Today's Legal Pulse
Biden sues DOJ to block release of interview audio
President Joe Biden has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to prevent the Department of Justice from publishing an audio recording of his interview. The action, reported by Axios and TIME, aims to keep the interview confidential amid political controversy.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader clear final merger hurdles
Child Safety at Risk as EU CSAM Detection Law Lapses, Reporting Concerns Rise
The EU’s temporary legal framework that allowed online platforms to scan private communications for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) expired on April 3, 2026, creating regulatory uncertainty. Major tech firms—including Google, Meta, Microsoft and Snap—have pledged to continue voluntary detection using hash‑matching tools despite the legal gap. Authorities warn that the lapse could cause a sharp decline in CSAM reports, hampering investigations across 24 European countries. Advocacy groups and policymakers criticize the inaction as a political failure that endangers child safety.
2026 PAW 2026: The Centenary Backbone Debate on the Ethics of Arbitrators
White & Case staged an Oxford‑style debate at Paris Arbitration Week 2026 to question whether arbitrators possess the ethical backbone required for their expanding responsibilities. A jury of four senior in‑house counsels evaluated arguments from pro‑ and anti‑motion teams, ultimately...
Greenberg Traurig Boosts London Training Contract Numbers by 50%
Greenberg Traurig announced it will raise its London trainee solicitor intake from eight to twelve positions, a 50% increase, for the 2027 recruitment cycle. The firm’s trainee salary is £55,000 (about $68,750) in the first year, rising to £60,000 (≈$75,000)...
Ashurst Hires Singapore Restructuring and Insolvency Partner
Global law firm Ashurst has hired Singapore‑based restructuring specialist Kai Yun Tan as a partner in its restructuring, insolvency and special situations practice. Tan, who previously led the practice at WongPartnership, brings more than ten years of experience handling complex...
Why You Should Care About Trainee Retention Rates
The Legal Cheek podcast highlights trainee retention rates as a rare hard metric that cuts through glossy recruitment marketing. Hosts Julia Szaniszlo and Tom Connelly explain that high attrition can signal a gap between a firm’s promises and the actual...
Stadler Withdraws Its Appeal Against the SBB Contract Awarded to Siemens
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has made the award of its double‑decker train contract to Siemens Mobility legally final after Stadler withdrew its appeal. The contract covers 116 trains, with an option for 84 more, and SBB projects savings of hundreds...
Hospitality Has a Wage Theft Problem
Investigative reporting by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reveals that London‑based restaurant Antipodea, owned by Jason Wells, lost 21 employment‑tribunal cases between 2021 and 2025 and failed to pay any of the awarded sums – over £2,600 (≈$3,300) owed to...
I Built An Agentic ‘Law Firm’, Now What?
Antti Innanen launched Lavern, an AI‑driven "law firm" that runs 66 specialist agents on a single Mac Mini. The system mimics a traditional firm’s intake, decomposition, routing, debate, escalation and synthesis workflow, but all processing stays local, preserving client privacy....
Legislative Alchemy: Licensing Reflexologists and Other Practitioners of Pseudoscience
States across the U.S. are introducing bills that would license reflexologists and other alternative‑medicine practitioners, a process the author dubs “Legislative Alchemy.” The North Carolina Healing Arts Act, Massachusetts Senate Bill 261, and Iowa House File 2178 each propose new regulatory boards...
A2 Milk Reaches Deal to Settle Shareholder Class Action
The A2 Milk Company has reached an in‑principle agreement to settle two shareholder class actions alleging misleading FY21 forecasts. The settlement totals $62 million, covered by insurance proceeds and will not affect FY26 earnings. A2 Milk did not admit liability, and...
How Australia’s Grocery Code Is Rewriting the Rules of Engagement
From April 1, Australia’s Food and Grocery Code of Conduct became mandatory, binding Coles, Woolworths, ALDI and Metcash to enforceable supplier contracts and transparent pricing rules overseen by the ACCC. The change follows a federal inquiry that highlighted power imbalances, including...
Josef Launches ‘Rapid Ingestion Engine,’ Using AI To Turn Messy Business Inputs Into Structured Legal Workflows
Australian legal‑automation platform Josef unveiled its Rapid Ingestion Engine, an AI‑driven tool that transforms unstructured business inputs—such as email threads, meeting notes, and term sheets—into the structured data required for legal workflow templates. The engine automates data extraction, classification, and...
Switzerland Proposes New Sustainability Reporting, Due Diligence Law
Switzerland’s government unveiled a draft Federal Act on Sustainable Corporate Governance that mirrors the EU’s updated CSRD and CSDDD frameworks. The law sets a reporting threshold at 1,000 employees and CHF450 million (about $490 million) in revenue, covering roughly 100 large firms,...
Trump Just Removed Transgender Student Protections—Here’s What Changed
The Trump administration reinterpreted Title IX, ending federal civil‑rights agreements that required schools to protect transgender students through pronoun usage, facility access, and staff training. The reinterpretation narrowed the definition of sex, removing the legal basis for those settlements without changing...
Bell Textron Secures Dismissal of State Claims in Osprey Product Liability Litigation
Bell Textron won a decisive victory in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania as Judge John F. Murphy dismissed all state‑law claims in the Osprey product‑liability suit. The court held that the federal Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) fully...
What Is a Farm Worth when an Owner Exits?
A buy‑sell agreement is essential for farms and ranches with multiple owners to manage exits, retirements, disability, or death. The agreement must define a clear, transparent valuation method that balances land and equipment assets with cash‑flow realities. Minority ownership discounts...
CFTC Issues No-Action Relief to Self-Custodial Crypto-Wallet Application
On March 17, 2026 the CFTC’s Market Participants Division issued a no‑action letter to Phantom Technologies, a self‑custodial crypto‑wallet provider, stating it will not enforce IB registration requirements. Phantom plans to let users access CFTC‑regulated derivatives through third‑party collaborators while...
India's Top Court Hears Challenges to Ruling on Women's Entry Into Temple
India's Supreme Court has convened a nine‑judge constitutional bench to rehear petitions challenging its 2018 decision that opened the Sabarimala temple to women aged 10‑50. The bench, chaired by Chief Justice Surya Kant and featuring judges from varied castes, religions...
Revealed: The Lawyers Poised for the Biggest Digital Infra Auctions of 2026
The Lawyer’s latest report maps the legal talent positioned to advise on the 2026 wave of digital infrastructure auctions, including 5G spectrum, data‑center assets, and cloud‑edge projects. Analysts identified the top law firms and individual partners with proven track records...
Secretive Eskom Gets Walloped in Court by AfriForum
South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal upheld a high‑court order compelling state utility Eskom to disclose all coal and diesel supply contracts after a four‑year legal battle by civil‑rights group AfriForum. The court rejected Eskom’s blanket claim that the agreements...
Europe Gets Serious About Age Verification Online
The European Commission is tightening age‑verification rules under the Digital Services Act after finding major porn sites and Snapchat inadequate in protecting minors. It proposes a privacy‑preserving "mini‑wallet" that issues single‑use tokens to confirm users are over 18 without sharing...
Bank Holiday Round-Up
During the UK bank holiday, a series of legal headlines highlighted growing cyber‑security risks, shifting property and entertainment law, and regulatory updates. Jones Day disclosed a hacker breach that accessed client data, while a UK court confirmed Kanye West’s legal...
HR Fine Risk Rises as New Enforcement Agency Launches Amid Low Awareness
The UK’s new Fair Work Agency began enforcing employment law today, consolidating powers previously split among three regulators. A Breathe HR poll shows 36% of SME HR leaders have never heard of the agency, while 48% of managers received no...
Costs Budgeting ‘Lite’ Set for Expansion After Strong First Year
The Civil Justice Council’s three‑year pilot of a simplified "costs budgeting lite" scheme, limited to business and property claims under £1 million (about $1.28 million), has received strong endorsement from judges and lawyers. Lady Justice Cockerill reported that the streamlined budgeting process...
FINRA Imposes $3.25M Fine on J.P. Morgan Securities
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC agreed to a $3.25 million FINRA settlement after failing to supervise a representative who pushed leveraged, high‑yield positions from 2016 to 2020. The strategy caused steep client losses during March‑2020 market volatility, leading to margin calls and...
![[Book Review] Stone on European Union Design Law: A Practitioners’ Guide](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0hYGhYjpEXHOc2nJb8EP288iozOaK7nlM90bfDcUXrUVAqOhOS6RY8erIzSqL2TkFniTY222qYv1sRnruTTjk38lgOw8nKRQklNs-wq8bdo2lVwRCCD3TkdV5OH3arzUQ-86reeBKy0dJar2VdE2kYX4yTrk3PIZcwq6Hj9BfYRX8E7hUbFV/s72-c/Bild1.jpg)
[Book Review] Stone on European Union Design Law: A Practitioners’ Guide
Oxford University Press released the third edition of "Stone on European Union Design Law," a 688‑page practitioner’s guide updated through January 2025. The treatise incorporates the sweeping 2024 amendments under Regulation 2024/2822 and Directive 2024/2823, as well as recent EUIPO and court decisions....
Maker of Stanley Tumblers Prevails in Lawsuit Over Lead Scare
A federal judge dismissed a proposed class‑action lawsuit alleging Pacific Market International concealed lead in its popular Stanley tumblers. Judge Tana Lin found plaintiffs failed to show a specific, plausible risk of harm from the lead‑containing temperature‑control pellets. The decision...
Yes, Motorist Can Sue for Pothole Injury if the City Knew, Mississippi High Court Says
The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that a city can be sued for pothole injuries when it had actual or constructive knowledge of the defect. In City of Jackson v. Latoya Lawson, the court upheld a $67,603 economic and $152,000 noneconomic...
Connecticut Weighs P/C Insurance Surcharge to Fund Local Infrastructure Resilience
Connecticut lawmakers are debating a 5% surcharge on commercial property‑casualty insurance for fossil‑fuel infrastructure, aiming to create a climate resilience account that funds local flood‑risk and infrastructure projects. The measure, SB 453, cleared the Environment Committee and awaits fiscal analysis, with...
Dubai VARA Introduces Regulatory Framework for Virtual Asset Derivatives Trading
Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has launched Version 2.1 of its Exchange Services Rulebook, a purpose‑built framework that brings virtual‑asset derivatives under enforceable regulation. The rules apply immediately to all VARA‑licensed virtual‑asset service providers (VASPs) and require explicit authorisation plus...
Arc Legal Appoints Ashley Law as Chief Executive Officer
Arc Legal Group, a provider of legal‑expenses insurance, announced that Ashley Law will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer on May 1, 2026, pending regulatory approval. Law, who joined as Chief Operating Officer in December 2025, has driven recent senior‑leadership expansions and...
Jones Day Law Firm Says Hackers Accessed Some Clients’ Data
Jones Day disclosed that the cyber‑criminal group Silent breached its network, accessing dated files for ten clients. The intrusion stemmed from a phishing attack, and the firm confirmed that all impacted clients have been notified. Hackers also exfiltrated internal data...
Contract Negotiations and Business Communication: How to Write an Iron-Clad Contract
The article explains why negotiators must grasp basic contract law to avoid costly misunderstandings. It illustrates the risk with a case where Jane edited a supply agreement by fax, leading Kevin to dispute the changes. The piece highlights the mirror‑image...
Why All Firms Need to Master ‘Regulatory Explainability’
In February, ARK Capital Management was hit with a $504,000 fine by the Dubai Financial Services Authority for delayed review of trade‑surveillance alerts, highlighting a broader regulatory crackdown on system failures. Last year, 59% of global market‑abuse enforcement actions centered...
Authorities Struggle as Crypto Drives New Wave of Money Laundering
Rapid advances in digital technology are enabling criminals to funnel illicit funds through cryptocurrencies, a trend that is outpacing Malaysia's regulatory and enforcement frameworks. The decentralized nature of virtual assets and the reliance on overseas servers make tracing transactions difficult...
Simpson Thacher Eyes Sports Deals in Triple Partner Swoop From Hogan Lovells, Sidley and the NBA
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is bolstering its sports M&A practice by hiring three senior partners from Hogan Lovells, Sidley Austin and the NBA. Michael Kuh and Eric Geffner join as co‑heads, while Matthew Carpenter‑Dennis will arrive later, adding New York and Los Angeles coverage. The...
Regulatory Simplification as a Strategic Priority
Italy faces a massive regulatory burden, with businesses spending roughly $63‑$88 billion annually on paperwork and delays costing the economy about $247 billion each year. In 2025 the government approved a sweeping simplification law that repealed 30,709 obsolete statutes—about 28% of the...
Finite Ventures
The article introduces "finite ventures" – business entities with a predefined lifespan – as an underused corporate‑governance tool. It shows that limited‑life structures are already common in private‑equity funds, venture‑capital funds, SPACs, and historic enterprises like the East India companies....
From “Dexit” To “Dentry”: Merger Agreements Amid the Debate Over Where to Incorporate
The debate over "Dexit" – corporations leaving Delaware – appears to be reversing as Delaware retains dominance for merger agreement law. While many firms consider Nevada or Texas for incorporation, most public‑company deals still choose Delaware contract law and its...
Paul Saunders Urges a Training Overhaul to Protect Junior Lawyers From the Effects of AI
Stewart McKelvey’s chief strategy officer Paul Saunders warns that AI‑driven automation is eroding the traditional on‑the‑job learning that junior lawyers rely on to build foundational legal skills. He argues that without hands‑on tasks such as lease review or case research, newcomers...
Ocado Calls Police on Trade Show Booth After Patent Injunction
Ocado, the UK‑based online grocery leader, secured a German preliminary injunction against Brightpick's Gridpicker technology, alleging patent infringement. The company brought police to Brightpick's LogiMAT trade‑show booth to enforce the order, forcing the startup to halt its live demo. Brightpick...
Coming To You From Big Oil Profits: The Vermont Climate Superfund
Vermont’s Climate Superfund Act, enacted in May 2024, lets the state recover damages from fossil‑fuel companies for climate‑related harms and earmark the money for adaptation projects. The Trump administration sued in September 2025, arguing the law oversteps state authority and...
Congress Wants To Put The Law Behind A Paywall. Again.
Senators Coons, Cornyn, Hirono and Tillis have reintroduced the Pro Codes Act, which would grant copyright protection to private standards incorporated into law such as building and fire codes. Courts—including the Supreme Court—have long ruled that once a standard becomes...
When Equality Meets Divorce: Can a Husband Claim Maintenance?
In March 2015 a Kenyan High Court ordered a university professor to pay her unemployed ex‑husband Sh20,000 (~$150) per month in maintenance after their divorce. The ex‑wife appealed, and the Court of Appeal unanimously overturned the order, finding insufficient evidence...
Cambodian Parliament Passes Landmark Cybercrime Law
Cambodia's parliament approved its first cybercrime law targeting scam centres that have defrauded international victims of billions. The legislation prescribes prison terms of two to ten years and fines up to $250,000 for large‑scale operations. It also criminalises money‑laundering, data...
CFTC Reaffirms Decades-Long Fight Against State Prediction Market Bans
As CFTC Chair @MichaelSelig reaffirms the agency’s decision to challenge state-level bans on prediction markets (coming on the heels of a federal appeals court ruling against NJ today), it’s worth revisiting the broader context: this fight has been decades in...
Demand Crypto Laws Protect Retail Investors, Not Wealthy Elites
I’m extremely concerned with any Crypto law that excludes retail investors Unfortunately, retail does not have a lot of advocacy in our best interest What you can do is write to your local politicians and respectfully demand liberty based on merit, not...
Tonight in Your Rights: Bannon's Rebound and Dugan's Defeat
The Supreme Court cleared the way for the Justice Department to dismiss Steve Bannon’s Jan. 6‑related conviction, effectively giving the Trump‑aligned agency a chance to erase his record. Hours later, a federal judge denied former Milwaukee judge Hannah Dugan’s bid to...
Wisconsin Lets Couples File Separately Federally, Jointly Statewise
I was today years old when I learned there is a state out there that allows you to file separately at the federal level and jointly at the state level. Thanks, Wisconsin. Your married physicians seeking PSLF really appreciate you. #TaxTwitter
Checking Status: Has the SAVE or SHIPs Act Passed?
So, I’ve been busy, have we passed the SAVE Act yet? What about the SHIPs Act?