editor’s legal news picks

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Shots Follow Court Hearing — See Also

Litigant Allegedly Opened Fire On Opposing Counsel: She was charged with two counts of attempted first degree murder. Look At This Lawyer, Dog; He’s Going To Jail: Attorney jailed on bestiality charges. Churn Baby, Churn: Associate burnout lateraling is real and law...

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Top Tax Biglaw Firm

Top Tax Biglaw Firm

Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to Vault’s most recent practice area rankings, which Biglaw firm ranks the highest in tax? Hint: This firm also took home Vault’s top spot for firms in the Mid-Atlantic. See the answer on the...

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Berkeley Law Implements AI Ban

Berkeley Law Implements AI Ban

“The challenge for law schools is to teach students how to effectively use AI, but to prevent it from being used to cheat on exams or papers, said Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, adding that the school is looking to “do both by incorporating it into the legal writing classes...

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Biglaw Culture Is Fueling The Associate Lateral Churn

Biglaw Culture Is Fueling The Associate Lateral Churn

Are you a law firm partner wondering why your midlevel associates keep leaving? Well, the good folks at Chambers have some thoughts. The State of the US Legal Talent Market 2026: What’s Really Motivating the Next Generation of Associates? surveyed 8,200 associates...

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Announcing the Finalists for the 2026 Elite Trial Lawyers

Announcing the Finalists for the 2026 Elite Trial Lawyers

We are pleased to unveil the finalists and honorees for The National Law Journal Legal Awards highlighting the top litigation and appellate work from the past year.       We are pleased to unveil the finalists and honorees for The National Law Journal Legal Awards...

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When Did The First Amendment Become A Money Printer?

When Did The First Amendment Become A Money Printer?

Brace yourself. This fact pattern is stupid. In Tennessee, a former sheriff recently earned an $800k+ settlement after his free speech rights were infringed. Police arrested him at his home and jailed him for over a month because he posted a Charlie Kirk meme. It was...

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Morning Docket: 05.26.26

Morning Docket: 05.26.26

* Judge tosses Kilmar Abrego Garcia charges as result of vindictive prosecution. [Reuters] * Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader clearing final hurdles before merger. [American Lawyer] * Former U.S. Attorney arrested for hit-and-run. [ABA Journal] * In-house counsel are...

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Why Wachtell Is Now Exposed in the Lateral Market

Why Wachtell Is Now Exposed in the Lateral Market

Still, Wachtell hasn't remained entirely unchanged amid the market competition. The firm has re-allocated partner compensation away from the lowest of its junior partner ranks, according to sources.       Still, Wachtell hasn't remained entirely unchanged amid the...

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Smiling Through The Pain — See Also

Paul, Weiss Loses Two More Litigation Partners: They insist everything is still alright. Sure, Just Let AI Do The Hiring Now I Guess: Revolut’s “disruptive” tech adoption is getting ridiculed. Expensive Internet? Blame The Migrants!: Trump wants to pin broadband cost...

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How Appealing Weekly Roundup

How Appealing Weekly Roundup

Ed. Note: A weekly roundup of just a few items from Howard Bashman’s How Appealing blog, the Web’s first blog devoted to appellate litigation. Check out these stories and more at How Appealing. “There Are Scandals. There Is the Law. And Then There’s This.” Emily...

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Payday For General Counsel Is Impressive

Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to BarkerGilmore’s 2026 In-House Counsel Compensation Report, what is the median total compensation for General Counsel at large public companies? Hint: The earnings of the top-quartile...

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Goodbye Broadview 6, Hello Broadview Sanctions

Goodbye Broadview 6, Hello Broadview Sanctions

Yesterday the case against protesters for criminal making an ICE agent late to work exploded in spectacular fashion in a Chicago courtroom. “I have read hundreds, if not thousands, of grand jury transcripts involving prosecutors who are the most junior of prosecutors...

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UC Berkeley Cracks Down On AI Use With New Policy

UC Berkeley Cracks Down On AI Use With New Policy

One of the main rationales for AI adoption, besides the lazy “AI is inevitable” slop that gets bandied about, is that it helps speed up the process of thinking. Want a little help organizing your ideas? Throw whatever shards of an argument you have in the black box...

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Keeping Up With AI Has Become Biglaw’s Full-Time Job

Keeping Up With AI Has Become Biglaw’s Full-Time Job

Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day. Certainly, nobody wants to say we don’t know what we’re doing. But the reality is, if we’re honest about it, they don’t know what’s going to happen and they’re desperate to keep up with what’s happening. What...

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Morning Docket: 05.22.26

Morning Docket: 05.22.26

* Michael Cohen says he’s applying to the DOJ slush fund. Let’s see how this plays out. [Daily Beast] * Gibson Dunn and Davis Polk eye largest IPO in history — a $2 trillion valuation for a company that brings in about $15 billion a year. Who doesn’t love a 130x...

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What Federal Judges Told Law Grads at Commencements This Year

What Federal Judges Told Law Grads at Commencements This Year

We've rounded up highlights from some remarks delivered by U.S. appellate and district judges about navigating the legal profession, before the graduates walked across stages to grab their diplomas.       We've rounded up highlights from some remarks delivered by U.S....

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Happiness Matters — See Also

The Firms Women Are Happy To Work At: These firms report some of the highest job satisfaction levels! Young Lawyers Need To Figure Out Timing: Now is the best time to read this advice. Experts Say Things Are Bad For The Rule Of Law: This should surprise no one. That’s...

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The Best Trial Prep Partner? It Might Have Four Legs

The Best Trial Prep Partner? It Might Have Four Legs

Dogs are increasingly showing up in courtrooms and law offices as therapy animals, helping litigators and legal teams manage stress, stay focused, and perform better under pressure.       Dogs are increasingly showing up in courtrooms and law offices as therapy...

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Next Webcast Coming Soon!

Next Webcast Coming Soon!

Our next Webcast is coming soon—keep an eye out for details on the topic, speakers, and registration. Don't miss your chance to gain expert perspectives on the key issues shaping the legal industry.       Our next Webcast is coming soon—keep an eye out for details on...

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From Defending Spend To Managing It

From Defending Spend To Managing It

Legal departments have long struggled to translate their work into the language the rest of the business speaks: spend, ROI, performance, accountability. Twenty-five in-house teams told RSGI that PERSUIT is the system that finally makes that translation possible. They...

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My Big Fat President’s Big Fat Misappropriation

Is anyone else outraged about the $1.776 billion slush fund for Trump’s cronies aka supporters that is coming out of our tax dollars? How do we say “no way”? Time for another Tea Party revolt? Not the one in 2010 but the original one in Boston in 1773.  My ATL...

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The Biglaw Firm That Dominates Lateral Hiring

The lateral partner market in New York hit a three-year high last quarter according to figures released this month by legal recruiting agency Macrae. A total of 186 partners moved among the Am Law 100 firms and the top 50 UK firms over the first three months of the...

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Big Tech Sets Sights on the Legal Market

Big Tech Sets Sights on the Legal Market

In recent months, two mainstream tech giants have introduced artificial intelligence-powered legal tools, encroaching into a space largely populated by niche, industry-specific players. While the new tools present sources of potentially market-altering competition,...

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Quinn Emanuel Learns $3M Ethics Lesson — See Also

“A Culture Of Lawyering That Is Deeply Disturbing”: Quinn Emanuel gets sanctioned over repeatedly spreading misleading statements. Looksmaxxing, Mogging And Banging Gavels: Clavicular’s judge humbled the alligator corpse desecrator in more ways than one. Capitol...

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How 3 Elite Firms Drove Biglaw Innovation With Litera

How 3 Elite Firms Drove Biglaw Innovation With Litera

Foundation, Litera’s knowledge management platform, doesn’t just have customers — it has superfans. These are law firms that continually find new, creative ways to use the platform to boost efficiency and foster cross-departmental collaboration. So passionate is this...

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Don’t Let The Client Write The Brief As A Treat

We keep learning more from Biglaw’s insider trading scandal, with the identity of the Wachtell co-conspirator revealed. How did this scheme succeed for so long? The Department of Justice continued its battle to allow Trump to unilaterally rip up national monuments...

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Biglaw Firm Giving Their Associates The Best Work

Biglaw Firm Giving Their Associates The Best Work

Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! According to Vault’s most recent associate quality of life rankings, which Biglaw firm ranks the highest for quality of work? Hint: This Philly-founded firm has grown to more than 30 offices. See the...

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Gibson Dunn Awarded $12M for Arizona Real Estate Verdict

Gibson Dunn Awarded $12M for Arizona Real Estate Verdict

The court overruled the defense's objections to the fee's reasonableness. Those objections were in part related to the contingency agreement the Gray companies entered into with Gibson Dunn, which would have set out a fee of 15% of the $296 million verdict, or more...

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