DC Pulse


  • LegalLions.png

    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, the Asian Law Caucus and the Democracy Defenders Fund lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump's bid to limit birthright citizenship.

  • jointventure handshake.jpg

    Mid-Law Firms Flush But Cautious Halfway Through 2026

    Mid-Law firms have enjoyed strong demand and revenues in the first half of 2026, but concerns about a possible economic downturn, industry consolidation and the potential effect of artificial intelligence have those in the industry questioning if the second half of the year will look the same.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry began the second half of 2026 with another busy week as BigLaw firms merged and expanded their practice offerings. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • nicolas-a-mctyre.jpeg

    Stinson Hires SolAmerica Senior Counsel As Energy Partner In DC

    Stinson LLP has hired a former senior counsel of Atlanta-based solar company SolAmerica Energy as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office, the firm recently announced.

  • DSC02254.JPG

    America 250: Five Courthouses Older Than The US

    On Saturday, the U.S. will celebrate 250 years since its founding, and along the country's northeastern and mid-Atlantic coasts, it will do so surrounded by legal infrastructure that predates the nation's independence.

  • recruit.jpg

    Legal Sector Jobs Spike With Work 'Churning Right Along'

    The legal sector added 5,100 jobs in June, the largest increase the industry has seen in more than two years, according to preliminary, seasonally adjusted data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday.

  • Van Tatenhove.jpg

    U Of Ky. Appoints Controversial Dean Pick For Law School

    U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove of the Eastern District of Kentucky will retire from the bench later this month to become dean of the University of Kentucky's J. David Rosenberg College of Law, a move that sparked controversy in the state.

  • Goldstein Calls Gov't's Attack On Text Messages 'Hypocrisy'

    Lawyers for convicted SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein have rejected prosecutors' claims that the famed U.S. Supreme Court lawyer may have deleted messages between himself and his poker backers, calling the government "hypocritical" after it had previously argued that Goldstein could authenticate the messages if he took the stand at trial.

  • Peter Rechter Wiley Rein.png

    Senate Atty Joins Wiley Anticipating Congressional Probes

    Wiley Rein LLP announced Wednesday that a government attorney with experience working on Capitol Hill and in the White House has joined the Washington, D.C.-based firm as a white collar defense and government investigations partner.

  • George Kostolampros.jpg

    PCAOB Names Ex-Venable Partner As GC

    The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has named a former Venable LLP partner as its new general counsel, where he will be tasked with providing legal advice to an agency that is currently undergoing leadership changes.

  • White House Recordkeeping Suit Paused While Gov't Appeals

    A D.C. federal judge has paused a suit accusing the Trump administration of skirting White House recordkeeping rules while the government appeals the preliminary injunction granted last month.

  • MoFo Project Finance Atty Joins Taft In DC

    Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP has hired a Morrison Foerster LLP attorney who focuses his practice on advising lenders, sponsors and governments on the development and financing of large scale projects, the firm announced Monday.

  • merger_iStock-848673890.jpg

    Law Firm Mergers Level Off As Risks Tick Up

    Despite two large law firm combinations closing this week, deal announcements flatlined to a near-decade-low in the first half of the year as law firms face a patchwork of risks including geopolitical volatility, private equity interest and uncertainty around artificial intelligence in law. However, activity is expected to pick up by year-end.

  • Justices Skip Pork Case Over Alito, Kavanaugh Objections

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Tuesday it will not review a challenge to a Massachusetts law restricting the sale of pork produced in tightly confined spaces, though Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito were in favor of hearing the case.

  • lauren-i-symington.png

    Hinshaw Taps Womble Bond Director To Lead Talent Efforts

    Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP announced Tuesday that the former senior director of legal development, integration and technology training at Womble Bond Dickinson has joined the firm as its first chief talent officer.

  • High Court Declines To Review Under-21 Gun Sale Bans

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to review the constitutionality of laws banning the sale of firearms to people under 21, once again rejecting calls to consider a question that has sharply divided the lower courts.

  • Stacey A. Bradford Venable.png

    Venable Adds Former Cooley Employee Benefits Atty In DC

    Venable LLP has hired a former Cooley LLP special counsel who focuses her practice on employee benefits matters including retirement, health and welfare plans, the firm announced Monday.

  • megan-greer.jpg

    Bracewell Adds Ex-FBI, DOJ Leader, Akin Investigations Atty

    The former chief of the FBI's congressional oversight and investigations unit, who has previous experience working in the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legislative Affairs and in Big Law with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, has joined Bracewell LLP, the firm announced this week.

  • High Court Scraps Caps On Coordinated Campaign Spending

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down federal limits on political party spending in coordination with individual candidates, agreeing with a Republican-led challenge that the caps violate the First Amendment.

  • harkriminerv.png

    Kirkland Adds Axinn Founding Partner, DOJ Antitrust Alum

    Two Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP attorneys — including one of the New York-headquartered boutique's founding partners — have moved to Kirkland & Ellis LLP to help lead the BigLaw firm's antitrust practice.

  • Supreme_Court_84681.jpg

    Justices Strike Down Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday thwarted President Donald Trump's attempt to limit birthright citizenship to babies born to parents with permanent ties to the United States, finding the 14th Amendment cannot be read that narrowly — a decision dissenting justices fear will jeopardize the country's future.

  • Justices Allow States To Bar Trans Athletes From Girls' Sports

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for states to ban transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports, ruling that the restrictions do not amount to discrimination on the basis of sex.

  • 2_up_SPB.png

    Squire Patton Names 2 New Global Managing Partners

    Squire Patton Boggs LLP announced Tuesday the managing partners of the firm's Columbus, Ohio, and Denver offices have been named global managing partners of the firm in the U.S.

  • iStock-2165870612.jpg

    Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Eyes Future As Elite Powerhouse

    Hogan Lovells Cadwalader launches on Wednesday, betting that regulatory expertise now matters as much as Wall Street finance work to global financial institutions, as chief executive Miguel Zaldivar said that the merger has created a firm that belongs among the global legal elite.

  • High Court Gives Fed Independence A 'Fragile' Reprieve

    The U.S. Supreme Court has thrown its weight behind Federal Reserve independence by rejecting President Donald Trump's bid to immediately oust Fed Gov. Lisa Cook, but experts say the fight over central bank control may not be finished — just moving to a new phase.

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

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    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.

  • Series

    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.

  • Series

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Be An Industry Expert Author Photo

    Although taking the time to fully invest in a client and its industry is a big ask, it is well worth it for attorneys to understand the pressures, trends and constraints of a client's industry in order to build enduring business relationships, says Nonnie Shivers at Ogletree.

×

Law360

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

Rankings

NEWLeaderboard 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 & AI 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