The American Lawyer

S&C, Expanding Relationship With Trump, Joins Legal Team for E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 17:00:31 EST

]]>The petition to the Supreme Court is expected to rely on presidential immunity arguments not unlike those made in a separate criminal case out of New York involving Trump that Sullivan & Cromwell is handling.

Reed Smith Consolidates ALSP, Legal-Ops Team, E-Discovery, Staff Attorneys Under One Umbrella

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 13:50:41 EST

]]>The firm's new Legal Solutions group, with over 200 professionals, includes captive ALSP Gravity Stack and aims to leverage technology to provide more efficient solutions to client problems.

Big Law's Trump Deals May Face More Lawmaker Pressure After Midterms

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:37:58 EST

]]>Democratic lawmakers are expected to revive congressional investigations into nine law firms that made deals with the Trump administration, if Democrats gain a majority in one or both chambers of Congress. Law firms could be the subject of congressional subpoenas or public hearings.

Law Firm Disrupted: The 'Ask Jeeves' Phase of Gen AI Evolution?

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:03:18 EST

]]>While most lawyers are using generative AI, many say inefficiencies reduce its effectiveness, for now.

Latham Lures Two Davis Polk Partners to Expand Capital Markets Practice

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:18:49 EST

]]>Latham said Friday that Rooney will join as global vice chair of its capital markets practice.

Victoria Sigeti: Freshfields' New UK Leader on Being Loyal to London and Patient on US Private Capital

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 18:11:12 EST

]]>The U.K. managing partner discusses assuming the top role, Europe and whether the practice area she co-leads, private capital, has a place in the firm's widely-broadcast U.S. ambitions.

As Law Firms Make Blackbox Bonuses, Transparency Clashes Grow

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:13:21 EST

]]>More firms are adding bonus setups, but aren't making those payments known to other partners, even in otherwise transparent comp systems.

Bigger Bonuses From Reduced Space: Inside One Law Firm's Strategy to Cut Real Estate

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:02:20 EST

]]>By the end of this year, Kansas City-based Lathrop GPM will have decreased its real estate portfolio by about 280,000 square feet during the 2020s.

Law Firms Are Moving Aggressively Into Secondary Markets, but What Are They Chasing?

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:54:20 EST

]]>The rate at which law firms are opening offices in secondary and even tertiary markets is accelerating significantly since 2024

A&O Shearman Announces 10th Fuse Incubator Cohort

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:20:52 EST

]]>This year's cohort of companies, which the firm will help to develop business management and legal tech solutions in return for access to the participants' services, focus on legal and financial technology.

Sidley Raids Clifford Chance, Prioritizes Finance Practice Growth

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:23:32 EST

]]>The latest group brings Sidley up to about 13 total lateral hires in its global finance and tax practices so far this year.

Competition for Competition: How Antitrust Is Becoming One of Big Law's Key Revenue Engines

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 04:13:19 EST

]]>Top firms are increasing the size of their antitrust practices as average deal values and U.S. competition surges, according to research in conjunction with Global Competition Review.

White House Internal Communications Shed Light on Trump's Law Firm Deals

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:30:15 EST

]]>The communications released by the DOJ in late June, in the form of redacted emails, ultimately relate to three elements of Trump's 2025 war on Big Law.

Japan's Nagashima Ohno to Launch Office in Silicon Valley

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:23:11 EST

]]>The firm, one of Japan's "Big Four," has had an office in New York since 2010, but this is its first U.S. expansion to the West Coast. The timing coincides with Japan's agreement to invest $550 billion in the U.S. over the next few years.

The Work That Matters: Highlights From the Year in Big Law Pro Bono

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 15:46:50 EST

]]>From farmworker rights to asylum cases, these 14 wide-ranging matters show the difference pro bono representation can make.

ABA Fires Back Against DOJ in Battle Over Epshteyn Subpoena

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:09:10 EST

]]>The DOJ alleges that the ABA's requests for production raise separation of powers concerns, that it would be premature for the government to conclude that the requests implicate the presidential communications privilege, and that the ABA's requests are overbroad.

Cravath Litigation Partner Moves to Simpson Thacher

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:17:37 EST

]]>Tim Cameron had over 27 years at Cravath.

Energy-Focused M&A Partners Join Norton Rose

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:29:59 EST

]]>Nate Hurlbut and John Zarbock joined the firm from Greenberg Traurig.

Ropes & Gray Hits Winston Taylor For Top Life Sciences Partner

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:12:49 EST

]]>The partner joins at a time the firm is demonstrating an ambition to expand in Europe.

Kirkland, Sidley, Simpson, Akin, Paul Hastings and More Poach Partners From Rivals Amid 'Aggressive' Lateral Market

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 05:59:59 EST

]]>"Across the board, firms are moving very quickly, very aggressively” to secure talented laterals in a few core practice areas," said Michael Parrillo, a New York legal recruiter.

Charles Russell Speechlys Breaks Into the US with 2 Offices and Major Team Hire From Withers

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:59:59 EST

]]>The London-based private wealth firm is entering the U.S. with offices in New York and Connecticut, anchored by the hire of seven senior partners and one senior counsel from rival Withers.

Law School Debt Declining for Third-Year Lawyers

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:19:09 EST

]]>Third-year lawyers also continue to be mobile, with nearly two-thirds of graduates holding two or more positions by year three of practice, a recent report found.

Winston Taylor Adds IP Litigation Team From DLA Piper in D.C., Silicon Valley

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:50:48 EST

]]>Some of the experienced litigators have worked together for the better part of two decades, and they bring a wealth of knowledge with regard to intellectual property disputes.

Norm Ai Announces $120M Series C Including Investment From Fenwick, Ex-Kirkland Chair.

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:45:14 EST

]]>The new funds are earmarked for further hiring and practice group expansion for the company's affiliated hybrid law firm Norm Law.

The Chill on Big Law Pro Bono Is Thawing, but Law Firms Still Avoid Confrontations

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:59:59 EST

]]>Large law firms have shifted their pro bono work away from causes and cases that would directly antagonize the administration.

The 2026 Pro Bono Scorecard: National Report

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:59:59 EST

]]>Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler entered the top spot in this year's Pro Bono Scorecard.

Big Law's Now-Complicated Relationship with Asylum Cases

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:59:59 EST

]]>Am Law 200 law firms in 2024 highlighted their asylum-related cases about three times as much in Law.com's annual pro bono survey as they did this year.

The 2026 Pro Bono Scorecard: International Report

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:59:59 EST

]]>Jenner & Block held on to the number one spot as having the highest pro bono score among its non-U.S. lawyers.

As Pro Bono Programs Navigate Choppy Waters, Are Hours Holding Steady?

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:59:59 EST

]]>Law firm pro bono leaders said demand for pro bono work on immigration-related cases was particularly strong in 2025, as a result of the government's stepped-up deportation efforts.

The Power of AI Isn't Just Supercharging Fee-Earning Work

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:59:59 EST

]]>“If we can do something more efficiently or better or faster or all of the above, for someone who is in need, who could never afford that technology, much less attorneys' fees, you better believe we're going to do that, one Am Law 100 pro bono director said.

The 2026 Pro Bono Scorecard: Average Hours and Breadth of Commitment

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:59:59 EST

]]>Munger, Tolles & Olson leads in average hours and Morgan Lewis & Bockius has the most committed attorneys, based on the firm's percentage of lawyers who contributed at least 20 hours of pro bono last year.

Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Plans Quick Integration in DC, Names Office Leadership

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 07:22:09 EST

]]>More than 50 legacy Cadwalader attorneys and staff are moving into legacy Hogan Lovells' office space in downtown D.C. this month, following the firms' merger.

Deal Watch: Dealmakers Eye Mega Deal Uncertainty in Second Half

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:54:43 EST

]]>Several law firms that routinely steer mega deals were the beneficiaries of the M&A market in the first half of 2026.

A&O Shearman Prepares to Post 'Material' Profit Growth Amid Era of 'Unprecedented' Partner Mobility

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:11:30 EST

]]>According to U.S. firm head Adam Hakki, the firm is focusing more on “quality of revenue.

How Google's Decade-Long Antitrust Fight Came to Reflect a Changing Brussels Legal Market

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:10:59 EST

]]>The changes to Google's legal team tell a story of a Brussels market in flux with new power brokers as “very aggressive, very profitable U.S. law firms move in.

Blank Rome Sued Twice Over May Cyber Breach

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:22:40 EST

]]>Both suits, which are substantially identical and were filed in Pennsylvania federal court, cite a cybersecurity incident that impacted at least 57,554 individuals who weren't informed of the incident until the end of June.

Marc Kasowitz Faces Malpractice Suit Over Columbia Antisemitism Settlement

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:14:30 EST

]]>A representative for the Kasowitz firm said the malpractice complaint misrepresents the facts of the situation and downplays the benefits of the Columbia deal.

Cahill Co-Head of Private Credit Goes to Paul Hastings

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 05:59:59 EST

]]>"We have to be surgical with our hires at this point to not cannibalize the business," said firm chair Frank Lopez, but "Peter is a candidate who will help us gain even more market share."

After a Year on the Road, K&L Gates Leadership Duo Are Bullish About the Firm's Future

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 04:59:59 EST

]]>Stacy Ackermann and Rick Giovannelli spent much of this past year traveling the globe to meet with partners and clients after the two were elevated to leadership positions with K&L Gates last July.

What's Driving a Wave of Partnerships Between Law Firms and AI Providers

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 04:59:59 EST

]]>“I have a prediction that some other firms will feel threatened enough that they also need to do a landmark announcement with someone, said one legal tech AI founder.

Katten Lands in Miami with DLA Piper Capital Markets Hire

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 04:59:59 EST

]]>New arrival Josh Kaufman, who will serve as office managing partner, said the Chicago-based firm has been eyeing Miami for several years and views it as a growth market.

Australia's Legal Market Has Chosen Independence. Can America Change the Equation?

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 21:47:19 EST

]]>The Ashurst-Perkins Coie and HSF Kramer mergers will test whether Australia's fiercely independent legal market can withstand a new wave of American influence.

For UK Law Firms, Private Equity Remains a Solution in Search of a Problem

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 05:49:50 EST

]]>The money is available, the presentations are polished and the opportunities are real. The problem remains that many U.K. law firms don't need the capital.

Kirkland and Wachtell Lead First Half M&A Tables, Amid 50% Leap in Worldwide Deal Activity

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:45:19 EST

]]>Several firms made major leaps, or falls, in the global M&A rankings for the first half of 2026.

Partner Pay Clawbacks Are on the Rise in Big Law

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:26:08 EST

]]>Firms are increasingly asking partners to repay multi-million-dollar sums as they depart for competitors, a policy some argue is legally unenforceable.

Sidley Makes 29th London Lateral Hire in 3 Years with DLA Partner

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 09:59:42 EST

]]>The firm follows on quickly from its Clifford Chance double-hire.

Perkins Coie's HR Department Became Gatekeepers for Partner Conduct Complaints, Current and Former Employees Say

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 06:59:59 EST

]]>A Law.com investigation into Perkins Coie's human resources department—sparked by one firm lawyer's public airing of frustrations with its procedures—highlights several instances of attorneys and staff bringing complaints to HR's attention about alleged partner misconduct, to little or no avail.

Domestic Firms Reclaim Top Spots in UK M&A Rankings for First Half of 2026

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 06:31:25 EST

]]>Clifford Chance, Slaughter and May, Linklaters and Freshfields led the rankings as U.K. deal value climbed 111% year-on-year to $332.4 billion, driven by several large-cap transactions and a rebound in cross-border activity.