The future of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan appears to be in a flux, with the uncertainty around the strategic direction of the company making it increasingly challenging to recruit partners, according to insiders. One of the many professionals who have recently left the firm, observes that this uncertainty is amplifying the firm’s recruitment difficulties….
Vermont Law School has been entangled in a legal debate over a mural for some time. At the core of the legal discourse was the question whether the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) prevents an artist’s work from being concealed. The mural, created by Sam Kerson, celebrates Vermont’s involvement in the Underground Railroad. However, the…
As the new academic year begins, law schools across the nation are back into full swing. However, this isn’t quite the case at Wilmington University School of Law, one of the newly established law schools. It commenced its academic journey with just 20 inaugural students, considerably less than the 65 students initially planned for. Reuters…
The protracted dispute over the purchase of the ‘Chicago Chop House’ restaurant has finally found closure with the petitioners – Chicago real estate developers Sean Conlon and Steve Horvath, and their single-purpose LLC, Wexford – reaching a settlement with defendants Phil Martin, Matthew McCahill, and the related LLCs Chop Hospitality and 6058 Properties. This protracted…
The legal titan match-up between MAGA lawyer Stan Woodward Jr. and Special Counsel Jack Smith continues to draw much attention, ever since the Donald Trump documents case fell into the capable hands of Judge Aileen Cannon. Her previous decision to take control of the Mar-a-Lago search warrant under a controversial premise of anomalous jurisdiction has…
As most professionals would agree, mentorship can infinitely enhance the professional development of young associates in any industry, including in legal practice. Regrettably, many law firm associates do not receive any formal support throughout the early phases of their careers. Rather unfortunately, at some law firms, junior lawyers are plunged into new challenges and expected…
Children are expensive. Moreover, expenses could mount dramatically when the parent-to-be needs to resort to surrogacy due to reasons like a medical condition or having a partner lacking the complementary reproductive capability. The cost of surrogacy could be especially heavy due to a rising phenomenon: Surrogacy insurance liens. The American medical insurance system is especially…
The volatility and subjectivity inherent in human decision-making open a wide-ranging discussion about the potential incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into legal and financial sectors. At the end of the day, a trial is essentially a data-processing operation. Lawyers on both sides focus on presenting information favorably to their clients, at the same time excluding…
In a surprising turn of events, the legal profession’s yearly exercise – the bar exam – witnessed a major mishap in California during its July administration. Instead of receiving questions from the intended July 2023 exams, two candidates were accidentally handed the February 2023 questions at the Sacramento testing center. The affected portion of the…
Results from The American Lawyer’s 2023 midlevel survey indicated that midlevel associates at Biglaw firms are less than impressed with the state of technology within their respective companies. Key frustrations included slow computers, outdated software, and subpar document management systems, measures that appear incongruent with the record profits their firms boast. Significant decline in technology…
In today’s litigious news, the activist behind Supreme Court Affirmative Action cases is now setting his sights on law firms, according to Douglas Belkin & Erin Mulvaney, demonstrating yet again the ever-evolving legal landscape of our times. The details of this latest endeavor, however, are not yet fully available. As is routine, SCOTUSblog provides a…
With the ongoing shift in the global legal landscape, many of London’s top attorneys, commonly referred to as ‘rainmakers’, seem to be conspicuously absent. According to an analysis on Law.com, this shift could pose significant challenges for U.K. firms in the global competition. The report suggests that in order to compete effectively on a global…
Renowned Supreme Court lawyer and commentator, Steve Vladeck, has recently been involved in a candid discussion with The National Law Journal. Currently holding the Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, Vladeck has attracted attention for his challenging perspectives on today’s conservative court. Of particular…
About ten months into the technologically sophisticated era of generative artificial intelligence (AI), its transformative potential for the field of law is becoming increasingly clear to industry professionals. While there’s broad consensus around the revolutionary role of such technology, the exact functions it will majorly transform within a law firm remains an important question. The…
Generic drug manufacturers Teva Pharmaceuticals and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals have recently become the sixth and seventh drug makers to resolve criminal charges as a result of the Department of Justice (DOJ) yearslong investigation into generic drug price fixing. The settlement agreement commands both companies to pay substantial fines as well as divest their drug lines for…
The contemporary legal market is seeing an increased emphasis on billing discipline as a result of prolonged payment periods from Big Law clients and a sustained downturn in demand. This trend is evident in renowned lawfirms such as Sidley Austin, which recently instated a new policy reducing year-end bonuses from 25% to 50% for associates…
Despite the uncertainties and challenges posed by the current economic climate, law firms have seen revenue growth in the first half of the year, owing to historically high billing rates and strong off-cycle practices. This is according to a midyear survey conducted by Wells Fargo Private Bank Legal Specialty Group. While demand and productivity have…
They say money can’t buy happiness, but according to some lawyers, perhaps it could buy a few functional laptops. Results from the 2023 Midlevel Associate Survey have highlighted significant technology hitches experienced in law firms. Many participants found it difficult to match their firms’ remarkable profits with their outdated tech infrastructure, including slow computers, dated…
Earlier this year, a lawyer using the AI language model, ChatGPT, for legal research filed a motion in federal court that contained fake case citations. This resulted in sanctions against the lawyer and served as a stark reminder to the legal professionals about the potential hazards of relying overly on artificial intelligence for legal research….
In a recent move, Clifford Chance enriched their M&A practice in Hong Kong by securing Alex Bidlake from Linklaters. Hong Kong-based M&A lawyer, Bidlake was a critical orchestrator behind Cathay Pacific Airways’ $5.3 billion government bailout in 2020. [1] Bidlake boasts a legal career proliferating over 18 years inaugurated as an associate at Simmons &…
In an interesting turn of events, some of the judges appointed during President Trump’s tenure have been cited for disregarding Supreme Court decisions. Their judgements particularly affect minority groups, raising fresh questions about judicial impartiality. You can read the detailed analysis of this situation in an article by Slate. Furthermore, the advancement in AI technology…
The annual International Legal Technology Association Conference (ILTACON), currently underway, is the mere embodiment of progress within the legal technology space. As per the Above the Law coverage, the conference has attracted over 3,400 registrants, making it one of the largest gatherings of its kind. Notably, attendees utilised the Klik technology extensively at the event,…
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has issued a ban on a former employee of multinational law firm, Ashurst. The ex-employee, Mark Sinclair, served as the firm’s learning and development manager at their London office from February 19, 2019, to October 11, 2021. Mr. Sinclair faced the ban after the authority discovered that he failed to…
In a recent development within the legal industry, firms are increasingly recognizing the value of remote flexibility in attracting highly skilled lateral talent. The trend, discussed at length in a recent post on Law.com, comes in response to ongoing changes in lawyer lifestyle preferences and the emerging challenges posed by the pandemic-era work environment. Despite…
The nominations for the British Legal Awards 2023 have been announced, with leading law firms Latham & Watkins and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer among the nominees. The highly regarded awards event, which has spent the past 14 years acknowledging exceptional achievements in the UK legal industry, is set to be held at the historic Honourable Artillery…