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DC Pulse
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After Busy 2024, Law Firms Eye More Mergers In Year Ahead
The popularity of U.S. law firm combinations surged in 2024, with announcements increasing by about a dozen year-over-year and approaching historic heights, according to data collected by Law360 Pulse, but law firm merger consultants say a robust pipeline of deal talks could mean a busier 2025.
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How Jimmy Carter Transformed The Federal Bench
Former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday, presided over the country's largest judicial expansion, an opportunity he seized to fill seats on the federal bench with more women and people of color than ever before.
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Harris Beach Murtha Launches As Combined Firm
As the new year begins, Harris Beach PLLC and Murtha Cullina LLP are starting a new chapter — their combination is complete, and the two firms are now operating as Harris Beach Murtha.
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Here's Where Mid-Law Leaders Will Be Focused In 2025
Mid-Law leaders entering 2025 say that they are optimistic about the new year but also focused on potential challenges, such as the rise of generative artificial intelligence tools, succession planning and ensuring that any growth they are experiencing is sustainable.
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Fed. Court Reforms Face Long Odds Amid GOP Control In '25
Some modest reforms to the federal courts may be enacted in the coming years, but major changes championed by Democrats and judicial reform activists are likely "dead in the water" now that Republicans will be controlling Congress and the White House in 2025, reform advocates say.
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Lit Finance Enters '25 On Solid Ground Amid Disclosure Push
The $15 billion U.S. litigation finance industry has come a long way in recent years, but demands for more transparency from pro-business groups and the defense bar could present a significant challenge in the year ahead.
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The Biggest Cases At State Supreme Courts In 2025
Abortion access, education funding and mandatory prison sentences are among the high-profile issues on state supreme courts' dockets in 2025, as attorneys and activists increasingly turn away from the U.S. Supreme Court and instead look to the states to protect certain constitutional rights, experts say.
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These Issues Will Be Top Of Mind For Small Firms In '25
As the calendar turns from 2024 to 2025, small-firm attorneys and solo practitioners across the U.S. are facing a constellation of new and old issues, from dealing with new regulations to confronting the longstanding challenges of keeping a small business alive.
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BigLaw Lobbying Leaders See 'Fast And Furious' Year Ahead
Leaders of BigLaw lobbying shops expect an action-packed year as President-elect Donald Trump comes into power again and a new Congress takes over in Washington.
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DC Managing Partners On Their New Year's Priorities
As the new year ushers in seismic political change in the nation's capital, office managing partners at Washington, D.C., law firms are monitoring how client needs will change amid regulatory shifts, focusing on recruiting and developing talent, while continuing to figure out how to keep people engaged in a hybrid work environment.
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The Top 5 High Court Cases To Watch This Spring
The U.S. Supreme Court justices will return from the winter holidays to tackle major First Amendment questions and several administrative law disputes — all arising from the Fifth Circuit — that could further change how federal agencies promulgate rules and defend them.
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Legal Ethics Matters To Watch In 2025
After an eventful 2024, industry experts are looking ahead to what might be the big topics in legal ethics in the new year, including the ethics implications of artificial intelligence and ethics opinions that may be relevant to attorneys in the incoming second Trump administration.
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What's Keeping Law Firm Leaders Up At Night In 2025
Law firms have experienced rapid change and growth in recent years, and 2025 will likely be no different. Firm leaders told Law360 Pulse they are bracing to respond quickly to a number of different opportunities likely to arise in the new year.
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Trump Seeks High Court's Pause Of TikTok Sale-Or-Ban Law
President-elect Donald Trump has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to freeze the impending deadline for TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company or face a nationwide ban, suggesting his new administration could negotiate a deal that would end the need for the congressional mandate.
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Biden Vetoes Bill To Add New Judgeships
President Joe Biden vetoed a bill Monday that would have added more federal judgeships, despite the judiciary's plea that more seats on the bench are needed desperately.
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Trump Taps Ex-Homeland Security Atty As DOJ Chief Of Staff
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Chad Mizelle, who formerly held top legal roles at Trump's Department of Homeland Security and is married to Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Kathryn K. Mizelle, as chief of staff at the Department of Justice.
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Public Faith In State Courts Up As Trust In Fed. Courts Sinks
Public confidence in state courts seems to be rising at the same time that trust in the federal courts and overall judicial system is plummeting, according to recent surveys that paint drastically divergent pictures of people's faith in state and national judicial systems.
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Alston & Bird, Arnold & Porter Unveil Associate Bonuses
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP and Alston & Bird LLP told associates Monday they'd be receiving year-end bonuses that meet the prevailing scale for large law firms set by Milbank LLP in November — as long as they meet certain billable hours requirements, according to media reports.
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Sheppard Mullin Pet Calendar Nets Nearly $11K For Charity
Sheppard Mullin's New York office has launched a firmwide holiday pet calendar — featuring not only cats and dogs but also a donkey, peacocks, some lizards, a few guinea pigs and three little soccer-playing fish — that has raised nearly $11,000 for charity.
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Lessons In 'Value-Centered Lawyering' From Atty Turned Prof
Katya Cronin, a professor at George Washington University Law School and former BigLaw attorney, argued in a recent academic paper that law schools need to do more to encourage students to examine their personal values and pursue legal careers in line with them.
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What 2024 Looked Like For 4 Small Firms
A lot can happen in a year for small firms. Law360 Pulse caught up with four, some just getting started and others with long legacies, to talk about what their 2024 looked like.
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Foley & Lardner's New COO Wants To 'Champion' Firm Culture
As Jen Cafferty Patton moves up from chief talent officer to chief operating officer at Foley & Lardner LLP, she says she is prioritizing keeping the firm’s people-focused culture strong for both employees and clients.
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How DC Students Help Blank Rome Spread Holiday Cheer
In a tradition stretching back just over a quarter century, Blank Rome LLP taps into the Washington, D.C., community by hosting a competition for students at a local arts-focused high school to submit designs for the annual holiday card sent out to the firm’s thousands of clients.
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House Report Says Gaetz Paid For Sex, Accepted Gifts
Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz regularly paid women for sex, including with one 17-year-old girl, used illicit drugs and accepted a trip to the Bahamas in excess of permissible gift amounts, according to a report released Monday morning by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics.
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3 Ways Associates Can Survive An Average Annual Review
You're a rock star associate in your fourth or fifth year trying to make partner, and you just got an average review after previously receiving high marks. Although it's tempting to panic, experts say it's possible to come back after such setbacks by being proactive.
Expert Analysis
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How 2 Litigators Decided Dad Would Stay Home With The Kids
Jennifer Hoekstra at Aylstock Witkin shares the tough conversations about timing, goals, logistics and values involved in her family's decision that she would build her career as a litigator and law firm partner while her husband stepped back from his own litigation role to stay home with their children.
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Series
My Nonpracticing Law Job: Legal Commentary Ghostwriter
Wayne Pollock at Copo Strategies shares how he went from overworked Am Law 50 associate to owner of a legal thought leadership ghostwriting service, and provides four lessons for anyone who might be considering launching a business within the legal industry.
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Ask A Mentor: As Trials Grow Rarer, How Do I Hone My Skills?
Gary Parsons at Brooks Pierce offers advice for young lawyers seeking trial experience in an environment where fewer cases make it to trial, including how to build their reputations, set their expectations and pick the right firm.
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Talking Mental Health: Managing Depression As A Co. Founder
New Era ADR co-founder Collin Williams discusses his journey navigating a clinical depression diagnosis, how this experience affected his leadership style, and what the legal industry can do to better support attorneys with mental health conditions.
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Series
My Nonpracticing Law Job: Career And Wellness Coach
Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea shares how she went from BigLaw partner to legal industry career and wellness coach, and explains how attorneys can use their capabilities, knowledge and professional networks to pursue coaching themselves, or bring refreshed meaning and purpose to their current roles.
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Series
Talking Mental Health: Tackling Stress As A Practice Leader
Constance Rhebergen at Bracewell discusses how she handles the stress of being a practice chair, how sources of stress have changed in the legal industry over the past decade and what law firms can do to protect attorney mental health.
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Making Legal Cents: Engaging A Remote, Evolving Workforce
In the face of a dispersed and changing workforce with Generation Z entering the scene, law firms should consider some practical strategies to revitalize their cultures, provide meaningful mentorship and safeguard their knowledge bases, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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How Firms Can Effectively Evaluate Their Summer Associates
One of the most effective ways firms can ensure their summer associate programs are a success is by engaging in a timely and meaningful evaluation process and being intentional about when, how and by whom feedback should be provided, say Caroline Cimei and Erica Fine at Shutts & Bowen.
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Series
Talking Mental Health: Life As A Lawyer With OCD
Kelly Hughes at Ogletree discusses what she’s learned in the 14 years since she was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, recounting how the experience shaped her law practice, what the legal industry and general public get wrong about the disorder, and how law firms can better support employees who have OCD.
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3 Innovative Ways AI May Be Used In Legal Practice
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly be used by outside counsel to better predict the outcomes of litigation — thus informing legal strategy with greater precision — and by clients to scrutinize invoices and evaluate counsel’s performance, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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Series
My Nonpracticing Law Job: Librarian
Lisa A. Goodman at Texas A&M University shares how she went from a BigLaw associate who liked to hang out in the firm's law library to director of a law library herself in just over a decade, and provides considerations for anyone interested in pursuing a law librarian career.
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Legal Briefs Can Benefit From Cleaned Up Case Citations
Federal courts have recently been changing the way they quote decisions to omit insignificant details and string cites, and lawyers should consider adopting this practice to enhance the readability of their briefs — as long as accuracy stays top of mind, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.
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5 Best Practices For Firms Designing DEI Programs
Nikki Lewis Simon, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Greenberg Traurig, discusses best practices — and some pitfalls to avoid — for law firms looking to build programs aimed at driving inclusion in the workplace.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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Ask A Mentor: How Do I Juggle Billables And Other Activities?
While involvement in internal firm initiatives can be rewarding both personally and professionally, associates' billable time requirements don’t leave much room for other work, meaning they must develop strategies to ensure they’re meeting all of their commitments while remaining balanced, says Melanie Webber at Fisher Phillips.