Verizon Wireless has agreed to pay a $1,050,000 penalty to the US Treasury as part of a settlement with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) following a 911 outage in December 2022. The outage, which lasted for one hour and 44 minutes, affected emergency services in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. According…
WilmerHale has significantly bolstered its employee benefits capabilities by bringing on Amanda Albert as a partner in its tax practice. Announced Tuesday, Albert joins the firm with extensive experience in ERISA, federal income tax, and other related regulations. Albert’s expertise encompasses a wide array of issues in the realms of tax, ERISA, governance, securities, and…
The rapid evolution of technology, particularly generative AI, is poised to significantly impact attorney development within Biglaw firms. Smaller legal tech events, such as Future Lawyer USA, are gaining prominence as important complements to larger industry conferences. The recent conference held at Ropes & Gray’s Boston offices explored various facets of this transformation. One major…
In a recent filing, Donald Trump has moved to dismiss the document case against him in Florida, blaming the FBI for allegedly destroying exculpatory evidence. Trump’s legal team argues that by disrupting the precise order of items in several boxes during their search of Mar-a-Lago, the FBI has violated due process. Specifically, Trump claims that…
Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, has recently penned a column for The Hill that explores his perspective on Donald Trump’s legal issues in New York and attempts to link them to two recent Supreme Court cases. Throughout the article, Turley seeks to create a narrative where he argues that the treatment…
Ashurst, a prominent UK law firm within the Silver Circle, is set to implement the legal technology platform Harvey as part of its ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) strategy. The firm announced this development in a recent release. The adoption of this platform is designed to ensure that more than 4,000 of the firm’s lawyers and…
Judge Douglas Nazarian of the Appellate Court of Maryland has dedicated significant effort to the mentorship of clerks since his appointment over 11 years ago. Recognizing the importance of clerkships in shaping legal careers, Judge Nazarian has provided insights and guidance to numerous law graduates navigating their early years in the legal profession. For an…
The legal sector is confronting significant changes on the diversity front, particularly following the Supreme Court’s recent affirmative action decision. Darla Woodring and Reggie McGahee emphasize the imperative for law firms to uphold their dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion despite potential challenges. According to Woodring and McGahee, maintaining a diverse workforce requires a proactive…
Attorneys at a nonprofit providing immigration legal services may remain in a voluntarily recognized union bargaining unit, a regional director from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has concluded. The decision underscores that these attorneys do not hold supervisory positions that would exclude them from unionizing under federal labor law. This ruling has significant implications…
On Monday, seven Hong Kong pro-democracy activists confronted the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (HKCFA) to challenge the legality of their convictions for “knowingly taking part in an unauthorized assembly,” per section 17A(3)(a) of the Public Order Ordinance. The pivotal issue was whether the court should implement an operational proportionality test to evaluate the…
International boutique law firm Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss PLLC has filed a lawsuit against RFR Holding LLC, the landlord of its former office space in the Chrysler Building. The firm claims that RFR Holding is refusing to return a security deposit of $275,000, prompting legal action in New York state court. This development underscores the…
Reena Gogna, a finance partner at Weil Gotshal & Manges in London, is set to join Paul Hastings, enriching their financial practice. Gogna’s client roster includes prominent entities like JP Morgan, Apollo Credit, and Permira Credit, with her legal expertise spanning leveraged finance, senior debt, debt structuring, and refinancing matters. This strategic move is part…
Diversity gains in the legal profession have shown a steady increase in 2023, though the progress remains nuanced and gradual. The American Lawyer’s 2024 Diversity Scorecard highlights consistent advancements in diversity from associates to partners and office leaders within law firms. For further information, please refer to the report.
Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP has announced plans to expand its Miami office to integrate five partners and additional staff from Manning Gross & Massenburg LLP, a national litigation firm. The strategic move aims to bolster Wilson Elser’s capacity and presence in the region. For further details, visit the original announcement.
Greenberg Traurig has announced the addition of three new attorneys to its private wealth services practice in New York. Shareholders Brian Smith and Caitlin Fitzsimons, along with associate Brianna Johnson-King, have joined the firm from Schulte Roth & Zabel. This strategic move aims to bolster the firm’s capabilities in advising ultra-high-net-worth clients. Brian Smith brings…
Lowenstein Sandler LLP has appointed David Posner and Gianfranco Finizio as partners in its bankruptcy and restructuring department at the firm’s New York office. This strategic move, announced Tuesday, bolsters the firm’s expertise in dealing with complex reorganizations and financially distressed situations. Posner’s practice focuses on representing companies, official committees of unsecured creditors, acquirers, financial…
Patent practitioners have long wrestled with the effects of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have muddied the waters of what can be patented. The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act presents a path forward in addressing these uncertainties. John White at Harness IP emphasizes that this legislation has the potential to clarify patent eligibility criteria significantly. While…
Gibson Dunn has announced the appointment of George Sampas as co-chair of the firm’s mergers and acquisitions (M&A) practice group, alongside heading cross-border M&A in the firm’s New York office. Sampas will be instrumental in fortifying the firm’s capabilities in handling complex cross-border transactions, unsolicited US and non-US acquisitions, and private equity deals. As detailed…
In recent discussions, former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) commissioners have voiced concerns that the agency’s approach to regulating artificial intelligence (AI) might prove to be misguided. Robinhood Markets’ legal chief Dan Gallagher, who served as an SEC commissioner from 2011 to 2015, emphasized the potential negative impact of stringent regulatory measures. “Let’s not try…
Akerman LLP has expanded its Washington D.C. office by recruiting Austin Ownbey as a corporate partner. Known for his expertise in antitrust counseling and Hart-Scott-Rodino filings, Ownbey has a substantial background working with clients across various sectors including health care, pharmaceuticals, private equity, venture capital, technology, and energy. His experience extends to representing clients before…
Artificial intelligence (AI) companies, despite their technological prowess, are increasingly encountering familiar human issues that can hamper their progress and tarnish their reputations. One significant example is the misuse of features designed for legitimate purposes by bad actors. As detailed in a discussion by FeedBlitz, spammers have been leveraging reputable services’ features to camouflage their…
House Republicans are seeking to reduce funding for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for fiscal year 2025. This move occurs in the context of Republican criticism of the DOJ, particularly regarding what they perceive as unwarranted prosecutions of former President Donald Trump. This legislative action forms part of a broader Republican effort to address…
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith has recently come under scrutiny following revelations from an internal memo indicating the firm held millions in unreturned client payments that were over a year old. The memo, which was sent to the firm’s management committee in April 2023, reported $5.6 million in duplicate payments and $9.5 million in client…
Corey Roush, a well-regarded figure in antitrust and consumer protection law, has joined Sidley’s antitrust and competition practice as a partner in their Washington, D.C. office, the firm announced Tuesday. Roush brings extensive experience in litigation, investigations, and class actions, focusing primarily on guiding clients through the antitrust regulatory approval process in complex transactions. Roush’s…
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, famously known as the “rocket docket,” has reclaimed its position as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation. Following a noticeable decline in 2022, recent statistics suggest that this dip was only a temporary setback. According to Robert Tata at Hunton, the court…