DC Pulse


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    Choice Of Trump's Attys For Bench Worries Some, Not Others

    President Donald Trump is drawing from a pool of his own personal lawyers to fill some seats on the federal bench — a change in strategy from his first term that some experts say is unremarkable, but that others worry will undermine the legitimacy of the courts.

  • Senate Advances Mont. Judge Pick Rated Unqualified By ABA

    A judicial nominee for the District of Montana who was the only nominee of the second Trump administration so far to receive a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association advanced out of committee on Thursday.

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    Law Firm Real Estate Report

    An active April saw several law firms around the country expand their footprints into new markets and move their teams into new spaces.

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    Sheppard Adds 15 Perkins Trial Attys As It Targets IP Growth

    Sheppard announced another major addition to its intellectual property practice on Thursday, welcoming a 15-lawyer litigation team from Perkins Coie that includes five partners.

  • Judiciary Advisers Back Looser Limits On Defense Subpoenas

    A campaign by white collar defense lawyers against long-standing limits on subpoena powers cleared a key hurdle Wednesday when federal judiciary advisers endorsed earlier and easier access to potentially favorable evidence despite staunch resistance from crime victims' advocates.

  • CFTC Taps Agency Veteran To Run Its Whistleblower Office

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced Wednesday that it has named as the director of its whistleblower office an agency litigation attorney who also has experience as a trial attorney in its enforcement division.

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    Demand Rebound, Rising Rates Fuel BigLaw Revenue Jump

    BigLaw firms had a strong first quarter of 2026, driven by ever-increasing billing rates and higher-than-expected demand for legal services, according to survey results released Wednesday.

  • Robinhood Hires Morgan Lewis Atty For Senior Counsel Role

    A former Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP attorney has moved to Robinhood to join the financial trading platform's litigation and regulatory enforcement team. 

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    Incoming, Outgoing Strategy Inc. GCs Earned $8.4M In 2025

    The incoming and outgoing legal leaders of bitcoin treasury company Strategy Inc. earned just over a combined $8.4 million last year, according to a recent securities filing.

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    GrayRobinson Faces More Suits Over 2025 Data Breach

    After being hit with a proposed class action accusing GrayRobinson PA of negligence following the revelation of a March 2025 data breach, the Florida-based firm is now facing two further suits regarding the same incident.

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    Fenwick Adds 5-Atty IP Team From Winston & Strawn

    Fenwick & West LLP announced Wednesday it has welcomed a team of five attorneys from Winston & Strawn LLP, saying their additions "[deepen] Fenwick's patent litigation work across telecommunications, hardware, software, and semiconductors."

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    Life After BigLaw: These Attys Found Freedom At Boutiques

    Former BigLaw attorneys who are now practicing at boutiques are grateful for their experiences at those large law companies, but they are finding a small law arrangement gives them more control over their practices.

  • Former AG Bondi To Appear Before House Committee May 29

    Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will appear before the House oversight committee on May 29, committee Republicans said Wednesday.

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    Hogan Lovells Rehires Baker McKenzie Chair As Partner In DC

    Hogan Lovells has rehired an attorney who was most recently the chair of Baker McKenzie's U.S. healthcare and life sciences regulatory practice, who advises life sciences, food, consumer platform and technology companies.

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    BigLaw Associate Gives Partner Kidney — And Saves His Life

    Thompson Coburn LLP associate Hope Watson had never spoken to partner Bernie Citron before deciding to give him a life-saving kidney donation last year.

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    Associates Are Facing Shifting, Unclear In-Office Policies

    Law firm policies on in-office work are in flux and often require reading between the lines of office culture and leader preferences in order to fully comply, a reality that's driving a high degree of frustration in the industry, according to recruiters who work with lateral associate candidates.

  • Justices Limit Voting Rights Act Suits While Voiding La. Map

    The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Louisiana's congressional map containing two majority-Black voting districts Wednesday and further limited the Voting Rights Act's use in challenging racial discrimination in legislative redistricting — a decision the dissent claims completes the conservative majority's "demolition" of the seminal civil rights law.

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    Justices Wary Of Cisco's Bid To Avoid Aiding Torture Claims

    The U.S. Supreme Court seemed skeptical Tuesday of Cisco Systems Inc.'s argument that the Alien Tort Statute categorically bars claims for aiding and abetting alleged human rights violations, with several justices suggesting the viability of such claims should turn on the facts of each specific case. 

  • GrayRobinson Sued Over 'Reckless' Data Security Measures

    GrayRobinson PA has been hit with a proposed class action accusing the Florida-based firm of negligence following the revelation of a March 2025 data breach that exposed the personal data of around 65,000 people.

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    Jenner & Block Hires 10-Year WilmerHale Litigator In DC

    Jenner & Block LLP has hired a former WilmerHale partner who spent the past decade there working on commercial litigation, including class actions, government-facing litigation and consumer protection disputes, the firm announced Tuesday.

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    HSF Kramer Appoints Belfast Lead As ALSP Managing Partner

    Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP on Tuesday announced the appointment of a partner who has been with the firm for over two decades as its new managing partner of digital legal delivery, its alternative legal services practice.

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    Sidley Adds Another Finance Atty, This Time In DC

    Sidley Austin LLP has hired a Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP sponsor finance counsel to its Washington, D.C., team who has about 20 years of experience working with a range of financial entities on transactional matters.

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    AI-Powered Legal Ops Is Starting To Pay Off On Deals

    A new study supports what some legal industry experts have been saying for months — an AI-driven legal operating model is taking over the contract management industry and has begun giving companies a real return on their investment. 

  • 2nd Trump Judicial Nominee Questioned Over Fla. State Case

    For the second time in a year, a judicial nominee for a Florida federal court is under scrutiny for allegedly presiding over a state level case involving President Donald Trump while being considered for a federal judgeship.

  • Ex-Federal Workers Seek Reinstatement In Md. Federal Court

    The Trump administration disguised ideologically motivated firings as routine layoffs, then pushed workers into a broken system to challenge their discharges, a group of laid-off federal workers alleged, asking a Maryland federal judge to deem the layoffs unconstitutional and reinstate the workers to their former positions.

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Expert Analysis

  • How Clients Can Make The Most Of Law Firm Partner Moves Author Photo

    Outside counsel’s lateral career moves can create uncertainty and disruption for companies, but if managed strategically, in-house legal teams can leverage partner mobility for more complete service, better pricing and stronger relationships with their law firms, says Theodore Edelman at GCE Advisors.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: Countering 4 AI Efficiency Myths Author Photo

    Perceived efficiency gains from artificial intelligence can create unsustainable workload expectations for in-house legal departments, so general counsel must proactively educate executives, reframe assumptions and tie legal judgment to business outcomes, say Karineh Khachatourian at KXT Law and Catie Cambridge at Docsum.

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    Notes From A Partner-In-Charge On Lateral Hiring Strategy Author Photo

    In regional recruiting, firms that stand out to laterals can articulate a clear vision that connects local insight with global opportunity, demonstrate a culture that is lived rather than stated, and offer genuine room for growth, says Jason Novak, leader of Norton Rose's San Francisco office.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Team Up With Marketing Author Photo

    There are several ways attorneys can engage with resources already at their fingertips in the form of their in-house law firm marketing departments, which can help you gain some visibility, earn kudos and build a solid book of business, say Ada Kase and Liz Lindley at Jaffe PR.

  • Biz Dev Impostor Syndrome May Actually Be Good Judgment Author Photo

    Attributing lawyers’ sense of unease with business development to self-doubt or weakness may misidentify an important source of discomfort — a keen intuition that an ask isn’t yet appropriate for the relationship — and lead to advice that ultimately backfires, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Can I Handle Unproductive Feedback? Author Photo

    Maggie Potter at Segal McCambridge offers advice for associates who receive unproductive criticism from superiors and tips for gently pushing back with an eye to growth and efficiency.

  • How To Prep As Private Equity Starts Investing In Law Firms Author Photo

    Law firms eyeing legal services organization models, which allow outside capital to support nonlegal business functions while preserving lawyer ownership, can prepare for the expansion of private equity investment in the area by balancing commercial objectives and compliance imperatives, say attorneys at Rivkin Radler.

  • What Legal Leaders Can Learn From Marine Corps Principles Author Photo

    The small-unit leadership principles that are foundational to the U.S. Marine Corps experience — from tight feedback loops to top-down tactfulness — offer a blueprint for addressing leadership gaps that persist in the legal profession, says Edet Nsemo at Tucker Ellis.

  • Venture Capital Practices Can Improve Law Firm Lateral Hiring Author Photo

    As law firms pursue increasingly ambitious growth goals in a competitive market for talent, they should consider supplementing traditional lateral hiring due diligence with practices inspired by the venture capitalist framework, says Henry O’Connor at Jones Walker.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2026 Author Photo

    After a pivotal year for the legal industry, lawyers and their clients face an evolving litigation finance landscape in 2026 that will be shaped by developments ranging from new policies governing patent lawsuits to the reemergence of appellate monetization funding, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Think Like A Waiter Author Photo

    To convert casually interested restaurant patrons into satisfied, repeat customers, a good waiter relies on four service-oriented habits that proactive attorneys can borrow to cultivate lasting client relationships, say attorneys at Maynard Nexsen.

  • 6 Strategies To Set Up New CCOs For Success Author Photo

    As demand for chief compliance officers rises among a growing range of complex issues, organizations looking to hire and retain top-notch CCOs can adopt a series of strategies including defining success metrics and allowing the CCO to build a team, says Cara Bain at Major Lindsey.

  • Making Legal Cents: How Firms Can Navigate 2026 Trends Author Photo

    From the adoption of artificial intelligence infrastructure to increasing client attrition, a number of trends will likely define the legal industry in 2026, and law firms will need to strategically lean into these shifts to gain a competitive advantage, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

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    Notes From A Partner-In-Charge On Integrating Lateral Talent Author Photo

    When done thoughtfully through three strategies, bringing laterals into the fold can propel growth and create significant business opportunities that enhance the law firm's cultural fabric, says James Sullivan, leader of Alston & Bird's New York office.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: Drafting As AI Alters Admin Of Law Author Photo

    As generative artificial intelligence tools become embedded in mainstream legal practice, they are reshaping the administration of law itself, from how experts document and validate their work to how joint defense teams operate, demanding a new level of contractual clarity and operational discipline, says Karineh Khachatourian at KXT Law.

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