DC Pulse

Justice Souter Was An Unexpected Force Of Moderation

By Brandon Lowrey

Justice David Souter, who saw the high court as a moderating force apart from the messiness of politics, subverted the expectations of liberals and conservatives alike during his 19 years on the bench.
Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter Dies At 85

By Jimmy Hoover and Katie Buehler

Retired Justice David H. Souter, who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1990 to 2009, has died at 85, the court announced Friday.
McDermott, Schulte Roth Unveil Plans To Join For $2.8B Firm

By Marialuisa Taddia

McDermott Will & Emery LLP said Friday that it was wrapping up a deal to join forces with Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP to create a law firm with more than $2.8 billion in global revenue, the latest merger in an increasingly competitive legal landscape.
Judge Seems To Favor Susman Godfrey In Trump Challenge

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge appeared poised Thursday to allow Susman Godfrey LLP's challenge to President Donald Trump's executive order targeting the firm to proceed or to grant the firm a summary judgment win altogether, after she pressed a government attorney on the president's basis for alleging discrimination at the firm.
Miller Friel Welcomes Ex-Morgan Lewis Insurance Leader

By Hope Patti

Miller Friel PLLC announced Thursday that an attorney with more than 40 years of experience in insurance recovery has joined the firm's Washington, D.C., office as senior counsel.
Law Students' Pro Bono Hours Valued At Over $157M

By Rose Krebs

Law school students in the class of 2024 contributed at least 4.7 million hours of pro bono services valued at roughly $157 million as part of their education, a survey released this week by the Association of American Law Schools says.
ABA Defends Free Speech In Response To DOJ's Grant Cutoff

By Jake Maher

The American Bar Association has told the D.C. federal court the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to cut domestic violence-related grants to the ABA violates its First Amendments rights and sets a precedent that would allow the government to "silence all manner of opposition."
Convicted Atty In Embassy Attack Seeks To Avoid Restitution

By Carolina Bolado

A Florida attorney sentenced to 8 ½ years in prison for damaging a San Antonio sculpture and unsuccessfully trying to detonate explosives outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., has asked the court to eliminate his $325,000 restitution obligation because of his inability to pay.
Milbank Hires King & Spalding Tax Planning Atty In DC

By Tracey Read

Milbank LLP has added a former King & Spalding LLP tax attorney as a partner in its global project, energy and infrastructure finance group in Washington, D.C.
DOJ Civil Rights Appellate Leader Joins Crowell & Moring

By Jack Rodgers

Crowell & Moring LLP hired the acting deputy chief of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division's Appellate Section as a senior counsel who will be based in Washington focusing on a range of higher education matters, the firm announced Thursday.
Holtzman Vogel Launches State AGs Practice Group

By Madison Arnold

Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak PLLC has announced the launch of a new state attorneys general practice group in response to an increased demand for services related to the government officials' work.
Trump Replaces Martin With Pirro As US Atty Pick

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump said Thursday he would withdraw the nomination of Ed Martin for U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, replacing him with former judge and Fox News host Jeanine Pirro.
Rising Tide Of Trump Pardons Not Lifting All Boats, Attys Say

By Phillip Bantz

President Donald Trump signed off on more pardons and commutations during his first 100 days in office than any president in modern history while bypassing the traditional clemency process that goes through the U.S. Department of Justice, potentially giving false hope to those who believe they have a chance to benefit from the executive actions but lack White House connections.
3 Ways Troutman Used AI Tools To Streamline Its Firm Merger

By Sarah Martinson

In January, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP merged with Locke Lord LLP to form Troutman Pepper Locke LLP. Leaders of the new firm spoke with Law360 Pulse about how they used artificial intelligence tools to save time and money while combining the two firms.
Durbin Seeks Probe Of 'Disturbing' Pizza Deliveries To Judges

By Ryan Boysen

The ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee wants to know what the Trump administration is doing about reports of threatening pizza deliveries sent to federal judges and their families, amid widespread criticism that the administration's own rhetoric is fueling those types of threats.
DLA Piper Follows Trade Lateral Trend With DC Partner Hires

By Jack Rodgers

As the Trump administration continues making global trade policy one of its top priorities, law firms are fortifying their legal teams focused on national security regulations governing international trade deals, including DLA Piper, which has hired two new partners in Washington, D.C.
MPA Veteran Joins Entertainment Software Association As GC

By Christine DeRosa

The Entertainment Software Association, a trade group representing video game companies, has found its new legal leader in a former executive at the Motion Picture Association, the group said Wednesday.
Healthcare Duo Joins Epstein Becker In California, DC

By Adrian Cruz

Epstein Becker Green announced Wednesday that the firm hired a pair of experienced healthcare regulatory attorneys based in California and Washington, D.C. who came aboard following longtime stints with Crowell & Moring LLP and Reed Smith LLP.
Ice Miller Adds Pair of Business Group Partners In NY, DC

By Christine DeRosa

Ice Miller LLP has expanded its business offerings with the addition of two experienced attorneys in Washington, D.C., and New York.
The Law School Legal Industry Job Tracker: Class Of 2024

Want to know which schools are sending the highest percentage of graduates to BigLaw? How big a slice are landing those prized clerkships in federal or state courts? Explore the ins and outs of law school graduate placement in our interactive graphic.
BigLaw Dreams? These Schools Can Make Them Real

By Kevin Penton

More law school students are finding that a position at a law firm is their preferred landing place after graduation. Here's a look at the choices students are making and the schools that are sending the highest percentage of their students directly to BigLaw.
The Top Law Schools For Legal Industry Jobs: A Data Review

By Anna Sanders

A law degree opens up a range of job opportunities, in private law firms, government, business and beyond, the ABA's data shows. Find out which schools came out on top for job placements in BigLaw, federal and state court clerkships, public interest and more.
Obama Admin Secretary Johnson To Retire From Paul Weiss

By Aebra Coe

Former Homeland Security secretary under President Barack Obama Jeh Johnson is planning to retire from Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP at the end of June, leaving his post as co-chair of cybersecurity at the law firm and taking up a co-chair position on Columbia University's board of trustees, according to a recent announcement.
Seyfarth Adds Tech Gov't Contracts Partner From Fenwick

By Jack Rodgers

Seyfarth Shaw LLP has hired the former co-leader of a Fenwick & West LLP practice group focused on defense and government technology contract matters, who joins the team's office in the nation's capital as a partner and brings more than 25 years of experience.
Trump Announces Mo., DC Judicial Nominations

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced via Truth Social a slew of judicial nominees for Missouri and the District of Columbia.

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Expert Analysis

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.
Series
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.
Series
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.
As Attys Adopt Generative AI, 3 Elements Should Be Cardinal
As the legal world increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence, lawyers and firms must develop and utilize strong prompting skills, keep a pulse on forthcoming tech evolutions, and remain steadfast to ethical obligations, say Michele Carney at Carney & Marchi and Marty Robles-Avila at BAL.
Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
Series
Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Prioritize Connections
One reason business development in the legal industry seems so mysterious is because human relationships are so complex, but lawyers can reorient their thinking in two important ways to drive the process of connecting with new colleagues and contacts, say Jamie Lawless and Angela Quinn at Husch Blackwell.