The Sixth Circuit caught flack from tort reformers six months ago for green-lighting class claims over mold-ridden Whirlpool washing machines. Now the Seventh Circuit has given class action critics more to stew over in a parallel case against Sears--and possibly complicated efforts by Whirlpool's lawyers at Mayer Brown to win Supreme Court relief.

It's almost impossible to exaggerate the obstacles Barclays' lawyers faced in the $13 billion Lehman 'windfall' litigation: claims by three different plaintiffs represented by three powerhouse firms; a judge openly skeptical of the bank's core argument; and a disjointed trial schedule that stretched over six months. Yet in the end the bank prevailed in upholding a deal that helped shape the unfolding of the great recession.

When regulators are forced to defend an outcome as soon as it's announced, and when your client's detractors are fuming with anger, you know you've done something right.

A coalition of technology companies led by Android developer Google Inc. publicly stepped up to back Samsung Electronics at the Federal Circuit.

The courts have largely ground to a halt for the holidays, though there's still time for few more decisions in 2012 that could ensure a happy or gloomy New Year for the litigators involved. In the meantime, here are some of the biggest rulings we're looking forward to in 2013.

Fifteen banks asked the Second Circuit to intervene in their mammoth legal battle with the Federal Finance Housing Agency, the conservator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, arguing that U.S. District Judge Denise Cote is unfairly determined to cripple their defense.

The state of Vermont has struck out a second time in its two-year effort to halt the relicensing of its aging Yankee nuclear power plant.