Modern Lawyer


  • Haynes Boone, Seward & Kissel Announce Year-End Bonuses

    Haynes Boone is handing its associates year-end and special bonuses in line with those offered by a significant portion of BigLaw this year, largely adhering to a bonus scale first put forward by Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP in November, a firm spokesperson confirmed Monday.

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    Legal Departments Pushing Back Against Partner Rate Hikes

    Billing rates from law firms varied widely in the first half of 2025, and corporate legal departments will need to anticipate tiered and regional shifts in fee dynamics to keep costs under control next year, according to a report released Monday by Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions.

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    DOJ Challenges ABA's Standing In Law Firm Intimidation Suit

    The Trump administration is not waging an intimidation campaign against U.S. law firms, the government said Friday, calling an American Bar Association lawsuit challenging its alleged "law firm intimidation policy" as total speculation that must be dismissed due to lack of standing.

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    Lawyers Hit Billable Hour Goals, But At What Cost?

    As lawyers across the U.S. tally their hours and take stock of how the past year unfolded, a recent Law360 Pulse survey suggests many will meet their billable goals, but often at the expense of their mental health and work-life balance.

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    Lawyers Don't Expect AI To Lower Billing Targets

    Generative AI is raising questions about how time-based billing adapts when tasks become faster to complete, but most attorneys recently surveyed by Law360 Pulse are skeptical that AI will shift expectations anytime soon.

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    Winston Taylor Will Eye Growth Beyond $1.75B Merger

    The architects of the deal to create a major new transatlantic player called Winston Taylor say that "there's no finishing point" to their plans for expansion as they signal an openness to more deals and even external investment.

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    Weil Adds Kirkland PE Ace In New York

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP announced on Monday that it has added its ninth lateral partner to its private equity group this year, welcoming a former corporate attorney with Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

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    DC Firm Hiring From Government Skyrocketed In 2025

    As federal lawyers left in droves this year amid President Donald Trump's return to the White House, the number of attorneys who moved from government jobs to BigLaw firms in Washington, D.C., doubled in 2025 compared to the last post-presidential election year.

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    Hogan Lovells, Cadwalader's Divergent Paths Led To Deal

    The blockbuster combination between Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP announced this past week involves two law firms that have charted very different paths in recent years. Here, a look at what events led up to the firms joining together at the deal table.

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    Sidley Adds Williams & Connolly Mass Torts Trial Atty In DC

    A trial attorney who spent more than two decades at Williams & Connolly LLP has moved to Sidley Austin LLP to help lead its product liability and mass torts practice.

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    Hogan Lovells Seeks Repeat Merger Success With Cadwalader

    The chief executive tapped to lead what will be known as Hogan Lovells Cadwalader said Friday that the deal that will create the world's fifth‑largest law firm by revenue is set to succeed, promising to repeat the success of the merger that originally founded Hogan Lovells.

  • Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Five firms lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the D.C. Circuit reinstated an order that blocked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from freezing grants for climate change projects.

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    Hunton Brings On Longtime In-House Energy Atty In Houston

    An experienced in-house counsel for oil and gas companies has joined Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP as a new partner in its Houston office.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry had another action-packed week with a mega law firm merger announcement and eye-popping year-end bonuses at a handful of elite boutiques. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    E-Discovery's 'Black Box' Worry: Is This AI Prompt Privileged?

    Despite the infusion of generative artificial intelligence into e-discovery tools, ethics and quality control questions loom about the use of this technology and a contrary judicial decision could set the industry back many years.

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    Polsinelli Lands Glaser Weil Tax Pro In Los Angeles

    Polsinelli PC is expanding its business team, bringing in a tax pro from Glaser Weil as a shareholder in its Los Angeles office.

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    Office Snapshot: Davis Wright Shows Growing LA Prominence

    Davis Wright Tremaine LLP may have reduced its Los Angeles physical footprint in relocating to nearby California Plaza, but the move to the renowned address signaled the firm's growing importance in the Southern California legal scene.

  • DLA Piper Marks AI Tool Rollout to 3,000 Lawyers With Harvey

    Every DLA Piper attorney based in the United States now has access to the legal artificial intelligence assistant Harvey, the legal technology giant told Law360 Pulse exclusively on Friday.

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    Nelson Mullins Partner Class Back To 18 After 2025 Jump

    Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP have promoted 18 attorneys to its partnership level — a class that is half the size of last year's 36 elevations.

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    MVP: Pillsbury's Joseph D. Jean

    Joseph Jean, a member of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP's insurance recovery practice, led dozens of colleges across the country, as well as Hilton, to two state Supreme Court victories in their respective COVID-19 coverage disputes, earning him a spot as one of the 2025 Law360 Insurance MVPs.

  • Fisher Phillips Adds 27 Partners In Time 'Of Transformation'

    Employer-side international labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips has promoted 27 attorneys to partner from 13 different offices, effective Jan. 1.

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    Rising Pressures Heighten Risks Of In-House Talent Flight

    Mounting workload pressure has led to nearly half of in-house legal professionals either actively or passively seeking new jobs, while departments that partner with alternative legal service providers cut their attrition risk among active job seekers in half, according to a new report.

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    McGuireWoods Adds Energy Restructuring Pro From DOJ

    McGuireWoods LLP announced Thursday that it has hired a former senior bankruptcy counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, whose experience includes the two largest offshore oil and gas bankruptcies in U.S. history.

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    $3.6B Hogan Lovells, Cadwalader Deal To Form Top 5 Firm

    Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft are planning to combine, creating what the firms say will be the world's fifth-largest firm by revenue, they announced Thursday.

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    Ex-Biden Tax Counsel To Chair Willkie Tax Resolution Team

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has hired a former senior tax counsel who worked in two Democratic presidential administrations to come on board as chair of the firm's tax resolution practice group, according to a Wednesday announcement.

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Expert Analysis

  • Making Legal Cents: How Law Firms Can Innovate Faster Author Photo

    To meet the demands of an evolving legal market and changing client expectations, law firms must not only embrace innovation, but also find ways to accelerate adoption and mitigate risks in an industry historically resistant to change, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Should Departing Partners Approach Pay? Author Photo

    Sabina Lippman at CenterPeak discusses steps BigLaw partners can take when considering a move or announcing their departure to help navigate tricky compensation issues and remain on good terms with their current partners.

  • How 2 Litigators Decided Dad Would Stay Home With The Kids Author Photo

    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.

  • Series

    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Legal Commentary Ghostwriter Author Photo

    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.

  • Ask A Mentor: As Trials Grow Rarer, How Do I Hone My Skills? Author Photo

    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.

  • Talking Mental Health: Managing Depression As A Co. Founder Author Photo

    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.

  • Series

    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Career And Wellness Coach Author Photo

    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.

  • Roundup

    Talking Mental Health Author Photo

    Attorneys and other legal professionals share insights on mental health and well-being in this Law360 Pulse Expert Analysis series.

  • Series

    Talking Mental Health: Tackling Stress As A Practice Leader Author Photo

    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.

  • Making Legal Cents: Engaging A Remote, Evolving Workforce Author Photo

    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.

  • How Firms Can Effectively Evaluate Their Summer Associates Author Photo

    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.

  • Series

    Talking Mental Health: Life As A Lawyer With OCD Author Photo

    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.

  • 3 Innovative Ways AI May Be Used In Legal Practice
    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    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.

  • Series

    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Librarian Author Photo

    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.

  • Legal Briefs Can Benefit From Cleaned Up Case Citations Author Photo

    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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