DC Pulse


  • Judge Newman's Suspension Extended Once Again

    Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's suspension from hearing cases was extended by another year on Friday, in a unanimous opinion by the appeals court's 11 other judges.

  • JAG Corps Sent To DC To Fill 'Critical Vacancies'

    Military attorneys are being sent to prosecute crimes in Washington, D.C., as the Trump administration seeks to beef up prosecutions in the nation's capital as part of the federal surge of law enforcement.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Fifth Circuit vacated a pair of Biden-era regulations aimed at bolstering transparency in the short-selling market.

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    Judges Split On Moving Marshals Into Judiciary

    Federal judges disagree about the necessity of a proposal to move the U.S. Marshals Service out from under executive branch control over fears that President Donald Trump may order marshals to stop protecting federal judges who rule against him or not to enforce those judges' orders.

  • DOJ Swears In 3 New Board Of Immigration Appeals Members

    The Executive Office for Immigration Review announced Friday that three new Board of Immigration Appeals members — Sheila E. Gallow, Marcos Gemoets and Kathleen K. Volkert — were sworn in during a ceremony on Thursday.

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    Scores On July Bar Exam Rise Amid Dip In Test Takers

    The number of examinees passing the multistate bar exam in July continued to gain momentum, with near record highs seen this summer over the past 12 years, according to an announcement from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

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    PETA Foundation Taps Longtime CLO As Inaugural COO

    The PETA Foundation announced Thursday that Jeffrey Kerr, a lawyer whom the group calls the "longest-serving chief legal officer of any animal protection organization," will become its first-ever chief operating officer at the start of September.

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    Law360 Names Attys Who Moved Up The Firm Ranks In Q2

    A promotion to partner or election to practice group chair means a slew of new responsibilities and also lots of well-deserved recognition. Law360 reveals the list of attorneys whose commitment to legal excellence earned them highly coveted spots in the law firm leadership ranks. Find out if your old legal friends — or rivals — moved up in the second quarter of the year.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    BigLaw firms announced a slew of new hires this week as the legal industry sees August recede in the rearview mirror. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • Amid Firings, DOJ Opens Temp Judge Eligibility To Any Atty

    A new final rule that took effect Thursday removes prior restrictions on who can be a temporary immigration judge, opening the positions to any attorney and waiving the requirement for immigration law experience while the Trump administration continues firing permanent judges.

  • Wash. Sen. Opposes Full-Term Role For State's New US Atty

    The newly installed interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Washington at this juncture has not been nominated for the full-term role, but one of the state's Democratic senators is already vowing to prevent his confirmation.

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    In Their Words: Will AI Kill The Billable Hour?

    The rising use of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow attorneys to get work done faster is creating tension with the traditional model of billable hours. Here, six legal leaders give their take on whether AI will eliminate the billable hour.

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    MoFo Hires Chief Information Officer From Boston Consulting

    Morrison Foerster LLP has hired a longtime Boston Consulting Group executive, who the firm said in a Thursday announcement will implement its digital and artificial intelligence strategies and will be responsible for its digital transformation initiatives.

  • Tucker Ellis Names 2 Cleveland Attorneys As Practice Leaders

    Tucker Ellis LLP announced Thursday that a pair of experienced Cleveland-based attorneys have been named the firm's newest practice leaders.

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    First Chief PTAB Judge Remembered As Industrious Leader

    Colleagues and loved ones of James Donald Smith — the first chief judge of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board who died this spring — remembered him as a superb leader, talented violist and dear friend at a memorial service on Saturday that featured a reading of a letter from former President Barack Obama.

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    Law Firm Real Estate Report

    Several law firms in the Mid-Atlantic region experienced a busy month of office moves in August, with New Jersey in particular seeing a number of relocations.

  • DC Judicial Vacancy Crisis Could Be Easing Soon

    The White House is in the process of finalizing some judicial nominees for the vacancy-plagued Washington, D.C., local courts, an issue that has been highlighted by the federal government's takeover of D.C. law enforcement and the surge of National Guard troops to the nation's capital.

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    Adams & Reese Aviation Team Adds Former FAA Atty

    A regulatory attorney who focused on emerging technologies at the Federal Aviation Administration has joined Adams & Reese LLP, the firm announced this week.

  • Anderson Kill Rehires Atty In DC After Time At Hunton

    Anderson Kill has rehired an attorney from Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, who is rejoining the Washington, D.C., team as a shareholder to continue working on insurance recovery matters, the firm has announced.

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    In-House Counsel Group Names GE Appliances GC As CEO

    The Association of Corporate Counsel, the largest in-house counsel advocacy association, has named the vice president and general counsel of GE Appliances as its next president and CEO, effective in November, according to a Tuesday announcement.

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    Why This Small-Firm Lawyer Charges $3,000 Per Hour

    As a solo or small firm attorney, would you charge $3,000 per hour? Meet one attorney who does — and learn how his story of ultra-high prices could help you set your own rates.

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    V&E Is Training Associates To Think Like Business People

    Vinson & Elkins LLP has amped up its business development investment with the launch of BD Lab, which encourages associates firmwide to think outside the box with their clients.

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    Law Firms Saw Strong First Half Of 2025, Wells Fargo Says

    The legal industry saw strong performance during the first six months of 2025, according to a report released Tuesday from the Wells Fargo Legal Specialty Group, with strong growth in revenue largely driven by rising billing rates.

  • Judge Axes Habeas Suit, Tells DOJ To Use 'Proper' Forum

    A Virginia federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging a standing order from Maryland federal judges temporarily pausing the removal of noncitizen detainees who have filed habeas petitions, telling the U.S. Department of Justice that if it wants to challenge the court policy, it must follow the "proper" channels.

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    Beyond Pay: How To Retain Your Rainmakers

    U.S. law firms are working overtime to keep their top-billing attorneys, as growing profits and higher compensation increase lateral movement.

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Expert Analysis

  • Tips For Attracting Stellar CLOs In A Competitive Landscape Author Photo

    Amid a rapidly changing regulatory environment and a fierce market for talent, companies hoping to attract the best chief legal officers must have a strong grasp of their roles’ biggest selling points, and any roadblocks that may prevent them from recruiting the strongest choice, says Heather Fine at Major Lindsey.

  • 'Golden Handcuffs' May Be A Double-Edge Sword For Firms Author Photo

    As law firms increasingly use certain financial incentives to retain partners in a fierce lateral market, managing partners should consider the pros and cons of various deferred compensation schemes, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • The 10-Min. Rule For Building A Business Development Habit Author Photo

    Many lawyers assume that becoming a rainmaker requires a significant investment of time and effort, but the truth is that building a consistent habit of business development can start with just 10 minutes of strategic outreach a day, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 5 Pointers For Firm Leaders Communicating Tough Decisions Author Photo

    Certain law firm decisions — such as whether to challenge an executive order — cannot be crowdsourced, but leadership can collaboratively communicate these choices using strategies that build trust, reinforce values and preserve cohesion, says John Hellerman at Hellerman Communications.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Create A Succession Plan Author Photo

    ​​​​​​​Conversations around retirement and succession can be understandably difficult, but when attorneys make a plan for the transition early and effectively, they have the opportunity to not only keep work but also increase it, says Jillian McKenna at Verrill Dana.

  • Looking Under The Hood Of The $3,000 Billable Hour Author Photo

    In recent years, top-tier law firms have pushed hourly rates to unprecedented heights, with some partners commanding $3,000 per hour — but this eye-popping number doesn’t tell the full story, as there are numerous caveats and rigorous winnowing along the way, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.

  • Alien Enemies Act Case Could Reshape Executive Power Author Photo

    President Donald Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals raises fundamental questions about statutory interpretation, executive power and constitutional structure, which now lay on the U.S. Supreme Court's doorstep, says Mauni Jalali at Quinn Emanuel.

  • How Law Firms Can Keep Nonequity Partners Happy Author Photo

    Law firms that successfully manage two-tiered partnership do so by creating a culture that treats everyone with respect and by establishing financial incentives outside their base compensation to reward performance, says Carol Morganstern at Major Lindsey.

  • Jurisdiction Argument In USAID Dissent Is Up For Debate Author Photo

    A dissent refuting the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent order directing the U.S. Agency for International Development to pay $2 billion in frozen foreign aid argued that claims relating to already-completed government contract work belong in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims – answering an important question, but with a debatable conclusion, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Leverage Your Atty Bio Author Photo

    If maintained properly, your firm bio can help attract potential clients and create authentic connections, so it's crucial to take steps to write an updated attorney profile that goes beyond a list of credentials, says Raychel Lean at Reputation Ink.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Can I Promote Thoughtful Use Of AI? Author Photo

    Eran Kahana at Maslon discusses how partners can encourage responsible use of artificial intelligence tools within their firms by learning to spot pitfalls common to AI-generated work product and championing firmwide procedures and trainings that address the risks of uncritically relying on this powerful but imperfect technology.

  • Making Legal Cents: Firm Culture Is The New Game Plan Author Photo

    Law firm culture is often dismissed as a soft factor — merely platitudes on a website that seem disconnected from the bottom line — but by intentionally embedding a strong culture into day-to-day operations, law firms can achieve sustainable success, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • 5 Questions Firms Must Ask For Successful Lateral Integration Author Photo

    To ensure that lateral partners effectively integrate their books of business, firms should design a structured transition plan based on a few fundamentals, from tracking the right data to implementing meaningful incentives, says Lana Manganiello at Practice Growth Partner.

  • Goldilocks Solution: Why The 4-Day Office Week Is Just Right Author Photo

    As law firms continue to wrestle with return-to-office policies, many are being pulled toward one or the other of two extremes: the rigidity of a five-day in-office schedule and the laissez-faire approach of a flexible three-day hybrid model — but a four-day in-office workweek may be the sweet spot, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • As Attys Adopt Generative AI, 3 Elements Should Be Cardinal Author Photo

    As the legal world increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence, lawyers and firms must develop and utilize strong prompting skills, keep a pulse on forthcoming tech evolutions, and remain steadfast to ethical obligations, say Michele Carney at Carney & Marchi and Marty Robles-Avila at BAL.

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