The 2024 American Lawyer Laterals Report offers a comprehensive view on recruitment trends and strategies within the legal landscape. Analyzing hiring data from 2023, the report underscores important shifts in compensation systems as tools for recruitment, the intricate mechanisms driving the world of legal hiring, and the evaluation metrics for the success of lateral hires….
The legal landscape in 2023 saw significant movement among top-tier legal professionals. The magnitude of lateral hiring at partner level, although showing a slight decrease compared to the previous year, still illustrated a robust, competitive pulse within the industry. Despite a subdued climate for transactional work, there was no dearth of influential entities participating in…
Columbia University and Barnard College are facing serious allegations regarding their handling of antisemitism on campus, according to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday. The lawsuit suggests a long history of the institution’s indifference towards escalating antisemitism incidents, especially those that put Jewish students at risk. The suit was filed in the wake of reported harassment…
Africa is positioned to skip traditional phases of technological progression in the legal world in the same way it has leveraged mobile technology, thus leapfrogging more developed regions. Hopes are high for a continent that has previously missed out on older generations of technology. The mobile technology boom, in particular, has displayed that Africa’s path…
A consortium of patent lawyers and small startups have raised concerns before the Federal Circuit, in response to a ruling last year from U.S. District Judge William Alsup. The crux of contention lies in a patent lawsuit filed by the speaker manufacturer, Sonos, which was dismissed by Judge Alsup on grounds of being too “ancient”,…
Following a 13% decrease in profits per equity partner (PEP) in 2022, litigation firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan made a vigorous recovery in 2023, recording a 38.8% increase in PEP, which elevated figures to $7.25 million. The rebound resulted from an increased leverage and a series of high-profile cases managed by the firm. In…
Following Governor Ron DeSantis’ controversial takeover of the Central Florida Oversight Tourism District, previously known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the district’s legal budget witnessed an over 60% increase, with the majority of the newly allocated funds going to one law firm in particular. The district, which includes Disney’s home and flagship theme parks…
In a recent development, a civil trial attorney, Veronica Saltz Turner, has reportedly brought allegations against Blank Rome. She claims that the law firm assisted in launching a baseless lawsuit intended to devastate her professional career. The lawsuit was purportedly pursued by one of Blank Rome’s former clients as retribution for Turner’s decision to begin…
On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard an industry challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) latest initiative dubbed the “Good Neighbor Plan,” which has been devised to mitigate ozone pollution from upwind states under the federal Clean Air Act. Notably, during the arguments, a number of the court’s conservative justices indicated empathy with the…
In a hearing before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), South Africa accused Israel of implementing apartheid against Palestinians, alleging that Israel subjects Palestinians to discriminatory land zoning and planning policies, punitive and administrative house demolitions, and violent army incursions into their villages, towns, cities, and refugee camps. The South African representative at the ICJ,…
In a recent development, a feud over the ‘Que Sera, Sera’ song royalties was settled by a federal judge in Tennessee. The musical piece, penned by an Oscar-winning songwriter, had become the apple of discord between the songwriter’s granddaughter and her mother. The contention was around the splitting of the song’s royalties, a matter decided…
The latest legal tussle between patent litigation company VLSI and global chip producer Intel has been put on hold by a federal judge in California. This decision was taken subsequent to the lawyers from both sides conceding their inability to settle on a case timetable. Ensuing this, the California court is authorizing additional time for…
In a recent legal development, a unit of Morgan Stanley will need to contest an arbitrator’s verdict stating it exercised discrimination against a white male former banker. The case, centered in North Carolina—where the concerned former employee performed his last duties—was subject to a ruling made by a Georgia federal judge. This decision by the…
Conflicting opinions have emerged from the U.S. Supreme Court justices, who are currently vetting a case concerning the allocation of damages in copyright disputes. Central to the case is the judicially instituted discovery rule, which allows plaintiffs to file claims from the point at which they first become aware of a potential copyright infringement. Although…
An Atlanta-based federal judge has made a decision not to minimize a $2.3 million verdict against two Georgia-based wholesalers of cigarette rolling paper. Allegedly selling counterfeits, the jury concluded the costs of the damages. The judge stated that this is an area of judgment that the court cannot contest. The raised charges against the wholesalers…
A former ByteDance Inc. engineer’s claim of wrongful termination won’t be going to arbitration, based on a recent decision by a California federal judge. According to Tuesday’s publicized ruling, factual disputes have been identified over whether the engineer signed employment agreements with arbitration clauses. The judge has mandated that this matter needs resolution through a…
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is facing a lawsuit alleging that it improperly permitted a pharmaceutical company to broaden its application to sell a generic version of a predominant pulmonary hypertension medication. This comes amidst increasing scrutiny on the role and conduct of regulators in drug approval processes. Particularly, the allegations suggest…
In a recent turn of events, a jury in the Western District of Texas has exonerated tech giant Samsung from allegations of violating two semiconductor patents. This lawsuit had the potential to cost Samsung a record-breaking over $4 billion in damages, possibly one of the largest ever in the annals of tech-related patent disputes. Notwithstanding…
In a recent development, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director, Kathi Vidal, has opted to unseal a controversial communication she received concerning challenges to wireless communications patents owned by Neo Wireless. Vidal labeled the communication as “inappropriate” while making her intent clear that she “has not, and will not, review or consider” the contents. The…
The legal profession’s burgeoning interest in generative artificial intelligence (AI) is far from surprising for those in tune with the technology’s progress. According to the “2024 Investing in Legal Innovation Survey”, both law firms and corporate legal departments are now incorporating generative AI into their budget plans. This data was presented by LexisNexis, outlining the…
Law firm Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP has announced that its chief financial officer and chief client relations officer are leaving the firm. This move is part of the firm’s current initiative to streamline their back-office operations. With corporations worldwide consistently seeking to improve efficiency and reduce inefficiencies, such operational streamlining is becoming an…
Several operational and legal challenges present themselves when a company’s CEO is terminated. These concerns can further evolve into potentially awkward situations when the former CEO remains as a board member – a circumstance Planet Fitness currently finds itself contending with. Earlier this week, it was revealed that Chris Rondeau, the former CEO of Planet…
Motorola, the multinational telecommunications titan, currently defending its victorious stand in a $540 million trade secret case against a leading Chinese radio corporation at the Seventh Circuit, has called upon an Illinois federal judge to scrutinize its opponent’s conduct. The tech conglomerate asserts that its competitor has continued to leverage Motorola’s trade secrets without remitting…
The tumultuous events in the UK House of Commons on Wednesday caused the passage of a Labour Party amendment for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. This notable outcome came as Speaker of the House Sir Lindsey Hoyle flouted convention and selected both a government and Labour Party amendment, resulting in a substantial upheaval in Parliament,…
A Michigan federal judge has decided to push forward with the multidistrict litigation brought by Neo Wireless against several major automobile companies. Neo Wireless alleges that these companies have infringed upon its in-vehicle cellular technology patents. The automakers involved sought to delay the legal proceedings in order to review the underlying patents in question. However,…