National Law Journal

Proposed FDIC Merger Review Overhaul Is Welcome News for Banks, Attorneys Say

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 17:15:00 EST

The proposed rule represents a reversal of a policy statement by the FDIC in 2024 under President Joe Biden, which imposed new requirements for mergers of FDIC-insured banks and expanded the agency's discretion over what it could consider. That statement was widely considered a roadblock to mergers.

Pillsbury, Wilson Sonsini, Mayer Brown Add DC Partners

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:15:10 EST

The new hires are joining firms' environmental, life sciences, white-collar, national security, public finance and telecom practices.

Big Law Firms Rake in Six-Figure Lobbying Earnings From Tech, Energy Clients

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 14:50:10 EST

Brownstein Hyatt, Akin, Holland & Knight and Squire Patton Boggs have all registered at least two dozen new clients since July 1 of this year, according to Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

In ‘Deeply Conservative' Roberts Court, Kagan Sees Similarity to Warren Court's Progressive Excess

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 14:47:41 EST

Justice Elena Kagan has drawn comparisons between the “deeply conservative Roberts Court and the U.S. Supreme Court's most liberal era in the 1950s and 60s. She's not alone.

Ballard Lawyers, Trump Attorney Describe Communication ‘Breakdown' in BBC Case

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 14:29:15 EST

President Donald Trump must sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit by Dec. 11—or risk seeing his case tossed.

9/11 Family's Malpractice Claim Against Kreindler & Kreindler Survives Over $13K Recovery on $43M Judgment

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:17:47 EST

The lawsuit centers on whether the firm should have obtained final judgments and submitted applications to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (VSSTF) before a February 2020 deadline.

Did the Binance Monitorships Work or Fail? Experts Say It's Unclear

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 11:57:02 EST

There's no telling whether Binance is back under the DOJ's microscope because it was under supervision for past compliance failures—or despite that oversight. "It could be both," one law professor said.

Weil and Willkie Call Off Merger Talks as More Partners Leave

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 09:08:42 EST

Drew Tulumello and Chantale Fiebig are the latest leadership departures from Weil.

'A Botch Job': 5th Circuit Reassigns Case After Judge Misused AI to Draft Ruling

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 18:18:40 EST

"Given the embarrassment of the AI hallucinations and mistakes of law in the two TROs and the preliminary injunction, it would be an understandable—though obviously unjust—temptation for the judge to want to find a way to prove that, even with correct law and fact, his initial view should prevail," Judge Jerry Smith wrote for the appellate court.

Alston & Bird, King & Spalding, Nelson Mullins Among Southeast Firms Reporting Over $1M From D.C. Lobbying In Q3

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 18:17:15 EST

But most firms in the region reported a drop by up to double digits in final months before midterms.

Trump Personal Atty Boris Epshteyn Is 'Evading' Subpoena, ABA Claims

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 18:05:58 EST

The American Bar Association claims that Trump's personal attorney, Boris Epshteyn, has been "evading" their attempts to serve him a subpoena in an ongoing court battle with the Trump administration, and has asked the judge in the case to allow them to serve the subpoena by alternative means and extend the discovery deadline.

Week In Review: Supreme Court Takes Cases On Homemade Liquor, School Admissions

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 15:23:29 EST

On this podcast edition of Supreme Court Brief, Law.com reporters Jimmy Hoover and Alyssa Aquino break down the latest week in Supreme Court news, from an emergency order blocking Trump's gender-care ban for trans prisoners to the latest cases added to this term's merits docket.

Seward & Kissel Is Betting on Specialization Over Scale

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 14:27:06 EST

New managing partner Daniel Bresler told Law.com that the firm is leaning in on its core practices exclusively and is moving cautiously to expand its offerings.

Nonprofits Are Losing Privacy-Law Exemptions; Their Corporate Partners May Need to Pay Attention, Too

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 14:07:29 EST

Companies are starting to treat nonprofit partners as they would any other business when it comes to data-protection agreements and privacy requirements, said Lakshmi Ramani of Outside General Counsel.

Weil Management Committee Member Zalka Plans Move to Paul Weiss

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 13:31:56 EST

The firm continues to see prominent departures as it looks for a path forward via a merger.

Seven Myths About Congressional Investigations

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 23:59:59 EST

There continues to be a lot of misinformation out there about what congressional investigations entail, and how they work.

Illinois Judges are Using AI Tools, Misuse Scenarios Yet to be Tested

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:59:59 EST

"Even a very professional, high-end product can still produce inconsistent results. You have to be aware of that, as a judge, sycophancy is a real side of most AIs. They're looking at language to see what it believes you want, and it tries to prove that to you," a recently retired Illinois judge told Law.com.

Billable Hours and Lawyer Stress Have Long Been Intertwined. Can AI Provide a Solution?

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:05:10 EST

“If AI allows attorneys to complete certain tasks in a fraction of the time they previously required, the question becomes how we compensate lawyers for the value they provide, rather than simply the hours it takes them to provide it," said one Big Law associate.

First Amendment Right to Courtroom Audio? 6th Circuit Grapples With Question

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:42:08 EST

"Why shouldn't the public, including Hallman, have access automatically upon request of the audio under the Constitution, given the freedom of the press to attend and the First Amendment freedom of the public to attend?" asked Judge Karen Nelson Moore.

EEOC Dropping Its Criminal History Guidance May Not Change Much

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:30:57 EST

Under chair Andrea Lucas, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, the EEOC has decisively rejected disparate impact as a basis for discrimination cases. The proposed rescission of the Obama-era guidance fits into that agenda and is therefore likely to pass, said Stephen Woods, a shareholder at Ogletree Deakins.

Meta Hit With $25B Judgment After New Mexico Judge Finds 'Systematic Pattern of Deception'

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:42:06 EST

At a press conference on Wednesday, New Mexico Attorney General Rau l Torrez said the award was the “one of the single largest, if not the largest single state verdict against a company in U.S. history and a “clear warning against Big Tech, including other social media and artificial intelligence companies.

LexisNexis Legal & Professional GC: If Law Firms Can Use AI to Do the Work, ‘So Can We'

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:50:56 EST

Alexandra Smyth discussed how AI could reshape law firm pricing, why clients may keep more work in-house, and what firms will need to offer when hours worked are no longer a proxy for value.

Supreme Court Won't Reinstate Ban on Gender Care for Trans Prisoners, for Now

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:44:43 EST

In a short order, the Supreme Court denied the Trump administration's request to lift an injunction against a new Bureau of Prisons policy refusing gender-affirming care for prisoners with gender dysphoria.

Introducing our 2026 Washington, D.C. Legal Awards Winners

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:25:40 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The 2026 DC Legal Awards—Our Rising Star Winners

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:21:24 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. GC Impact Winner: Daryl Joseffer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:19:27 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Managing Partner of the Year Winner: Kristin Graham Koehler, Sidley Austin

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:15:30 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Government Relations/Lobbying Winner: Akin Gump

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:14:18 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Crisis Management and Government Oversight Winner: Kirkland & Ellis

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:12:25 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Community Impact Leader Winner: Covington & Burling

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:10:54 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Midsize Firms Embrace Outside Hires for C-Suite, Freeing Top Lawyers for Revenue Generation

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:07:20 EST

Experts say business management expertise and the need for lawyers to bill hours make professional staff worth the overhead increase.

Mayer Brown's Nicole Saharsky Talks Winning Playbook in 9th Circuit Prediction Market Fight

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:03:10 EST

The "number one [lesson] is to try to put yourself in the judges' position," Saharsky said. "The more you work on a case, the easier it is to forget what it was like when you first learned about the case and the issues. The judges and their clerks don't have that same background about the case, and they're going to come in with questions about how things work. So, it's important to be able to answer those questions and not to assume too much information because you've thought about the case for a long time."

Washington, D.C. Litigation Department of the Year, Specialty: White Collar Winner: WilmerHale

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:01:16 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Litigation Department of the Year, Specialty Products Liability Winner: Covington & Burling

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:06 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Litigation Department of the Year, Specialty Labor and Employment Winner: Gibson Dunn

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:58:15 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Litigation Department of the Year, Specialty Intellectual Property Winner: Williams & Connolly

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:56:43 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Litigation Department of the Year, Specialty Antitrust Winner: Wilkinson Stekloff

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:55:35 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Litigation Department of the Year, General Litigation Winner: Williams & Connolly

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:54:06 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Winning Litigators, Plaintiffs Winner: Derek Ho, Kellogg Hansen

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:52:23 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Winning Litigators, Defense Winner: Brittany Amadi, WilmerHale

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:50:33 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Appellate Hot List Winner: Clement & Murphy

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:45:06 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Appellate Attorney of the Year Winner: Adam Unikowsky, Jenner & Block

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:43:20 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Law Firm of the Year Winner: Jenner & Block

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:39:59 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Attorney of the Year Finalist: Charles Klein, Winston Taylor

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:38:03 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Attorney of the Year Winner: Neal Katyal, Milbank

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:36:57 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Attorney of the Year Finalist: Christina Guerola Sarchio, Dechert

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:35:38 EST

The National Law Journal celebrated its DC Legal Awards honorees at a ceremony last night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

A Conversation with DC Legal Awards Lifetime Achievement Honoree William "Bill" Taylor III

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:32:06 EST

"You figure out where the vulnerability of the case is, and you keep that in front of the jury," Taylor said. "You talk to them like ordinary human beings without condescension or disrespect. That's the way we did it, and I was lucky to do something that I like doing. "

A Conversation with DC Legal Awards Lifetime Achievement Honoree Mark Dombroff

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:30:58 EST

"The most important thing I tell every [airline] client: The worst time to meet me and my team is after the accident occurs," Dombroff said. "Because after the accident occurs, after the event occurs, the incident occurs, they are being pulled in 100 different directions at every level of the company, whether it's the shareholders, whether it's the media, whether it's the current of former employees, whether it's the accident investigators.

A Conversation with DC Legal Awards Lifetime Achievement Honoree David D'Alessandro

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:30:04 EST

"I have a lot of confidence in our energy industry and that they will be able to respond to this demand by expanding and building infrastructure necessary to serve it, and the regulators stepping up to make sure that the costs of such expansion are allocated to the customers making the increased demands," D'Alessandro said. "In other words: protecting existing residential customers from rate increases."

A Conversation with DC Legal Awards Lifetime Achievement Honoree Gregory Craig

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:28:09 EST

"I suppose the case that I took on that made me really appreciate the role that lawyers can play and the impact they can have on history was when I represented Elian Gonzalez's father," Craig said. "It was perhaps my most meaningful."

Trump's ‘Not Very Nice' Remarks About Justices Show Court's Independence, Kagan Says

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:39:35 EST

“That's why the president, sometimes, has not very nice things to say about the court and its decisions and about some of my particular colleagues because the court, of course, has pushed back," Kagan said Tuesday.

Big Law Federal Lobbying Income Slows Leading Up to Midterms

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:27:02 EST

Holland & Knight, K&L Gates and Hogan Lovells Cadwalader saw their lobbying revenue decline in Q3 compared to Q2, while Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Squire Patton Boggs saw revenue pick up.

The Collections 'Tug-of-War': Law Firms Will Be On-Edge Through Year's End

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:59:27 EST

"You're supposed to have a lot of closings in September. That didn't happen anywhere near what was expected, and this interest rate backup has caused some consternation in the market,” noted Wells Fargo's Owen Burman.

5th Circuit Clerk Retires After Helping Chart Court's AI Adoption

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 14:52:36 EST

“I spent much of my last few years on AI policy for the courts, and I don't intend to walk away from it, Lyle Cayce said. “The questions courts face are changing fast, and those of us who worked through the early policies have a responsibility to share what we learned.

Former MIT Professor Wins $6M Defamation Verdict Against Colleague Who Accused Him of Sexual Harassment

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 14:33:11 EST

The jury, composed of seven women and six men, unanimously awarded David Sabatini $6 million in damages, plus prejudgment interest, after determining Kristin Knouse had defamed him and interfered with his career.

Weil Meets with Partners Over Merger Plans

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:49:56 EST

Sources close to Weil identified Willkie as one of Weil's top merger candidates, but it's not clear if those talks are ongoing. Weil has also approached other firms.

AI Boom Compounds Law Firm GCs' Risk-Assessment Workloads

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:43:04 EST

“I am not sure that I have lived through as seismic a change in the nature of the practice as I'm living through right now, said GC David Roth of Bradley Arant.

Lawyer? Attorney? Katie Zacharia Episode Raises Ethics Questions About a Professional Title

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:21:46 EST

California law says falsely holding oneself out as eligible to practice law is a crime punishable by jail time. But would anyone really prosecute the former White House press secretary?

Law Firm Workloads Are Under Threat as Legal Departments Do More With AI

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:29:59 EST

As in-house teams cut down on the work they're sending to outside counsel, law firms are passing on AI-driven savings and looking at new billing models.

Recent Rulings Bring Federal Sexual Harassment Law Into Sharper Focus

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 16:02:36 EST

Under the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (EFAA), people bringing sexual assault and sexual harassment claims can decide to have their cases tried in court even if they previously signed arbitration or class action waiver agreements.

Justices Will Consider Constitutionality of Federal Ban on Home Distilling

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 14:52:47 EST

The Supreme Court said it will review an appeals court ruling that the federal ban on making alcoholic spirits at home exceeds Congress' power to collect taxes.

Supreme Court Will Hear Challenge to Maryland County's Racially Neutral Admissions

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 14:06:38 EST

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from Montgomery County, Maryland, parents that the local school system discriminated against Asian American students with its changes to the admissions criteria for magnet schools.

Retailers Challenge New York's Surveillance Pricing Law Before US Appeals Court

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:36:05 EST

The trade group, calling the measure "misleading," argues that New York violated businesses' free speech rights by forcing them to disclose if their goods are priced through so-called surveillance pricing.

Apple Recruits Another Meta Legal Exec, This Time to Lead Global Litigation

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:59:23 EST

The appointment reunites Scott Tucker with Jennifer Newstead, who spent more than six years as Meta's chief legal officer before leaving for Apple earlier this year. She succeeded Kate Adams as Apple's top lawyer in March, taking responsibility for both legal and government affairs.

Judge Rejects DOJ's Motion to Disqualify Susman Godfrey in ABA Suit

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 11:42:17 EST

The Trump administration sought to disqualify the Houston-founded trial firm from representing the ABA in litigation against the government on the ground it violates disciplinary rules.

As Lateral Hiring Continues Into Q4, More Law Firms Are Willing to Shell Out to Make Candidates Whole

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 04:59:59 EST

Law firms flush with cash are increasingly covering partners' forfeited compensation to obtain top talent, as lateral hiring remains fiercely active and competitive in the final months of the year.

DOJ to DC Circuit: Presidential Records Act Is Unconstitutional

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 19:15:26 EST

“You have adopted a position that says the president, whoever it is at the time on January 20, can take every record within the [Executive Office of the President and] destroy it, so that the incoming president has no information about national security threats, about planned terrorist attacks, about critical negotiations in an ongoing war, critical economic negotiations for the health of this country's economy, said Judge Patricia Millett, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

'Radical Rewrite': Solicitor General Asks Supreme Court to Upend Legal Challenges to Rules

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 16:52:55 EST

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer has asked the justices to limit the power of federal courts to "vacate" new government regulations on a nationwide basis—a position some justices previously described as "radical" and "extreme."

Recent FTC Actions Show Robinson-Patman Act Alive and Well

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:22:27 EST

The actions against Southern Glazer's and Gildan come after a long hiatus in enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act, which critics have argued discourages bulk pricing that rewards efficiency and promotes lower consumer prices.

After Scrutiny Over 'Attorney' Credentials, Katie Zacharia Out as Press Secretary

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:09:16 EST

Her exit brings an end to a tumultuous five days on the job, where she faced scrutiny about her legal credentials.

Kirkland Pressed For Details by Democratic Lawmakers Over Trump Deal

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:13:36 EST

Kirkland & Ellis has been singled out for refusing to cooperate with congressional investigations into Trump's deals with nine Big Law firms.

8 States Sue OpenAI Over ChatGPT's Alleged Risks to Children

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 09:31:33 EST

The states accuse OpenAI of hiding ChatGPT's alleged risks to children. They filed parallel suits under consumer protection and product liability laws.

Jones Day, Wilmer Among Top Paid Law Firms for Republicans and Democrats Heading Into Midterms

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 05:59:59 EST

In a shift, the DNC has been sending more work to boutique law firms so far this year, as opposed to Big Law firms it has relationships with.