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Three outlier megadeals pushed funding for legal technology companies to $1.57 billion in the third quarter of 2024, up from $392.5 million in the same period last year, but the number of mergers and acquisitions fell by about 50%.
This was another action-packed week for the legal industry as BigLaw firms made a slew of hires and a state judge was admonished for lip synching "Jump" by Rihanna in a TikTok. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.
Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP is expanding its Orange County team, bringing in a Snell & Wilmer LLP employment litigator as a partner and a Jackson Lewis PC employment attorney as an associate.
A New Jersey federal judge on Thursday ordered a retired Latham & Watkins LLP attorney to hand over communications between himself and two whistleblowers who tipped off the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to an alleged $73 million fraud after one of the whistleblowers dropped his objections to producing the documents.
U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, the Republican nominee in North Carolina's attorney general race, has filed a defamation lawsuit against his Democratic opponent's campaign and a number of affiliated organizations, claiming the defendants defamed Bishop with a "push poll" suggesting he had represented clients accused of stealing from the elderly.
Declaring it "a great settlement," a Delaware vice chancellor approved on Thursday a near chart-topping, $125 million deal to end stockholder challenges to Discovery Inc.'s $43 billion merger with AT&T in 2022, an amount eclipsed only by a $148.2 million pretrial deal in a 2016 case.
A former Citibank senior vice president and head of the bank's fair employment practices said Thursday she lost her job after becoming pregnant and suffering from pregnancy-related complications, accusing Citibank of discrimination.
A trial lawyer who spent years litigating sexual abuse cases against the Boy Scouts is suing Netflix Inc. for copyright infringement after the streaming giant came out with a documentary on the abuse just nine months after his film premiered.
A North Carolina county is urging a federal judge to toss a suit alleging that a courthouse monument commemorating "faithful slaves" deemed loyal to the Confederacy during the American Civil War promotes racially discriminatory speech, saying state law prohibits removal.
A slew of lawsuits related to the Gaza war in the Middle East have already yielded mixed outcomes and, in the view of some, contradictory rulings as they've moved through the courts, revealing a tension between free speech and college campus safety while also stoking concerns over the fairness of the judicial system.
Gunster has struck a settlement agreement in one of the two proposed class actions it faces in Florida federal court over a 2022 data breach, while the plaintiffs in the second case urged the court the same day to reject the law firm's dismissal bid in their suit.
Nike has pushed back on a report finding that its behavior toward a Pennsylvania apparel company during a trademark dispute was severe enough to support ordering Nike to pay attorney fees, with the smaller company saying it is owed about $6.75 million in fees.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday questioned Harrisburg Mall's argument that it should be let off the hook for Bass Pro Shops' legal bills after the retailer sank a customer's trip-and-fall suit, with one justice suggesting that the alleged need for proof or a judgment incentivized the tenant to lose the case.
Looking to be at the so-called epicenter of life sciences, Dickinson Wright PLLC discovered in San Diego the ideal spot to expand its West Coast footprint.
A Houston law firm is urging a state court to dismiss a lawsuit from a disbarred attorney seeking fees for cases he worked on before going to prison for fraud, arguing that paying him the $3.84 million he is asking for would run afoul of ethics rules and a Texas Supreme Court order.
An attorney representing McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP's former chief financial officer — who is behind bars on charges of stealing from the firm — has asked to be relieved as counsel in the firm's New Jersey suit against the former CFO because he has not paid his legal bills.
Youssef & Partners, based in Egypt, has added a Houston-based attorney to its international arbitration and litigation practice who came aboard from Locke Lord LLP.
Delaware firm Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell LLP announced Thursday that it had hired three attorneys who recently completed judicial clerkships.
A Philadelphia federal judge Wednesday refused to disqualify Blank Rome from representing three of its attorneys facing claims they brought a baseless lawsuit against another attorney in retaliation for switching from corporate defense to the plaintiffs bar.
A Georgia federal judge on Wednesday ordered former attorney Lin Wood not to sell or otherwise encumber property he offered up as security in lieu of paying a $4.7 million supersedeas bond during his appeal of a $3.75 million defamation verdict against him.
Four attorneys for associates of convicted fraudster Miles Guo in his Chapter 11 bankruptcy — whose law firm was sanctioned in the proceedings — have urged Connecticut's bankruptcy court to let them leave the case, saying several corporate entities connected to Guo indicated their services are no longer needed.
Locke Lord LLP urged a New Jersey appellate panel Wednesday to reverse a trial court's finding that it is subject to Garden State courts in a malpractice suit over an allegedly botched deal involving a North Dakota oil refinery project, arguing personal jurisdiction can't be obtained through personal service on a firm partner not involved in the litigation.
A Colorado personal injury firm has told a state federal court it deserves a bigger cut of attorney fees than its successor firm in a $1.5 million tort settlement because the client's attorney, who left to work at another firm, did most of the work on the case while under her previous firm.
The owner of a popular Philadelphia nightclub claims a now-disbarred ex-Blank Rome real estate attorney falsified court records, forged documents and failed to represent the club owner in several legal matters over a five-year period.
International law firm Clark Hill PLC has grown its new Atlanta office with a trio of former Election Law Group LLP attorneys who are defending Georgia in a challenge to its 2021 election law and represented the state's Court of Appeals judgeship election winner this year amid an unsuccessful residency challenge.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Moira Penza, now at Wilkinson Stekloff, recalls the challenges of her first case as a civil defense attorney — a multibillion-dollar multidistrict class action against Allergan — and the lessons she learned about building rapport in the courtroom and with co-counsel.
Most legal professionals lack understanding of the macroeconomic trends unique to the legal industry, like the rising cost of law school and legal services, which contributes to an unfair and inaccessible justice system, so law school courses and continuing legal education requirements in this area are essential, says Bob Glaves at the Chicago Bar Foundation.
While the American Bar Association's recent amendments to its law school accreditation standards around student well-being could have gone further, legal industry employers have much to learn from the ABA's move and the well-being movement that continues to gain traction in law schools, says David Jaffe at the American University Washington College of Law.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Do I Build Rapport In New In-House Role?Tim Parilla at LinkSquares explains how new in-house lawyers can start developing relationships with colleagues both within and outside their legal departments in order to expand their networks, build their brands and carve their paths to leadership positions.
Piper Hoffman and Will Lowrey at Animal Outlook lay out suggestions for attorneys to maximize the value of their pro bono efforts, from crafting engagement letters to balancing workloads — and they explain how these principles can foster a more rewarding engagement for both lawyers and nonprofits.
Opinion
NY Bar Admission Criminal History Query Is Unjust, IllegalNew York should revise Question 26 on its bar admission application, because requiring students to disclose any prior interaction with the criminal justice system disproportionately affects people of color, who have a history of being overpoliced — and it violates several state laws, says Andrew Brown, president of the New York State Bar Association.
Lawyers can use LinkedIn to strengthen their thought leadership position, generate new business, explore career opportunities, and better position themselves and their firms in search results by writing a well-composed, optimized summary that demonstrates their knowledge and experience, says Guy Alvarez at Good2bSocial.
Imposter syndrome is rampant in the legal profession, especially among lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds, leading to missed opportunities and mental health issues — but firms can provide support in numerous ways, and attorneys can use therapeutic strategies to quiet their inner critic, says Helen Pamely at Rosling King.
In 2022, partners considering lateral moves have new priorities, and firms that hope to recruit top talent will need to communicate their strategy for growth, engage on hot issues like origination credit and diversity initiatives, and tailor their integration plans toward expanding partners’ client base, says Gloria Sandrino at Lateral Link.
Lawyers are experiencing burnout on a massive, unprecedented scale due to the pandemic, but law firms and institutional players can and should make a difference by focusing on small, practical solutions that protect their attorneys’ most precious personal resource and professional commodity — time, says Chad Sarchio, president of the District of Columbia Bar.
Technological shifts during the pandemic and beyond should force firms to rethink how legal secretaries can not only better support timekeepers but also participate in elevating client service, bifurcating the role into an administrative support position and a more elevated practice support role, says Lauren Chung at HBR Consulting.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can I Ace My Upcoming Annual Review?Jennifer Rakstad at White & Case highlights how associates can emphasize achievements and seek support before, during and after their annual review, despite the pandemic’s negative effects on face time with colleagues and business development opportunities.
In order to be perceived as prestigious by clients and potential recruits, law firms should take their branding efforts beyond designing visual identities and address six key imperatives to differentiate themselves — from identifying intangible core strengths to delivering on promises at every interaction, says Howard Breindel at DeSantis Breindel.
Law firms looking to streamline matter management should consider tools that offer both employees and clients real-time access to documents, action items, task assignee information and more, overcoming many of the limitations of project communications via email, says Stephen Weyer at Stites & Harbison.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can I Successfully Switch Practices?Associates who pivot into new practice areas may find that along with the excitement of a fresh start comes some apprehension, but certain proactive steps can help tame anxiety and ensure attorneys successfully adapt to unfamiliar subjects, novel internal processes and different client deliverables, say Susan Berson and Hassan Shaikh at Mintz.