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
24 States and 10 Cities Sue EPA Over Repeal of Climate Endangerment Finding
A coalition of 24 Democratic‑led states, 10 major cities and five counties has filed a lawsuit in the D.C. Circuit to overturn the EPA's repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding. The filing seeks to restore the scientific basis for vehicle and power‑plant emissions rules that the Trump administration stripped away.
Independent Report: Report on the Report on the Proposed Subsidy to the British Business Bank
The Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) has released an independent report responding to the Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) request for advice on its proposed subsidy to the British Business Bank (BBB). The analysis evaluates whether the subsidy scheme complies...
ACEDS Announces ChronoTracer as New Affiliate Partner
ACEDS announced ChronoTracer as a new affiliate partner via its Emerging Partner Program. ChronoTracer provides technology that structures evidence into searchable, chronological timelines, handling cases with tens of millions of documents and complementing existing e‑discovery platforms. The partnership reflects a...
Legal's Gen AI Adoption Is Rising Fast, but Trust and Confidence Lag Far Behind
Factor’s 2026 GenAI in Legal Benchmarking Report shows rapid adoption of generative AI across law firms, with nearly 70% planning new AI procurements this year. However, confidence in these tools remains low, as only about a fifth of respondents trust...
Billables AI Co-Founder: &Lsquo;Behavioral Inertia' Biggest Barrier to Legal Innovation
Billables AI co‑founder Nancy Jeng argues that behavioral inertia, not technology, is the primary obstacle to legal innovation. She notes that mounting financial pressure on law firms is compelling them to seek AI‑driven efficiency, yet entrenched habits slow adoption. Billables...
Tonkean's General Manager of LegalWorks: Legal Tech Buyers Demand More Interoperability, Autonomy and Easy Adoption
Tonkean’s General Manager of LegalWorks, Aaron Bromagem, says legal‑tech buyers are shifting from isolated point solutions to integrated platforms that support end‑to‑end workflows. Buyers now prioritize interoperability, autonomy, and rapid adoption to streamline operations. Tonkean recently earned the Legalweek Leaders...
Chicken Soup Publisher Sues Tech Giants Over AI Training
More AI lawsuits -> Publisher Chicken Soup for the Soul sues several tech companies including Google and Anthropic in federal court, claiming its content was used to train LLMs "The publisher said that Apple, Google, Nvidia, Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity AI...
Miami Beach Considers Suing State over Bill to Allow Water Park
Miami Beach officials are weighing a lawsuit after the Florida legislature passed HB 399, a bill that preempts city zoning and lets the Fontainebleau hotel add a water park without Historic Preservation Board approval. The City Commission instructed the city attorney...
The Non-Domiciled CDL Crackdown Is Law. Fleets Have 4 Problems.
On March 6 California revoked 13,000 CDLs and on March 16 the FMCSA enacted a rule limiting CDL eligibility to H‑2A, H‑2B and E‑2 visas, stripping DACA, asylum and refugee holders of eligibility. Up to 200,000 drivers—about five percent of the U.S....
Landmark Workday Case Signals New AI Hiring Risk
Workday lost a pivotal lawsuit, Mobley v. Workday, after U.S. District Judge Rita Lin dismissed the company's Age Discrimination in Employment Act defense. The case centers on alleged bias embedded in Workday's AI‑driven hiring tools. Legal experts view the ruling...
Press Release | ILTA Announces 2026 Influential Women in Legal Tech Honorees
The International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) unveiled its 2026 Influential Women in Legal Tech honorees, highlighting five leaders who are reshaping the global legal‑technology landscape. The annual award, launched in 2020, coincides with Women’s History Month and celebrates individuals whose...
Nexstar‑T
D.C. Memo: @NXSTMediaGroup-@TEGNA Deal Sails Through @BrendanCarrFCC in a Speedy 121 Days; CEO Sook Makes a Few Minor Concessions But That’s It; Nexstar has two years to sell six TV stations but in the end, it might not...
Administration Says AI Training on Copyrighted Works Is Legal
“the Administration believes that training of AI models on copyrighted material does not violate copyright laws” 👀
DORA Is Reshaping How Europe’s Financial Sector Thinks About Compliance, and Most Firms Still Aren’t Ready
Fourteen months after DORA became enforceable, European financial institutions are still struggling to meet its requirements. Surveys show only about a third feel confident about full compliance by the Jan 2025 deadline, while half expect to finish by end‑2025 and many...
Former FDA Chief Warns Political Pressure Plagued Trump Era
Political influence ‘a serious problem’ for FDA under Trump, former commissioner says https://t.co/52IR3LfECD via @statnews
SAVE Act Threatens Millions Lacking Matching Birth Certificates
… “the SAVE America Act would pose a barrier for millions of women and others who have changed their legal names. An estimated 69 million American women and 4 million men do not have a birth certificate that matches their...
Two Members of 18th Street Gang Convicted of Murder In-Aid-Of Racketeering and Other Gang Related Crimes
A federal jury in Brooklyn found 18th Street gang members Herberth Rodríguez and Elias Martínez Villanueva guilty on all counts of a superseding indictment, including murder in‑aid‑of racketeering, attempted murder, narcotics trafficking, and illegal re‑entry. The convictions stem from the...
After Notable Victories, Anti-DEI Shareholders Turn Sights on Trump's SEC
Conservative investors who have recently forced firms such as Goldman Sachs and Johnson & Johnson to drop DEI criteria are now targeting the Securities and Exchange Commission. They argue the SEC’s new guidance on proxy filings and shareholder disclosures curtails...
Man Indicted and Arrested for Kidnapping and Carjacking of a U.S. Postal Service Letter Carrier
A federal grand jury in Puerto Rico indicted Ariel Ayala Meléndez for kidnapping, assault, robbery, and carjacking of a United States Postal Service letter carrier in November 2025. The victim was forced at knifepoint to drive the postal vehicle from...
Togo Illegal Alien Sentenced for Role in Money Laundering Conspiracy
A federal judge sentenced Gedeon “Papa Kwam” Agbeyome, a 31‑year‑old illegal alien from Togo, to six years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering and aggravated identity theft. He was ordered to pay $2,938,424.65 in restitution and faced a...
Why Real-Time Intelligence Sharing Is Now a Legal Must
Regulators across Europe are turning real‑time financial‑crime intelligence sharing from a voluntary practice into a legal requirement, with the Payment Services Regulation (PSR) Article 83 and AMLR Article 75 mandating connections to domestic and international networks from 2027. Salv Bridge, a four‑year‑old...
Avoid Criminal Liability: Hire Professional Payroll Tax Services
I have so many clients who fall into this trap. Fortunately, they sought help before it turned criminal, but this is a real issue for many business owners. (Pleading for you all to hire payroll tax companies.) https://t.co/dfRo4v9K1z
Farnworth Rose Continues Ambitious Growth Plans with Strategic Support From Osprey Approach
Farnworth Rose Solicitors announced a plan to double its business within the next year, backed by a major operational overhaul and a technology upgrade with long‑time partner Osprey Approach. The firm is implementing new data‑cleansing, workflow redesign, and reporting tools...
IFSCA Issues 60 Warnings in FY26 as Capital Market Intermediaries Breach Compliance Norms
The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has issued 60 warnings to capital market intermediaries (CMIs) operating in GIFT City during FY26 for breaches such as unattended offices, missing key personnel, weak infrastructure, and use of remote‑access software for trading....
'Deplorable' Mesh Implant Solicitor Banned for Deceiving Clients
Trusted solicitor Darren Hanison was struck off after the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found he engaged in a series of deceptive practices while handling vaginal mesh implant claims. The tribunal identified 17 misconduct allegations, including falsifying after‑the‑event (ATE) insurance policies, misrepresenting settlement...
The Chios Incident: Echoes of Pylos Humanitarian Disaster and Greece's Criminalization of Solidarity
The February 3 2026 Chios shipwreck saw a Hellenic Coast Guard patrol vessel collide with an inflatable carrying roughly 39 Afghan migrants, killing 15 and injuring 24, including minors. Autopsies revealed fatal head trauma, contradicting official claims of a migrant‑initiated collision, while...
European Court Gives Preliminary Green Light to National 5G Vendor Bans
The EU’s top court issued an Advocate General opinion that member states may ban telecom hardware and software deemed a national‑security risk, provided each ban is backed by a specific risk assessment. The opinion, stemming from an Estonian case against...
Funding Withdrawal and the Growing Pressure on Claimant Firms
Litigation funding has sharply contracted, prompting a prominent personal injury claimant firm to announce a wind‑down after its funder withdrew capital. The firm’s cash‑flow pressures forced a notice of intention to appoint administrators, leading to unavoidable redundancies despite transferring active...
Remarks by Chair Atkins on the SEC’s Regulatory Philosophy and Policy Agenda
Chairman Paul Atkins used the SEC Speaks forum to outline the Commission’s overarching regulatory philosophy and policy agenda. He emphasized a cohesive framework that links initiatives across divisions rather than isolated projects. Atkins highlighted the importance of transparency, market integrity, and...
Explainable Redress Decisions: What the FCA Demands
The FCA now mandates that every compensation outcome in large‑scale remediation programmes be fully auditable and transparent. Known as explainable redress decisions, firms must reconstruct the entire decision‑making process for each customer, documenting data sources, eligibility criteria, formulae, and any...
Weekly Roundup: March 13-19, 2026
The Harvard Law School Forum’s March 13‑19 roundup highlights a wave of governance developments, from SEC Chair Paul Atkins’ push for modernized disclosure rules to Delaware Supreme Court rulings affirming SB21 safe‑harbor provisions and ADR guidance for earnout disputes. Articles...
ICE May Be Quieter, but Immigration Compliance Risks Remain
ICE has quietly reduced its Minneapolis field presence, yet its enforcement activities remain robust. The agency continues to coordinate with federal partners to target workplaces employing undocumented workers. Media attention has faded, but the risk of audits, I‑9 violations, and...
Webinar Replay: Why, and How, Your Data Will Make or Break AI Success in 2026
Law firms recognize AI’s potential, but fragmented data and siloed systems limit tool performance. In a Legal IT Insider webinar, NetDocuments AI director Brandon Nelson highlighted the need for clean, organized data, consistent metadata, and a standardized taxonomy before scaling...
‘I’m Not Giving up My Rights’: Why Kansas Is Coming for Trans Drivers
Kansas enacted SB 244, a law that mandates driver’s licenses and birth certificates reflect a person’s sex at birth, retroactively invalidating about 1,700 licenses already updated by transgender residents. The measure also bans transgender individuals from using restrooms that align with...
Tariff Refunds Still Months Away as Court Presses for Progress
A U.S. Court of International Trade order mandated Customs and Border Protection to refund tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. CBP’s filing on March 19 reveals its new Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) system is...
RECLAIM Part II – R Is for Mutual Respect and Recognition
The article introduces the RECLAIM cultural operating system for law firms, focusing on the first element—Respect. Drawing on David Rock’s SCARF® framework and Martin Seligman’s PERMA model, it links neuroscience‑derived status cues to everyday legal practice. Practical tactics such as...
Appeal Court Ruling Boosts BCSC Bid to Recover Millions From Fraudster
The British Columbia Court of Appeal upheld a Supreme Court order that compels convicted fraudster Earle Douglas Pasquill to surrender all withdrawals from two Life Income Fund (LIF) accounts to the BCSC. The decision confirms that provincial pension legislation does...
SEC Targets Auditing ‘Bad Actors’ With New Enforcement Team
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced a new enforcement unit, dubbed the “SOX Group,” to pursue misconduct among auditors. The move follows a recent budget reduction for the independent board that traditionally monitors audit quality. A federal job posting...
Learning From Section 230: No Immunity for AI
Brad Carson, president of Americans for Responsible Innovation, testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, warning that Congress should not grant AI the same broad immunity that Section 230 gave to social‑media platforms. He argues that Section...
Legal Representative 'Desert' In Domestic Abuse Cases, Peers Told
Courts in Newcastle, Devon and Cambridge are struggling to secure qualified legal representatives (QLRs) for domestic‑abuse trials under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Solicitor Elspeth Thomson described these locations as a "QLR desert" and cited a study of 35 judgments...
FCC Clears $6.2 B Nexstar‑Tegna Merger Amid Antitrust Lawsuits
The Federal Communications Commission approved Nexstar Media Group's $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, creating a broadcaster that will own 265 stations in 44 states. The approval came the same day eight state attorneys general and DirecTV filed lawsuits alleging higher consumer...
Two Nonsolicitation Mistakes That Can Cost Employers an Injunction
Pennsylvania Superior Court upheld a trial court’s denial of a preliminary injunction against former wealth advisors, citing two common drafting errors in nonsolicitation agreements. The court found the mid‑employment covenants lacked new consideration and the client restriction was overly broad,...
Exclusive-Hiscox Manager Faces Greek Perjury Charge over Extradition Case
Hiscox manager faces a Greek misdemeanor charge for perjury after allegedly providing false testimony to support Bermuda’s extradition request for former CFO Yuval Abraham. The disputed evidence dates to 2019‑2020 and is tied to an alleged $1.8 million luxury‑watch embezzlement scheme...
RelyComply and PPS Partner to Streamline Compliance
RelyComply and South African financial services group PPS have entered a partnership to automate onboarding and compliance. The collaboration will deploy RelyComply’s straight‑through processing platform, boosting system uptime and ensuring strict adherence to FICA and audit rules. By reducing manual...
Referendums Illegal Without Constitutional Requirement, Wasteful Otherwise
It’s UNCONSTITUTIONAL to do a Referendum when the Constitution doesn’t demand it… Referendums are not done as a show of support, they are done because the Law demands that they must done. We can’t waste money on something not required...
Managed Legal Services Startup NuCAS Enlists Former Hogan Lovells Chair as Adviser
NuCAS, a managed legal services startup, has hired former Hogan Lovells global chair Nicholas Cheffings as a strategic adviser. Cheffings will counsel the firm on operations, governance, growth, market positioning, client services, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The Newcastle‑based company,...
‘The Variety Has Really Sharpened My Thinking’: Funke Abimbola on Being a Fractional GC
Funke Abimbola, former Roche UK‑Ireland GC and MBE‑honoured lawyer, has been offering fractional general counsel services through The Legal Director since November 2024. She explains that high‑growth tech, AI and SaaS firms often need senior legal judgment before they can...
FCA Orders Beauforce Corporation to Cease Operating
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has ordered Beauforce Corporation Limited to stop all regulated activities, including debt‑advice and debt‑management services, and to return client funds held in its accounts. The action follows revelations that the firm’s senior manager, Mr Duckett, is...
China Cracks Down on Lawyers Defending Jailed Christian Leaders
China Targets Lawyers Defending Jailed Christian Leaders—Arrest of pastor Ezra Jin has drawn criticism from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. lawmakers @BrianSpegele https://t.co/dFy26iokX4 https://t.co/dFy26iokX4
US Trade Judge Says Apple Can Sell Redesigned Blood Monitor
A U.S. trade judge issued a preliminary ruling that Apple can keep selling a redesigned blood‑oxygen monitor on its Apple Watch, finding it does not infringe Masimo’s patents. The original monitor was blocked by the International Trade Commission in 2023,...