In a ruling that may catalyze debate amongst legal professionals, a federal court has upheld that Maine state court Judge Charles F. Budd Jr., is immune from a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him. The suit was brought forth by Samantha Pike, a counselor privately employed by a treatment center contracted with the Maine Treatment…
In a significant case of first impression, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court recently probed the parameters of ‘bad faith’ under the Maine Freedom of Access Act. Particularly, it deliberated on when a public entity’s failure to comply with an access request may qualify as such under the law’s provision on fee-shifting. The court, while taking…
In a captivating legal resolution between two Catholic universities, the Massachusetts Appeals Court delivered a verdict addressing a fundamental question on land deeds. The decision is centered around the uncertainty of rightful ownership in scenarios where land deeds are recorded simultaneously and at the same locale. Ultimately, the court’s ruling favored Boston College in the…
Jenny S. Martinez, the current Dean of Stanford Law School, has recently been appointed as the Provost of Stanford University. Martinez, who happens to be the 14th dean of the prestigious law school, is set to transition into her new role as the university’s 14th provost on October 1. While Martinez moves into her new…
In a unanimous decision, the Washington Supreme Court held that breaches of the state’s animal protection laws cannot substantiate a claim for public nuisance. Eight members of the court subscribed to the majority opinion, with Chief Justice Steven C. González penning a concurring opinion. The ruling was given in response to a question certified by…
Walgreens, one of the largest pharmacies in the United States, has agreed to a $16 million settlement due to a whistleblower lawsuit alleging the overcharging of government health programs. The settlement brings an end to a controversy for Walgreens, which was accused of not passing on their usual and customary charges to government payers, a…
In an interesting turn of events, the real estate market experienced a surge in leasing activity by law firms recently. An early morning report from Law.com reveals that law firms, which usually are cautious about overt property investments, are showing signs of economic confidence by rebounding in their leasing activity. This pattern suggests that the…
Noted mass tort settlement negotiator, Joe Rice, has been appointed to the plaintiffs’ leadership team overseeing the 3M’s $12.5 billion drinking water case by U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel, according to a recent report from Law.com. The case is part of the complex multidistrict litigation concerning perfluoralkyl or polyfluoralkyl substances, known as PFAS, in contaminated…
Law firms today are reevaluating their internal structures and staffing needs, a change that has been catalyzed by the shift away from traditional office environments. A few years ago, many firms decided to ‘rightsize’ their staffing and administrative ranks, a decision influenced by the abrupt change in workflows. The current observation suggests that not only…
Regulatory partners continue to be in hot demand across law firms in Washington, D.C., particularly in sectors such as energy, health care, and trade. This week has seen top-tier law firms such as Steptoe & Johnson, King & Spalding, and Husch Blackwell add new talent in these areas. Among the notable moves, transactional lawyer Chris…
In recent developments, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has once again called into question the legitimacy of a union claiming to represent cannabis industry workers. Legal professionals tracking the evolving landscape of cannabis regulation will be interested in monitoring what effect, if any, this challenge may have on labor relations in this burgeoning industry. The…
Experts have issued a stern warning to technology organisations about the potential for misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in voice cloning and deepfakes, highlighting a plethora of legal concerns. As AI makes significant strides, it sparks thrilling prospects for domains such as tech companies while simultaneously posing severe threats. Nowadays, exploiting recent advancements in machine…
The Vermont Supreme Court has recently revived a claim under the state’s Consumer Protection Act, alleging a law firm misrepresented the level of involvement a partner would have in a client’s case. This decision, detailed in an August 18 opinion, authored by Justice Harold E. Eaton, has both affirmed and reversed elements of a lower…
A recent survey conducted on large U.K. law firms revealed that a majority of them expects the advent of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to lessen their dependence on the billable hour system. In the survey, 26 law firms were asked if they thought that GenAI technology would lead to reduced reliance on billable hours. Out…
In a recent decision, the Arizona Supreme Court has determined the fate of a personal injury settlement in a divorce case. The court ruled that a couple’s $4.2 million settlement agreement with a pacemaker manufacturer does not constitute a post-nuptial agreement. As such, the majority of the sum will be treated as community property, per…
On August 22nd, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, three of the biggest credit bureaus, were hit with an antitrust class action in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. The lawsuit was filed by a group of medical providers who allege that the credit bureaus conspired to exclude unpaid medical bills under $500…
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to kickoff the 2023-2024 term on Oct. 2. Unlike the preceding sessions that were dominated by high-profile social issues such as abortion, gun rights, affirmative action, and LGBTQ discrimination, the upcoming courtroom battles have a more legalistic emphasis. The shift indicates that the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, after navigating…
A Greek Orthodox priest who also manages a hedge fund has taken a unique approach in his free-speech struggle against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) related to comments he made regarding a biotech company that he was shorting. Rev. Father Emmanuel Lemelson is being assisted by the New Civil Liberties Alliance in this…
In a significant development, the Judicial Council of Georgia has unanimously endorsed a recommendation regarding a significant increase in the remuneration of state judges. The proposal, if it materializes, would increase the base salary rates for Georgia’s judges, aligning them with their federal counterparts by the fiscal year 2024. Read more here.
Following their work in assisting a client secure host-city status for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, lawyers at Morgan Lewis & Bockius have formed a designated team aimed at aiding clients who wish to be involved in the first ever three-country FIFA World Cup, negotiating the multifaceted cross-jurisdictional challenges they will likely encounter. The team…
Insurance claims and the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) within this process are currently under debate. In a particular incident, 300,000 health insurance claims were denied with a limited human review. This case has prompted the creation of a bill in Harrisburg, which if passed, will compel insurance companies to disclose the use of…
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has enacted new regulations obliging registered private fund advisors to disclose quarterly performance to bolster investor transparency. However, sterner provisions initially proposed were omitted from the final version of the rules. SEC Chair Gary Gensler underscores the significance of private funds and their advisors in virtually all sectors…
Following a vigorous start to the year, U.S. law firm leasing activity continued to surge in the second quarter, recording the most significant period of leasing since the pandemic’s onset, based on the recent quarterly report from Savills. The second quarter mirrored the activity seen in the first, with legal sector leases of 20,000 square…
Edward Blum, a conservative legal activist, recently spearheaded a group that lodged lawsuits against two Am Law 100 firms, which allegedly discriminates via their respective paid diversity fellowships. Perkins Coie and Morrison & Foerster, the firms implicated, were served the lawsuits in Texas and Florida – jurisdictions seen as amenable for complaints the group intends…
In a recent litigation, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit faced the dairy dilemma of determining whether the term “gruyere” cheese is a mere generic term or if it has the right to be registered as a trademark within the United States. This forms an essential part of the ongoing contention,…