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The Delaware Chancery Court's longest serving magistrate has been given a new title in recognition of her leadership and work handling administrative duties to help ensure the court's hectic caseload is managed.
Rawle & Henderson LLP has hired for its Delaware office an attorney who formerly worked at several other firms, including most recently at Zarwin Baum DeVito Kaplan Schaer Toddy PC, and who focuses his practice on liability, insurance coverage and other matters.
While for many the new year begins with resolutions to slim down, several firms across the U.S. have started 2025 either a little bit larger or with plans to get bigger.
Bonus news continued over the holiday week, with several law firms announcing they'll follow or exceed Milbank LLP's lead on 2024 associate bonuses, and others reversing their stance on special bonuses, according to memos shared with Law360 Pulse and media reports.
The popularity of U.S. law firm combinations surged in 2024, with announcements increasing by about a dozen year-over-year and approaching historic heights, according to data collected by Law360 Pulse, but law firm merger consultants say a robust pipeline of deal talks could mean a busier 2025.
As he prepared to end his lengthy tenure on the Delaware Chancery Court bench, Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock III told Law360 Pulse recently it had been a joy to serve, while also expressing concern about an increasingly difficult environment judges have to navigate.
Mid-Law leaders entering 2025 say that they are optimistic about the new year but also focused on potential challenges, such as the rise of generative artificial intelligence tools, succession planning and ensuring that any growth they are experiencing is sustainable.
Some modest reforms to the federal courts may be enacted in the coming years, but major changes championed by Democrats and judicial reform activists are likely "dead in the water" now that Republicans will be controlling Congress and the White House in 2025, reform advocates say.
The $15 billion U.S. litigation finance industry has come a long way in recent years, but demands for more transparency from pro-business groups and the defense bar could present a significant challenge in the year ahead.
Abortion access, education funding and mandatory prison sentences are among the high-profile issues on state supreme courts' dockets in 2025, as attorneys and activists increasingly turn away from the U.S. Supreme Court and instead look to the states to protect certain constitutional rights, experts say.
Figuring out how to best use generative artificial intelligence tools in the practice of law, attracting and retaining talent in a competitive legal market, maintaining Delaware's place in the corporate law space, the state of the economy, and the incoming presidential administration are among issues Delaware legal leaders are focused on as 2025 kicks off.
As the calendar turns from 2024 to 2025, small-firm attorneys and solo practitioners across the U.S. are facing a constellation of new and old issues, from dealing with new regulations to confronting the longstanding challenges of keeping a small business alive.
Incoming President Donald Trump will take office Jan. 20 with 45 seats on the federal bench to fill. Currently, there are 39 empty seats on U.S. district and circuit courts and 6 pending vacancies due to announced retirements and plans to take senior status, three of which opened on Dec. 31 and another that opened Jan. 2.
After an eventful 2024, industry experts are looking ahead to what might be the big topics in legal ethics in the new year, including the ethics implications of artificial intelligence and ethics opinions that may be relevant to attorneys in the incoming second Trump administration.
Law firms have experienced rapid change and growth in recent years, and 2025 will likely be no different. Firm leaders told Law360 Pulse they are bracing to respond quickly to a number of different opportunities likely to arise in the new year.
President Joe Biden vetoed a bill Monday that would have added more federal judgeships, despite the judiciary's plea that more seats on the bench are needed desperately.
Public confidence in state courts seems to be rising at the same time that trust in the federal courts and overall judicial system is plummeting, according to recent surveys that paint drastically divergent pictures of people's faith in state and national judicial systems.
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP and Alston & Bird LLP told associates Monday they'd be receiving year-end bonuses that meet the prevailing scale for large law firms set by Milbank LLP in November — as long as they meet certain billable hours requirements, according to media reports.
Katya Cronin, a professor at George Washington University Law School and former BigLaw attorney, argued in a recent academic paper that law schools need to do more to encourage students to examine their personal values and pursue legal careers in line with them.
A lot can happen in a year for small firms. Law360 Pulse caught up with four, some just getting started and others with long legacies, to talk about what their 2024 looked like.
In a tradition stretching back just over a quarter century, Blank Rome LLP taps into the Washington, D.C., community by hosting a competition for students at a local arts-focused high school to submit designs for the annual holiday card sent out to the firm’s thousands of clients.
You're a rock star associate in your fourth or fifth year trying to make partner, and you just got an average review after previously receiving high marks. Although it's tempting to panic, experts say it's possible to come back after such setbacks by being proactive.
Jurists weighed the benefits of partisan elections, praised innovations in telehearings and worried about the future of the profession in nearly a dozen interviews with Law360 this year.
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC announced Friday it has hired Reed Smith's global director of financial intelligence as its firmwide chief financial officer.
U.S. law firms are set to close out 2024 with near-record increases in revenue and profits, according to industry surveys. Here, a look at how seven law firm leaders are planning to reinvest the windfall.
While international agreements for space law have remained relatively unchanged since their creation decades ago, the rapid pace of change in U.S. laws and policies is creating opportunities for both new and veteran lawyers looking to break into this exciting realm, in either the private sector or government, says Michael Dodge at the University of North Dakota.
Series
Ask A Mentor: What Makes A Successful Summer Associate?Navigating a few densely packed weeks at a law firm can be daunting for summer associates, but those who are prepared to seize opportunities and not afraid to ask questions will be set up for success, says Julie Crisp at Latham.
Law firms can attract the right summer associate candidates and help students see what makes a program unique by using carefully crafted messaging and choosing the best ambassadors to deliver it, says Tamara McClatchey, director of career services at the University of Chicago Law School.
Opinion
Judges Deserve Congress' Commitment To Their SafetyFollowing the tragic attack on U.S. District Judge Esther Salas' family last summer and amid rising threats against the judiciary, legislation protecting federal judges' personal information and enhancing security measures at courthouses is urgently needed, says U.S. District Judge Roslynn Mauskopf, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
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Ask A Mentor: How Can Recalcitrant Attys Use Social Media?Social media can be intimidating for reluctant lawyers but it can also be richly rewarding, as long as attorneys remember that professional accounts will always reflect on their firms and colleagues, and follow some best practices to avoid embarrassment, says Sean Marotta at Hogan Lovells.
Neville Eisenberg and Mark Grayson at BCLP explain how they sped up contract execution for one client by replacing email with a centralized, digital tool for negotiations and review, and how the principles they adhered to can be helpful for other law firms looking to improve poorly managed contract management processes.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can Firms Coach Associates Remotely?Practicing law through virtual platforms will likely persist even after the pandemic, so law firms and senior lawyers should consider refurbishing their associate mentoring programs to facilitate personal connections, professionalism and effective training in a remote environment, says Carol Goodman at Herrick Feinstein.
As the U.S. observes Autism Acceptance Month, autistic attorney Haley Moss describes the societal barriers and stereotypes that keep neurodivergent lawyers from disclosing their disabilities, and how law firms can better accommodate and level the playing field for attorneys whose minds work outside of the prescribed norm.
Many legal technology vendors now sell artificial intelligence and machine learning tools at a premium price tag, but law firms must take the time to properly evaluate them as not all offerings generate process efficiencies or even use the technologies advertised, says Steven Magnuson at Ballard Spahr.
While chief legal officers are increasingly involved in creating corporate diversity, inclusion and anti-bigotry policies, all lawyers have a responsibility to be discrimination busters and bias interrupters regardless of the title they hold, says Veta T. Richardson at the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Every lawyer can begin incorporating aspects of software development in their day-to-day practice with little to no changes in their existing tools or workflow, and legal organizations that take steps to encourage this exploration of programming can transform into tech incubators, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
As junior associates increasingly report burnout, work-life conflict and loneliness during the pandemic, law firms should take tangible actions to reduce the stigma around seeking help, and to model desired well-being behaviors from the top down, say Stacey Whiteley at the New York State Bar Association and Robin Belleau at Kirkland.
As clients increasingly want law firms to serve as innovation platforms, firms must understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach — the key is a nimble innovation function focused on listening and knowledge sharing, says Mark Brennan at Hogan Lovells.
In addition to establishing their brand from scratch, women who start their own law firms must overcome inherent bias against female lawyers and convince prospective clients to put aside big-firm preferences, says Joel Stern at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.
Jane Jeong at Cooley shares how grueling BigLaw schedules and her own perfectionism emotionally bankrupted her, and why attorneys struggling with burnout should consider making small changes to everyday habits.