In today’s Morning Docket for May 29, 2024, several high-profile legal developments have made headlines. Foremost among them, the New York hush money trial involving former President Donald Trump has progressed to the jury stage. This trial, focusing on alleged payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign, stands out as other pivotal cases, including those related to January 6 and voter fraud, encounter procedural delays (CNN).
Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis has agreed to a license suspension. Ellis, who transitioned from being a high-powered political attorney to dealing mainly with traffic violations, now faces a suspension stemming from her activities during her tenure with the Trump legal team (Axios).
In the UK, the salary war among London law firms shows no signs of abating. Clifford Chance has joined the fray by enhancing its remuneration packages to newly qualified solicitors, setting a new benchmark in the city (LegalCheek).
A case of severe misconduct in the legal profession has culminated in disbarment. An attorney involved in an incident of alleged assault and drug use at a nightclub they owned has had their legal license revoked, reinforcing the ethical standards expected within the profession (ABA Journal).
In regulatory news, the CFPB lawsuit concerning card late fees has experienced a jurisdictional ping-pong. Initially moved to Washington DC, the case was transferred back to Texas, only to be relocated once again to DC by the Fifth Circuit (Reuters).
E-commerce giant Amazon is facing legal scrutiny as it prepares to answer an FTC lawsuit over alleged deceptive practices related to its Prime membership subscriptions. The legal battle will address whether Amazon’s methods for enrolling and retaining Prime members meet regulatory standards (Law360).
In the realm of emerging technology, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has taken a significant step by becoming the first major consulting firm to resell OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise to its clients. This move positions PwC at the forefront of AI service integration within professional services (Bloomberg Law News).