David Lat, a seasoned legal journalist and writer, has announced the launch of his new column ‘Exclusive Jurisdiction’ for Bloomberg Law. The column promises nuanced interpretation of news, trends, and legal personalities shaping the profession today. This initiative was launched amidst the rush of several high-profile trials including the Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Meta Inc.’s Google, the New York attorney general’s civil-fraud case against former president Donald Trump, and the federal criminal case against Sam Bankman-Fried, a key player in the cryptocurrency market.
Lat also shed light on the current landscape of large law firms – or ‘Big Law’ – pointing out the uncertainties hovering over the sector due to questionable future of transactional work, the prospect of more layoffs, and the ability (or inability) of firms to bring lawyers back to the office.
Moreover, he highlighted the ongoing turbulence in law schools, and touched upon the recent shake-up in the ranking system for U.S. law schools after U.S. News revamped its methodology in response to a boycott by many law schools. The future of long-standing norms like the LSAT and the bar exam was also put under the lens.
In his column, the lawyer turned writer aims to offer news, analysis, and occasional humor about the legal profession and law. He expressed his keen interest in free speech, emphasizing on the importance of having a discourse about controversial topics and bringing transparency in institutions. His journey from traversing the path of practicing law to discovering his enthusiasm for writing, his spell as a recruiter, and his vociferous emphasis on free speech reveal a multifaceted perspective on the legal profession.
Feel free to reach out to David Lat via his personal website, or follow his newsletter ‘Original Jurisdiction’ here.