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
Former Latham & Watkins Secretary Barred After Stealing £53k From Top Lawyer
Aminata Pungi, a former legal secretary at Latham & Watkins, was convicted of stealing £53,000 from partner Thomas Forschbach and received an 18‑month suspended prison sentence. The Solicitors Regulation Authority subsequently barred her from practising law under a Section 43 order, requiring prior written permission for any future legal work. Pungi was also ordered to pay £600 towards the SRA’s costs. The case highlights a serious breach of trust and the regulator’s swift response to protect client funds and firm integrity.
Rethinking Creative Fairness Under the UK’s New Automated Decision-Making Rules
The UK Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 replaces GDPR Article 22 with Section 80, easing restrictions on fully automated decision‑making (ADM) while defining "meaningful human involvement" and "significant" effects. The new safeguards only trigger when decisions rely on special categories of...
Worker Sues American Airlines After FMLA Leave Branded 'Timecard Fraud'
Mayra Bonilla, a former American Airlines customer service agent, filed a federal lawsuit alleging the carrier labeled her approved FMLA leave as "timecard fraud" and terminated her after a 30‑minute discrepancy. Bonilla claims she followed an ADA‑coordinated procedure for acute...
China’s Wingtech Faces Setback as Dutch Court Keeps Nexperia CEO Suspended, Orders Probe
A Dutch court upheld the suspension of Nexperia’s former CEO Zhang Xuezheng and ordered a six‑month governance investigation, signaling a setback for Chinese parent Wingtech. The ruling keeps a court‑appointed temporary director in place and maintains share control by a...
FTC Chair Accuses Apple News of Bias Against Conservative Outlets
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent a formal warning to Apple CEO Tim Cook, alleging political bias in the Apple News app. The complaint relies on a Media Research Center study showing right‑leaning outlets such as Fox News, Breitbart and The...
FCC Sets Requirement to Promptly Update FCC Registration Numbers – No Need to Panic, But Licensees Should Ensure All FCC...
The FCC has finalized a rule requiring all users of the Commission Registration System (CORES) to update their FCC Registration Numbers (FRNs) within ten business days of any contact‑information change. The regulation, introduced in a robocalling proceeding, replaces the vague...
Can a Citizen Petition Denial Turn a Warning Letter Into Final Agency Action? The Curious Case of Hybrid Pharma
The Southern District of Florida held that a denial of a citizen petition transforms the underlying FDA warning letters into final agency action, allowing judicial review. Hybrid Pharma sued after the FDA refused to rescind two warning letters and the...
Stop-Work Means Stop Work (…Until It Doesn’t): Lessons From Wolverine Tube
The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals ruled in Wolverine Tube, Inc. that the Air Force’s stop‑work order, issued under FAR 52.242‑15, automatically expired after its 90‑day limit because the government never cancelled or extended it. The Board rejected the Air...
E&C Health Panel Determined To Rein In Remaining PBM Business Tactics
On February 11, the House Energy & Commerce health subcommittee signaled it will keep pressuring pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) after a recent FTC settlement involving Cigna’s Express Scripts. Chair Rep. Buddy Carter asked the new head of the traditional PBM...
Understanding the Limits of Generative AI Tools
A senior lawyer’s preference for generative AI over a junior associate sparked debate about the true capabilities of AI tools. The article stresses that current models, even Retrieval‑Augmented Generation systems, can hallucinate and lack genuine understanding. It argues that lawyers...
9 Ways to Ensure Regulatory Compliance in Cloud Storage
Cloud storage compliance has become a top priority for IT leaders in 2026 as organizations increasingly rely on remote data repositories. Rising regulatory scrutiny—spanning GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, CCPA and others—means non‑compliance can trigger hefty fines, reputational harm, and operational...
Insider Information Essential for Functional Prediction Markets
Well, if this is true, you shouldn't regulate them. But if you don't regulate them then people without inside information shouldn't trade on them. So it should end up a tiny market of well-informed people all wanting to...
In A Marriage Of Legal Editing Tools, BriefCatch Has Acquired WordRake and Its 12 Editing Patents
BriefCatch announced the acquisition of WordRake’s core product, technology assets, and its twelve editing patents. The deal merges two leading legal‑writing tools into a single platform, with WordRake CEO Scott Johns joining BriefCatch as a strategic advisor. The integration follows...
Frazier & Deeter Makes Plans for Acquisitions
Frazier & Deeter, an Atlanta‑based Top 50 accounting firm, is finalizing the integration of three firms it acquired in 2023 while positioning for further selective deals. Under new CEO Jeremy Jones, the firm has grown revenue from $29 million to over $200 million...
American Dream Bonds Tumble
Municipal bonds financing New Jersey's American Dream megamall slumped nearly 18% after bondholders sued over a contested property assessment. The 7% PILOT bonds due 2050 traded at 78 cents, the lowest price since issuance in 2017, while similar 6.75% bonds...
UK to Regulate BNPL in Transparency Push
The episode examines the UK’s new regulatory framework for buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) services, which places providers under FCA oversight and mandates clear disclosure of terms, affordability checks, hardship support, and a route to the Financial Ombudsman. It highlights concerns about “phantom...
Guest Post: Fiduciary Duty, Governance, and Minor League Baseball
The Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Sports Enterprises’ fiduciary‑duty claim against Marvin Goldklang, holding that Florida nonprofit statutes impose duties only to the organization, not to individual minor‑league clubs. The court emphasized that the league’s bylaws require directors to...
The Battle Between Apple and App Developers Reaches Japan
The episode examines how Apple’s new payment rules in Japan, introduced to comply with the Mobile Software Competition Act, are still imposing 15‑20% commissions even on external payment methods, prompting a coalition of over 600 companies to claim the fees...
Sony's $5K Penalty Shows Zero Tolerance for Counterfeits
Sony filed more than 30 lawsuits last year against sellers of counterfeit PlayStation-branded goods In yesterday's Game File, I covered the outcome of one. A company that made $274.22 from selling 16 PlayStation-themed signs must now pay $5,000 in damages Item 2:...
Funds Fail Early Without Real Business Foundations
Most private investment funds fail before the second raise, not because of the market, but because they were never built as real businesses. In this solo episode of Raise the Bar, Seth Bradley breaks down why a fund is more than...
“Free” Surveillance Tech Still Comes at a High and Dangerous Cost
The piece warns that "free" surveillance technology—delivered through vendor pilots, federal grants, and wealthy donor gifts—carries hidden civil‑liberty costs and long‑term financial obligations. It cites examples such as Denver’s drone trials, Denver’s contested Flock ALPR contract, Atlanta’s police foundation opacity,...
2026 E&C Program Effectiveness Report
LRN’s 2026 Ethics & Compliance Program Effectiveness Report, based on more than 2,500 respondents across 26 industries, reveals a widening gap between high‑impact and average programs. While AI and data‑analytics adoption is expanding, many firms lack the governance and measurement...
How Does the Initial Interest Confusion Doctrine Improve Trademark Analyses?–Dassault V. Childress
The Eastern District of Michigan issued a 2026 opinion in Dassault Systèmes v. Childress that clarifies the status of the initial‑interest confusion doctrine. The court held that the Sixth Circuit’s 2020 decision did not foreclose the doctrine as a viable...
![[Guest Post] Paris Court of Appeal Clarifies Platforms’ Obligations Under Article 15 DSM Directive in Twin Decisions Against X](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM4Pa_gOjB4W3SpuC8PcbW_ono8T6K1VRCDd6FRq2NTMEgiz-4vgMhVrXQ507U0PgBqksa9D2dp65KIK4iv9fF_YiwuUR51rPriEccTNC3jZW5c1p7h_8ar7BDA_BLTS9LgI4Hzjrd204mDNlIAIdUzmbcAMgK6p2uCIugZuY4iqHzdzLLZpVyA/s72-c/istockphoto-880917850-612x612.jpg)
[Guest Post] Paris Court of Appeal Clarifies Platforms’ Obligations Under Article 15 DSM Directive in Twin Decisions Against X
On 25 September 2025 the Paris Court of Appeal upheld two injunctions forcing X (formerly Twitter) to disclose detailed engagement and revenue data for press content, confirming the platform’s duty to provide information needed to calculate remuneration under Article L.218‑4 of the French...
Canada’s Merger Guidelines: Size on Trial
Canada’s Competition Bureau has released draft merger enforcement guidelines that embed structural presumptions, mirroring the 2023 U.S. thresholds of a post‑transaction HHI above 1,800 and a combined market share over 30 percent. The draft also eliminates the statutory efficiencies defence...
Guest Post: Towards Truly Global Anticorruption Enforcement
The Trump administration paused enforcement of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in February 2025, sparking a crisis in global anti‑bribery enforcement. In response, the United Kingdom, France and Switzerland announced the International Anti‑Corruption Prosecutorial Taskforce, positioning Europe as...
Richard Fentiman’s Lecture on Contactless Injunctions in English Law
Professor Richard Fentiman, Emeritus at Cambridge, will present a virtual lecture on “Contactless Injunctions: New Approaches to Jurisdiction in English Law” at the Max Planck Institute workshop on 3 March 2026. He will explain how English courts are now granting extraterritorial injunctions even...
Judge Backs Illinois Law on Card Fees
A federal judge upheld Illinois' Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, which bans card‑swipe interchange fees on sales tax and gratuities, finding that the National Bank Act does not preempt the state law. The ruling, issued by Judge Virginia Kendall, also struck...
AI NDA Reviews Threaten Traditional Billable Legal Work
My first rodeo with Claude Cowork Legal plugin. This is the /legal:triage-nda call that reviews NDAs against a set of criteria (you can specify your own criteria or go with Claude's market-standard defaults). This is a real review of an...
Crypto Clarity Act Aims to Protect Consumers, Boost US Competitiveness
The Crypto Clarity Act will “protect consumers; and second, to ensure that the United States is the domicile best positioned to outcompete the rest of the globe.” https://t.co/nsGqk2Gutd
Complyance Raises $20M to Help Companies Manage Risk and Compliance
Complyance, a Boston‑based AI‑native governance, risk and compliance (GRC) platform, closed a $20 million Series A round led by GV. The solution embeds AI agents into existing tech stacks to automate continuous data‑compliance checks and third‑party risk assessments, cutting audit cycles from...
A Copyright Expert’s Big Idea: Force Google and Other AI Companies to Pay News Publishers
AI-powered Google search and chatbots are diverting 30‑40% of traffic from news sites. Copyright expert Paul Gerbino proposes a recurring‑fee model, forcing AI firms to pay publishers each time their content is used for training or retrieval. He urges collective...
Delaware Case Applying Indemnification Materiality Scrape Creates Risks for the Unwary
The Delaware Superior Court in JanCo FS 2, LLC v. ISS Facility Services clarified how a materiality scrape should be applied in M&A indemnity clauses. The court first inserts the full definition of “Material Adverse Effect” and then strikes materiality qualifiers, effectively expanding the...
Automated Redaction Tool Speeds Client Image Sharing
Another useful Claude Code skill I built: /redact I take a screenshot (or multiple), Claude uses tesseract to find and hide terms and phrases from a list of categories. When in doubt, Claude will over-redact. Benefit: I can share social images...
UK to Regulate BNPL Platforms From 15 July
The UK Financial Conduct Authority will begin regulating buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) providers from 15 July 2026 under a temporary permission regime (TPR). Firms active on 15 July 2025 must apply for TPR and confirm registration intent by early May, while those opting out must halt...
Alldredge: Cash Bail, Judges And The Dreaded Humphrey Memo
Retired California Superior Court judge Brett Alldredge argues that cash bail remains entrenched despite the 2021 California Supreme Court decision in *In Re Humphrey* deeming monetary bail unconstitutional. He highlights ongoing reliance on default bail schedules across the state, noting...
When an Ultimatum Turns a “Resignation” Into a Jury Question
A federal court ruled that a pregnant employee’s resignation, prompted by a one‑day stay‑or‑leave ultimatum, could be treated as constructive discharge. The judge found that the rushed deadline, supervisor comments suggesting termination was inevitable, and internal discussions about maternity‑leave optics...
BBC – Live Facial Recognition Trialled at London Railway Station
The British Transport Police have launched a live facial‑recognition pilot at London Bridge railway station, marking the first real‑time biometric surveillance deployment on the UK rail network. The trial uses cameras that match faces against police watchlists as passengers move...
Running a Bilingual Law Practice: The Practical Realities
Law firms that treat language access as a built‑in infrastructure, rather than an after‑the‑fact courtesy, see higher client trust and fewer costly misunderstandings. The article advises focusing bilingual efforts on critical touchpoints—intake, key contract moments, and non‑English evidence—instead of translating...
New Book Alert: Recognition and Enforcement of Non-EU Judgments
Bloomsbury’s new volume *Recognition and Enforcement of Non‑EU Judgments* launches on 19 February 2026, edited by Tobias Lutzi, Ennio Piovesani and Dora Zgrabljic Rotar. It provides the first systematic, comparative examination of how 21 EU Member States treat judgments issued outside the Union....
New Smart Growth Guide: Is Your Law Firm Built for What’s Coming Next?
The article promotes a free e‑guide, "Smart Growth Strategies for Midmarket and Smaller Law Firms," co‑created by Attorney at Work and Gene Commander Inc. It warns that the legal sector will undergo more change in the next three to five...
Debevoise Discusses Third Circuit Decision on the Limits of the Best Price Rule
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed that the Best Price Rule applies only to shares actually taken up and paid for in a tender offer, not to shares the offeror cannot lawfully acquire. The ruling arose...
ACI’s 22nd Annual Paragraph IV Disputes: Elevate Your 2026 Hatch-Waxman Strategy
The American Conference Institute will host its 22nd Annual Paragraph IV Disputes Conference on April 21‑22, 2026 in New York’s Times Center. The two‑day forum gathers brand‑name and generic drug stakeholders to discuss Hatch‑Waxman litigation strategies, recent case law, and evolving PTAB practices. Featured...
Avoiding ‘Stacking’ Consequences: Top Home-Based Care Employment Law Considerations
Home‑based care providers are confronting a fragmented employment‑law landscape, prompting a Polsinelli webinar that outlines urgent compliance steps. Within the next three to six months firms should audit wage, leave and worker classification, verify salary‑range postings, and evaluate AI‑driven recruiting...
Episode 392 — The Importance of Managing Conflicts of Interests
Conflicts of interest are increasingly recognized as critical compliance risks that can undermine employee trust, skew decision‑making, and expose firms to litigation and reputational damage. Recent scandals involving supervisor‑subordinate relationships illustrate how personal ties can cascade into enterprise‑wide failures when...
Money Box Live: Inheritance Tax
In this Money Box Live episode, presenter Felicity Hannah and experts Clare Moffat, a pension and tax specialist, and Nina Sperring, a wealth‑protection solicitor, demystify inheritance tax, explaining who must pay it, how the rates are calculated and what thresholds...
Banks, Stablecoins, and Base by Coinbase: Fighting for Open Money Without Gatekeepers
The article argues that the U.S. legislative debate over stablecoins will decide whether digital dollars become bank‑like deposits or remain programmable assets that spur competition. It highlights how stablecoins now serve as payment rails, collateral, and yield sources, prompting banks...
The HSR Early-Warning System: How Filing Surges Amplify Cyber and eDiscovery Bottlenecks
The Hart‑Scott‑Rodino (HSR) filing calendar showed a sharp February 2025 spike followed by sustained high volumes through December 2025 and a solid January 2026 count. This surge compresses M&A diligence windows, forcing cyber, data‑privacy and eDiscovery teams to operate at...
GDPR Joint Controller Agreements
Eight years after GDPR’s rollout, joint controller agreements remain a complex, under‑defined area for privacy teams. Article 26 creates joint controllership when multiple parties jointly decide the purposes and means of processing, making the arrangement inseparable. Unlike standard DPAs, these agreements...