DC Pulse


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    Judiciary Panel Punts AI Rules, Mulls Judges' Survey Results

    Buckle up: Efforts to modernize evidentiary rules amid artificial intelligence fears are getting bumpy, as judiciary advisers Thursday agreed to dramatically delay action while digesting an AI survey of nearly 1,000 judges and organizing a symposium of litigators and tech pros.

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    AI Native Firms Gain Foothold In Changing Legal Industry

    "AI native" law firms are a growing phenomenon sitting at the intersection of artificial intelligence and rising tide of outside investment in the legal industry, aiming to use legal technology to automate work and overhaul the law firm business model — while doing away with the billable hour in the process.

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    Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Logo Looks To History, Credibility

    Last month, Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP pulled back the curtain on how their leaders are thinking about the firms' combination.

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    King & Spalding Adds Congressional Health Policy Duo In DC

    Two former congressional staffers experienced in health policy recently joined King & Spalding LLP in its Washington, D.C., office, the firm announced this week.

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    Stinson Real Estate Finance Atty Joins Reed Smith In DC

    Reed Smith LLP has hired a Stinson LLP lawyer who focuses her practice on real estate finance matters, renewable energy tax credit and new market tax credit issues, the firm has announced.

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    FBI Assistant GC Joins FBI Alum At Fenwick

    Fenwick & West LLP has hired the former assistant general counsel of the FBI, who will work as a counsel to support technology and life sciences companies and who is rejoining the former FBI director's chief of staff in the Washington, D.C., office.

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    How Brighton Marine's First-Ever GC Grew Into The COO Role

    Adam Hellman has experienced several "firsts" since he joined Brighton Marine less than a year ago — including serving as the first-ever general counsel and chief operating officer at the veterans-focused nonprofit, as well as navigating a novel issue related to a resident's hospice care.

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    Roberts Says High Court's Job Is To Make Unpopular Rulings

    Chief Justice John Roberts said Wednesday that the U.S. Supreme Court often must issue "unpopular" opinions, as the high court faces widespread backlash over its recent ruling limiting the Voting Rights Act's use in challenging racial discrimination in congressional redistricting.

  • ACLU Seeks Full DC Circ. Review Of CECOT Contempt Halt

    The American Civil Liberties Union is asking for the full D.C. Circuit to review a panel's 2-1 decision halting U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg's criminal contempt inquiry into U.S. Department of Homeland Security flights that took 250 immigrants to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison last year.

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    DLA Piper Names 62 New Partners, Including 24 In US

    DLA Piper announced Wednesday that 62 attorneys have joined its global partnership ranks, as of May 1, with the U.S. logging more promotions to partner than other regions, with 24 total.

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    Which GCs Sold Stock In April? Venture Global And More

    April showered some legal chiefs with stock sale profits, and Keith Larson at Venture Global soaked up $13.9 million last month. Meanwhile, Paul Mahon at United Therapeutics wiped up $9.5 million, and Chevron's R. Hewitt Pate reported earning $8.57 on his sales.

  • Judge Won't Force Hunter Biden's Foreign Agent Registration

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge won't force the U.S. Department of Justice to register Hunter Biden as a foreign agent, dismissing a suit brought by a group founded by now-Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller because it can't establish it suffered an injury.

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    The Law School Legal Industry Job Tracker: Class Of 2025

    Want to know which schools are sending the highest percentage of graduates to BigLaw? How big a slice are landing those prized clerkships in federal or state courts? Explore the ins and outs of law school graduate placement in our interactive graphic.

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    The Top Law Schools For Legal Industry Jobs: A Data Review

    A law degree can lead to careers across law firms, government, business and public interest, according to the latest ABA data. See which schools stand out for placing graduates in BigLaw, federal and state clerkships, public interest roles and more.

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    Aiming For BigLaw? These Schools Deliver

    Law school students continue to set their sights on law firm jobs post-graduation, with interest in BigLaw roles holding strong. Here's a look at how those preferences are playing out and which schools are sending the highest percentage of graduates directly to BigLaw.

  • Miller & Chevalier Hires DOJ Nat'l Security Atty In DC

    Miller & Chevalier Chtd. has hired an attorney who spent the past nine years working in the federal government, most recently with the U.S. Department of Justice's National Security Division in a section focused on export controls and counterintelligence issues.

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    Seward & Kissel Adds Goldman Sachs VP As Group Co-Chair

    Seward & Kissel LLP has hired a former Goldman Sachs vice president to help co-lead its banking, payments and fintech practice, who has private practice experience and other perspective as a bank regulatory counsel, the firm announced Tuesday.

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    Firm Leaders Report Rising Rates Fueling Client Churn

    While rate increases are the primary driver of law firm revenue, legal leaders also fear those price hikes are leading to client churn, according to a report released Wednesday by marketing technology platform Passle.

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    Court Rule Changes Uncertain After Few Deepfake Challenges

    Very few federal judges have handled challenges to audiovisual evidence that litigants claim has been faked by artificial intelligence, raising questions about whether changes to the rules of evidence are actually necessary.

  • Senate Panels' Bills Would Steer $70B To Immigration

    Immigration enforcement would get nearly $70 billion between two budget reconciliation bills released by Senate committees on Monday.

  • Taft IP Litigators Join Saul Ewing's DC Practice

    Saul Ewing LLP has hired two Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP lawyers, who have more than four decades of combined experience as patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright litigators in courts across the country, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • Freshfields Adds Skadden White Collar Lawyer In DC, NY

    Freshfields LLP has hired a Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP white collar defense lawyer, who spent years working as a federal prosecutor investigating corporate financial crime, international money laundering and other related matters.

  • DOJ's In-House Detention Legal Aid Plan Is MIA

    A year ago, U.S. Department of Justice officials said the government would be taking over a program historically run by nonprofits to provide legal orientations and referrals for pro bono representation for adults in immigration detention facilities. But those involved in the program say the Trump administration hasn't taken any steps to run the program.

  • Justices Skip Wait To Remand Louisiana Election Map Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to remand to Louisiana district court a fight over the state's election map, which the justices just deemed an "unconstitutional racial gerrymander," bypassing the typical waiting period to allow state lawmakers to draw up a new map ahead of midterms. 

  • Military Atty Can Prosecute Minn. Civilian Despite Regulations

    A Minnesota federal judge won't stop a military attorney from being appointed to prosecute a civilian accused of assaulting federal immigration officers, despite finding that the appointment violates binding U.S. Department of Defense regulations.

Expert Analysis

  • How Private Equity Priorities Will Test The Law Firm Model Author Photo

    The biggest question about private equity moving into the legal sector is no longer whether it can financially succeed, but how law firms can contend with the unavoidable economic, institutional and ethical tensions introduced by external ownership without compromising their core professional commitments, say Kirsten Vasquez and Allison Rosner at Major Lindsey.

  • AI-Powered Search Demands New Legal Marketing Playbook Author Photo

    As potential clients use artificial intelligence tools instead of search engines when looking for counsel, it is a democratizing moment for specialized midsize firms and a compression threat for generalist big-firm brand positioning, says Ronn Torossian at 5WPR.

  • What Law Firm MSOs Can Learn From Accounting Co. Model Author Photo

    Private equity capital has been flowing into accounting firms for years, with investors developing creative structures to work within that field's specific ownership restrictions, and the framework developed by these transactions offers valuable insights for law firms looking for outside investment, says Russell Shapiro at Levenfeld Pearlstein.

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    Legal Tech Talks: StrongSuit CEO On The AI Gold Rush Author Photo

    Justin McCallon, CEO of StrongSuit, discusses how the potential for automation and insight generation with artificial intelligence is massive, but that in legal work, especially litigation, the margin for error is essentially zero.

  • How Leaders Can Foster Professional Growth With Feedback Author Photo

    When law firm leaders provide work product feedback by identifying errors instead of offering guiding input, they miss a key opportunity to treat feedback as a professional development and leadership tool, but several practices can help bridge the gap between intent and impact, says Janet Jackson at Well-Law.

  • Why Marketing Teams Are Vital For Law Firm AI Storytelling Author Photo

    Many law firms are using generic decks for multiple client presentations to articulate their artificial intelligence strategy, but in order to differentiate themselves, it's important to bring marketing teams into the fold to identify what's actually distinctive about how a firm uses AI, says Eric Greenberg at Cox Media.

  • Legal Marketing Conference Highlights Pivotal Time For Firms Author Photo

    The Legal Marketing Association's recent annual conference underscored how advances in artificial intelligence and shifting client expectations are causing law firms to evolve into more structured, data-driven businesses that place greater emphasis on strategy, implementation and measurable results, say Maria Aronson and Gina Rubel at Furia Rubel.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Build Relationship Habits Author Photo

    Meaningful relationships are foundational to business development, and they can be deliberately fostered through a set of habits for authentically, intentionally and consistently connecting with clients and colleagues — starting with people you already know and like, says Matthew Moran at V&E.

  • Legal Leaders Are Asking The Wrong Questions About AI Author Photo

    Artificial intelligence is already woven into everyday work for attorneys, so beyond questioning whether AI was used and approving such tools, legal leaders need to create a shared foundation for what good AI use looks like on their team, says Alex Denniston at Factor.

  • In-House Leaders Can Turn Contract Data Into Growth Insight Author Photo

    A company's contracts contain final, negotiated commercial commitments that reveal important growth, revenue and strategy insights, but for organizations that aren’t making two key structural changes, the information tends to remain within the legal department — untranslated and unused, says Shimane Smith at NerdWallet.

  • PE's Path In UK Legal Market Offers Playbook For US Firms Author Photo

    The U.K. offers 14 years' worth of data on private equity's involvement in the legal market, demonstrating for U.S. firms what worked, what didn’t and why, and illustrating several lessons about operational readiness, cultural fit and timing, says Tom Lenfestey at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • 8 Mistakes That Derail Law Firms' Sector Strategies Author Photo

    When firms attempt to deliberately organize their expertise, client relationships, business development, and thought leadership around specific industry verticals – sometimes called industry sector programs – several missteps commonly arise, but with discipline and alignment any firm can successfully grab market share, say Heidi Gardner at Harvard Law School and David Harvey at Harvey Global Consulting.

  • Making Legal Cents: A Strategic Plan For Lateral Partner Hires Author Photo

    Firms of all sizes are accelerating lateral hiring of experienced partners because investing in senior expertise can pay off big — but for such an investment to work, firms need a disciplined strategy for vetting candidates, supporting their integration, and ensuring they'll generate real returns, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • As AI Rewrites BigLaw Hiring, Mid-Law May Snag Edge Author Photo

    Similar to the way the transfer portal changed how many NCAA men’s basketball teams are built, artificial intelligence use in the legal industry is changing BigLaw’s lateral hiring market and creating a field where midmarket firms that develop their talent will hold an edge in the legal profession's next era, says Michael Ott at Ice Miller.

  • 5 Firm Structure Changes To Adequately Address Atty Burnout Author Photo

    While wellness programs, flexible schedules and mental health resources are meaningful steps toward addressing burnout in the legal industry, a more effective approach must involve a redesign of law firm incentive structures, says retired attorney Jason Ward.

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