These BigLaw firms have no Black partners Two of the country’s top law firms stand out for the wrong reason—they have no Black partners. The…
LexisNexis unveils new legal research product with better insights, more modern visual design
LexisNexis has released a new product that it says will allow lawyers to conduct more comprehensive legal research and smoothly complete a variety of practical…
Harassment is ‘embedded within the culture’ in many legal workplaces, new study finds
Sexual harassment still affects female lawyers at all levels, including judges, partners, general counsels and law professors, according to a study released Tuesday by the…
Harvard, MIT sue to stop new rule prohibiting visas for international students taking online courses
Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday brought a federal lawsuit challenging a COVID-19-related immigration rule, which prohibits visas for international students…
Some states are devoted to in-person July bar exams, despite health risks from COVID-19
Supreme Court upholds exemption allowing employers to skip contraceptive coverage
Developing: The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Trump administration rules that expand an exemption for employers required to provide contraceptive coverage under the Affordable…
Supreme Court bars bias suits by teachers with faith duties at religious schools
Developing: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 Wednesday that courts cannot hear job bias claims by two Catholic school teachers who sued for alleged job…
Chief Justice Roberts was hospitalized last month after a fall
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. was hospitalized for one night last month after he fell at a Maryland country club. Roberts…
Ignore COVID-19 guidelines at your disciplinary peril, Georgia judges told
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton warned state judges Monday that they could face judicial discipline if they continue to ignore COVID-19 health guidelines.…
Afternoon Briefs: BigLaw’s big bankruptcy bucks; polyamorous ties recognized
Some BigLaw firms will earn big bucks in retail bankruptcies Several large law firms will likely earn millions of dollars representing retailers such as Neiman…
Hughes Hubbard lays off lawyers, staffers after receiving paycheck protection loan
Hughes Hubbard & Reed has laid off some associates and staff members after receiving a paycheck protection loan from the federal government. The law firm…
Former law firm partner suspended for approving settlements without telling insurer client
A former partner at Goldberg Segalla in its Pennsylvania office has been suspended for three years for settling cases without informing the insurer who hired…
Florida lawyer wears full hazmat suit to court amid COVID-19 crisis
Miami lawyer Samuel J. Rabin Jr. decided not to take any chances when he went to the federal courthouse recently for his client’s sentencing hearing…
Harvard Law student sues for spring 2020 tuition; some lawyers doubt he will prevail
In advancing dignity rights, the ABA has a unique potential to change the world
I graduated from Pennsylvania State University’s Dickinson School of Law in May 1997. Famed Philadelphia lawyer and incoming ABA President Jerome J. Shestack was…
Dozens of BigLaw firms are getting paycheck protection loans; which ones made the list?
Boies Schiller Flexner is among dozens of larger and more profitable law firms that received paycheck protection loans.Boies Schiller received between $5 million and $10…
Afternoon Briefs: 9th Circuit blocks asylum restriction; report finds sanctioned judges remain in the job
9th Circuit blocks rule restricting asylum claims The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco has upheld a block on a Trump administration…
County subpoenas partygoers who didn’t cooperate in COVID-19 contact tracing
Officials in Rockland County, New York, issued subpoenas last week when people who attended a party refused to cooperate with COVID-19 contact tracers. All eight…
Supreme Court strikes down exception to a ban on robocalls, citing First Amendment concerns
The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down an exception to a federal ban on robocalls because it impermissibly favors one type of speech over others.…
SCOTUS blocks judge’s order easing Alabama voting restrictions
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday night blocked a judge’s ruling that eases absentee voting requirements in Alabama for an upcoming election.The court’s four liberal…
States can penalize wayward presidential electors, Supreme Court rules
Developing: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that states can enforce an elector’s pledge to support the winner of the state popular vote in presidential…
Afternoon briefs: TRO lifted against Mary Trump publisher; Jeffrey Epstein associate arrested
Appeals court lifts TRO against Mary Trump publisher A New York appeals court on Wednesday lifted a temporary restraining order that blocked Simon & Schuster…
Legal industry adds jobs for a second month after huge April loss
The legal industry added 7,500 jobs in June, the second month of job gains after a huge loss in April. The June gain follows a…
More law firms are likely to make some furloughs permanent, legal experts say
Katten Muchin Rosenman’s decision to lay off some furloughed staff members may be followed by more announcements of layoffs at other law firms, according…
Supreme Court will consider disclosure of Mueller grand jury materials to Congress
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to decide whether the House Judiciary Committee may access redacted grand jury materials referenced in the report by…
Despite an increase in coronavirus cases, Arizona keeps plan for in-person July bar
Despite public health concerns, Arizona is going forward with its plans for an in-person bar exam on July 28 and 29, but it will also…
Emotional support dog didn’t have priority over tenant with allergies, state supreme court says
The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a no-pets building in Iowa City, Iowa, should not have allowed a new tenant to have an emotional…
‘Landmark decision’ backs cheerleader kicked off squad for Snapchat F-word post
A federal appeals court has ruled that a Pennsylvania school district violated a high school cheerleader’s First Amendment rights when it kicked her off the…
Understanding liability waivers in the age of the novel coronavirus
Top tips for law firms to make progress toward inclusivity
Two recent events—around the same time in different parts of the country—starkly exposed the pernicious nature of systemic racism: One resulted in murder; the other…
Afternoon Briefs: Prosecutor resigns over Nazi social media post; judge blocks asylum restriction
Prosecutor resigns over shared Facebook post A Texas prosecutor resigned Monday after she shared a Facebook post that appeared to compare protesters with Nazis. Assistant…
ABA is ‘deeply concerned’ by China’s new security law, saying it violates agreement with Hong Kong
ABA President Judy Perry Martinez said Wednesday the ABA is “deeply concerned” by China’s new national security legislation, which is designed to curb anti-government demonstrations…
‘Disturbingly inappropriate’ emails bring suspension for former judge and lawyer
An administrative law judge and government lawyer have been suspended from law practice for participating in an email chain with a group of lawyers calling…
Federal judge steps down from chief judgeship after comment about Black official
U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney has stepped down from his post as chief judge for the Central District of California because of a controversial…
In light of COVID-19 public health interests, another state opts for online bar exam
Massachusetts has postponed its bar exam until October, and it will be a remote test because of COVID-19 concerns and seating limitations, the state announced…
2nd Circuit affirms bond for 2 lawyers charged in Molotov cocktail attack
A federal appeals court affirmed a decision Tuesday to grant bail to two lawyers charged in a Molotov cocktail attack on an unoccupied police…
Does including discipline in law enforcement collective bargaining inhibit police reform?
Chemerinsky: Gorsuch wrote his ‘most important opinion’ in SCOTUS ruling protecting LGBTQ workers
There are many important implications to the U.S. Supreme Court’s stunning decision June 15 that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employment…
Federal judge is publicly admonished for statements about SCOTUS chief justice and GOP
A federal judge has been publicly admonished for critical statements in a law review article about the policy positions of the Republican Party and “a…
Afternoon Briefs: BigLaw firm announces layoffs; judge’s TRO blocks Mary Trump book
Katten converts some furloughs into layoffs Katten Muchin Rosenman has decided to lay off some employees it had furloughed as a result of the…
Generic word with ‘.com’ at end can be trademarked, SCOTUS rules
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 Tuesday that a generic word with “.com” at the end is eligible for trademark protection if consumers don’t perceive…
Third state agrees to temporary diploma privilege with some restrictions
The Oregon Supreme Court approved temporary diploma privilege Monday, for in-state graduates and people who graduated from ABA-approved law schools with first-time bar passage rates…
Are lawyers who pointed guns at protesters protected by the castle doctrine?
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner said Monday she is investigating after husband and wife lawyers brandished a handgun and a rifle at protesters passing…
Supreme Court rules state can’t ban religious schools from scholarship program
Developing: The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Montana’s decision to ban religious schools from a scholarship program violates the establishment clause.Chief Justice John G.…
DOJ argues entire health care law must be struck down
The U.S. Department of Justice is arguing that the Affordable Care Act must be struck down in its entirety because of Congress’ decision to lower…
Afternoon Briefs: PACER gets a redesign; SCOTUS turns down border wall case
PACER is redesigned to be easier to use PACER, the federal judiciary’s website for electronic court filings, has gotten a redesign. The site has…
Small businesses have COVID-19 questions, and the legal profession is working to answer them
Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to new federal death penalty procedure
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge to the federal government’s new lethal injection procedure. The court rejected cert Monday in…
Consumer agency survives SCOTUS challenge but not for-cause removal of its chief
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau violates the separation of powers because it concentrates power in…
Supreme Court strikes down restrictive abortion law; Roberts concurrence provides fifth vote
Developing: The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law.A concurrence by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. provided the fifth vote…
