editor’s legal news picks

stay current with all the latest legal topics 

Morning Docket: 09.23.26

Morning Docket: 09.23.26

* Brett Kavanaugh testily demands answers in the Missouri gerrymander case he’s killed twice already. [NY Times] * “Judge dismisses suit claiming James Cameron misappropriated likeness of actress for ‘Avatar.'” I’ll say it, he hasn’t made a good movie since Terminator...

read more
Before There Was A Public Defender, There Was Her

Before There Was A Public Defender, There Was Her

Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! Today, anyone accused of a crime who can’t afford a lawyer is entitled to one at public expense. Who invented the concept of a public defender, a salaried government attorney to defend the poor built...

read more

Best Law Firm Websites in 2026 (Top 73)

Home Legal Marketing Lawyer Website Design Best Law Firm Websites in 2026 (Top 73) By Attorney at Law Magazine September 22, 2026 Table of Contents Get paired with the best legal marketing companies. Book a 30-minute legal marketing diagnosis with Jason from the...

read more
Live from WIPL with Jennifer Barnett

Live from WIPL with Jennifer Barnett

Legal Speak, recorded live, from the 2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law Conference in Nashville.       Legal Speak, recorded live, from the 2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law Conference in Nashville.       

read more
Live from WIPL with Sara Garvey

Live from WIPL with Sara Garvey

Legal Speak, recorded live, from the 2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law Conference in Nashville.       Legal Speak, recorded live, from the 2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law Conference in Nashville.       

read more
Law Firms and Clients Battle Over Who Reaps AI Savings

Law Firms and Clients Battle Over Who Reaps AI Savings

Big Law and corporate legal departments may ultimately agree on one avenue forward: billing by the outcome and value—not by the hour, corporate counsel sources and consultants say.       Big Law and corporate legal departments may ultimately agree on one avenue...

read more
Legal Ethics Roundup: Judge Warns Of Threat To Democracy, AI Slop Harms Extend Beyond Fake Cites, Philly DA Referred For Investigation, New Bill Aims To End ‘Stealth Impeachments’ & More

Legal Ethics Roundup: Judge Warns Of Threat To Democracy, AI Slop Harms Extend Beyond Fake Cites, Philly DA Referred For Investigation, New Bill Aims To End ‘Stealth Impeachments’ & More

Ed. note: Please welcome Renee Knake Jefferson back to the pages of Above the Law. Subscribe to her Substack, Legal Ethics Roundup, here. Happy Monday! Summer is over, but I’m still chasing sunsets on the weekends. Any guesses about where I found this one? I’m also...

read more

Lawyer Retention In Three Words: Automate The Crap

I recently had a chance to meet with several managing partners from primarily small litigation-oriented law firms. Almost to a person they bemoaned the shortage of lawyers to work on their matters, especially younger lawyers. The concerns run from being unable to find...

read more
Morning Docket: 09.21.26

Morning Docket: 09.21.26

* Trump claims that the new arch he’s been planning is necessary for national security now that he knows courts are dumb enough to rubberstamp that. [NY Times] * Law schools continue to struggle with AI. How much do professors hate in-person exams that they’re still...

read more
Live from WIPL with Centellic’s Lazette Jackson

Live from WIPL with Centellic’s Lazette Jackson

Legal Speak, recorded live, from the 2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law Conference in Nashville.       Legal Speak, recorded live, from the 2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law Conference in Nashville.       

read more
Live from WIPL with Britt-Marie Cole-Johnson

Live from WIPL with Britt-Marie Cole-Johnson

Legal Speak, recorded live, from the 2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law Conference in Nashville.       Legal Speak, recorded live, from the 2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law Conference in Nashville.       

read more
What Makes a Good Personal Injury Billboard?

What Makes a Good Personal Injury Billboard?

"What I'm trying to do is hold their attention and be remembered," John Morgan of Morgan & Morgan told Law.com.       "What I'm trying to do is hold their attention and be remembered," John Morgan of Morgan & Morgan told Law.com.       

read more
Eighth Circuit Gives Dead Horse Mouth To Mouth

Eighth Circuit Gives Dead Horse Mouth To Mouth

Everyone in Missouri understands that this game of election map tractor chicken is over. The Supreme Court has told elected officials twice to quit screwing around and run the midterms with the old maps. But the Eighth Circuit is still trying to copulate with that...

read more
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. “Montana Ban Would Strike at Political Spending, and the Supreme Court; A...

read more
The 3 Things Every Healthy Organization Needs

The 3 Things Every Healthy Organization Needs

In a recent conversation with consultant and author Cheryl Donaldson, I explored a challenge that is becoming impossible for law firms to ignore: young, talented lawyers are more willing than ever to walk out the door if the culture doesn’t work for them. What Cheryl...

read more
He Took ‘Zealous Advocacy’ A Fatal Step Too Far

He Took ‘Zealous Advocacy’ A Fatal Step Too Far

Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day! Which prominent 19th-century lawyer — and one of the most notorious politicians of the Civil War era — was defending a man accused of murder, arguing that the victim had actually shot himself by...

read more
Law Firm Disrupted: Enter the Chat(GPT)

Law Firm Disrupted: Enter the Chat(GPT)

Is Astra for Law a market disruptor that resets the competitive landscape? Or a noninvasive species in legal's expanding AI ecosystem?The answer might be both.       Is Astra for Law a market disruptor that resets the competitive landscape? Or a noninvasive species in...

read more
Are Workers’ Walk Time Worth Money in Court? It Depends

Are Workers’ Walk Time Worth Money in Court? It Depends

The cases—involving Target Corp. and Amazon—show laws concerning payment for pre- and post-shift activities are highly variable from state to state, where tribunals disagree on the issue.       The cases—involving Target Corp. and Amazon—show laws concerning payment...

read more
Guest Post: The Rise Of The Contracting ‘Stack’

Guest Post: The Rise Of The Contracting ‘Stack’

A legal operations professional requested a demo earlier this year with a note that intrigued me. She said that she was going to “stack” a CLM solution, and she was looking for the workflow portion (which is what my product, Josef, does). When we met, I dug in...

read more

Scott Costantino: Built on Trust

Scott Costantino: Built on Trust By Susan Cushing When people walk through the doors of the Costantino Law Firm, P.A., they often arrive carrying far more than medical records or insurance paperwork. They come burdened by uncertainty, frustration and, in many cases,...

read more

Dimitri Peteves: Rising Star

Attorney at Law Magazine sat down with Dimitri Peteves of Creed & Gowdy, P.A. to discuss his career. AALM: Why did you pursue your board certification? What was the most challenging aspect of earning your board certification? DP: The shareholders at my...

read more
Live from WIPL with Nana Boyer

Live from WIPL with Nana Boyer

Legal Speak, recorded live, from the 2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law Conference in Nashville.       Legal Speak, recorded live, from the 2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law Conference in Nashville.       

read more
Oscar-Winning Lawyering

Oscar-Winning Lawyering

Many actors have won Academy Awards for portraying lawyers over the years including Tom Hanks and Tilda Swinton. But in the early days of Hollywood, attorney roles struggled to gain recognition. Who was the first actor to win an Oscar for portraying a lawyer? Hint: It...

read more
Brett Kavanaugh Randomly Hanging Out In College Dorm

Brett Kavanaugh Randomly Hanging Out In College Dorm

Apparently no one around Brett Kavanaugh has even the slightest sense of optics. Shouldn’t there be someone in his orbit that scores high enough on a basic pattern recognition test to advise a guy best known to the country for sexual misconduct allegations — including...

read more