legal profession

  • Law Firm King & Spalding Slams Bias Lawsuit Over Diversity Program

    King & Spalding has urged a U.S. judge to dismiss a “misguided” lawsuit filed by Sarah Spitalnick, a white, female lawyer, who accuses the firm of bias due to its diversity-focused job program for early-career attorneys. In a Thursday night filing in a Maryland federal court, the firm argued that the program is not discriminatory,…

  • Law Firm Morgan & Morgan Sues Rival in Turf Battle Over Google Ads

    Morgan & Morgan has reignited an internet advertising dispute with another Florida-based law firm, accusing it of violating an agreement to avoid misleading customers through Google search results. Billing itself as the largest U.S. injury law firm, Morgan & Morgan filed a lawsuit against the 30-lawyer Morgan Law Group (MLG) on Thursday in an Orlando…

  • Ex-Trump Defense Secretary Esper Joins Law Firm Squire Patton Boggs

    Mark Esper, the former U.S. Secretary of Defense who was fired by Donald Trump and later became a vocal critic of the former president, has joined Squire Patton Boggs as a senior adviser, the law firm announced on Thursday. Despite not being a lawyer, Esper will continue his role as chairman of the national security…

  • Two Judges Cleared of Misconduct Over Columbia Clerk Boycott

    A federal judicial panel has rejected a misconduct complaint against two of the 13 judges who signed a letter in May announcing a boycott of hiring law clerks from Columbia University. The boycott was in response to the university’s handling of pro-Palestinian student demonstrations related to Israel’s war in Gaza. On August 12, the 11th…

  • Judge Boycotting Columbia Law Clerks Won’t Recuse From Protest Case

    A federal judge in North Dakota, U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor, on Friday rejected a request to recuse himself from a lawsuit involving current and former Columbia Law School faculty. The case concerns protests over the Dakota Access oil pipeline, and the recusal request followed a boycott by Traynor and 12 other judges against hiring…

  • California Lawyer Dues Hiked to $598 Amid State Bar’s Funding Woes

    California attorneys will pay an additional $88 in licensing fees next year, representing a 17% increase over the current $510 fee. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the fee increase into law on Thursday. Although bar officials initially requested a $125 hike, the approved increase will help stabilize the financially struggling agency. Earlier this year, the State…

  • Freshfields Taps Y Combinator General Counsel in Latest Hire

    Nicole Cadman, the former general counsel at startup accelerator Y Combinator, has joined global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer as a Silicon Valley-based partner, the firm announced on Friday. After nearly eight years with Y Combinator’s legal team, Cadman left in June and will now advise emerging companies and their founders on corporate matters like…

  • Judges Advised to Restrict Clerks From Seeking Political Jobs

    Federal judges should prevent their law clerks from seeking employment with political organizations while they remain part of the court system to protect the judiciary’s independence, according to new ethical guidance. The U.S. Judicial Conference’s Committee on Codes of Conduct issued the guidance on Thursday, offering an election-year update to an advisory opinion on permissible…

  • Financial Stress and Anxiety Plagues Two-Thirds of Young Lawyers, ABA Survey Finds

    Student loan debt is reshaping the career and life plans of young lawyers while also hindering their ability to save for emergencies, investments, and retirement, according to a survey by the American Bar Association (ABA). The survey, released on Monday, revealed that 68% of borrowers experience stress and anxiety due to their debt, with 67%…

  • Supreme Court’s Kagan Says Emergency Docket Does Not Lead to Court’s Best Work

    Justice Elena Kagan expressed concern that the U.S. Supreme Court spends too much time rushing through cases on its emergency docket, commonly known as the “shadow docket.” During an hour-long interview at New York University’s law school on Monday, Kagan stated, “I don’t think we do our best work in this way,” referring to the…