DC Pulse


  • Justices Seek More Briefing In Chicago National Guard Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court requested additional briefing Wednesday in relation to the Trump administration's request to send hundreds of federalized National Guard troops into Chicago, deferring for at least one more week the court's decision on whether to lift an Illinois federal judge's order barring the deployment.

  • Alabama Solicitor General Confirmed To Federal Bench

    The Senate voted 51-47 along party lines on Wednesday to confirm Alabama Solicitor General Edmund G. LaCour Jr. to the Northern District of Alabama.

  • Wait_Amanda_L.jpg

    Ex-FTC Atty To Lead Michael Best's New Antitrust Team

    Michael Best & Friedrich LLP has established a new antitrust practice, hiring the deputy chair of the antitrust and competition practice from DLA Piper LLP in Washington, D.C., who brings a former Federal Trade Commission attorney's perspective to the role, the firm announced this week.

  • Michael_Wain_9437_4000x6000_Col (1).jpg

    Akin Adds Int'l Trade Adviser From Treasury Department

    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP announced Tuesday that it has hired the former deputy assistant director for policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control as a senior policy adviser to its international trade practice.

  • iStock-2207142079.jpg

    Mid-Law Firms Exercise Caution In Limited Spending For AI

    With smaller legal technology budgets than their BigLaw cousins, Mid-Law firms are cautiously making investments in AI tools with an eye on utilizing the technology in low-risk and cost-effective ways.

  • iStock-1289091850.jpg

    4 Ways Associates Can Ace Their Annual Review This Year

    It’s year-end review time. How can associates put themselves in the best position possible to advance their careers? Here are four tips.

  • DC Bar Flags Ethics Risks For Law Firm Deals With Gov't

    A District of Columbia Bar committee said in a new opinion that law firms and attorneys must consider conflicts of interest and other possible ethics issues before entering into agreements with the government that may "limit or shape their law practices."

  • Steven Hill.png

    Former NATO Adviser Heads To UN For Legal Affairs Role

    A former legal adviser at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been appointed to serve the United States in the position of assistant secretary-general for legal affairs at the United Nations.

  • Sen._Chuck_Grassley_89070.jpg

    Grassley Calls On Judiciary To Formally Regulate AI Use

    Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is calling on the federal judiciary to set formal policies regarding artificial intelligence after he exposed two mishaps involving federal judges in New Jersey and Mississippi.

  • Senate Confirms Florida State Judge To Federal Seat

    The Senate voted on Tuesday 52-47, along party lines, to confirm Florida state appellate Judge Jordan Emery Pratt to the Middle District of Florida.

  • Trump_Russia_Probe_22884.jpg

    Comey Gets Backing Of Ex-DOJ Officials, Lawmakers, Judges

    More than 100 former U.S. Department of Justice officials, a group of former federal judges and U.S. attorneys, current and former members of Congress, and a nonprofit focused on defending democracy are all backing former FBI Director James Comey's effort to nix his criminal prosecution.

  • James Dawson.png

    FERC Chair From V&E Taps Another Firm Atty As GC

    Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairwoman Laura Swett, a former Vinson & Elkins LLP energy attorney, has named another V&E energy lawyer based in the nation's capital as the agency's next general counsel.

  • iStock-521810911.jpg

    The 2025 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard

    Check out the Law360 Pulse Leaderboard to see which firms are leaders in all-around excellence this year.

  • How Leaderboard Firms Define Success

    The 2025 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard law firms are balancing business strength with social responsibility, global reach with local impact, and the ability to lead complex matters while meeting clients' evolving needs. Law360 caught up with firm leaders from this year’s Leaderboard to discuss what success looks like, and how they are positioning their firms for the future.

  • iStock-952980894.jpg

    The Litigation Reach Of The 100 Practice Footprint Firms

    The top 100 firms on Law360's 2025 Practice Footprint ranking have left a clear mark across federal district courts. Our interactive map shows where each firm has appeared in district court cases over the past three years — revealing the breadth of each firm's national reach.

  • iStock-822454888.jpg

    These Firms Top The 2025 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard

    What makes a law firm stand out in a crowded field of top-tier competitors? What does it take to be a well-rounded firm? Presenting the 2025 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard — showcasing the firms that demonstrate excellence on measures of prestige, responsible business practices, and the reach of their legal work.

  • iStock-2066896181.jpg

    The 2025 Practice Footprint Ranking: How Firms Stack Up

    These 100 firms stand out for their impressive litigation footprints and transactions work. See who's leading the pack across four categories: variety of cases, range of jurisdictions, closing large merger and acquisition deals, and handling registered offerings.

  • Carl Hahn.png

    Steptoe Adds AI Leader To Investigations, White Collar Team

    Steptoe LLP has hired an AI governance, compliance and regulatory expert who spent decades in C-suite leadership roles with IBM and Northrop Grumman and most recently helped found a legal technology company with a Steptoe partner who joined last month.

  • Senate Confirms 7th Circ., Alabama Judicial Picks

    The U.S. Senate voted on Monday to confirm Rebecca Taibleson, a federal prosecutor in Wisconsin, to the Seventh Circuit, and Justice Bill Lewis of the Alabama Supreme Court to the Middle District of Alabama.

  • 8th Circ. Jurist To Take Senior Status, Giving Trump Open Seat

    U.S. Circuit Judge William Duane Benton of the Eighth Circuit notified the judiciary on Friday that he plans to step back from active service, opening up another seat on the court for President Donald Trump to fill, according to the federal judiciary's online list of future judiciary vacancies.

  • Judge To Decide If Trump's Jan. 6 Docs Stay Confidential

    A D.C. federal judge will review a trove of documents containing communications between officials from the first Trump administration and attorneys for his 2020 campaign to decide whether they can be kept from discovery in a lawsuit over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

  • Government_Buildings_87825.jpg

    Fired DOJ Attys' Suits May Test Gov't Workers' Protections

    Two lawsuits from fired U.S. Department of Justice attorneys may set the U.S. Supreme Court up to decide between presidential authority and civil service job protections, giving the justices an "unprecedented" chance to reassess the nearly 50-year-old safeguards for lower-ranking government workers.

  • Latham__Watkins_LLP__Aaron_Amundson_Counsel.jpg

    Latham Hires 19-Year Commerce Dept. Vet In DC As Counsel

    Latham & Watkins LLP has hired a 19-year veteran of the U.S. Department of Commerce, who most recently was the acting director of an office that oversaw a number of export controls, the firm announced Monday.

  • imgi_3_Carlucci,Matt_w_VRl534R.jpg

    Reed Smith Corporate Atty Rejoins Morris Manning In DC

    Ahead of Morris Manning & Martin LLP's impending merger with Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, the firm announced Monday that a corporate attorney has rejoined its ranks in Washington, D.C., after a stint with Reed Smith LLP.

  • Tom Hafen.png

    Morgan & Morgan's New Marketing Head Talks Legal Ads

    Personal injury juggernaut Morgan & Morgan PA has hired a new chief marketing officer who comes aboard from Geico to oversee Morgan & Morgan's national advertising efforts, with ambitions to help the firm shake up legal advertising and reach consumers with a message that resonates at a time when institutional trust is low.

Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the DC Pulse archive.

Expert Analysis

  • Legal Briefs Can Benefit From Cleaned Up Case Citations Author Photo

    Federal courts have recently been changing the way they quote decisions to omit insignificant details and string cites, and lawyers should consider adopting this practice to enhance the readability of their briefs — as long as accuracy stays top of mind, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.

  • 5 Best Practices For Firms Designing DEI Programs Author Photo

    Nikki Lewis Simon, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Greenberg Traurig, discusses best practices — and some pitfalls to avoid — for law firms looking to build programs aimed at driving inclusion in the workplace.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs Author Photo

    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Juggle Billables And Other Activities? Author Photo

    While involvement in internal firm initiatives can be rewarding both personally and professionally, associates' billable time requirements don’t leave much room for other work, meaning they must develop strategies to ensure they’re meeting all of their commitments while remaining balanced, says Melanie Webber at Fisher Phillips.

  • Making Legal Cents: How To Adapt As Clients Tighten Budgets Author Photo

    Amid a dip in corporate legal spending and client pushback on bills, Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants highlights specific in-house counsel frustrations and explains how firms can provide customized legal advice with costs that are supported by undeniable value.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents Author Photo

    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • General Counsel And Legal Ops Must Work Together Author Photo

    It is critical for general counsel to ensure that a legal operations leader is viewed not only as a peer, but as a strategic leader for the organization, and there are several actionable ways general counsel can not only become more involved, but help champion legal operations teams and set them up for success, says Mary O'Carroll at Ironclad.

  • How Generative AI's Growing Memory Affects Lawyers Author Photo

    A new ChatGPT feature that can remember user information across different conversations has broad implications for attorneys, whose most pressing questions for the AI tool are usually based on specific, and large, datasets, says legal tech adviser Eric Wall.

  • A Model For Optimal Legal Tech Investment Strategy Author Photo

    Legal organizations struggling to work out the right technology investment strategy may benefit from using a matrix for legal department efficiency that is based on an understanding of where workloads belong, according to the basic functions and priorities of a corporate legal team, says Sylvain Magdinier at Integreon.

  • Series

    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Recruiter Author Photo

    Self-proclaimed "Lawyer Doula" Danielle Thompson at Major Lindsey shares how she went from Columbia Law School graduate and BigLaw employment associate to a career in legal recruiting — and discovered a passion for advocacy along the way.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Balance Social Activism With My Job? Author Photo

    Corporate attorneys pursuing social justice causes outside of work should consider eight guidelines for finding equilibrium between their beliefs and their professional duties and reputation, say Diedrick Graham, Debra Friedman and Simeon Brier at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Personality Tests And Machine Learning Applications In Law Author Photo

    Mateusz Kulesza at McDonnell Boehnen looks at potential applications of personality testing based on machine learning techniques for law firms, and the implications this shift could have for lawyers, firms and judges, including how it could make the work of judges and other legal decision-makers much more difficult.

  • AI Is Reshaping Lawyering: What To Expect In 2024 Author Photo

    The future of lawyering is not about the wholesale replacement of attorneys by artificial intelligence, but as AI handles more of the routine legal work, the role of lawyers will evolve to be more strategic, requiring the development of competencies beyond traditional legal skills, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Embrace Active Voice In Legal Writing — In Most Cases Author Photo

    Legal writers should strive to craft sentences in the active voice to promote brevity and avoid ambiguities that can spark litigation, but writing in the passive voice is sometimes appropriate — when it's a moral choice and not a grammatical failure, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona's James E. Rogers College of Law.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Help Associates Turn Down Work? Author Photo

    Marina Portnova at Lowenstein Sandler discusses what partners can do to aid their associates in setting work-life boundaries, especially around after-hours assignment availability.

×

Law360

Law360 Law360 UK Law360 Tax Authority Law360 Employment Authority Law360 Insurance Authority Law360 Real Estate Authority Law360 Healthcare Authority Law360 Bankruptcy Authority

Rankings

Leaderboard Analytics Social Impact Leaders Prestige Leaders Pulse Leaderboard Women in Law Report Law360 400 Diversity Snapshot Rising Stars Summer Associates

National Sections

Modern Lawyer Courts Daily Litigation In-House Mid-Law Legal Tech Small Law Insights

Regional Sections

California Pulse Connecticut Pulse DC Pulse Delaware Pulse Florida Pulse Georgia Pulse New Jersey Pulse New York Pulse Pennsylvania Pulse Texas Pulse

Site Menu

Subscribe Advanced Search About Contact