Today's Legal Pulse
UK pushes commonhold reform to boost housing supply
The Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill proposes abolishing leasehold and mandating new homes be sold as commonhold, tying the change to a target of delivering 1.5 million homes annually—the highest since 1968. The model remains untested, with fewer than 25 developments and unresolved issues around dispute resolution.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader clear final merger hurdles
Trump Abandons Dreamers Despite Past Sympathy
President Trump publicly expressed sympathy for the roughly 500,000 DACA recipients, yet his administration is actively eroding the program’s protections. USCIS is delaying renewals to six months, and a recent Board of Immigration Appeals opinion stripped automatic deportation shields. The Fifth Circuit Court declared DACA illegal, casting doubt on future work authorizations. While Trump once floated a Dreamers pathway in 2018, current officials label the program "quasi‑amnesty" and focus on stricter enforcement.
Women of Influence: Attorneys 2026 – Aisha Shelton Adam
Aisha Shelton Adam, featured in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Women of Influence: Attorneys 2026, is the founder and managing partner of Adam Investigations Counsel. She brings more than two decades of labor, employment, and business litigation experience to conduct...
US DOJ Scrutinises Valuation Practices at BlackRock Private Credit Fund
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are probing valuation practices at BlackRock's private credit fund, BlackRock TCP Capital Corp (TCPC). The inquiry follows TCPC's January off‑cycle update warning of a roughly 19% portfolio value decline, which triggered a sharp share price drop...
Women of Influence: Attorneys 2026 – Susie Altamirano
Susie Altamirano, a partner at Olivarez Madruga Law Organization LLP, is highlighted in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Women of Influence: Attorneys 2026. She serves as City Attorney for two municipalities and as Assistant City Attorney for a third in...
Women of Influence: Attorneys 2026 – Lisa Gilford
Lisa Gilford, a partner at Sidley Austin, has been highlighted in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Women of Influence: Attorneys 2026 list. She is a nationally recognized complex civil litigator specializing in class actions, multi‑district litigation, product liability and large...
Reshaping Africa’s Infrastructure Dispute Landscape
Africa is entering a massive infrastructure expansion, yet many multi‑billion‑dollar projects face delays, disputes, and cost overruns. The Africa Construction Law (ACL) organization, founded in 2020, convened its sixth annual conference in Johannesburg, gathering lawyers, engineers, financiers, and developers from...
Best Ways a San Diego Bankruptcy Lawyer Can Help
A San Diego bankruptcy lawyer guides clients through Chapter 13 filings, helping them keep homes, cars, and other assets while establishing a court‑approved repayment plan. The attorney reviews income, debts, and expenses, streamlines document collection, and explains alternatives such as...
LawX Raises €7.5M to Build Europe’s Legal Operating System
Berlin‑based legaltech startup LawX announced a €7.5 million (≈$8.1 million) seed round led by Motive Partners, with participation from WENVEST Capital, xdeck, SIVentures and several sector angels. The company is building an AI‑driven platform that consolidates case management, workflow automation, document handling,...
Hong Kong Court Confiscates HK$674,860 From 3 Defendants in Terrorism Trial
Hong Kong’s High Court ordered the confiscation of more than HK$674,860 (approximately US$86,000) from three defendants linked to the ‘Dragon Slaying Brigade.’ The court ruled the money was raised to fund a 2019 plot to kill police during anti‑government protests,...
Be Careful What You Wish For: Method of Treatment Claim for an Antibody Genus Found to Satisfy Both Written Description...
The Federal Circuit reversed a district‑court JMOL and upheld a jury verdict that Teva’s method‑of‑treatment claims covering any humanised anti‑CGRP antagonist antibody satisfy both the written‑description and enablement requirements. The court drew a clear line between claims to a functional...
DOJ Antitrust Division’s Reported AI Use Raises the eDiscovery Bar for HSR Responders
The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division has confirmed it is using artificial‑intelligence tools to detect and investigate anticompetitive conduct, extending its AI focus from rhetoric to operational practice. The disclosure arrives as the RealPage consent judgment, which requires the...
‘Big Tobacco’ Moment for Cannabis: What Insurers Need to Know About Murray V. Cresco
A 320‑page class action, Murray v. Cresco, was filed in Illinois alleging that three major cannabis multistate operators marketed their products as safe and therapeutic despite known health risks. The complaint spans 12 states and leverages RICO, consumer‑fraud, warranty and negligent‑misrepresentation...
“Wars Are Fought in Less Time” Says Agent Calling for Conveyancing Reform
Senior estate agent Warren Sanders of Sanders & Sanders has launched a petition demanding a full overhaul of the UK conveyancing system. He highlights that the average property transaction now takes about 120 days from offer to completion, with roughly...
Ex-Transport Minister, Directors Allegedly Kept Market in the Dark About Airline’s Dire Straits
Australian regulator ASIC has sued Rex Airlines' former chairman Lim Kim Hai and three directors, including ex‑transport minister John Sharp, alleging they misled the market with an optimistic profit forecast before revealing a $35 million (≈$23 million USD) operating loss for FY23. The airline...
Kirkland Recruits Antitrust Partner Quartet From Cleary Across Brussels and London
Kirkland & Ellis has hired four antitrust partners from Cleary, expanding its Brussels and London teams. The quartet—Robbert Snelders, Thomas Graf, Conor Opdebeeck‑Wilson and Henry Mostyn—brings deep experience in EU merger control, cartel investigations, abuse‑of‑dominance and digital‑regulation matters. Their arrival bolsters Kirkland’s Brussels office,...
Hong Kong Judiciary Expands Use of Integrated Case Management System for High Court Filings
Hong Kong’s Judiciary issued a Practice Note requiring law firms to use the integrated Court Case Management System (iCMS) for new High Court filings starting 1 June 2026. The move targets civil appeals, commercial, construction, IP, and personal‑injury matters, with exceptions only...
NCLAT Upholds Separate Insolvency Processes for Videocon Industries and Videocon Oil Ventures
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has upheld separate insolvency proceedings for Videocon Industries Ltd (VIL) and Videocon Oil Ventures Ltd (VOVL), overturning a 2020 NCLT order that sought to combine the two cases. The tribunal emphasized that VIL’s...
Eleventh Circuit Review—Reviewed: Mandatory Detention
In May, the Eleventh Circuit split on the meaning of 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A), with a majority affirming habeas relief for two unlawfully present aliens detained without bond. The majority read “applicant for admission” differently from “seeking admission,” concluding the statute does not...
All Those A.I. Note Takers?
AI‑powered note‑taking tools that automatically transcribe video‑call meetings are raising alarm among corporate lawyers. The transcripts capture every remark, including jokes and off‑the‑cuff statements, and can be stored by default in platforms such as Zoom or Teams. Lawyers warn that...
U.S. Regulators Demand Records From Kalshi, Polymarket Over Suspicious Political Bets
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Justice Department have formally asked Kalshi and Polymarket to turn over trading records amid a surge in politically linked wagers. Officials say the probes target possible insider use of classified briefings, including a...
Democratic Bills Aim to Sue Oil Firms Over Property Insurance Crisis
Democratic legislators in three states have filed bills that would let insurers or state attorneys general sue oil companies to recover costs tied to soaring property insurance premiums. The proposals, still pending, signal a new legislative strategy to link climate‑driven...
Amazon Worker Sues Retailer over Bullying Complaints and Shutdown Appeal
Former Amazon fulfillment‑center employee Bracey L. Myles filed a federal lawsuit alleging the retailer retaliated after he reported bullying by two managers in August 2024. He says his badge was taken twice, he was placed on paid suspension without clear explanation,...
Gondim Law Expands Federal Immigration Litigation Monitoring Service for 2026
Gondim Law Corp announced on May 16, 2026 that it is broadening its 2026 federal immigration litigation monitoring and client advisory program. The firm will devote additional legal resources to track court decisions, agency policy shifts and USCIS processing trends,...
Not Everything Can Be a Competition Issue – a New Dawn for Consumer Redress
The UK Law Commission has opened a project to assess a consumer‑class‑action regime, expanding beyond the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s (CAT) competition‑only opt‑out system. The move follows criticism that the CAT framework has been used to pursue high‑value claims that stretch...
SRA Highlights Spike in Conduct Complaints Amid “Outsourcing Ruse”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority reported a 27% rise in conduct complaints over the past year, with 8,955 new reports in the six months to 30 April. Formal investigations increased only modestly, but the SRA has been outsourcing early assessment to external...
Small Law Firms Held Back by “Operational Drag” In Back Office
Inefficient back‑office functions are throttling growth at small UK law firms, according to the 2026 LexisNexis Bellwether Report. While two‑thirds of firms report rising revenue and 25% anticipate over 10% growth this year, 52% flag billing, document management and client...
Small Town Fights Over Flock's AI-Enhanced Network of License Plate-Reading Cameras
In Troy, New York, the mayor invoked an emergency order to keep 26 AI‑enhanced license‑plate readers from vendor Flock operational, despite the city council’s decision to pause payments and demand stricter data rules. The dispute escalated into a lawsuit as...
Critics Fear a Midterm Purge as the Trump Administration Promotes Program to Check Voter Eligibility
The Trump administration has dramatically expanded the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE system, running at least 67 million voter registrations through a federal database to flag potential noncitizens or deceased individuals. Critics warn the rapid, often month‑long, verification windows could purge...
South Carolina Prepares for Alex Murdaugh Murder Retrial Amid Jury‑selection Showdown
South Carolina prosecutors and defense attorney Dick Harpootlian are mapping divergent tactics for the upcoming Alex Murdaugh murder retrial after the state Supreme Court overturned his convictions. The defense seeks a venue change and tighter jury vetting, while the prosecutor...
WorldStarHipHop Gets Section 230 Dismissal–Eizenga V. MediaLab
A federal court dismissed the defamation suit against WorldStarHipHop, holding that the platform’s repost of a viral video – with only minor caption tweaks and tags – does not breach Section 230 immunity. The plaintiff alleged the video falsely portrayed...
Senate Cuts $1 Billion Funding for Trump’s White House Ballroom, Raising Legal Hurdles
The Senate voted to strip $1 billion of appropriations earmarked for President Donald Trump’s proposed 22,000‑square‑foot White House ballroom, intensifying a legal fight over whether the executive can build on federal land without explicit congressional consent. Lawmakers argue the move complies...
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC Urges SES AI Corporation Investors to Act: Class Action Filed Alleging Investor Harm
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman filed a securities‑fraud class action against SES AI Corp., alleging the company misled investors about revenue prospects and fabricated sales through its Molecular Universe program. The complaint covers anyone who bought SES AI shares between Jan. 29, 2025...
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC Urges Aldeyra Therapeutics, Inc. Investors to Act: Class Action Filed Alleging Investor Harm
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman filed a securities class action against Aldeyra Therapeutics, alleging the company misled investors about the consistency of its reproxalap trial results. The complaint covers anyone who bought Aldeyra shares between Nov. 3, 2023 and Mar. 16, 2026. The firm urges...
MOH, A-GC to Refine Legal Aspects of Nicotine Exemption Case
Malaysia's Health Ministry announced it will meet with the Attorney‑General's Chambers to fine‑tune the legal response after the Kuala Lumpur High Court granted a judicial review of the 2023 exemption that removed liquid nicotine and nicotine gel from the Poisons...
Trump’s $1.7 B IRS Settlement Proposal Sparks Bipartisan Outcry
A proposed $1.7 billion settlement to end Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS has ignited bipartisan condemnation. Critics say the deal would create a taxpayer‑funded slush pool for political allies and could halt audits of the former president’s finances.
Rwandan Genocide Financier Félicien Kabuga Dies in UN Custody, Ending Decades-Long Trial
Félicien Kabuga, the alleged chief financier of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, died on Thursday in a The Hague hospital while in UN tribunal custody. His death closes a case that had lingered for nearly 30 years after the 100‑day slaughter...
HealthSplash Founder Convicted in $1 Billion Medicare Fraud Scheme
A federal jury in Florida convicted Brett Blackman, the founder of HealthSplash, of orchestrating a scheme that billed Medicare more than $1 billion for unnecessary medical equipment. The verdict underscores growing scrutiny of telemedicine platforms and durable medical equipment (DME) fraud.
U.S. Settles Adani Solar Bribery Lawsuits for $18 Million, Drops Criminal Case
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission settled civil allegations against Gautam and Sagar Adani for $6 million and $12 million respectively, while the Department of Justice is poised to dismiss criminal fraud charges. The resolution removes a major compliance overhang for the...
Court Order Signals New Era for Shareholder Proposals Under Rule 14a-8
A U.S. District Court ordered BJ’s Wholesale Club to include a shareholder proposal demanding a deforestation‑risk assessment of its private‑label brands, marking the first injunction compelling inclusion under Rule 14a‑8. The decision rejects the company’s reliance on the “ordinary business” exclusion...
Anthropic Rolls Out Claude for Legal with 20+ Connectors and 12 Practice Plugins
Anthropic introduced Claude for Legal, adding more than 20 Model Context Protocol connectors and 12 practice‑area plugins, while Freshfields signed a multi‑year agreement to deploy the tool across its 33 offices. The launch targets the 87% of general counsel now...
Jamaican Court of Appeal Trims Sentence for Guncourt Convict, Upholds 20‑year Term
The Court of Appeal in Kingston reduced a two‑month credit for time served for Rohan Dixon, convicted of shooting a police officer in 2015, but left his 20‑year concurrent sentence unchanged. Dixon’s appeal argued insufficient evidence, a claim the court...
ROSE-Tinted Reasoning? The General Court on Colour Words
The EU General Court dismissed Rose Bikes GmbH’s attempt to register the word mark “ROSE” for clothing, footwear and headgear, finding it descriptive under Art. 7(1)(c) of the EUTMR. The court concluded that the term “rose”, understood as the colour pink,...
![[Video] Episode 415: DOJ’s Massive $550 Million Tariff Evasion Settlement](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://jdsupra-static.s3.amazonaws.com/profile-images/og.12022_1145.png)
[Video] Episode 415: DOJ’s Massive $550 Million Tariff Evasion Settlement
The Department of Justice secured a $549.5 million False Claims Act settlement with Perfectus Aluminum, marking one of the largest customs‑fraud recoveries in recent years. The case underscores the DOJ’s expanding use of the FCA to target tariff‑evasion schemes. Whistleblowers played...
Patent Firms Face AI‑Driven Client Self‑Service Squeeze
Patent law firms are feeling pressure as AI tools enable corporate clients to internalize more patent work. The shift threatens traditional fee structures and forces firms to clarify where their expertise adds irreplaceable value.
Big Law Insider Trading Scandal Spurs Calls for New Attorney Compliance Rules
A decade‑long insider‑trading operation run by former Big Law associate Nicolo Nourafchan has ignited a push for tighter compliance systems at law firms. Prosecutors say the scheme siphoned confidential deal information from multiple firms, exposing gaps in how attorneys safeguard...
Supreme Court Confirms Federal Courts Can Enforce Arbitration Awards in Pending Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a unanimous opinion authored by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, held that federal courts have authority to confirm and enforce arbitration awards in cases already pending before them. The ruling in Jules v. Andre Balazs Properties resolves...
Saturday Rewind: Lowering the Bar
The Justice Department has sued the D.C. Bar to block its investigation into former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, who was indicted for his role in the 2020 election‑subversion scheme. Clark was the only DOJ lawyer to draft a letter falsely...
Texas Sues Netflix over Alleged Child Data Surveillance and Dark‑pattern Addiction
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on May 11 alleging that Netflix covertly tracks children’s viewing habits, employs dark‑pattern autoplay to foster addiction, and sells the data to advertisers. Netflix denied the claims, saying its privacy practices comply...
Colorado Governor Signs Updated AI Act, Raising Compliance Stakes for LegalTech Firms
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed SB-26-189, an updated AI Act, on May 14, 2026. The law requires notification when AI influences employment, healthcare or housing decisions and mandates five‑year rule reviews, forcing LegalTech providers to overhaul compliance features.
Maryland Challenges PJM Over Data Center Grid Costs Amid $1.6 Billion Bill Surge
Maryland’s Office of People’s Counsel lodged a formal complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, alleging that PJM Interconnection’s cost‑allocation methods force residential customers to shoulder $1.6 billion in extra energy bills over the next decade due to data‑center demand. The...