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
‘Moving From a Magic Circle Law Firm to a US Law Firm: What Should I Expect?’
A junior solicitor near two years post‑qualification is weighing a move from a Magic Circle firm to a US‑based firm’s London office. Contributors note that US firms typically offer higher base salaries and larger bonuses, but cultural fit varies widely. Smaller US offices provide more autonomy, client contact and business‑development freedom, yet they often operate with leaner teams and inconsistent deal pipelines. Promotion timelines and partner compensation may not match the higher associate pay, making career trajectory a key consideration.
SRA Warning After LinkedIn User Claims to Be HSF Kramer CEO
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) issued a public warning after a LinkedIn profile falsely claimed to be the chief executive of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer. The impersonator, using the name Awais Mahar, listed himself as CEO and offered legal services...
Berkelouw Books, Harry Hartog Operators Sued by Union over Employee Contracts
The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union (RAFFWU) has sued the operators of Berkelouw Books and the Harry Hartog chain, alleging a 13‑year‑old enterprise agreement that denies basic wage loading and penalty rates. Over 100 employees across four Berkelouw and fourteen...
Meta Faces Probe Across 21 African Markets
Meta Platforms is under a COMESA investigation for altering WhatsApp Business API terms that favor its own AI tools, raising competition concerns across 21 African markets. In Nigeria, fintech Risevest secured a Securities and Exchange Commission fund‑manager licence after restructuring,...
California Governor Backs Social Media Restrictions for Teens Under 16
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his support for state legislation that would bar users under 16 from accessing major social‑media platforms, echoing Australia’s recent age‑gating rule. The governor’s stance comes as a bipartisan group of lawmakers pushes a bill that...
State Farm Adjuster’s Opinion Does Not Override Policy Exclusion in Sewage Backup
A federal appeals court ruled that a State Farm adjuster’s statement could not create coverage for a sewage‑backup loss that the homeowners’ policy expressly excluded. The Coopers’ Mississippi home suffered a backup in 2022, and although an initial adjuster said...
An Early Look: The 2026 Am Law 200 Financials
The early 2026 Am Law 200 financials reveal mixed signals for Big Law. While several firms posted double‑digit revenue and profit growth, Baker McKenzie’s recent staff cuts have sparked speculation that AI is being used as a pretext for broader cost‑reduction measures. Recruiting experts...
Forward-Looking Statements: 9th Cir. Says No Safe Harbor for “Hypothetical Risk Factor”
The Ninth Circuit in Const. Laborers Pension Trust v. Funko held that forward‑looking risk disclosures can lose the PSLRA safe‑harbor when they are framed as present‑state misrepresentations. The panel reasoned that an alleged omission about current inventory failures turns the...
Former Google Engineers Indicted Over Trade Secret Transfers to Iran
Two former Google engineers and a spouse were indicted for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to Google’s Tensor processor and other hardware designs, then transferring the data to Iran. The defendants used personal devices, messaging channels, and manual photographs to...
DExit: Evidence From 2025 IPOs
Houlihan Lokey data shows Delaware’s share of IPO incorporations dropped from over 80% (2022‑2024) to just under 62% in 2025, while Nevada rose to nearly 17% and Texas to about 4%. The shift reflects a modest migration of companies to alternative...
Unfair Dismissal Ruling Stands, Despite "Profoundly Troubling" Evidence
The Fair Work Commission’s full bench refused to overturn an unfair dismissal finding against a University of Melbourne professor, despite evidence of inappropriate conduct with a student. The professor was terminated in December 2024 for alleged “wilful and deliberate contraventions”...
Enforcement: Should You Consider Litigating?
The SEC’s enforcement approach has softened since the 2025 administration change, with corporate penalties falling roughly 30 percent and a greater emphasis on cooperation and remediation. At the same time, the Supreme Court’s pending decision on whether the agency must...
A Better Way to Handle Immigrants’ Occupational Licensing
Universal license recognition (ULR) lets professionals keep their state licenses when they move, eliminating redundant testing and paperwork. The article argues that the same competence‑based model should be extended to foreign‑trained workers, whose credentials are often stalled by rigid “substantial...
Indonesia Faces Scrutiny over Permit Revocations Following Deadly Floods and Landslides
Indonesia revoked 28 forestry, plantation and mining permits after Cyclone Senyar caused floods and landslides that killed roughly 1,200 people. An NGO audit revealed that many of the listed concessions had already expired, been cancelled years earlier, or lay outside the...
Preparing for the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025: Upcoming Complaints Procedure Requirement
The UK Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (DUAA) entered its main reform phase on 5 February 2026, introducing new lawful bases, automated‑decision rules and expanded ICO enforcement powers. A critical deadline arrives on 19 June 2026, when Section 103 obliges every organisation to have...
Texas AG Ken Paxton Sues Anzu Robotics Over Alleged DJI Rebranding Scheme
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Anzu Robotics, alleging the company sells rebranded DJI drones while concealing their Chinese origin and data‑security risks. The complaint claims Anzu acts as a passthrough to bypass federal and state bans...
Employer Liable for Psych Injury Caused by "Misperceived" Work Events
A NSW Personal Injury Commission member ruled that a security guard’s bipolar disorder, worsened by ongoing workplace stress and perceived personal attacks, qualifies for workers' compensation. The employer’s defense—that the employee’s condition stemmed from prior drug use and a non‑work‑related...
Industry Anticipates Significant Digital Shift in Conveyancing This Year
The Conveyancing Association’s 25th‑anniversary conference highlighted a rapid digital transformation in conveyancing, with industry leaders predicting acceleration through 2026. Speakers noted that digital tools now exist to improve transparency and transaction speed, but their impact hinges on coordinated action across...
HHS OCR Settles HIPAA Security Rule Investigation with Top of the World Ranch Treatment Center
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights settled with Top of the World Ranch Treatment Center after a phishing attack exposed ePHI for 1,980 patients. OCR fined the provider $103,000 and imposed a two‑year corrective...
STAT+: Texas Attorney General Sues Sanofi for Allegedly Providing Kickbacks to Doctors to Prescribe Its Drugs
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit alleging Sanofi paid kickbacks to physicians by offering free nursing staff and insurance‑support services. The alleged scheme was designed to steer prescriptions toward Sanofi’s drugs for chronic conditions such as diabetes, multiple...
Roblox Sued by Los Angeles over Claims Platform ‘Makes Children Easy Prey for Pedophiles’
Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit against Roblox, accusing the platform of insufficient moderation and ineffective age‑verification that expose children to sexual content and predators. The complaint cites false‑advertising claims, alleging Roblox markets itself as safe while its design allegedly...
How to Back Up Your WordPress Website Effectively
Law firms rely on WordPress sites for client intake, branding, and confidential communications, making website continuity critical. The article outlines a practical backup strategy, recommending daily off‑site backups using plugins such as UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy or BlogVault, and storing copies in...
ICMA Responds to FCA Consultation on Improving the UK Transaction Reporting Regime
ICMA responded to the FCA’s CP25/32 consultation on improving the UK transaction‑reporting regime, focusing on MiFIR cash‑bond reporting and the SFTR repo reporting framework. The feedback was produced by two dedicated ICMA working groups—a newly formed MiFIR Transaction Reporting Taskforce...
PSKY Clears DOJ Hurdle
Paramount Skydance (PSKY) has satisfied the DOJ’s second request, causing the 10‑day Hart‑Scott‑Rodino waiting period to expire. The filing notes that no statutory barrier remains to close a potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), but a definitive merger agreement...
America 250: FCC Asks Broadcasters to Take Patriotic Programming Pledge
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr launched the voluntary “Pledge America” campaign, urging broadcasters to air patriotic, pro‑America programming in honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary. He frames the pledge as a way to address declining civics education and fulfill public‑interest...
Non-Domiciled CDL Drivers, Advocates Call for States to Fight DOT
Non‑domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) for thousands of immigrant truckers are slated to expire on March 6, prompting advocacy groups to urge California, Pennsylvania and other states to defy the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT has warned that non‑compliance could...
M&T Says Tricolor-Related Lawsuit Could Lead to Losses
M&T Bank’s Wilmington Trust subsidiary is defending a New York lawsuit alleging it failed to fulfill custodial duties for several Tricolor‑related trusts. Plaintiffs claim the bank breached contracts and fiduciary obligations, seeking unspecified damages, interest and fees. M&T reports that...
Voice Is Nothing But an App
The author filed FCC comments urging the agency to drop Title II regulation for voice services and reclassify them as Title I information services. He argues that traditional copper‑based POTS is obsolete and that today’s voice is delivered by a myriad of...
The Live Nation Case
A federal judge refused to dismiss the DOJ’s antitrust suit against Live Nation and granted summary judgment on the core claim that its promotion and booking activities constitute a monopoly, meaning the facts overwhelmingly favor Live Nation. The case now...
Department of Labor Issues FLSA Guidance in Recent Opinion Letters
Earlier in 2026 the U.S. Department of Labor released two opinion letters interpreting key Fair Labor Standards Act provisions. The first letter clarified that employers may lawfully reclassify a worker who meets the learned professional exemption as nonexempt, provided overtime...
What Epstein's Emails Tell Us About the Art Market
In this episode, senior reporter Katya Kazekina unpacks the newly released DOJ files that reveal how Jeffrey Epstein facilitated sophisticated financial maneuvers for ultra‑wealthy art collectors, especially billionaire Leon Black. The documents expose the massive scale of Black’s art holdings—valued...
Seventh Circuit Doubts Indiana ‘Intellectual Diversity’ Law Harms Professors
Indiana’s 2022 higher‑education law requires public universities to promote intellectual diversity and expose students to varied ideological perspectives. Four professors from Indiana University and Purdue argue the mandate forces curricular changes that violate their First Amendment free‑speech rights. A lower...
Should We Be Concerned That More Than Half of New CPA Licenses Issued in This State Last Year Went to...
In 2025 Washington’s State Board of Accountancy issued a record 2,086 new CPA licenses, a 16.3% increase from the previous year. Remarkably, more than 60% of those licenses were awarded to international candidates who sat the exam at overseas testing...
Court Limits Scope of Pollution Exclusion in Herbicide Case
Delaware Superior Court limited the scope of a pollution exclusion in liability policies covering Syngenta’s herbicide paraquat, ruling it does not apply to injuries from normal product use. Travelers must defend six test cases filed between 1974 and 1977, where...
Align Governance, Risk, and Compliance for Cohesive Strategy
Governance sets direction. Risk measures exposure. Compliance checks alignment. And yet, frequently, these three are completely misaligned. How do governance, risk, and compliance work together for your organization?
White House Meets Ripple on CLARITY Act, Aiming Crypto Capital
LATEST: Ripple CLO Stuart Alderoty joined today’s White House stablecoin yield meeting, saying work will continue on the CLARITY Act to get it right and make the US the crypto capital of the world. https://t.co/BIFNUWh8la
Washington Justices Revive Sodium Nitrite Suicide Suit Against Amazon
The Washington Supreme Court revived a wrongful‑death suit against Amazon, allowing families of four young victims who ingested high‑purity sodium nitrite purchased on the platform to pursue claims. The court rejected the lower courts' view that sellers have no duty...
New Study Debunks Tracking as Win‑Win for All
Big. A major new law & tech paper takes on the economics of behavioral advertising - the kind that tracks users across multiple businesses and contexts, not just on sites they choose to visit. It challenges industry’s favorite claim: that tracking...
Biglaw's $3,000‑hour Rates: Art, Not Science
An interesting @WSJ piece by @ErinMulvaney about Biglaw billing rates—which have broken the $3,000-an-hour mark. I'm quoted (thanks to Erin for speaking w/me): “Setting these rates is more art than science. At a certain point, for some firms, it’s a publicity...
Big Law Is Still Running the Geographic Expansion Playbook—And Winning
Big law firms continue to pursue aggressive geographic expansion, opening new offices across the United States and Europe. Kirkland & Ellis launched a Nashville office with ten litigators and plans additional hires, while Morrison & Foerster added 15 former Perkins Coie partners to start...
Ripple CEO Reacts to 90% Odds CLARITY Act Passage
WATCH: Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse reacts to 90% prediction market odds of the CLARITY Act passing by April 2026 https://t.co/hEvS16wCJN
Govt Reinforces Local Employment Compliance Across Zambia’s Mining Industry
Zambia’s government is tightening enforcement of the Employment Code Act and the Geological and Minerals Development Act, mandating mining firms to give first preference to Zambian workers. Expatriate hires are only permitted when a genuine skills gap exists and must...
LA Fire Victims Suing City Utility for Billions Win Major Ruling
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Samantha Jessner ruled that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power can be sued for failing to supply sufficient water during the 2025 Pacific Palisades wildfire. The decision rests on a California law that...
No Pseudonymity for Defendant in Computer Fraud and Abuse Act / Trade Secrets Case
In Grow Universe Inc. v. Doe, Judge Gregory Woods denied a defendant’s request to proceed anonymously in a lawsuit alleging unauthorized access to a Google business account, misappropriation of trade secrets, and account deletion under the Computer Fraud and Abuse...
&Lsquo;No Brainer': Attorneys See Risks of Open Gen AI Systems in Claude Privilege Ruling
A New York federal judge ruled that AI‑generated documents created with Claude are not protected by attorney‑client privilege. The decision highlights that open‑gen AI outputs are treated as ordinary evidence, not confidential communications. Attorneys warn that the ruling exposes firms...
&Lsquo;No End in Sight': 5th Circuit Expresses Concern Over AI Hallucinations in Briefs
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit warned that AI‑generated legal briefs can contain hallucinations, after attorney Heather Hersh submitted a brief riddled with inaccuracies. The court imposed a $2,500 sanction for her failure to verify the content...
FCPA Enforcement in 2025 (Part I of II): A Slowdown, a Policy Reset, and What the Numbers Really Mean
In 2025, FCPA enforcement slowed dramatically, with fewer publicly announced cases and no new SEC actions. The DOJ paused investigations early in the year and issued revised guidance that emphasizes selectivity toward high‑impact bribery and national‑security concerns. Despite the overall...
New York High Court Clears Manhattan Hotel over 2017 Balcony Suicide
New York Court of Appeals cleared the TRYP Hotel of negligence in the 2017 balcony suicide of Dr. Noah Beadell. The majority held the hotel had no control over the guest and that the family’s expectation of an immediate 911...
Regulators Must Consider ‘Citizen Dignity’ in the AI Age: Hirschhorn
Australian Taxation Office second commissioner Jeremy Hirschhorn warns regulators that AI adoption must respect citizen dignity. He highlights the tension between moving quickly to harness AI benefits and the risk of exposing massive personal data sets. The ATO, a pioneer...
Supreme Court Clarifies Rules Around Illegible Arbitration Agreements
California’s Supreme Court in Fuentes v. Empire Nissan clarified that a barely readable arbitration clause creates procedural unconscionability, but enforceability still hinges on substantive fairness. The court found the arbitration terms themselves were not inherently one‑sided, yet it sent the...