DC Pulse


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    State Judges See Uneven Gains In Post-Lockdown Pay Hikes

    State judges received an average 5% raise last year — a "significant" improvement over the 1% to 2% raises on offer during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — but those pay increases were spread unequally across the country, with some state judges earning much higher salaries while the pay for others stagnated, according to a recent survey.

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    Weakened CFPB Prompts Ballard Spahr To Form State Team

    Ballard Spahr LLP announced Tuesday that it has formed a new state attorneys general consumer finance response team in response to the Trump administration's efforts to effectively shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

  • Goldstein's Overseas Ties Make It 'Easier To Flee,' Judge Says

    U.S. Supreme Court advocate and SCOTUSblog publisher Tom Goldstein has lost a second attempt to shield his more than $3 million residence in Washington, D.C., from forfeiture in his criminal tax evasion case as a Maryland federal judge ruled Tuesday that he remains a "significant flight risk."

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    Ex-Goldman Atty Squires Expected To Be Named USPTO Head

    John A. Squires — Goldman Sachs' longtime chief intellectual property counsel, co-founder of Fortress' IP Investment fund and current Dilworth Paxson LLP partner — is expected to be chosen as the Trump administration's nominee for U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director, about a half-dozen sources with knowledge of the agency said Tuesday.

  • Simpson Thacher Adds Willkie Farr Registered Funds Team

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP announced on Tuesday the hiring of a four-partner registered funds team formerly with Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.

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    Career FERC Atty, Enforcement Leader Joins McGuireWoods

    Following a 16-year career at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that spanned myriad leadership roles, the former deputy director of the agency's enforcement wing has moved his practice to McGuireWoods LLP, the firm announced Tuesday.

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    WilmerHale Adds Former US Dept. Of Education GC

    Lisa Brown, who most recently served as general counsel for the U.S. Department of Education, has entered private practice at WilmerHale, the firm said Tuesday.

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    Amid Lateral Tussle, BigLaw Firms Eye 'Boomerang Partners'

    As many law firms continue to tap lateral partner hires to achieve their strategic goals, a handful of firms are focusing on attracting departed partners to return, a once rare phenomenon some say appears to be picking up steam.

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    Maynard Nexsen Hires Government Relations Adviser

    Maynard Nexsen PC has hired a government relations adviser who has three decades of experience working to help advise nonprofits, as well as public and private companies on a range of matters related to build funding for their platforms' missions.

  • Trump Names US Attorneys For DC And Florida

    President Donald Trump has named picks to be U.S. attorneys for the District of Columbia and the Southern District of Florida.

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    Adams, Feds Ordered To Explain Dismissal Bid At Hearing

    A Manhattan federal judge demanded details Tuesday and scheduled a hearing after the Justice Department asked to dismiss criminal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, signaling that the court would not rubber-stamp the request following allegations of a corrupt bargain and mass resignations of prosecutors in protest.

  • Trump Admin Asks Justices To OK Special Counsel Firing

    The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the president's firing of a top government ethics watchdog to move forward, arguing a Washington, D.C., federal judge unlawfully seized executive power when she issued an order temporarily reinstating the official pending a legal challenge.

  • FTC Political Appointees Told To Break Up With 'Leftist' ABA

    Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew N. Ferguson told agency staff in a letter that political appointees cannot hold leadership positions in the American Bar Association, attend its events or renew their memberships, citing the ABA's "leftist advocacy and its recent attacks" on the Trump administration's agenda.

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    CFTC Taps Ex-Whistleblower Chief As Enforcement Head

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's acting head announced the appointment of a new enforcement director, naming to the position a former federal prosecutor who recently was the agency's whistleblower chief.

  • Trump Aims To End Limits On President's Power To Fire

    President Donald Trump has his sights set on taking down a 90-year-old U.S. Supreme Court ruling that protects certain government officials from being fired, a U.S. Department of Justice letter confirms, and he plans to leverage his prior legal victories to deliver the precedent's death knell and expand presidential power.

  • House Dems Amplify ABA Decision On High Court Ethics

    Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee's courts panel urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to adopt a binding and enforceable code of ethics after the American Bar Association's policy-making body advocated for such.

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    Adams Case Careens Toward 'Messy' Hearing, Experts Say

    The Manhattan federal judge overseeing the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams is unlikely to rubber stamp a request from the U.S. Department of Justice to toss the case and may instead hold a hearing on the matter, which could get "messy" and "embarrassing," experts say.

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    New Administration Begins Litigation About-Faces

    The Trump administration's high court reversal on transgender healthcare may be just the first such U-turn, as it telegraphs potential changes in the government's position in cases over student loan forgiveness, environmental regulations, the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and more.

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    White House Fires 2 Calif. US Attorneys Picked By Biden

    President Donald Trump directed the White House to fire the two remaining Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys in California on Wednesday in his latest push to purge the U.S. Department of Justice of officials appointed under the Biden administration.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a Delaware federal judge ruled that tech startup ROSS Intelligence infringed copyrighted material from Thomson Reuters' Westlaw platform to create a competing legal research tool powered by artificial intelligence.

  • Missouri Senator's Son Launches Hartley Blunt Lobby Shop

    Andy Blunt, the former chairman and chief operating officer of Husch Blackwell Strategies who helped launch the lobbying shop alongside Gregg Hartley seven years ago, are ending their affiliation with Husch Blackwell LLP and launching their own shop, according to a Friday announcement. 

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    Government Attys Crowd Legal Job Market Amid Trump Cuts

    With a wave of government lawyers crowding the job market in Washington, D.C., as President Donald Trump's early moves strike fear into the federal workforce, experts say law firms are taking their time weighing hiring decisions.

  • DOJ Files Motion To Drop Adams Case After Prosecutors Exit

    The U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, following a flood of resignations by government lawyers who defied a top DOJ official's orders to drop the charges for political reasons.

  • Melgren Takes Senior Status, Opening Kansas Seat For Trump

    Chief U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren of the District of Kansas will take senior status later this year, bringing the total of current and upcoming judicial vacancies President Donald Trump has available to fill to 53.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry had another action-packed week as BigLaw firms expanded their practices and President Donald Trump flexed his executive power with new appointments and policies. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Take Time Off? Author Photo

    David Kouba at Arnold & Porter discusses how attorneys can prioritize mental health leave and vacation despite work-related barriers to taking time off.

  • Law Firms Must Prioritize Mental Health In Internal Comms Author Photo

    The traditional structure of law firms, with their compartmentalization into silos, is an inherent challenge to mental wellness, so partners and senior lawyers should take steps to construct and disseminate internal action plans and encourage open dialogue, says Elizabeth Ortega at ECO Strategic Communications.

  • Our Current Approach To Trial Advocacy Training Is Lacking Author Photo

    The key to trial advocacy is persuasion, but current training programs focus almost entirely on technique, making it imperative that lawyers are taught to be effective storytellers and to connect with their audiences, says Chris Arledge at Ellis George.

  • How Women In Law Can Advance Toward Leadership Roles Author Photo

    Female attorneys in leadership roles inspire other women to pursue similar opportunities in a male-dominated field, and for those who aspire to lead, prioritizing collaboration, inclusivity and integrity is key, says Kim Yelkin at Foley & Lardner.

  • The Case That Took Me From Prosecutor To Defense Attorney Author Photo

    Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Moira Penza, now at Wilkinson Stekloff, recalls the challenges of her first case as a civil defense attorney — a multibillion-dollar multidistrict class action against Allergan — and the lessons she learned about building rapport in the courtroom and with co-counsel.

  • The Importance Of Legal Macroeconomics Education For Attys Author Photo

    Most legal professionals lack understanding of the macroeconomic trends unique to the legal industry, like the rising cost of law school and legal services, which contributes to an unfair and inaccessible justice system, so law school courses and continuing legal education requirements in this area are essential, says Bob Glaves at the Chicago Bar Foundation.

  • Opinion

    It's Time To Hold DC Judges Accountable For Misconduct Author Photo

    On the heels of Thursday's congressional hearing on workplace protections for judiciary employees, former law clerk Aliza Shatzman recounts her experience of harassment by a D.C. Superior Court judge — and argues that the proposed Judiciary Accountability Act, which would extend vital anti-discrimination protections to federal court employees, should also include D.C. courts.

  • What ABA Student Well-Being Standards Mean For Law Firms Author Photo

    While the American Bar Association's recent amendments to its law school accreditation standards around student well-being could have gone further, legal industry employers have much to learn from the ABA's move and the well-being movement that continues to gain traction in law schools, says David Jaffe at the American University Washington College of Law.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Build Rapport In New In-House Role? Author Photo

    Tim Parilla at LinkSquares explains how new in-house lawyers can start developing relationships with colleagues both within and outside their legal departments in order to expand their networks, build their brands and carve their paths to leadership positions.

  • What Attys Should Consider Before Taking On Pro Bono Work
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    Piper Hoffman and Will Lowrey at Animal Outlook lay out suggestions for attorneys to maximize the value of their pro bono efforts, from crafting engagement letters to balancing workloads — and they explain how these principles can foster a more rewarding engagement for both lawyers and nonprofits.

  • 7 Ways Attys Can Improve Their LinkedIn Summaries Author Photo

    Lawyers can use LinkedIn to strengthen their thought leadership position, generate new business, explore career opportunities, and better position themselves and their firms in search results by writing a well-composed, optimized summary that demonstrates their knowledge and experience, says Guy Alvarez at Good2bSocial.

  • How Law Firms And Attys Can Combat Imposter Syndrome Author Photo

    Imposter syndrome is rampant in the legal profession, especially among lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds, leading to missed opportunities and mental health issues — but firms can provide support in numerous ways, and attorneys can use therapeutic strategies to quiet their inner critic, says Helen Pamely at Rosling King.

  • The Law Firm Qualities Partners Seek In Lateral Moves Author Photo

    In 2022, partners considering lateral moves have new priorities, and firms that hope to recruit top talent will need to communicate their strategy for growth, engage on hot issues like origination credit and diversity initiatives, and tailor their integration plans toward expanding partners’ client base, says Gloria Sandrino at Lateral Link.

  • Small Steps Can Help Employers Beat Attorney Burnout Author Photo

    Lawyers are experiencing burnout on a massive, unprecedented scale due to the pandemic, but law firms and institutional players can and should make a difference by focusing on small, practical solutions that protect their attorneys’ most precious personal resource and professional commodity — time, says Chad Sarchio, president of the District of Columbia Bar.

  • The Evolving Role Of The Law Firm Legal Secretary Author Photo

    Technological shifts during the pandemic and beyond should force firms to rethink how legal secretaries can not only better support timekeepers but also participate in elevating client service, bifurcating the role into an administrative support position and a more elevated practice support role, says Lauren Chung at HBR Consulting.

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