DC Pulse

Ousted ATF Top Atty Opens Firm Defending Gov't Workers

By Rachel Rippetoe

Pamela Hicks, the former U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives chief counsel fired by Attorney General Pam Bondi in February, announced this week that she has teamed up with another federal agency alum to form a boutique focused on defending federal workers.
Covington Hires Former Trump Regulations Czar In DC

By Jack Rodgers

Covington & Burling LLP has hired President Donald Trump's former regulations czar, who has joined as an of counsel in its Washington, D.C. office, months after the president revoked security clearances of several Covington attorneys who represented former special counsel Jack Smith.
BCLP Exec Named Ice Miller's New Marketing Head

By Adrian Cruz

Ice Miller LLP announced that an experienced legal executive from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP who's worked in the marketing departments at major firms for over 20 years has joined as its new chief marketing and business development officer.
Nixing 'Loophole' May Keep Judges Accountable Or On Bench

By Jack Karp

A new bill intended to ensure that federal judges' alleged misconduct is investigated even after those judges leave the bench is a long-overdue step to ensure accountability, according to the legislation's supporters, but the measure could actually ensure that judges accused of wrongdoing remain on the bench, others say.
Quarles & Brady Rehires Cross-Border IP Atty From Vorys

By Jack Rodgers

Quarles & Brady LLP has rehired a former partner from Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease LLP who focuses her practice on cross-border intellectual property enforcement matters in China and the U.S.
Justices Say Context Matters When Evaluating Use Of Force

By Marco Poggio

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for a civil rights lawsuit against a Houston-area traffic officer who shot and killed a fleeing man, ruling that courts must weigh the full sequence of events — not just the instant a threat arises — when deciding if police used excessive force.
Lima Accuses Foley Hoag Of Conflict In $200M Award Case

By Joyce Hanson

The Peruvian city of Lima has urged a D.C. federal court to vacate its confirmation of about $200 million in arbitral awards favoring a highway contractor, saying the municipality's former counsel at Foley Hoag LLP concealed a conflict of interest.
Jenner & Block Hires Garland's Former Chief Of Staff

By Alison Knezevich

Matthew Klapper, who was chief of staff to former Attorney General Merrick Garland, has joined Jenner & Block LLP in the latest expansion of the firm's congressional investigations team, the firm announced Thursday.
BigLaw Has More LinkedIn Followers, But Less Engagement

By Sarah Martinson

The 30 largest U.S. law firms have more LinkedIn followers, but smaller firms in the top 200 have higher engagement rates despite fewer followers on the platform, according to a report released Thursday by BTI Consulting Group.
Chartwell Founding Partner On Firm's Mid-Atlantic Growth

By Adrian Cruz

Law360 Pulse caught up with Charles Barreras, founding partner of Chartwell Law Offices LLP, to discuss how the firm has grown so far this year to include a trio of new offices in New Jersey, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
DC Judge Restores Canceled ABA Domestic Violence Grants

By Emily Sawicki

A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday reinstated terminated federal grant funding for the American Bar Association's Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence, finding that "the First Amendment prohibits the type of reprisal DOJ appears likely to have taken."
Law360 Names Attys Who Moved Up The Firm Ranks In Q1

A promotion to partner or election to practice group chair means a slew of new responsibilities and also lots of well-deserved recognition. Law360 reveals the list of attorneys whose commitment to legal excellence earned them highly coveted spots in the law firm leadership ranks. Find out if your old legal friends — or rivals — moved up in the first quarter of the year.
Judiciary To Share Pros, Cons Of AI For Courts With Congress

By Courtney Bublé

The federal judiciary is looking at the benefits and drawbacks of artificial intelligence for the court system and will share its discoveries with Congress, top officials testified on Wednesday.
CFTC's Mersinger Will Depart Agency To Lead Crypto Lobby

By Aislinn Keely

U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commissioner Summer Mersinger is leaving the agency to lead cryptocurrency industry group the Blockchain Association, the organization announced Wednesday.
DOJ Says No Hiring Private Counsel From Firms Suing US

By Emily Sawicki

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has issued a memo directing the U.S. Department of Justice to avoid engaging with firms that are suing the government over its policies or that represent clients in similar suits.
Holland & Knight Adds Ex-US Trade Rep Attorney To DC Team

By Jack Rodgers

The former assistant general counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has joined Holland & Knight LLP's international trade group.
Grassley Targets Universal Injunctions In Budget Negotiations

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is looking to address universal injunctions as part of the budget reconciliation process, Law360 has learned.
CFTC Faces Sanctions For 'Bad Faith' Actions In Forex Case

By Jessica Corso

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is staring down sanctions in a case accusing a foreign exchange firm of fraud, with a special master recommending Tuesday that the agency pay the firm's legal fees for acting in bad faith in order to gain a "tactical advantage" in the case.
Ex-BIA Chief Returns To Private Practice At Grossman Young

By Britain Eakin

Former Board of Immigration Appeals chair David Wetmore has joined Grossman Young & Hammond as senior counsel, returning to private practice after more than 16 years in government service handling immigration matters across the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House.
Trump Nudges Justices To Lift Ban On Venezuelan Removals

By Katie Buehler

The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a 3-week-old order temporarily prohibiting the government from removing a group of almost 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members currently detained in northern Texas to an El Salvador prison, citing new lower court rulings and a detention center protest.
Eckert Seamans Lands Commercial Litigator From Orrick

By Rose Krebs

Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC announced Tuesday that it has added a former Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP attorney to bolster its commercial litigation practice group and its bench in Washington, D.C.
Ex-Fed. Circ. Judge O'Malley On Striking Out On Her Own

By Alison Knezevich

After recently stepping away from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP to launch her own consulting practice, former Federal Circuit Judge Kathleen O'Malley told Law360 Pulse that she's looking forward to not only broadening the range of work she handles, but also to speaking out on issues including the rule of law.
Faegre Drinker Latest To Hire Trade Atty Amid Changing Tariffs

By Jack Rodgers

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP has hired another international trade attorney in Washington, D.C., announcing the addition of a partner from Husch Blackwell LLP the same week the White House signaled it would cut tariffs on most Chinese goods for 90 days.
Schumer Vows To Hold Up Trump's DOJ Noms Over Qatari Jet

By Courtney Bublé

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday that he has placed a hold on all of President Donald Trump's U.S. Department of Justice nominees due to Trump's plans to accept a $400 million private jet from the Qatari royal family.
Democracy Forward Picks Up 4 More Ex-DOJ Attys

By Alison Knezevich

The legal advocacy group Democracy Forward has brought on four former U.S. Department of Justice litigators, adding to a string of hires the organization has made from the federal government as it takes on the Trump administration in court.

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Expert Analysis

Ask A Mentor: How Do I Help After Mental Health Leave?
Molly Ranns at the State Bar of Michigan suggests five ways to smooth a colleague's return to practice after short-term mental health leave, while creating a firm culture that protects employees’ emotional health.
Tips For Attracting Stellar CLOs In A Competitive Landscape
Amid a rapidly changing regulatory environment and a fierce market for talent, companies hoping to attract the best chief legal officers must have a strong grasp of their roles’ biggest selling points, and any roadblocks that may prevent them from recruiting the strongest choice, says Heather Fine at Major Lindsey.
'Golden Handcuffs' May Be A Double-Edge Sword For Firms
As law firms increasingly use certain financial incentives to retain partners in a fierce lateral market, managing partners should consider the pros and cons of various deferred compensation schemes, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.
The 10-Min. Rule For Building A Business Development Habit
Many lawyers assume that becoming a rainmaker requires a significant investment of time and effort, but the truth is that building a consistent habit of business development can start with just 10 minutes of strategic outreach a day, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
5 Pointers For Firm Leaders Communicating Tough Decisions
Certain law firm decisions — such as whether to challenge an executive order — cannot be crowdsourced, but leadership can collaboratively communicate these choices using strategies that build trust, reinforce values and preserve cohesion, says John Hellerman at Hellerman Communications.
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Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Create A Succession Plan
Conversations around retirement and succession can be understandably difficult, but when attorneys make a plan for the transition early and effectively, they have the opportunity to not only keep work but also increase it, says Jillian McKenna at Verrill Dana.
Looking Under The Hood Of The $3,000 Billable Hour
In recent years, top-tier law firms have pushed hourly rates to unprecedented heights, with some partners commanding $3,000 per hour — but this eye-popping number doesn’t tell the full story, as there are numerous caveats and rigorous winnowing along the way, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.
Alien Enemies Act Case Could Reshape Executive Power
President Donald Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals raises fundamental questions about statutory interpretation, executive power and constitutional structure, which now lay on the U.S. Supreme Court's doorstep, says Mauni Jalali at Quinn Emanuel.
How Law Firms Can Keep Nonequity Partners Happy
Law firms that successfully manage two-tiered partnership do so by creating a culture that treats everyone with respect and by establishing financial incentives outside their base compensation to reward performance, says Carol Morganstern at Major Lindsey.
Jurisdiction Argument In USAID Dissent Is Up For Debate
A dissent refuting the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent order directing the U.S. Agency for International Development to pay $2 billion in frozen foreign aid argued that claims relating to already-completed government contract work belong in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims – answering an important question, but with a debatable conclusion, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Leverage Your Atty Bio
If maintained properly, your firm bio can help attract potential clients and create authentic connections, so it's crucial to take steps to write an updated attorney profile that goes beyond a list of credentials, says Raychel Lean at Reputation Ink.
Ask A Mentor: How Can I Promote Thoughtful Use Of AI?
Eran Kahana at Maslon discusses how partners can encourage responsible use of artificial intelligence tools within their firms by learning to spot pitfalls common to AI-generated work product and championing firmwide procedures and trainings that address the risks of uncritically relying on this powerful but imperfect technology.
Making Legal Cents: Firm Culture Is The New Game Plan
Law firm culture is often dismissed as a soft factor — merely platitudes on a website that seem disconnected from the bottom line — but by intentionally embedding a strong culture into day-to-day operations, law firms can achieve sustainable success, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
5 Questions Firms Must Ask For Successful Lateral Integration
To ensure that lateral partners effectively integrate their books of business, firms should design a structured transition plan based on a few fundamentals, from tracking the right data to implementing meaningful incentives, says Lana Manganiello at Practice Growth Partner.
Goldilocks Solution: Why The 4-Day Office Week Is Just Right
As law firms continue to wrestle with return-to-office policies, many are being pulled toward one or the other of two extremes: the rigidity of a five-day in-office schedule and the laissez-faire approach of a flexible three-day hybrid model — but a four-day in-office workweek may be the sweet spot, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.