Class action litigation is beginning to take shape over allegations that major banks manipulated Libor, the benchmark rate used to calculate interest on trillions of dollars in securities globally. On Monday the federal district court judge hearing the litigation consolidated 20 class complaints, and appointed interim class counsel.

After two years of take-no-prisoners litigation, there is not much the lawyers for Apple and Samsung can agree on. But a rare moment of solidarity between rivals occurred Tuesday as the tech giants joined in urging the Federal Circuit to block the public disclosure of court filings that contain sensitive financial data.

The fight over the validity of so-called unfinished business claims in law firm bankruptcies is heating up in courts on both coasts this week.