10,000 Federal Lawyers Gone — See Also
A wave of resignations has stripped the federal government of roughly 10,000 lawyers since 2025, shrinking its legal workforce by about 8%. At the same time, elite boutique Hueston Hennigan is using summer bonuses as high as $35,000 to lure talent from the public sector. The exodus fuels broader debates, from calls to impose term limits on Supreme Court justices to new AI‑verification rules by the Florida Supreme Court. These developments signal a reshaping of the legal talent market and institutional reforms across the United States.
Tech Fluency Is the New Reputation
Law firms are no longer judged solely by pedigree; in‑house legal departments now evaluate outside counsel on tech fluency and operational alignment. Scorecards measure how well firms integrate with client drafting frameworks, playbooks, and discovery platforms such as ESI Flow....
Biglaw’s Newest Giant Is Officially Open For Business At ‘Record Speed’
Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing have completed a transatlantic merger, creating a new firm with over 1,400 lawyers. The combined entity projects roughly $1.75 billion in annual revenue, placing it among the world’s largest law firms. Integration of teams and...
A Breakdown Of The DOJ’s Immigration Departures
A Bloomberg Law report reveals that the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation has lost at least 30 attorneys since January 2025, through resignations, retirements and other departures. The exodus represents a notable brain drain for the unit that...
Considerations When Withdrawing As Counsel For Nonpayment Of Fees
Lawyers frequently confront clients who delay or refuse fee payment, forcing them to consider withdrawing as counsel. Courts require a formal motion, and judges weigh factors such as the length of nonpayment, documented notices, and the litigation stage. Attorneys are...
Nonequity Partners Entered The Chat, And Skadden’s Promotion Numbers Soared
Skadden has introduced a nonequity partnership tier, allowing the firm to promote lawyers on both income and equity tracks. The new structure helped the firm announce 55 new partners in April, more than double the 22 promotions recorded in 2025...
Naming Unnamed Fornicating Judges — See Also
A series of legal headlines this week highlights the growing role of technology, ethics scrutiny, and high‑stakes litigation in the U.S. legal arena. An AI‑driven investigation uncovered the identity of the previously unnamed judge Eleanor Ross, while New York prosecutors...
Biglaw Firm Busy Building Its Own AI
Leading U.S. law firm Kirkland & Ellis announced a $500 million investment over the next three to four years to build a proprietary artificial‑intelligence platform. The initiative will fund data‑science talent, cloud infrastructure, and custom AI tools aimed at automating routine...
Biglaw’s Latest AI Pitch: Faster Associates, More Deals
Fried Frank has launched FundAssist, an internally built artificial‑intelligence platform for its private‑equity funds group. The tool is designed to automate routine tasks, speed up due‑diligence, and enable junior associates to reach mid‑level productivity faster. Rather than reducing headcount, the...
Todd Blanche Faces New York Bar Complaint After Federal Judge Flags Vindictive Prosecution
The Campaign for Accountability has lodged a formal ethics complaint with New York’s First Judicial Department and the Southern District of New York, accusing Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche of orchestrating a vindictive prosecution of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Federal Judge...
Judge Orders Law Firm To Write Lesson On How Not To Be Naughty Lawyers
A federal judge slapped Quinn Emanuel with $3 million in sanctions and mandated the firm design an eight‑hour ethics training program after describing a "deeply disturbing" culture of lawyering. The same court’s Federal Circuit panel also produced a self‑made theme song...
Why Attorneys Can Ethically Use General-Purpose GenAI For Client Matters Without Redacting Everything
Attorneys can ethically employ general‑purpose generative AI tools for client work by applying targeted redaction and footnoting strategies rather than stripping all confidential data. The article cites ABA Model Rule 1.6, recent bar opinions, and practical workflows that balance efficiency...
Lateral Associate Hires Are All The Rage
A Firm Prospects report reveals that laterally‑hired attorneys accounted for roughly 48% of associate hires in 2025, overtaking recent law‑school graduates for the first time. The shift reflects firms’ growing appetite for experienced talent amid heightened client demands and competitive...
Imminent Changes To International Student Visas Will Have Major Impact
In August 2025 the Department of Homeland Security proposed replacing the duration‑of‑status (D/S) framework for F‑1 student visas with a fixed admission period of two or four years. The change would require students to file Form I‑539 for any extension,...
Biglaw Now Hires More Lateral Associates Than Law Students
A Firm Prospects white paper shows that in 2025 biglaw hired more lateral associates than new law graduates for the first time since 2021. Law‑school hires fell to 37.5% of associate hires, a 6.4‑point drop, while experienced lawyers now dominate...