | July 23, 2018

Judge Kimberly Moore's decision ends—at least for now—Allergan's arrangement to shield its patents using the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe's immunity.

News

Surveillance Tactics Under Heightened Scrutiny, ‘Destructive’ to Muslim Communities

Erin Mulvaney | July 20, 2018

Government programs and tactics designed to track Muslims in communities around the United States may face heightened scrutiny in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting the use of cellphone data in criminal investigations, and a high-profile settlement reached in a lawsuit targeting a New York City Police Department program.

News

CFPB Reaches $30M Settlement With TCF National Bank

C. Ryan Barber | July 20, 2018

The settlement is the CFPB’s first in a pending case under the tenure of the CFPB's interim leader, Mick Mulvaney, who has criticized past enforcement actions for “pushing the envelope.”

Q&A

US Trial Bar Leader Says Kavanaugh Could 'Dramatically Affect Consumer Rights'

Amanda Bronstad | July 20, 2018

The American Association for Justice's new president, Elise Sanguinetti, came on board this month right after President Donald Trump nominated Judge…

News

Womble Grows in Washington Market; Brownstein Expands in Vegas; Another Kirkland Hire

Ryan Lovelace | July 20, 2018

In this week's Washington Wrap: Womble Bond Dickinson bolts on a Baltimore boutique, Kirkland ads an energy regulatory partner from Morrison & Foerster, and other D.C. moves of note.

News

An Accreditation Seeks to ‘Professionalize’ Law Firm Pricing Directors

Roy Strom | July 20, 2018

Law firm pricing professionals have a new way to show partners that pricing advice is worth their time.

Analysis

3 Takeaways From Failed Ryan Bounds 9th Circuit Nomination

Ross Todd | July 19, 2018

Ninth Circuit watchers reached shortly after news broke that President Trump's first Ninth Circuit nominee had been withdrawn were shocked. But they said the episode could illuminate challenges the administration faces in changing the makeup of the nation's largest federal appellate court.

Call for Nominations: Appellate Hot List

Pearl Wu | July 19, 2018

The National Law Journal is seeking nominations for our "Appellate Hot List" of law firms that have done exemplary, cutting-edge appellate advocacy.

Full 11th Circuit Declines to Take Up LGBT Workplace Protection Case

Erin Mulvaney | July 19, 2018

The question before the court was whether protections ensured by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 extend to sexual orientation, in addition to race, national origin, religion and sex.

Commentary

The 14th Amendment, Kennedy and Kavanaugh: What's Next?

Barry P. McDonald| July 19, 2018

For some, the 150th anniversary of the 14th Amendment was a day to fete the civil rights expansion that's been achieved under it. For others, it marked the start of a broad retrenchment in that expansion.

News

As Cosby Defamation Cases Reach SCOTUS, Possible Fresh Look at Lawyers’ Free Speech Rights

Tony Mauro | July 19, 2018

The cases are drawing interest since the justices have not recently taken up disputes over libel and defamation, a part of First Amendment doctrine that is well-settled.

News

'Lawyerly and Limited': Trump’s CFPB Nominee Frustrates Democrats at Senate Hearing

C. Ryan Barber | July 19, 2018

In a nearly three-hour confirmation hearing, Kathy Kraninger rankled Democrats over responses to their queries. “I am trying to get an answer from you, and I just can’t,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

News

Ryan Bounds, Trumps Ninth Circuit Nominee, Withdrawn From Senate Floor Vote

Ellis Kim | Ross Todd | July 19, 2018

Both of Bounds’ home-state senators, Democrats Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, opposed his nomination.

News

Baker Donelson Brings on Greenspoon Marder Health Care Lawyers

Miriam Rozen | Raychel Lean | July 19, 2018

Nearly two years after Greenspoon Marder absorbed the Florida Health Law Center, a pair of lawyers from the former boutique have left the firm for Baker Donelson in South Florida.

News

Senate Panel Clears Trump Nominees for 11th, 3rd Circuits

Ellis Kim | July 19, 2018

The panel voted along an 11-10 party-line split to approve Britt Grant, who was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and David Porter, who was tapped for the Third Circuit.

News

Baker & Hostetler Lawyer Fights ACLU Subpoena for Ohio Redistricting Docs

Ellis Kim | July 19, 2018

The ACLU hit E. Mark Braden, of counsel at the firm, with two subpoenas this summer over a challenge to Ohio’s 2011 congressional map.

Q&A

VR’s Open Call to Litigation: Q&A With UCLA’s Eugene Volokh on Future Law

Ian Lopez | July 19, 2018

Volokh, a technology and legal expert, talks about how virtual reality may shape litigation in the future.

News

Papa John's Founder Hires High-Profile Litigator for Cheesy Boardroom Battle

Xiumei Dong | July 18, 2018

Los Angeles trial lawyer Patricia Glaser has been hired by John Schnatter as he fights against his removal from the pizza chain’s board of directors due to his use of a racial slur during a media training session.

News

MGM's Suits Against Las Vegas Shooting Victims Are Unprecedented, Lawyers Say

Amanda Bronstad | July 18, 2018

MGM Resorts International has filed nine lawsuits across the country against 2,500 victims of the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting in Las Vegas in an unprecedented move that had plaintiffs lawyers accusing the entertainment conglomerate of forum shopping and defense lawyers scratching their heads.

News

Michael Best Lands LawVision Consultant as New COO

Miriam Rozen | July 18, 2018

Truda Chow, a law firm consultant and former business development executive at a leading British firm, is poised to join Michael Best & Friedrich as its new chief operating officer.

News

Judge Chimes in With Early Thoughts in Facebook-Cambridge Analytica MDL

Ross Todd | July 18, 2018

At a hearing where 10 plaintiffs lawyers pitched to lead the potentially precedent-setting MDL, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria signaled that plaintiffs might struggle to plead their case.

Investigation

Magistrate Judge Orders Accused Russian Agent Held Pending Trial

C. Ryan Barber | Ellis Kim | July 18, 2018

A federal magistrate judge in Washington ordered Maria Butina detained pending trial on charges she served as a covert agent for Moscow while living in the United States.

News

Senate Approves Andrew Oldham for Fifth Circuit Seat

Ellis Kim | July 18, 2018

The former clerk for Justice Samuel Alito was approved 50-49.

Commentary

5 Best Practices for Improving Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion

Grace E. Speights| July 18, 2018

Law firms are still discussing how to create an inclusive and welcoming environment. Here's how to get started.

Webcast

Unlocking Online Reviews: How to Manage, Generate & Improve Law Firm Reviews

ALM Marketing Services | July 18, 2018

Date: Thursday, August 16, 2018 Time:  2 p.m. EDT / 11 a.m. PDT Cost: Complimentary Sponsored by:                 In…

Commentary

The NFL’s New Anthem Policy and Free Speech in the Workplace

Grant Alexander and Sean Crain| July 17, 2018

Talking heads have claimed that, as “employees” of their teams, professional athletes have a right to free speech in the workplace and can't be disciplined. But this argument exhibits a fundamental misunderstanding of the law.

News

Labaton Petitions 1st Circuit for 'Fair and Impartial' Judge in State Street Case

Amanda Bronstad | July 17, 2018

The New York firm is objecting to a special master’s report that found Labaton and two other firms serving as class counsel in the case had deliberately misled the court about how they planned to distribute $75 million in attorney fees.

News

Plaintiffs Lawyers Get TV Time as CBS Launches Whistleblower Reality Show

Miriam Rozen | July 17, 2018

Ready for your primetime closeup, plaintiffs lawyers? The first episode of "Whistleblower" featured cases filed by litigators from Berger & Montague and Waters Kraus & Paul.

News

LSAT Maker Owes $529K in Fees, Calif. Agency Asserts

Karen Sloan | July 17, 2018

The Law School Admission Council said it will fight the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing's new request for more than half a million dollars in attorney fees.

News

Twitter Faces Certified Class in Stock Drop Suit Over User Metrics

Ross Todd | July 17, 2018

A federal judge in San Francisco has certified a class of investors in a lawsuit accusing the company of misleading investors about key user metrics. They allege Twitter's stock price slid 40 percent after its struggles became public in 2015.

News

Sidley Austin’s Peter Keisler Takes on More Formal Role for AT&T in Antitrust Appellate Battle

C. Ryan Barber | July 17, 2018

As the AT&T’s defense against a Justice Department antitrust challenge advances into a Washington appeals court, Keisler is set to assume a more formal role.

News

Federal Circuit Cracks Down on RPX Activity at PTAB

Scott Graham | July 16, 2018

The appellate court, in a patent case involving Salesforce, says the PTO is not looking closely enough at whether RPX clients are real parties in interest in inter partes reviews. That could prevent the defensive patent aggregator, and maybe other third parties like it, from bringing IPRs.

News

Kavanaugh's Record on Class Actions Thin, but Leaves Clues He'd Restrain Them

Amanda Bronstad | July 16, 2018

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has a limited record on class actions and mass torts, but many of his rulings favor businesses, lawyers say, raising the likelihood that he would favor the defense in such cases.

News

DOJ Effort to Derail AT&T-Time Warner Merger Seen as Uphill Fight, But Some Point to 'Friendly Forum' in DC Circuit

Ellis Kim | July 16, 2018

Experts see a difficult task ahead for the Trump administration, particularly because the federal trial judge’s ruling was so fact-driven. But others argue the appeal might find a more favorable reception at the D.C. Circuit.

News

Hogan Lovells, Akin Gump Flip Into Papa John's Pizza Chain Founder's Fallout

Roy Strom | July 16, 2018

Papa John's International Inc. has turned to its longtime securities counsel at Hogan Lovells to advise its board on a severance with company founder John Schnatter. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld is also working on the matter.

News

NY State Officials Open Probe of Jared Kushner's Real Estate Co. Over Allegations It Forced Out Tenants

Dan M. Clark | July 16, 2018

The investigation is being handled by the governor’s Tenant Protection Unit, an office within the state Division of Homes and Community Renewal that reviews complaints of tenant harassment.

News

Activists Want to See SCOTUS Nominee Brett Kavanaugh's Documents—Now

Tony Mauro | July 16, 2018

Transparency advocates on Monday asked a federal court in Washington to expedite release of thousands of documents related to U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s previous government positions.

News

Retired Judge Robert G.M. Keating Has Died at 76

MP McQueen | July 16, 2018

Judge Keating, who also was credited with creating the first community court in the U.S. for low-level and drug offenses, died on July 14 at age 76, according to Fairchild Sons Funeral Home in Garden City, N.Y.

News

Russian National Charged With Infiltrating Groups With Political Sway in Conspiracy Against US

Ellis Kim | July 16, 2018

The U.S. Department of Justice unveiled on Monday the arrest and criminal complaint against a Russian woman charged with conspiring against the United States as an undisclosed agent of the Russian Federation.

News

P3 Chair Leaves Polsinelli for Nelson Mullins Ahead of Florida Merger

Ryan Lovelace | July 16, 2018

Marcus Lemon heads to Nelson Mullins just as the firm is poised for a big boost in the Southeast.

News

The Trump Administration Delayed Several Obama-Era Rules. In One Case, That Tactic Has Cost the Government

C. Ryan Barber | July 16, 2018

In the early months of the Trump administration, federal agencies embarked on their new deregulation drive by delaying several rules finalized in the waning months of President Barack Obama’s term. A year later, that approach has cost the federal government in at least one case.

News

FSU Law Building, Named after Integration Foe, Needs New Moniker, Panel Says

Karen Sloan | July 16, 2018

The name of former Florida Supreme Court Justice B.K. Roberts, who resisted racial integration efforts from the bench, should be stripped from the Tallahassee law school, according to a campus renaming committee.

News

5 Things to Know About Rachel Kovner, Trump's Nominee for a NY Federal Judgeship

Tony Mauro | July 16, 2018

Here's how she got picked for the nomination, and the number of cases she's argued before the high court since 2013.

News

Will the $4.7B Talc Verdict Hold Up on Appeal?

Max Mitchell | July 13, 2018

The nearly $4.7 billion verdict that a St. Louis jury handed down Thursday against Johnson & Johnson over its talcum powder was by far the largest verdict seen out of a litigation that has already produced several eye-catching wins for plaintiffs.

News

Trump's Latest Judge Nominees Heavy on Big Law, Include Perkins Coie Partner for Ninth Circuit

Ross Todd | July 13, 2018

As part of his latest wave of judicial nominations, President Donald Trump has tapped Eric Miller, the Seattle-based chair of the appellate practice at Perkins Coie, for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

News

Appeals Court Confronts Clash Over Pot Laws, and Feds Win

Cheryl Miller | July 13, 2018

Minnesota judge had no discretion to OK probationer's medical marijuana use, Eighth Circuit panel says.

News

Lawyers Love Beto O'Rourke, Not So Much Ted Cruz Anymore

Miriam Rozen | July 13, 2018

A name partner at a law firm that has backed a Democratic challenger to the former Republican presidential candidate called his firm’s employees’ contributions “an example of purely coincidental shared sympathies.”

Podcast

Oyez! A Former SG Dishes on Kavanaugh, Kennedy and a Changing Court

Vanessa Blum | Mike Scarcella | July 13, 2018

Munger, Tolles & Olson partner Donald Verrilli Jr. chats with Supreme Court correspondent Marcia Coyle about the Supreme Court term and the battle lines around President Trump's nominee.

News

Kavanaugh at Kirkland; Troutman Hires; MoFo Moves

Ryan Lovelace | July 13, 2018

In this week's Washington Wrap: the Big Law minority on the Supreme Court, plus our roundup of DC law firm moves.

News

Read the Document: 12 Russians Indicted Over 2016 Hacks of DNC, Clinton Emails

Colby Hamilton | Ellis Kim | July 13, 2018

All 12 are members of the Russian military intelligence service GRU, the DOJ said.

St. Louis Jury Issues $4.7 Billion Verdict After Trial Linking Talc to 22 Cancer Cases

Max Mitchell | July 13, 2018

The 12-member jury awarded $550 million in compensatory damages, as well as $4.14 billion in punitive damages against the pharmaceutical giant.

Analysis

Hogan Lovells’ New Asia Pacific and Middle East Head Has Big Plans in an Interconnected World

John Kang | July 12, 2018

Miguel Zaldivar is the first American partner to oversee the region for the firm. He wants to improve the interconnection between the firm's practices in the Asia Pacific/Middle East and its practices in the U.S. and Europe.

News

Kavanaugh's Female Clerks Tout His Advocacy for Female Lawyers

Mike Scarcella | Marcia Coyle | July 12, 2018

"In our view, the judge has been one of the strongest advocates in the federal judiciary for women lawyers," 18 female former law clerks to Brett Kavanaugh said in a letter Thursday to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

News

Diversity Lab Kicks Off New Legal 'Hackathon' Round in Chicago

Meghan Tribe | July 12, 2018

Less than a month after law firm and in-house participants delivered a first batch of diversity-themed “hacks” for the legal industry, a new crop of ideas is already beginning to take shape.

News

Brett on the Bench: Lawyers Describe What It’s Like Arguing Before Kavanaugh

Ellis Kim | July 12, 2018

What should a lawyer approaching the U.S. Supreme Court’s lectern expect from an “Associate Justice” Kavanaugh during oral argument, if he’s confirmed?

Brett Kavanaugh 'Looks for Ways to Rule for Employers'

Erin Mulvaney | July 12, 2018

Advocates for business interests would find comfort in a would-be justice who could move the court from reliably pro-business to more resoundingly so. Worker advocates, meanwhile, are sounding alarms as Kavanaugh's nomination, to succeed Justice Anthony Kennedy, advances in the U.S. Senate.

News

Cleary's Lewis Liman, SDNY Nominee, Reports $37.7M Net Worth, $2.8M Partner Income

Christine Simmons | July 12, 2018

Liman’s partnership income and total assets dwarf those of some other law firm partners nominated by Trump for the federal bench in recent months.

News

Federal Court Nominees From Buchanan, Dilworth Disclose Firm Pay

Lizzy McLellan | July 11, 2018

New mandatory filings include financial disclosures for law firm partners David Porter, up for a Third Circuit seat, and Joshua Wolson, nominated for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania bench.

News

AIA Patent Invalidations Aren't a 'Taking,' DOJ Insists

Scott Graham | July 11, 2018

Issued patents are only presumed valid, so owners are on notice of potential invalidity proceedings, the government contends before the Court of Federal Claims.

Eric Komitee, Trump Pick for NY Court, Made Millions as Hedge Fund GC

C. Ryan Barber | July 11, 2018

Komitee joined the New York-based hedge fund in 2008 following an eight-year stint in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn. He identified his net worth at nearly $60 million, according to newly disclosed financial records.

News

DOJ Antitrust Vet Joins Morrison & Foerster in DC

Ryan Lovelace | July 11, 2018

Lisa Phelan prosecuted hundreds of cases over more than two decades at the Justice Department.

News

Kavanaugh Might Have Recusal Problems If These Cases Reach SCOTUS

Marcia Coyle | July 11, 2018

D.C. Circuit cases involving abortion, religious discrimination, the environment and military justice could present a recusal problem for the would-be justice.

News

Speculation Ends as Kirkland Officially Launches Dallas Office

Roy Strom | July 11, 2018

Kirkland & Ellis is expanding its operations in Texas after hiring a half-dozen lawyers from three rival Am Law 100 firms in Dallas. Kirkland also raided Latham & Watkins in Houston for the co-chair of its oil and gas team.

Commentary

Star Litigators Notch First Win in Suit Against Charlottesville Neo-Nazis

Jenna Greene| July 11, 2018

Suing white supremacists is not for the faint of heart—but Roberta Kaplan and Karen Dunn are not backing down.

News

Yale Students Call on School to Oppose Alumnus Kavanaugh's SCOTUS Nomination

Karen Sloan | July 11, 2018

Yale students and alumni called Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh a threat to democracy in a letter to the school's leadership, which requested that it take a public position against the Yale alum.

Akhil Amar, Liberal Prof at Yale Law, Would Testify for Kavanaugh If Asked

Tony Mauro | July 11, 2018

“I have followed his career with care,” Yale Law's Akhil Amar said, adding that “it’s my job” to share the information and expertise he has about Kavanaugh, a onetime student of his at Yale. “Let my fellow citizens decide.”

Kavanaugh Confirmation Team Takes Shape, Boosted by Former Clerks

Ryan Lovelace | July 11, 2018

Some of Brett Kavanaugh's former clerks are returning to government or taking new roles within the Trump administration to help smooth the confirmation process.

News

Kavanaugh Has Long Questioned Agency Power. Just Look at His First Opinion.

C. Ryan Barber | July 10, 2018

Brett Kavanaugh, on a panel with fellow judges Thomas Griffith and Douglas Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, was “kind of an unknown” going into the argument.

News

Kavanaugh Doesn't 'Search for an Easy Answer,' Former Clerks Tell Senate

Tony Mauro | July 10, 2018

“We never once saw him take a shortcut, treat a case as unimportant, or search for an easy answer," the letter from 34 former Brett Kavanaugh clerks said.

News

Kavanaugh on Health Care: How Might He Rule as a Supreme Court Justice?

Kristen Rasmussen | July 10, 2018

Corporate Counsel took a look at how U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has weighed in on a number of health care-related matters, from the ACA to abortion rights to health care mergers.

News

Broward Lawyers Win Dismissal for Former Trump Adviser Roger Stone Over DNC Emails

Raychel Lean | July 10, 2018

U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle grant attorneys Robert C. Buschel's and Grant J. Smith's motion to dismiss a Russia collusion case against Roger Stone for lack of jurisdiction.

No Sentencing Date (Yet) for Michael Flynn, Charged in Mueller Case

Ellis Kim | July 10, 2018

Michael Flynn and his lawyer, Robert Kelner, a Covington & Burling election-law partner in Washington, appeared before U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan on Tuesday.

News

The Scene Inside the East Room for Trump's Big Kavanaugh Reveal

Ellis Kim | July 10, 2018

Big Law partners. Current and former U.S. Justice Department lawyers. Judges and ex-law clerks. Washington's legal elite gathered Monday night in the East Room for President Trump's unveiling of Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here's what it was like inside the White House.

Sen. Feinstein Hires Morrison & Foerster Partner to Vet Court Nominations

Cheryl Miller | July 10, 2018

Marc Hearron, a partner in Morrison & Foerster's appellate and Supreme Court practice in Washington, joined Feinstein's office Monday as chief counsel for nominations.

News

TRANSCRIPT: Brett Kavanaugh's Full Remarks at SCOTUS Nomination

ALM Staff| July 09, 2018

"As a judge, I hire four law clerks each year. I look for the best. My law clerks come from diverse backgrounds and points of view. I am proud that a majority of my law clerks have been women," Brett Kavanaugh said at his nomination ceremony Monday at the White House. Read the full transcript here.

Big Law, Academia & Advocates: Early Lines on Kavanaugh

ALM Staff| July 09, 2018

The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh triggered a flood of responses from top appellate lawyers in Big Law, law school professors and advocates on the right and left. We've compiled some notable remarks below.

An NFL Game, Harvard Lectures and Youth Basketball: Inside Brett Kavanaugh's Financial Disclosures

C. Ryan Barber | July 09, 2018

According to the most recent disclosures, Kavanaugh has not held the types of investments that have forced justices to recuse from cases or sell off stock to avoid financial conflicts.

SCOTUS Nominee Brett Kavanaugh In His Own Words: 'Tune Out the Crowd Noise'

Tony Mauro | Mike Scarcella | July 09, 2018

“If it’s a tight case, a controversial case, and you’re wondering where he will come out, often times it’s good to put your chips on the individual, rather than the government," Brett Kavanaugh once said about Justice Anthony Kennedy, for whom he clerked.

Seven Brett Kavanaugh Opinions That Will Find Renewed Attention

Tony Mauro | July 09, 2018

Firearms. The environment. Executive power. Judge Brett Kavanaugh's D.C. Circuit rulings will come into sharp focus now, as his Supreme Court nomination advances.

Trump Picks Brett Kavanaugh, Conservative Stalwart on DC Circuit, for Supreme Court

Tony Mauro | July 09, 2018

In picking the 53-year-old Brett Kavanaugh of the D.C. Circuit, Trump opted for a hard-to-defeat nominee whose Ivy League credentials are similar to those of Neil Gorsuch, the president's first Supreme Court nominee. Kavanaugh is a Washington-area native who has ruled to dial back federal agencies and broaden gun rights.

San Francisco Jurors Hear Hours of Scientific Data About Herbicide's Link to Cancer

Amanda Bronstad | July 09, 2018

Lawyers bombarded a San Francisco jury on Monday with reams of scientific studies about whether a Monsanto Co. weed killer caused a man to get terminal cancer.

DOJ's Scott Schools Heads to Uber as Chief Compliance Officer

Caroline Spiezio | July 09, 2018

The former DOJ lawyer looks to be part of Uber's grand plan to clean up its act and its tarnished public image.

Troutman Sanders Adds Partner Quintet From Crowell & Moring

Ryan Lovelace | July 09, 2018

The group includes the former co-chairs of Crowell's insurance/reinsurance group and office leaders in London and Orange County, California.

Commentary

For Solicitor General Noel Francisco, It Was a Banner SCOTUS Term

Ken Starr| July 09, 2018

The SG’s perfect record in switch-in-position cases demonstrates the triumph of ideas and principles that capture the essence of any administration.

News

Breyer Sidesteps Questions About Supreme Court’s Future, Recent Past

Tony Mauro | July 09, 2018

Just days before the appointment of a U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Justice Stephen Breyer urged the public to recall the numerous other turbulent times the high court and the federal government have faced.

Georgetown Law Hopes to End Supreme Court Drought With Possible Hardiman Nomination

Karen Sloan | July 09, 2018

Both Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Notre Dame Law School could see their first alumni elevated to the U.S. Supreme Court with Trump's upcoming nomination. The University of Michigan Law School and Yale Law School are also in the mix.

News

Covington's Jon Kyl to Serve as SCOTUS Nominee's 'Lead Sherpa'

Ryan Lovelace | July 09, 2018

The White House confirmed Monday that former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl has agreed to help shepherd President Trump's Supreme Court nominee though the Senate confirmation process.

Chipotle, Texas and Nevada Defend Sanctions Against Plaintiffs Firms in Labor Suit

Mike Scarcella | July 09, 2018

The three plaintiffs firms, Nevada and Texas said in their Fifth Circuit brief, "should have to take the bitter with the sweet—if they want to piggyback on a rule issued by a federal agency, then they should not be allowed to complain that an injunction against that agency involving that rule affects them also."

News

Judge Vacates $140M Verdict in Case Over Low-T Treatment Because of Inconsistent Findings

Amanda Bronstad | July 06, 2018

  A federal judge has vacated a $140 million verdict over “low testosterone” treatments after finding that the jury’s findings were inconsistent. The…

News

CFPB's Top Deputy Plans to Drop Bid to Oust Trump-Appointed Leader

C. Ryan Barber | July 06, 2018

“Now that President Trump has decided to seek Senate confirmation of a new director for the independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Ms. English is stepping down and we intend to file court papers on Monday to bring the litigation to a close."

News

Justices' Elite Experiences Make Roberts Court 'Relative Outlier,' Law Prof Says

Marcia Coyle | July 06, 2018

"The Roberts court justices have spent more pre-appointment time in legal academia, appellate judging, and living in Washington, D.C., than any previous Supreme Court," according to the study, written by Benjamin Barton of the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Law.

News

How Trump’s SCOTUS Nominee Could Change Big Law Business

Ryan Lovelace | July 06, 2018

As everyone waits for the president to name his nominee, read all about the latest comings and goings in the D.C. legal community.

News

Can of Worms and Threat to Shoot: Strange Conn. Supreme Court Case Weighs 'Fighting Words,' Free Speech

Robert Storace | July 06, 2018

Laurence Parnoff was convicted of disorderly conduct related to an incident on his property where he threatened two water company employees. Connecticut's high court has ruled his threat to go into his house and retrieve a gun if the utilities company workers didn't leave are not "fighting words."

News

Pepper Hamilton Files Action Seeking FBI Records of US Troops' WWII-Era Heist of Crown Jewels

Tom McParland | July 06, 2018

Attorneys from Pepper Hamilton are aiding a Delaware author in his bid to force the FBI to release records of the agency’s investigation into the theft of crown jewels belonging to the House of Hesse, a German royal family, by U.S. soldiers at the end of World War II.

June Brings Uptick in Legal Employment

Scott Flaherty | July 06, 2018

The country's legal services industry added thousands of jobs in June, pushing the figure for legal jobs slightly above the range that has prevailed since December 2016, according to Labor Department data.

News

Raymond Kethledge Has a Few Thoughts on Agency Deference

Ellis Kim | July 06, 2018

The elevation of Raymond Kethledge—and his views on Chevron deference—could come at a time when conservative criticism of the decades-old doctrine on court deference to agencies has reached a new pitch.

Commentary

How Democrats Could Preserve Settled Law Like 'Roe,' Even With a New Conservative Justice

Leon Friedman| July 05, 2018

Even if a solidly conservative Justice is confirmed to the High Court, Democrats aren't powerless against the rollbacks of progressive policies.

News

What's in Geoffrey Berman's US Attorney Financial Disclosure? Now We Know.

Mike Scarcella | C. Ryan Barber | July 05, 2018

Geoffrey Berman's disclosure provides a peek into the compensation scheme at one of the country's largest law firms and a broad picture of the client relationships the former white-collar defender left behind when he took over one of the most visible U.S. attorney offices in the country.

News

Appellate, Antitrust Partners Take the Reins for Gibson Dunn in DC

Ryan Lovelace | July 05, 2018

Thomas Dupree Jr. and Cynthia Richman replace Daniel Nelson and Andrew Tulumello as co-leaders of the firm's Washington office.