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
On March 2, 2026 The Courts Stepped Back. The Ellisons Stepped Forward.
On March 2, 2026 the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear *Thaler v. Perlmutter*, leaving the requirement that a human author must be identified for copyright protection intact. The case centered on whether an AI system, DABUS, could be listed as the creator of an artwork. In the same briefing, Paramount announced its planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, emphasizing the consolidation of streaming technology stacks as a primary synergy. Both developments signal pivotal shifts in intellectual‑property law and media‑industry structure.
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About Moderna’s $2.25 Billion Settlement, FDA Warning Letters, and More
Moderna agreed to settle Roivant's patent claims for up to $2.25 billion, paying $950 million upfront and a contingent $1.3 billion if its liability‑shifting strategy fails. The deal averts a Delaware jury trial that many analysts feared would be costly and damaging. Simultaneously,...
National Drug Code Format
The FDA issued a final rule establishing a uniform 12‑digit National Drug Code (NDC) format effective March 7, 2033, replacing the current 10‑digit variants. A seven‑year window (2026‑2033) gives manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies and payors time to upgrade systems and labeling, followed by...
Departing Clifford Chance Lawyer Takes Swipe at Magic Circle Firm with ‘Commemorative’ Mugs
A senior associate who spent more than two decades at Clifford Chance left the firm with a parting gesture: a set of mugs emblazoned with a critique of the firm’s “up‑or‑out” promotion model. In her farewell email she called for...
IAB Announces Most Significant Update in Years to Multi-State Privacy Agreement
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) unveiled its most substantial amendment to the Multi-State Privacy Agreement (MSPA) since 2023, aiming to simplify compliance across the fragmented U.S. state privacy landscape. The revision introduces a streamlined contract framework, clearer advertiser‑partner role definitions,...
Was Targeting Ayatollah Khamenei and Other Iranian Leaders Lawful? What Precedents Does It Set?
The latest Israel‑U.S. campaign that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials raises complex questions about the law of armed conflict (LOAC). Under LOAC, state leaders can be lawfully targeted if they are combatants or civilians directly participating...
Sanders, Khanna Introduce Wealth Tax Bill Targeting Billionaires
Senators Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna introduced the Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act, proposing a 5 percent annual wealth tax on the 938 U.S. billionaires who hold $8.2 trillion collectively. The tax would raise about $4.4 trillion, funding $3,000 direct payments...
CAA Faces Trial Over Alleged Writer Sabotage
Hollywood’s most powerful talent agency is going to trial next week for allegedly not doing right by a client. Aaron Sorkin and other industry figures will testify. https://puck.news/did-caa-kill-a-writers-career-on-purpose/
Interesting Dissent in American Indian Religious Case Under Texas RFRA
In *Perez v. City of San Antonio*, a Fifth Circuit panel upheld San Antonio's plan to clear a river‑bend sacred to the Lipan‑Apache Native American Church, finding no substantial burden under the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act (TRFRA). Judge Andrew...
Latitude59 Opens Pitch Applications as Investors Raise the Bar on Operational Readiness
Latitude59 has opened applications for its 2026 pitch competition, with a deadline of April 15, 2026. The event will take place May 20‑22 in Tallinn, featuring jurors, mentors, and regional angel networks. Last year attracted 407 applications from 48 countries,...
Lawyers Must Define Their Unique Value Amid AI
The real question isn't whether AI changes legal work. It's whether lawyers use this moment to finally define themselves by what only they can do.
Jeffrey Steinfeld Joins White & Case as a Partner in Los Angeles | White & Case LLP
White & Case LLP has bolstered its Global Litigation Practice by adding Jeffrey Steinfeld as a partner in Los Angeles. Steinfeld is a first‑chair trial and appellate lawyer renowned for securities litigation, corporate governance, and white‑collar defense. He has led...
CMBS Trust Sues Starwood, Alleges $54.5m Loan Backed by Crumbling Garage
A CMBS trust has sued Starwood Mortgage Capital over a $54.5 million loan that was allegedly secured by a parking garage deemed unsafe. The trust claims Starwood misrepresented the collateral as free of material damage, despite a 2021 safety report and...
Chaotic Prediction Markets, Like Gambling, Need Reining In – Bloomberg
Bloomberg argues that U.S. prediction markets operate without a clear federal framework, exposing traders to manipulation similar to unregulated gambling. It calls on Congress to amend the 1936 Commodity Exchange Act to define event contracts, separating legitimate market-driven bets from...
Investors Sue Texas Agents over Undisclosed Stake in $850k Syndication Deal
Two Texas-licensed real‑estate agents, Christopher Aldridge and Harry Gibbs, organized an $850,000 private syndication to buy a 5.057‑acre parcel in Jarrell, Texas, while secretly holding an undisclosed interest in the land. The investors allege the agents failed to disclose the...
Hallucinations by US Lawyers Aren’t as Bad as You Think: Artificial Intelligence Trends
The article examines the surge of AI‑generated hallucination cases in U.S. courts, noting that out of roughly 982 documented incidents, only 257 are solely attributable to lawyers while pro se litigants account for about 412. It references the Fifth Circuit’s recent...
Donald Trump’s Crypto Legacy in Two Words: Paul Atkins
The Trump administration, led by Treasury officials Paul Atkins and Selig, is drafting the first U.S. crypto framework that explicitly addresses decentralized finance. The proposed rules would let major exchanges such as Kraken, Coinbase and Crypto.com register with a federal...
Bradley Adds Scott F. Mascianica and Andrew Bastnagel to Government Enforcement & Investigations Practice Group | Insights & Events |...
Bradley Law is expanding its Government Enforcement & Investigations practice by hiring partner Scott F. Mascianica in Dallas and counsel Andrew Bastnagel in Washington, D.C. Both attorneys come from Hilgers PLLC, where Mascianica led the firm’s enforcement practice. The hires...
Don’t “Avoid Probate”: Reframing Estate Planning Success Around Managing (Not Escaping) The Probate Process
Estate planners often market "avoiding probate" as the ultimate goal, but probate is a statutory process that provides essential legal authority and asset verification. Even well‑structured plans can encounter probate due to post‑plan asset acquisitions, digital holdings, or out‑of‑state property....
From TAR to HAR: Are GenAI Discovery Tools Ready for Forensic Scrutiny?
The Legal IT Insider report released on March 9 examines whether generative‑AI‑driven Human AI‑Assisted Review (HAR) can be validated under the traditional Technology‑Assisted Review (TAR) framework. Interviews with judges, scholars and leading e‑discovery providers reveal that applying existing TAR validation to...
Njordium Vendor Management System Eliminates Duplicate Third-Party Assessments
Njordium Cyber Group unveiled its Vendor Management System (VMS), a platform that consolidates third‑party risk assessments to satisfy Europe’s overlapping regulations in a single run. The solution claims to replace up to five parallel assessments with one, automatically generating outputs...
NetDocuments Launches New Search Tool 'Smart Answers', Enhances AI Integrations
NetDocuments unveiled Smart Answers, an AI‑driven search tool that interprets natural‑language queries to retrieve the most relevant documents from a firm’s repository. The solution leverages large language models to rank results and surface contextual excerpts, cutting retrieval time dramatically. It...
Jus Mundi's Head of Americas: Growing &Lsquo;Demand for Regional Relevance' In Legal Tech
Annie Lespérance, head of the Americas at Jus Mundi and recent Monica Bay Women of Legal Tech award winner, highlighted a surge in cross‑border legal‑tech adoption across Latin America. She emphasized that clients increasingly demand platforms that operate in multiple...
HaystackID VP: &Lsquo;Fragmentation and Confidence Gaps' Biggest Innovation Barriers
HaystackID vice president Laura Danielson identified fragmentation and confidence gaps as the primary obstacles to legal‑tech innovation. She explained that disparate tools and unclear data reliability discourage adoption among corporate legal departments. Danielson emphasized that modern legal users demand seamless...
Bill Introduced to Ensure UK Geotechnical Data Is Available to Engineers to Save Billions
Labour backbencher Mike Reader has tabled the Geotechnical Data Bill, requiring parties that conduct ground investigations to upload factual borehole logs, soil tests and site reports to the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR). The measure builds on NUAR’s existing utility‑mapping...
Legal Fight over Propane Terminal Clouds Canada's Energy Export Push
AltaGas and Royal Vopak’s $1.35 billion REEF propane terminal, now 70 % complete at the Port of Prince Rupert, would add roughly 20 percent of Canada’s propane and butane export capacity. The Metlakatla First Nation has withdrawn its support and filed a lawsuit...
Calls for Global Digital Estate Standard as Posthumous Deepfake Fraud Risk Grows
The OpenID Foundation released a report urging the creation of a global digital‑estate framework to protect deceased users’ online accounts. It warns that the absence of consistent standards leaves devices, social media, email and cryptocurrency vulnerable to fraud, especially as...
Greenwashing Has Just Become a Much More Serious Issue – Are You Ready?
Retail brands face heightened scrutiny in 2026 as the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) wields expanded powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Greenwashing can also be prosecuted as a criminal offence under the Economic Crime...
‘Khamenei Out’ Market Becomes Legal Headache for Kalshi
Law firm Lieff Cabraser is probing Kalshi over its "Ali Khamenei out as Supreme Leader" prediction market, which generated over $50 million in volume before being halted. Kalshi invoked a contractual "death carve‑out" clause, settling contracts at the last price prior...
Wall Street Bristles over Senate Housing Proposal
The Senate is advancing a bipartisan housing bill that would bar institutional investors from holding rental single‑family homes longer than seven years, requiring them to sell any newly built units to individuals. The proposal, championed by President Trump, Senate Banking...
Security Duties Persist; Breach Itself Is Violation
A UK court just ruled: security duties don't disappear even if hackers can't read what they stole. The breach itself is the violation. Meanwhile, GDPR surged 220% in a single day. Privacy isn't a checkbox anymore. It's becoming infrastructure. https://t.co/uNnssaoO6P
Webinar Replay: Modernising Case Management Systems – What Every Law Firm Needs to Know in 2026
Legal tech experts discussed modernising case management systems (CMS) as firms face performance bottlenecks, hybrid‑work demands, and AI ambitions. 2026 is seen as a turning point, with firms weighing optimisation, SaaS migration, or workflow redesign. Lima’s assessment combines technical diagnostics...
Legal Tech Latest: Husch Blackwell Rolls Out Legora; Big Name Hires for Harvey; Spellbook Partners with CBA; DeepIP Raises $25m
U.S. law firm Husch Blackwell has rolled out the Legora generative‑AI platform firm‑wide, adding AI‑driven document review, research and workflow automation. Legal‑tech startup Harvey bolstered its advisory team with three senior innovation partners from Ashurst, Marsh McLennan and Fasken to...
Only 3% of Compliance Professionals Say Their Organisation Is Fully Prepared for AI Regulation
A VinciWorks survey of 230 compliance, legal and IT professionals reveals that only 3.5% of organisations feel fully prepared for the emerging AI regulatory regime. More than three‑quarters lack effective AI‑specific training, and 63% cannot describe their current preparedness. GDPR...
The Law Reform Outlook: Malaysia Legislates on Third-Party Funding
Malaysia’s Arbitration (Amendment) Act 2024 took effect on 1 January 2026, formally legalising third‑party funding in arbitration. The law carves out funding from the historic champerty doctrine and imposes a light‑touch disclosure regime, requiring funded parties to reveal the existence of a funder...
25-724 - Miller V. GEO Group Inc
On February 13, 2026, Magistrate Judge Chris M. Stephens recommended that the court deny the plaintiff’s motion to dismiss in Miller v. GEO Group Inc., case 25‑724. The recommendation was adopted on March 2, 2026, when Chief Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti entered an order formally denying the motion. The...
25-1171 - Dotson V. National Consumer Telecommunications and Utility Exchange Inc
On March 2, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma granted Defendant National Consumer Telecommunications and Utility Exchange, Inc.'s motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Dotson. The court applied Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6)...
Outsourcing Crime Control: How EU Anti-Money Laundering Rules Threaten Financial Privacy
The European Union’s revised anti‑money‑laundering (AML) and counter‑terrorist financing framework transfers crime‑detection duties from public authorities to private banks and other obliged entities. By mandating extensive collection of personal and transactional data, the rules compel institutions to flag customers as...
ASA Pulls Plug on British Gas and Hive Green Energy Ads
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned British Gas and Centrica Hive ads that promoted green‑energy savings, finding the claims misleading and insufficiently substantiated. British Gas advertised up to £546 savings from a heat‑pump tariff, yet ASA’s model showed...
Risk Assessments: Why They Matter More Than Ever For Law Firms
Law firms face a perfect storm of compliance obstacles—policy gaps, tick‑box culture, and fragmented legacy technology—that make risk assessments cumbersome. The SRA’s systematic requirements clash with offline templates, leaving firms without clear digital processes. Modern tools such as biometrics, open‑banking...
Law Punx – Wordsmith’s Ross Says: Stay in Your Lane!
Ross McNairn, CEO of Wordsmith, argues that legal‑tech firms cannot simultaneously serve law firms and in‑house legal departments because of an inherent conflict of interest. He announces Wordsmith will focus exclusively on the in‑house market, positioning the company against competitors...
American Arbitration Association Launches Resolution Simulator, Expanding Its AI Arbitrator Tool
American Arbitration Association introduced the Resolution Simulator, an AI‑powered tool that generates simulated, non‑binding arbitration decisions for document‑only commercial and construction disputes. Building on its 2024 AI Arbitrator pilot, the platform analyzes uploaded pleadings, contracts, and evidence using large‑language models...
Cabinet Approves Tougher Line on Riverbed Mining: ‘Polluter Pays’ Principle to Drive Ecosystem Rehabilitation
Zimbabwe's Cabinet approved a new legislative framework that moves beyond the 2024 ban on alluvial river‑bed mining to active ecosystem rehabilitation. The Inter‑Ministerial Committee reported that mechanised mining has largely ceased, while enforcement actions have led to over 300 arrests...
How Back Leverage Is Revolutionizing European Real Estate Debt Markets
In this episode Stuart Watson talks with Reed Smith partner Josh Hughes and Knight Frank associate Jess Qureshi about back leverage – the practice of borrowing to fund existing debt – and its rapid rise in European real‑estate finance. They...
Georgia Insurance Law Is About to Get an Upgrade With Multiple Changes
Georgia’s House passed HB 1344, a sweeping insurance reform moving to the Senate, targeting lower premiums and stronger consumer protections. The bill raises fines for insurers and auto‑fraud perpetrators, expands the insurance commissioner’s investigative powers, and creates a $6,000 matching...
Taxi Insurer Failed to Defend Uber in Crash Cases, Judge Says
U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres ruled that American Transit Insurance Co. (ATIC) breached its duty to defend Uber Technologies in 23 crash lawsuits, ordering the insurer to pay damages and Uber’s legal fees. ATIC, New York’s largest taxi insurer, has...
Spain: Court Summons for Cloudflare CEO
A Madrid investigating court has summoned Cloudflare chief executive Matthew Prince to appear on April 7th over alleged non‑cooperation with Spain’s anti‑piracy efforts. LaLiga and Movistar Plus+ claim the U.S. firm ignored more than a hundred takedown requests, allowing roughly 38 percent of...
Qld Govt Bucks Advice, Cuts Mine Safety Commissioner
Queensland's government has abolished the Mine Safety Commissioner role, transferring its statutory duties to other agencies, despite an independent review urging retention of the position. The move contravenes advice from Resources Safety and Health Queensland, raising concerns over regulatory oversight....
Justice Kagan's Bad Ayahuasca Trip
During the Supreme Court’s Hemani oral argument, Justice Kagan posed a hypothetical that a user of ayahuasca—a hallucinogenic tea protected under the 2006 *Gonzales v. O Centro* decision—could be barred from firearm ownership. The scenario pits a religious‑freedom exemption granted...
SEC and PCAOB Enforcement Fall Sharply
Enforcement actions by the SEC and PCAOB dropped sharply in 2025, with the SEC filing 68% fewer accounting cases and the PCAOB finalizing 27% fewer audits than in 2024. The SEC launched only ten actions, the lowest in nine years,...