Courts

Private Equity Eyes Legal Field As Alternative Paths Open Up

By Ryan Boysen

This could be the year that private equity finally cracks the ramparts of the U.S. legal sector, as the rise of alternative business structure programs and managed services organizations chip away at the long-standing ban on nonlawyer ownership of law firms.

Justices Set Time Limit To Ax Judgments, Ending 11-1 Split

By Jeff Overley

Almost every circuit court has wrongly allowed litigants to vacate invalid judgments regardless of how long ago the judgments became final, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, endorsing one circuit's outlier interpretation of a decades-old procedural rule.

Justices Say State Med Mal Laws Don't Apply In Federal Court

By Y. Peter Kang

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that a Delaware medical malpractice statute clashes with federal rules of procedure and is therefore unenforceable in federal court, saying the state law unfairly asks for evidence early on in a case.

Supreme Court Rules Mandatory Restitution Is Punitive

By Phillip Bantz

The U.S. Supreme Court held in a unanimous opinion Tuesday that restitution is a criminal punishment subject to the Constitution's ban on increasing punishment retroactively.

Justices Ax 6th Circ. Abortion Order Amid Loper Bright Outcry

By Jeff Overley

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday erased a Sixth Circuit decision allowing abortion-related conditions on family planning grants, a victory for Tennessee officials who accused the circuit of flouting the high court's landmark rejection of judicial deference to regulators.

Law360 Names Practice Groups Of The Year

Law360 would like to congratulate the winners of its Practice Groups of the Year awards for 2025, which honor the attorney teams behind litigation wins and significant transaction work that resonated throughout the legal industry this past year.

4th Circ. Won't Rethink Toss Of Prosecutor's Fraud Conviction

By Grace Dixon

The Fourth Circuit won't revisit a split decision tossing a mortgage fraud conviction brought against former State's Attorney of Baltimore Marilyn Mosby, despite the government's claims the ruling hinged on a decades old ruling that has been criticized as a "relic."

Kirkland, Ex-Judge Hit With Class Action Over Texas Romance

By Hilary Russ

An investment firm is suing Kirkland & Ellis LLP, an ex-judge, two other law firms and a lawyer for allegedly fomenting "mass corruption" in Houston's bankruptcy court and colluding to enrich themselves by controlling the outcome of large Chapter 11 cases.

Judge Says Okla. DAs Must Face Tribal Jurisdiction Lawsuits

By Crystal Owens

Two Oklahoma district attorneys can't escape lawsuits that look to block them from prosecuting tribal citizens for crimes committed in Indian Country, a federal district court judge determined, saying arguments that the Indigenous nations have not suffered an injury are meritless.

In First Year, Trump Lost Most Cases But Often Won Appeals

By Cara Bayles

In the first year of President Donald Trump's second term, his administration lost in court nearly twice as often as it won, but its success rate increased when it appealed, according to a Law360 review of more than 400 lawsuits.

Judicial Candidate Nixed From Ballot Over Text To Rival

By Spencer Brewer

A Texas judge ruled a candidate for a state judicial seat in Houston ineligible for the March primary election, finding the candidate violated the state's Election Code by trying to coerce her opponent into withdrawing from the race.

Maurene Comey Fights DOJ Bid To Toss Firing Suit

By Emily Sawicki

Former Manhattan federal prosecutor Maurene Comey has urged a New York federal court to reject the U.S. Department of Justice's bid to dismiss her firing suit, arguing her claims belong before the district court and not under the jurisdiction of a non-independent board now controlled by the president.

The Supreme Court's Week: By The Numbers

By Jack Karp

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in four cases this week, including two highly anticipated ones over states' efforts to stop transgender girls from playing in girls’ sports, while also issuing three opinions, finding in one that political candidates can challenge election laws. Here, Law360 Pulse takes a data-driven dive into the week that was at the high court.

GrayRobinson Brings On Former Assistant US Atty In Florida

By Madison Arnold

GrayRobinson PA has bolstered its ranks in Orlando, Florida, with the addition of a former assistant U.S. attorney as a shareholder.

Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

By Sarah Martinson

The legal industry had another action-packed week with more lateral moves, leadership changes and C-suite promotions. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

Watchdog Urges Blanche To Exit Trump Records Role

By Courtney Bublé

A watchdog organization is calling on Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to step aside as President Donald Trump's proxy for records from his first term as they become available next week, saying he has a conflict of interest.

Retired Federal Judge Joins JAMS In Philadelphia

By James Boyle

Alternative dispute resolution provider JAMS has added to its ranks in the Philadelphia office a former U.S. magistrate judge who moved his practice after four years with Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads LLP.

Law Grad's Malpractice Claims Are Time-Barred, Atty Says

By Emily Sawicki

A Vanderbilt Law School graduate who said that as a teenager his lawyer bungled his criminal defense by convincing him to plead guilty to a crime he did not commit cannot pursue legal malpractice claims, according to a Connecticut lawyer, who told the federal court the suit was filed too late.

Georgia Magistrate Judge Resigns Amid Ethics Investigation

By Lynn LaRowe

The chief judge of the Telfair County Magistrate Court in Georgia has resigned as part of a deal to resolve ethics allegations concerning his purportedly ex parte communications and "extrajudicial activity" with litigants at a rental home he owns.

Supreme Court Hacker Pleads Guilty To Misdemeanor Charge

By Jared Foretek

A 24-year-old Tennessee man pled guilty Friday to a single misdemeanor charge for hacking into the U.S. Supreme Court's filing system and several other government networks, admitting that he "intentionally accessed a computer without authorization" on 25 different days in 2023.

Dykema Adds Former Assistant US Attorney In Los Angeles

By James Mills

Dykema Gossett PLLC is growing its litigation team, bringing in a former assistant U.S. attorney as senior counsel in its Los Angeles office.

As Goldstein Trial Begins, Gov't Points To 'Lavish' Lifestyle

By Jared Foretek

An accountant for billionaire investor Alec Gores said that Thomas Goldstein had suggested he open a foreign account for Gores' poker-related transactions or even classify him as a professional player for tax purposes, although Gores was just getting started in the high-stakes poker world.

Judiciary AI Rule Draws Fire As Judges Get Deepfakes Survey

By Jeff Overley

Federal judiciary policymakers heard extensive concerns Thursday regarding high-profile plans to formally screen evidence generated with artificial intelligence, and they set the stage for more feedback by preparing an AI survey for every federal trial judge.

Ga. Election Board Disputes $435K Cost For County Records

By Kelcey Caulder

Georgia's State Election Board has challenged the estimated $435,000 that Fulton County's elections director said it would have to pay to obtain the county's 2020 presidential election records.

Ex-Judge Sues Atlanta For Wrongful Arrest, Excessive Force

By Emily Johnson

A former Douglas County Probate Judge has alleged that the City of Atlanta improperly trumped up a narrative that she committed violent felony crimes — although those charges were dismissed — after a city police officer wrongfully arrested her outside of a nightclub and used excessive force, including "slamm[ing] Plaintiff head-first to the ground."