Connecticut Pulse


  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry kicked off September with another busy week as BigLaw firms made new hires and expanded practice areas. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Carmody Adds 5-Atty Team, New Office In Conn. Firm Merger

    Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP has combined with fellow Connecticut-based law firm Waller Smith & Palmer PC, adding five attorneys to Carmody Torrance's roster and expanding its footprint in the Constitution State with a new location in New London.

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    Axinn Veltrop Raises Salaries, Offers Bonuses Up To $25K

    Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP is bumping up its pay scale for its associates by $25,000 along with paying them special bonuses of up to $25,000, the firm announced Thursday.

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    RuggieroIP Promotes 3 Attorneys To Member, Partner

    Connecticut intellectual property boutique Ruggiero McAllister & McMahon LLC has elevated its partner Erica Dorsey to member and attorneys Joseph V. Noferi and Jeffrey Scepanski to partner, the firm said Wednesday.

  • No Atty Sanctions After Failed Redaction In Gunmaker Lawsuit

    A Connecticut federal judge has declined a gunmaker's bid to sanction a civil litigator who filed a document without proper redactions, finding that the error was inadvertent and did not meet the "high bar" necessary to run afoul of Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

  • Conn. Top Social Services Atty Tapped As Interim Dept. Leader

    Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has named Susan Hamilton, the general counsel of Connecticut's Department of Children and Families, as the agency's interim leader.

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    Mid-Law Mergers: Some Eye Gains, Others Under Pressure

    Mid-Law firms are increasingly eyeing tie-ups despite this year's lag in mergers, although industry observers note that some firms are jumping on opportunities while others are seeking a lifeline.

  • Connecticut Powerhouse: Pullman & Comley

    Pullman & Comley LLC's highlights this year include representing Sacred Heart University in its $15 million acquisition of Notre Dame Catholic High School, helping national real estate developer Bluewater Property Group as it seeks to develop a 3.2 million-square-foot Amazon distribution center, and persuading a state court to halt the Connecticut Siting Council's alleged overreach in placing transmission towers.

  • Financial Firm Can't Pierce Atty-Client Privilege, Judge Rules

    Wealth Enhancement Group LLC cannot override privilege laws to view communications between a former financial adviser's new employer and its lawyers at Spencer Fane LLP, according to a Connecticut judge who viewed the contested documents privately.

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    Legal Rates Surge Moderates, But Pressure Remains High

    As legal departments face mounting pressure to manage costs, increases in hourly billing rates from law firms appear to be moderating, with the first few months of 2025 presenting a snapshot of this reality, according to a recent report from Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions.

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    The Top In-House Hires Of August

    Legal department hires in the last month included high-profile appointments at the Association of Corporate Counsel, GE Vernova, and a California legal legend joining an AI startup named Anthropic. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from the past few weeks.

  • Connecticut Powerhouse: Wiggin And Dana

    This year, Wiggin and Dana LLP attorneys successfully defended one of the highest judgments in Connecticut history and prevailed in an unusual win in a remote education suit from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Rocker Fights YouTuber's Atty Fees After Defamation Loss

    The singer for the popular rock band Falling In Reverse is challenging a request that he pay $40,700 in defense attorney fees incurred by a YouTube personality he unsuccessfully sued for defamation, calling the amount unjustified and "grossly disproportionate" to the work that attorneys with Cohen and Wolf PC had to perform.

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    The 2025 Regional Powerhouses

    Law360's annual list of regional powerhouses reflects not only the work of exemplary firms, but also emerging legal trends in each state, from matters involving Colorado's growing life sciences industry, to an uptick in bankruptcies in Delaware, to the continued flurry of intellectual property litigation in California.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Fifth Circuit vacated a pair of Biden-era regulations aimed at bolstering transparency in the short-selling market.

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    Scores On July Bar Exam Rise Amid Dip In Test Takers

    The number of examinees passing the multistate bar exam in July continued to gain momentum, with near record highs seen this summer over the past 12 years, according to an announcement from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

  • Atty Wants To Pause Law School Loan Case Judgment For Ex

    A Florida attorney has asked a Connecticut trial court judge to pause an unjust-enrichment judgment requiring him to repay his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child over $30,000 after the court said she "unwisely" cosigned his law school loans, saying the state judgment must be stayed pending the resolution of a separate federal lawsuit between the onetime couple.

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    Law360 Names Attys Who Moved Up The Firm Ranks In Q2

    A promotion to partner or election to practice group chair means a slew of new responsibilities and also lots of well-deserved recognition. Law360 reveals the list of attorneys whose commitment to legal excellence earned them highly coveted spots in the law firm leadership ranks. Find out if your old legal friends — or rivals — moved up in the second quarter of the year.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    BigLaw firms announced a slew of new hires this week as the legal industry sees August recede in the rearview mirror. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • Judge Rejects Reed Smith's Sanctions Bid In Doc Feud

    A New York federal judge has ordered the new owner of international shipping company Eletson to turn over documents requested by competitor Levona as the latter company looks to vacate an allegedly fraudulent $102 million arbitral award, while also ruling that Reed Smith LLP's threat of sanctions is unfounded.

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    In Their Words: Will AI Kill The Billable Hour?

    The rising use of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow attorneys to get work done faster is creating tension with the traditional model of billable hours. Here, six legal leaders give their take on whether AI will eliminate the billable hour.

  • FedArb Hires Ex-RTX Legal Chief As Commercial Mediator

    California-based alternative dispute resolution service Federal Arbitration Inc., or FedArb, announced Wednesday the hiring of a former corporate vice president and chief litigation counsel at aerospace and defense conglomerate RTX Corp. as a Connecticut-based mediator and arbitrator focused on commercial matters.

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    Recruitment Biz Hudson Global Names Post-Merger CLO

    Following the completion of its merger with Star Equity Holdings Inc., recruitment company Hudson Global Inc. has named a new chief legal officer, a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing shows.

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    Harris Beach Office Leader Talks Post-Merger Growth

    Alfred R. Casella, a veteran trusts and estates attorney at Harris Beach Murtha Cullina PLLC, was recently named the managing partner of the firm's Hartford, Connecticut, office. In an interview with Law360 Pulse, Casella discussed the office's growth, hiring trends, what practice areas are busy and the momentum the firm has seen since the January combination.

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    Law Firm Real Estate Report

    Several law firms in the Mid-Atlantic region experienced a busy month of office moves in August, with New Jersey in particular seeing a number of relocations.

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Expert Analysis

  • Mentorship Is Key To Diversity In The Legal Industry Author Photo

    Not only can effective mentorship have a profound impact on women and people of color entering the legal field, but it also benefits mentors and the legal profession as a whole, creating a true win-win situation for all involved, says Natasha Cortes at Grossman Roth.

  • ChatGPT Is A Cool Trick, But AI Won't Replace Lawyers Author Photo

    Generative AI applications like ChatGPT are unlikely to ever replace attorneys for a variety of practical reasons — but given their practice-enhancing capabilities, lawyers who fail to leverage these tools may be rendered obsolete, says Eran Kahana at Maslon.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Valuable In IP And Continued Learning Author Photo

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent elimination of a rule that partially counted pro bono work toward continuing legal education highlights the importance of volunteer work in intellectual property practice and its ties to CLE, and puts a valuable tool for hands-on attorney education in the hands of the states, say Lisa Holubar and Ariel Katz at Irwin.

  • Increasing Public Access To Legal Services: A Practical Plan Author Photo

    Recommendations recently issued by a special committee of the Florida Bar represent a realistic, pragmatic approach to increasing the accessibility and affordability of legal services, at a time when the disconnect between the legal profession and the public at large has widened considerably, says Gary Lesser, president of the Florida Bar.

  • Priorities For Improving The Legal Industry In Texas Author Photo

    To assist Texas lawyers in effectively executing their duties, we should be working on succession planning, attorney wellness, and increasing understanding of the grievance system by both bar members and the public, says Laura Gibson, president of the State Bar of Texas.

  • Leading Your Law Firm's Creation Of A New Practice Group Author Photo

    Marjorie Peerce and Peter Jaslow at Ballard Spahr discuss the challenges of building a new law firm practice group from the ground up, and how sustained commitment, communication and collaboration are the key ingredients for success.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Relay Shortcomings To Associates? Author Photo

    Michael Cohen at Duane Morris discusses the best ways to articulate how an associate is not meeting expectations, and why documentation of performance management is crucial for their growth and protecting the firm from discrimination suits.

  • 10 Principles For Effective Partner Reward Systems Author Photo

    Several forces are reshaping partners’ expectations about profit-sharing, and as compensation structures evolve in response, firms should keep certain fundamentals in mind to build a successful partner reward system, say Michael Roch at MHPR Advisors and Ray D'Cruz at Performance Leader.

  • Why Interdisciplinarity Is Key To Designing The Future Of Law Author Photo

    The legal profession faces challenges that urgently demand new solutions, and lawyers and firms can address this by leaning on other industries that have more experience practicing, teaching and incorporating innovation into their core business and service models, says Jennifer Leonard at the University of Pennsylvania.

  • Incorporating ADA Guidance Into Lawyer Wellness Movement Author Photo

    The Americans with Disabilities Act and rules of professional conduct may help the legal profession promote lawyer well-being by focusing on mental conditions' actual impact, rather than on associated stereotypes, says Alex Long at the University of Tennessee College of Law.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can New Partners Generate Business? Author Photo

    Christine Wong at MoFo discusses how newly elected partners can prioritize business development by creating a strategic plan with the firm's marketing team and strengthening relationships with professional and personal networks.

  • 9 Writing Tips From The Justices' Opinions Last Term Author Photo

    Hidden in the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinions from the last term are each justice’s talents for crafting choice turns of phrase, highlighting best practices for attorneys to jump-start their own writing, says Ross Guberman at BriefCatch.

  • What Web3 Means For Lawyers' Ethical Duties Author Photo

    As law firms embrace Web3 technologies by accepting cryptocurrency as payment for legal fees, investing in metaverse departments and more, lawyers should remember their ethical duties to warn clients of the benefits and risks of technology in a murky regulatory environment, says Heidi Frostestad Kuehl at Northern Illinois University College of Law.

  • NY's Cybersecurity CLE Rule Is A Sign Of Changing Times Author Photo

    New York's recently announced requirement that lawyers complete cybersecurity training as part of their continuing legal education is a reminder that securing client information is more complicated in an increasingly digital world, and that expectations around attorneys' technology competence are changing, says Jason Schwent at Clark Hill.

  • Opinion

    Law Firms Stressing Work-Life Balance Are Missing The Mark Author Photo

    Law firms struggling to attract and retain lawyers are institutionalizing work-life balance through hybrid work models, but such balance is elusive in a client services and tech-dependent world, underscoring the need for firms to instead aim for attorney empowerment and true balance within — not outside — the workplace, says Joe Pack at Pack Law.

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