Today's Legal Pulse
Biden sues DOJ to block release of interview audio
President Biden filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the Department of Justice from publishing an audio interview, arguing the release would be improper. The action has sparked political commentary, including remarks from former President Trump.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader clear final merger hurdles
FCA Gains Expanded Powers Over Open Banking, Stablecoins and AI Payments
During FinTech Week in London, the UK Financial Conduct Authority was granted broader authority to supervise open‑banking initiatives, stablecoin payments and AI‑driven transaction services. The move consolidates the Payment Systems Regulator into the FCA and adds new funding for fintech innovation, signaling tighter oversight and fresh market opportunities.
Markets CRM Partners with Sumsub for Native KYC and AML Verification
Markets CRM announced a technology partnership with Sumsub to embed full KYC and AML verification directly into its broker‑focused CRM platform. The integration automates document checks, liveness detection, sanctions screening and ongoing monitoring, and will be included in the next release...
Audit Committee Guide: Including Model Charters, Policies & Questionnaires
Wachtell Lipton has released the 2026 edition of its Audit Committee Guide, a 203‑page resource that updates long‑standing best‑practice recommendations. The guide cautions firms against simply copying sample charters, policies and procedures, urging a tailored, pragmatic approach that is reviewed annually....
The Seven Pillars of Legal MSO Deals
Law firms entering management services organization (MSO) transactions must look beyond headline valuation and upfront cash. Shelton and Dodd outline seven pillars—valuation, upfront capital, partner compensation, governance, capital deployment, cultural alignment, and the second‑bite exit—that determine long‑term control, earnings, and...
Kalshi Fines Political Candidates to Demonstrate Enforcement Standards
Kalshi, a regulated U.S. prediction‑market exchange, suspended and fined three political candidates who wagered on contests they were personally involved in, including Minnesota State Senator Matt Klein and congressional hopefuls Ezekiel Enriquez and Mark Moran. Klein was hit with a...
Stella Legal Unites with SBS and Says to BigLaw, “We’re Coming for Your Lunch”
Stella Legal has merged with its parent Strategic Business Solutions, creating a unified "performance intelligence" platform for in‑house legal teams. The combined entity now offers AI enablement, managed services, legal operations, M&A advisory, dispute resolution and enterprise data services under...
How the New Equity Tender Offer Exemptive Order Will Shape M&A
The SEC staff issued a new exemptive order that permits equity tender offers to close in a minimum ten‑business‑day period, shaving weeks off the traditional timeline. Law‑firm memos highlight that a sign‑to‑close window can now be as short as three...
Why Trust Is the Strategy & How to End a Friendship with AI
In a lively podcast episode, host Jared Correia chats with Megan Hargroder, founder and CEO of Legends Legal Marketing, about her "Trust Is the Strategy" approach to legal marketing in the age of generative AI. They discuss the challenges of...
FCA and PRA Ease SMCR Rules to Cut Burden and Support Growth
UK regulators FCA and PRA announced the first phase of SMCR reforms aimed at cutting compliance costs while preserving senior‑manager accountability. The changes extend deadlines for senior‑manager applications, simplify annual fit‑and‑proper assessments and allow longer updates to the certified‑staff directory....
DOJ Launches Criminal Antitrust Probe of Major Meatpacking Companies
The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal antitrust investigation into the nation’s four largest meatpackers—Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS and National Beef. The probe centers on cattle‑purchasing contracts and a pricing benchmark that ranchers allege is manipulated. It follows a...
Flash Justice Aims to Take Small-Claims Plaintiffs Not Just to the Form, But All the Way Through Filing
Flash Justice, a Texas‑based legal‑tech startup, has launched an end‑to‑end service that guides small‑claims plaintiffs from a free case review through automated form completion to electronic filing with the district clerk. Priced at $199 per claim, the platform promises filing...
Abstract Brings AI-Powered Legislative Intelligence to Law Firms and Corporate Legal Teams
New York‑based startup Abstract unveiled an AI‑driven legislative intelligence platform at Legalweek, promising law firms and corporate legal departments real‑time monitoring of federal and state regulatory activity. The service uses large‑language models to ingest bill texts, extract key provisions and...
The Coming Reg S-K Overhaul: The Comment Letters
Cooley submitted a 28‑page comment letter to the SEC urging a comprehensive overhaul of Regulation S‑K. The firm’s recommendations focus on resetting materiality thresholds, streamlining capital‑raising disclosures, modernizing registration statements and periodic reports, trimming excess in proxy statements, and allowing...
Next Gen CoCounsel To Offer ‘Fiduciary-Grade’ Legal AI
Thomson Reuters announced the next‑generation CoCounsel Legal AI, now in beta, touting “fiduciary‑grade” capabilities that match a senior associate’s performance. The platform, built on Anthropic’s Claude Agent SDK, integrates patent‑pending citation‑integrity tools and verification as core system primitives, ensuring outputs...
Duterte Heads for Trial as ICC Confirms Drug War Charges
The International Criminal Court’s pre‑trial chamber confirmed crimes‑against‑humanity charges against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, committing him to trial over his 2016 drug‑war campaign. The decision follows allegations that the policy resulted in roughly 30,000 extrajudicial killings. This marks the...
Garnishments: Understanding Orders to Withhold Wages
Employers must act quickly when they receive a wage‑garnishment order, withholding the appropriate portion of an employee’s pay and remitting it to the creditor or agency. In Massachusetts, the law caps garnishments at the lesser of 15% of gross wages...
Are You Waiting for Opioid Settlement Money From Purdue, Mallinckrodt or Endo? Get in Touch.
ProPublica and The Philadelphia Inquirer are probing how victims of the U.S. opioid crisis are being compensated under the bankruptcy settlements of Purdue Pharma, Mallinckrodt and Endo. A recent investigation highlights that Purdue’s revised bankruptcy plan trims payouts and omits...
PwC HK to Set Aside HK$1bn to Compensate Shareholders of China Evergrande
The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission reached a settlement with PwC Hong Kong, requiring the firm to set aside HK$1 billion (about $128 million) to compensate independent minority shareholders of the liquidated China Evergrande Group. The regulator found Evergrande had massively...
PwC Pays $166 Million to Settle HK Evergrande Audit Probe
PwC agreed to pay HK$1.3 billion ($166 million) in compensation and fines to settle Hong Kong’s probe into its audit of China Evergrande Group. The Accounting and Financial Reporting Council also levied a HK$300 million ($38 million) fine and imposed a six‑month suspension on PwC...
Geopolitical Risk and the CRD 6 / CRR 3
The EU’s revised banking framework, CRR 3 and CRD 6, does not create a stand‑alone capital charge for geopolitical risk but weaves the risk into several regulatory expectations. Heightened prudential standards now require banks to factor geopolitical and trade risks into capital...
Monckton Chambers Adds Honorary Silk From Italian Firm LMS in London
Professor Renato Nazzini KC (Hon), a dual‑qualified solicitor and Italian advocate, will join Monckton Chambers at the end of April after a 14‑year tenure at LMS. Nazzini brings extensive antitrust, arbitration and international dispute‑resolution experience across sectors such as construction,...
Addleshaw Goddard Makes up 17 Partners
Addleshaw Goddard announced the promotion of 17 lawyers to partner, a modest rise from 15 last year. The cohort spans the UK, Europe and the Middle East, with only three women among the new partners. The firm now employs over 3,200...
Turkish Parliament Passes Bill to Restrict Social Media Access for Under-15s
Turkey’s parliament approved a bill that forces social‑media platforms to block users under 15, install age‑verification systems and provide parental‑control tools. The legislation, prompted by a recent school shooting, requires rapid removal of harmful content and imposes penalties such as...
Delaware High Court Reverses Chancery Decision to Bar Advancement for ERISA Fiduciaries
The Delaware Supreme Court reversed a Chancery ruling, holding that ERISA does not automatically bar the advancement of plan assets to fiduciaries defending state‑law breach‑of‑duty claims. The court clarified that such advancement is not contingent on a fiduciary’s ability to...
What Should Advisors Take Away From the Pivot in SEC Enforcement Focus?
The SEC reported a more than 20% drop in enforcement actions for fiscal year 2025, even as it highlighted $17.9 billion in monetary remedies. New leadership and extensive staff turnover have created uncertainty about whether the decline reflects a strategic shift...
‘Will a Gap Year Hurt My Training Contract Chances?’
A non‑law graduate is considering a year off before starting the PGDL and worries the gap could damage future training‑contract applications. Legal Cheek’s Career Conundrums column fielded the query, noting that firms generally assess the relevance of any intervening experience...
Why ‘Go to Trial’ AI Must Be Accurate
TrialView’s CEO Stephen Dowling argues that AI used for "Go‑to‑Trial" must be highly accurate, not merely fast. The platform’s Case Intelligence engine claims 99 % accuracy and completeness across tens of thousands of pages, overcoming traditional keyword‑search limits and the context‑window...
US General Counsel Compensation Edges up as Gender Pay Gap Widens – Study
U.S. general counsel saw a 3.5% median salary rise in 2026, lifting average total compensation to $525,500. The gender pay gap widened, with male GCs earning $545,000 versus $500,000 for females—a 7.4% disparity. Top‑quartile GCs at large public firms command...
Nio Hit By Patent Claim Over Battery-Swap Stations
Chinese EV maker Nio has been hit with a $250 million patent claim from Charge Peak, the BVI firm that now controls the intellectual property of the defunct Israeli start‑up Better Place. The claim targets three European patents covering battery‑swap technology used...
The Business of Law with Kunoor Chopra
In this episode of Clock Talk, Janessa Nelson talks with Kunoor Chopra, co‑founder of Elevate, about modernizing legal departments through the "business of law" – applying operations, technology, data, and process design to legal service delivery. Chopra explains why companies...
Catastrophic Injury Lawyers Secure Maximum Compensation for Victims
Catastrophic injury lawyers specialize in helping victims of life-altering accidents secure maximum compensation. They understand the complexities involved in legal claims for severe injuries. Learn more: https://t.co/rvlSypICzn
Littelfuse Hires Former Hilton GC as Next Chief Legal Officer
Littelfuse, the Chicago‑based maker of electrical‑safety components, has hired Anne‑Marie D’Angelo, former general counsel of Hilton, as chief legal officer effective May 1, replacing long‑time CLO Ryan Stafford. D’Angelo brings over 20 years of in‑house legal leadership across hospitality, brewing, utilities...
The Flaws of Tennessee’s Charlie Kirk Act
Tennessee’s revised Charlie Kirk Act, championed by free‑speech advocates, removed the original mandatory discipline clause and the private civil enforcement provision. The law still permits sanctions for walk‑outs that cause “material and substantial disruption,” a standard that could be stretched...
Kegstar’s Konvoy Acquisition Blocked by NZ Regulator
New Zealand’s Commerce Commission has blocked Kegstar’s proposed acquisition of Konvoy, the country’s only two pay‑per‑fill (PPF) keg services. The regulator found the merger would eliminate competition, with no viable rivals or likely new entrants to curb market power. The...
‘Claude Can Absorb Up To 40% of Inhouse Legal Tech Spend’ – Claude
Anthropic says its Claude model could absorb 25%‑40% of in‑house legal‑tech spend over the next three to five years, driven by a Word add‑in and custom plug‑ins. By contrast, Big Law firms are projected to shift only 3%‑8% of their...
Nexfibre / Substantial Merger Inquiry
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued an invitation to comment on a substantial merger involving nexfibre, marking the start of its phase 1 pre‑notification process. Interested parties have until 8 May 2026 to submit written representations on potential competition impacts....
Regulator Redistributes £1.4m in Funds From Charities Linked to Sanctioned Russian Oligarch
UK Charity Commission has redistributed roughly £1.4 million (about $1.8 million) recovered from two charities tied to sanctioned Russian oligarch Viatscheslav Kantor. After statutory inquiries concluded the Kantor Foundation and Kantor Charitable Foundation were no longer viable, interim managers settled liabilities, allocated...
China Is Expanding Its Trade War Toolbox
China has enacted a sweeping industrial and supply‑chain security law that establishes an early‑warning system to monitor disruptions and empowers the government to retaliate against foreign firms perceived as threatening Chinese interests. The regulation gives Beijing the authority to prohibit...
EBay / Depop Merger Inquiry
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued a Phase 1 invitation to comment on the proposed merger between eBay and fashion‑focused resale platform Depop. The comment window runs from 23 April to 8 May 2026, allowing any interested party to submit views...
Newly Elected Hungarian PM Vows To Arrest Netanyahu If He Enters Country
Hungary’s prime‑minister‑elect Peter Magyar announced that his government will arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he sets foot in Budapest, citing the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant. Magyar also pledged to reverse Hungary’s planned exit from the ICC before...
MoJ Extends Relationship with Scrumconnect
The UK Ministry of Justice has awarded data consultancy Scrumconnect a £38 million (≈ $48 million) contract to modernise the Common Platform, the case‑management system used by magistrates’ and Crown Courts. Scrumconnect will deliver managed digital services, including design, development, testing and automation,...
Omar Oakes: A Culture War Against Mainstream Media
On April 15 the U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed permanent consent decrees against the five largest ad‑holding groups—WPP, Publicis, Dentsu, Omnicom and IPG—prohibiting any coordinated brand‑safety standards. The FTC framed the case as a Sherman‑Act antitrust violation, arguing the firms...
Corporates Can File Overdue Returns Under Companies Act by Paying Just 10% Addl Fees
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs launched the Companies Compliance Facilitation Scheme 2026 (CCFS‑2026), running from April 15 to July 15, to let firms clear overdue returns by paying only 10% of the usual additional fees. A 300‑day delay that normally attracts a ₹30,000...
AI Export Control Measures Aimed at China Gain Steam in U.S. House
The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee moved forward 20 bipartisan bills aimed at tightening AI and chip export controls to China. Proposals such as the Match Act, AI Overwatch Act, and Chip Security Act would restrict sales of Nvidia’s Blackwell...
NY Courts Can Force Nationwide Restitution From Crypto Firms
"Companies based in New York can be required to pay restitution of illegal profits to its customers across the country, not just in this state, if found to be in violation by a court. Both Coinbase and Gemini have New...
GDPR Works, but only Where Someone Enforces It
A cross‑country measurement study of 525 popular websites shows that GDPR‑style opt‑in rules dramatically lower web tracking, but only where regulators actively enforce them. Users in Germany and Spain experienced roughly 50% fewer tracker connections than visitors from non‑EU regions,...
Copyright Negotiation: In Dealmaking with Tom Petty, Sam Smith Backs Down
In early 2015, Sam Smith’s hit “Stay With Me” was found to echo Tom Petty’s 1989 song “I Won’t Back Down.” After publishers flagged the similarity, the parties reached a private settlement granting Petty and co‑writer Jeff Lynne a 12.5% songwriting credit and an equal...
Apache Stronghold Sues to Undo Rio Tinto Land Swap
Apache Stronghold had filed a lawsuit aiming to reverse a land swap that gave @RioTinto control of Arizona land needed to build one of the world’s largest copper mines
Turkey's New Law Leaves Game Developers Uncertain
This could be good or bad for game devs in Turkiye. The harsher version of the law did not materialize. But details still to be worked out. https://t.co/u3VnEy1CmC
Shareholder Voting Power
Jonathon Zytnick’s new paper quantifies shareholder voting power, showing that owners with as little as 20‑30% of a company’s stock can effectively dominate corporate votes. By applying political‑science voting‑power metrics to U.S. public‑company data, the study finds median voting power...