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
Migration Talks: An Analysis of Free Movement Regimes Globally
The Jean Monnet Chair is hosting a Migration Talk on April 20, 2026 via Zoom, featuring Prof. Dr. Diego Acosta of the University of Bristol. Acosta will analyze global free‑movement regimes and introduce the Freemove project, the first comprehensive map of bilateral and multilateral people‑movement treaties. Freemove, partially funded by the Open Society Foundations, tracks the evolution of these regimes over the past 30 years and lets users compare trends worldwide. Attendees receive GE 250/251 credit for full participation.
AI Drives ‘Always-On’ Compliance in the UAE as Azakaw Named IDC Innovator
Azakaw, a compliance operating system built for the MENA region, has been named an IDC Innovator in the IDC Innovators: Middle East Regulatory Technology Providers, 2026 report. The platform consolidates KYC, KYB, AML screening, transaction monitoring and corporate compliance into...
Kuwait Citizenship Purge Tops 50,000 as New Decree Tightens Revocation Rules
Kuwait has revoked citizenship for more than 50,000 people since September 2024, following Decree‑Law No. 52 that tightens revocation rules and removes judicial oversight. The amendment expands state authority, introduces DNA and biometric checks, and imposes up to seven years in prison...
What Foreign Issuers Should Know About SEC Trading Suspensions
The SEC has halted trading for 14 Asia‑based companies, citing possible market manipulation. Cooley partners Will Pao, Tejal Shah, and Bingxin Wu explain the regulator’s rationale and outline the risks of rapid price rallies that attract scrutiny. They urge foreign...
Beijing Brands Meta's Manus Acquisition as "Conspiratorial" And Bars Founders From Leaving China
China’s National Security Commission has labeled Meta’s $2 billion purchase of AI startup Manus as a “conspiratorial” effort to erode the nation’s tech base. The claim has sparked a coordinated review by export‑control, investment and competition regulators. Manus, which moved its...
Deere & Company Reaches Settlement in Right to Repair Antitrust Litigation
John Deere announced a settlement to resolve the multidistrict right‑to‑repair antitrust litigation filed in 2022. The agreement, pending court approval, includes a class fund to compensate affected farmers and cover legal costs, but contains no finding of wrongdoing. Deere also...
Pendulum Swings Again: DOL’s Proposed Rule on Independent Contractors
On February 27, 2026 the U.S. Department of Labor issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would revert the federal independent‑contractor test to the 2021 framework, emphasizing the degree of control and the worker’s opportunity for profit or loss. The...
Listen: With Little Federal Regulation, States Are Left To Shape the Rules on AI in Health Care
The White House and several states are at odds over how to regulate artificial intelligence in health care, leaving states to fill the regulatory vacuum. Maryland and Virginia illustrate the split, with each adopting distinct rules for AI use in...
The Response Time Reality Destroying Law Firm Growth
On the latest Legal Intake Experts podcast, hosts Nick Werker and Tony Prieto stress that response time is the single biggest factor in converting law‑firm leads. They cite a Clio Legal Trends Report showing an average reply window of 20‑24...
Identifying Red Flags and Atypical Customer Behavior
The article outlines how red flags and atypical customer behavior signal potential money‑laundering throughout the entire client lifecycle. It breaks down warning signs into three categories—customer behavior, source of funds, and business structure—and adds a fifth set of transaction‑monitoring alerts....
Vast Majority of US Class Action Cases Never Go to Trial – Lex Machina Report
Lex Machina’s 2026 Class Action Litigation Report shows that roughly 95% of U.S. class actions settle or end procedurally before reaching trial. Between 2023 and 2025, only 109 of 2,333 certified cases proceeded to trial, while 1,788 settled and 1,264 were...
UK Eases Rules for Hedge Funds in Sweeping Overhaul of Short Selling Rules
The UK Financial Conduct Authority announced a sweeping overhaul of short‑selling rules, easing restrictions that previously limited hedge fund activities. The changes aim to boost market liquidity and reduce compliance costs, while Dubai simultaneously softened its regulatory burden to attract...
City Solicitor Groups Announce Funding Support for LawCare in Three-Year Partnership
The City of London Law Society (CLLS) and the City of London Solicitors’ Company (CLSC) have forged a three‑year partnership with mental‑health charity LawCare, pledging a combined £45,000 (approximately $57,600) to bolster wellbeing initiatives. CLLS will contribute £10,000 ($12,800) annually...
Inside the Push to Centralise Compliance Oversight
Financial institutions are turning to a "compliance control tower" to centralize fragmented oversight across surveillance, risk and regulatory functions. The model layers a central hub over existing RegTech tools, aggregating data into near‑real‑time dashboards. Vendors such as Cardamon, Corlytics and...
ICCA Madrid 2026: Congress Day Three Round-Up
The ICCA Madrid 2026 Congress concluded with a high‑level panel on procedural integrity, arguing that consistent, fair processes are essential to arbitration legitimacy. Speakers warned that both over‑formalism and excessive flexibility can erode confidence and raise costs. A closing keynote...
Market Participants Clash Over SEC Access Fee Timeline
Market participants are divided over the SEC’s plan to cut exchange access fees from $0.003 to $0.001 per share ahead of the November 2026 deadline. MEMX filed for temporary exemptive relief to postpone the fee‑cap reduction, citing concerns about costly...
Consolidated Audit Trail Enters Perilous Curve
The SEC’s Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) has moved from a delayed rollout to an operational system, but it now faces a costly overhaul. Development expenses have topped $500 million, and the 2025 operating budget of $272 million is five times the 2016...
Supreme Court Of Appeal Consolidates Appeal Process In Offshore Oil And Gas Case
South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ordered that Shell’s leave‑to‑appeal application and the full merits of the Block 5/6/7 offshore drilling case be heard together, creating a single consolidated hearing. The Western Cape High Court had already set aside the...
AFM Update on Non-EU Funds and Fund Managers
On 14 April 2026 the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) issued its fourth AIFMD II update, tightening rules for non‑EU alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs) that market funds in the Netherlands. The revision adds two jurisdictional tests: the home country must...
AFM Update on Information Disclosure Requirements for CASPs Under MiCAR
On 16 April 2026 the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) released a supervision report evaluating crypto‑asset service providers’ (CASPs) compliance with the EU’s MiCAR disclosure rules. The AFM identified widespread shortcomings, including misleading ads, vague risk warnings, hidden cost information,...
DNB Update on Reporting of Major ICT-Related Incidents Under DORA
The Dutch Central Bank (DNB) announced changes to DORA reporting for major ICT‑related incidents, adding a validation step that checks submissions against technical requirements. Effective mid‑April 2026, institutions will receive feedback highlighting unmet criteria. Warnings can be corrected in the...
Update on Implementation MiFID II Review
On 7 April 2026 the Dutch finance minister released an update on the delayed implementation of the MiFID II review, which was supposed to be enacted by 29 September 2025. The postponement means Dutch market operators still lack a dedicated emergency‑halt power, and the AFM...
Hogan Lovells Retains 14 of 21 Spring Qualifying Trainees
Hogan Lovells retained 14 of its 21 spring‑qualifying trainees, issuing 16 offers with 14 acceptances, including two on fixed‑term contracts. The firm’s spring retention rate sits at roughly 67%, down from a 67%‑ish autumn figure of 16 of 24. New hires...
Glass Fibre: EU Anti-Dumping Measures on Imports From Bahrain, Egypt, Thailand
The European Union has imposed anti‑dumping duties on glass‑fibre reinforcements imported from Bahrain, Egypt and Thailand, citing unfair practices by Chinese firms operating in those countries. Duties range from 11% to 25.4%, with Egyptian imports facing a combined rate of...
The EU AI Act Is Now in Force and Irish Companies Have Until August to Get Compliant
On August 2 2026 the EU AI Act’s core provisions become enforceable, imposing a full compliance regime for high‑risk AI systems. Irish firms, home to major tech headquarters and a vibrant AI startup scene, face penalties of up to €35 million ($38 million) or...
WASPA’s Court Win Could Be a Setback for Every Nigerian Harassed by a Loan App
On April 15, 2026, Nigeria’s Federal High Court granted an interim injunction that halts the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s new digital‑lending rules, a move championed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association. The pause leaves over 11,000 consumer...
A ‘Legal Movement’ Against Campus Antisemitism
The Louis D. Brandeis Center convened its first Harvard conference to chart a legal campaign against campus antisemitism, urging the use of Title VI and Title VII civil‑rights statutes. Recent lawsuits, including a DOJ suit against Harvard, have produced settlements that require...
Donald Trump Wants Epstein Victims to Testify Under Oath
Donald Trump publicly urged Jeffrey Epstein victims to testify under oath, referencing the four sworn statements that contributed to Ghislaine Maxwell’s 20‑year sentence. The post notes Trump’s own extensive use of the Fifth Amendment in a civil deposition. It also...
Two Employees Sue Sedgwick for Firing Them After Medical Leave
Two federal lawsuits filed on April 15 in Illinois and Michigan allege Sedgwick Claims Management Services terminated employees shortly after they returned from protected medical leave. One case involves a claims manager dismissed a week after FMLA leave for anxiety and...
ASIC Secures Court Order Against Cigno Australia, Mark Swanepoel, BSF Solutions, and Brenton Harrison
The Federal Court ordered Cigno Australia, BSF Solutions and their directors to pay a combined penalty of $7 million AUD (≈ $4.6 million USD) for operating an unlicensed No Upfront Charge loan model and charging prohibited fees. Cigno Australia was fined $3 million AUD...
Worker Sues Spectrum for Allegedly Pulling Job Offer over Hearing Disability
Stephanie M. Jacobs has filed a federal lawsuit against Charter Communications, doing business as Spectrum, alleging the telecom firm rescinded her customer‑service job offer after repeatedly delaying the provision of assistive hearing technology. Jacobs disclosed her severe hearing loss during...
Naval Reservist Sues CSX Transportation, Claims Firing After Flagging Discrimination
Naval Reservist Matthew Levesque sued CSX Transportation, claiming he was fired in retaliation for his military service and for taking intermittent family medical leave to care for his terminally ill father. Levesque says his supervisor, Jared Fortner, harassed him over...
7 Arrested in Crackdown on Party Rooms Offering Copyright-Infringing Karaoke Sets
Hong Kong customs arrested seven individuals in a citywide operation, code‑named Magpie, targeting party rooms that offered pre‑loaded karaoke sets violating copyright. The crackdown, conducted from March 16 to April 15, seized 28 illegal karaoke devices and four gaming consoles...
How Big Tech Wrote Secrecy Into EU Law to Hide Data Centres’ Environmental Toll
Microsoft and the industry lobby group DigitalEurope succeeded in inserting a secrecy clause into EU law that classifies individual data‑centre environmental metrics as confidential. The provision blocks public and freedom‑of‑information requests for data on energy use, water consumption and emissions,...
Legaltech Rundown: Clio Announces AI Upgrades, Supio Deepens Partnership With Thomson Reuters, and More
Clio unveiled a suite of AI upgrades, adding automated time‑entry suggestions, smart document analysis, and predictive matter‑management tools that promise to cut administrative effort by up to 30%. Supio announced a deeper partnership with Thomson Reuters, integrating the latter's legal‑research...
BBC Job Cuts ‘Risk Legal Fallout’ if Consultation and Communication Fall Short
The BBC announced plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs, roughly 10% of its workforce, aiming to save hundreds of millions of pounds (about $340 million) over the next two years. Legal experts warn that inadequate consultation and rushed communication could...
WR Knox Found Negligent in Crash, to Pay $2.8M
A Texas judge entered a default judgment of nearly $2.9 million against Theodore Knox, a former SMU teammate of NFL receiver Rashee Rice, for his role in a 2024 Dallas street‑racing crash. Knox was deemed “grossly negligent,” received no representation at...
Legal Analysis: Insurer Subrogation Rights Under Scrutiny
Two recent decisions—Axis Insurance Co. v. Barracuda Networks and Travelers Casualty v. Blackbaud—clarify when cyber insurers can pursue subrogation against vendors. The First Circuit rejected Axis’s equitable indemnification and breach‑of‑contract claims because the insurer lacked a direct contract with Barracuda,...
Zantac Suits Tossed by Delaware Judge for Flawed Cancer Link
A Delaware Superior Court judge dismissed all pending Zantac cancer lawsuits, finding plaintiffs failed to provide credible evidence linking the heartburn drug to cancer. The ruling frees Sanofi, GSK, Pfizer and Boehringer from further state‑court trials in Delaware. The decision...
Lawyers to Survive AI
Sir Geoffrey Vos, the second‑most senior judge in England and Wales, warned that AI‑driven tools will soon give clients free access to statutes and precedents, reshaping the lawyer‑client relationship. He argued lawyers will remain essential, but their role will shift...
Navigating Global Regulatory Fragmentation
Regulatory demands are fragmenting across jurisdictions, forcing firms to adopt risk‑based compliance frameworks that evolve with geopolitical and trade shifts. Companies are turning to real‑time intelligence and AI‑driven automation to monitor rule changes more efficiently, while still relying on human...
Letting Agents Plan to Raise Fees Ahead of Renters’ Rights Act
Letting agents are preparing to raise fees to offset the administrative burden imposed by the new Renters’ Rights Act, according to Goodlord’s survey of 2,650 market participants. Landlords already express frustration, with 59% citing high fees and poor value, and...
Investors Seek Share of ‘£30bn’ Leasehold Reform Losses
A coalition called Justice for Property Rights, comprising investors, retirees and freeholders, says the UK leasehold reforms could wipe out more than £30 billion (about $38 billion) in income. The group, now over 200 members strong, argues the reforms on lease extensions...
IME Direction Reasonable Despite "Regrettable" Process Failures
The Queensland Industrial Relations Commissioner upheld an independent medical examination (IME) direction for a long‑absent emergency dispatcher, despite the employer’s procedural missteps. The employee was misinformed about the medical evidence required for her return, but the commission ruled this did...
SEC Exemptive Order Provides Path to 10-Business Day Equity Tender Offers
The SEC’s Office of Mergers and Acquisitions issued an exemptive order that lets qualifying equity tender offers close in ten business days instead of the standard twenty. To use the shortened period, offers must meet strict criteria, including cash‑only consideration...
‘Exceptional Circumstances’: Why Was Ben Roberts-Smith Granted Bail?
In early April, decorated Australian soldier Ben Roberts‑Smith was arrested and charged with five war‑crime murders linked to operations in Afghanistan. A remote bail hearing on April 17 resulted in the judge granting bail, citing “exceptional circumstances.” The bail package...
Week in Review
A New York jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable for antitrust violations, determining they overcharged concertgoers by $1.72 per ticket at major venues. Maine’s legislature approved an 18‑month ban on large data centers, the first such statewide prohibition, while...
RoughriderCoin and the Limitations of Stablecoins in Public Banking
The GENIUS Act, effective July 2025, gives states a limited regulatory lane to oversee stablecoin issuers with assets under $10 billion. Using this carve‑out, the Bank of North Dakota announced a partnership with fintech firm Fiserv to launch RoughriderCoin, a state‑backed stablecoin...
Sacking Upheld for Employee Who Breached Policies "Out of Curiosity"
The Fair Work Commission upheld the dismissal of a Westpac employee who violated the bank’s code of conduct, privacy, and conflict‑of‑interest policies. The full bench rejected the claim that the lack of an independent investigation made the termination unfair, stating...
Supply Chain Disputes Top List of Automotive Litigation Risks in 2026 – Study
A Dykema study finds 61% of automotive firms view supply‑chain disputes as the leading litigation risk for 2026, driven by tariff‑related pricing and cost‑recovery fights. Autonomous vehicle and ADAS product liability ranks second at 47%, while data‑privacy, cybersecurity and EV‑battery...