Contracts

Litigating the Tower of Pisa fiasco

I have always been interested in mistakes, also known as errors, blunders or, in my best legalese, boo-boos. I am especially interested in historical iconic mistakes. I just read that the city of Bologna, Italy, has two towers, “le due torri,” both closed to visitors because they also are now…

Dec 19, 2024 9:04 AM CST

Muslim lawyer can’t sue over revoked BigLaw job offer based on this theory, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Chicago has tossed a promissory estoppel claim in a Muslim lawyer’s lawsuit against Foley & Lardner for revoking her associate job offer after learning of her comments about Israel and Gaza.

Dec 4, 2024 12:23 PM CST

Kalpana Kotagal’s inclusion riders promote equality in the entertainment industry

Nearly seven years ago, Frances McDormand ended her acceptance speech at the Oscars with, “I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider.” Kalpana Kotagal, a civil rights and employment attorney and a creator of the inclusion rider, had no idea McDormand would mention it. “I had gone to sleep,” says Kotagal. “I had no idea any of that had happened and woke up the next morning to just, like, chaos.”

Dec 1, 2024 12:40 AM CST

Michelle Rozovics’ love of learning and teaching takes her around the world

ABA member Michelle Rozovics—the managing attorney of Rozovics Law Firm in McHenry, Illinois, a small city northwest of Chicago—says curiosity led her to the legal profession. It inspired her to pursue international and business law and to work with clients, law students and judges around the world.

Nov 27, 2024 8:48 AM CST

BigLaw firm and ex-partner who sued for age bias agree on dismissal

A former Fox Rothschild equity partner who claimed that he was demoted to a position with lower pay and required to work under a series of one-year contracts has ended his age-bias lawsuit against the law firm.

Nov 26, 2024 2:09 PM CST

Following pay changes with Idaho public defender’s office, agency saw more than 1,000 withdrawals

Updated: Recent Idaho public defender pay rate changes led to many counsel heading for the exits, and the Idaho State Bar issued a formal ethics opinion due to concerns. It recognizes financial hardships can cause conflicts in legal representation but notes that counsel cannot leave a case without the court’s approval.

Nov 13, 2024 9:07 AM CST

Dentons, Boies Schiller call lawsuit claims against them ‘literally incoherent’ and ‘utterly implausible’

Dentons and Boies Schiller Flexner are asking a New York City federal judge to toss a racketeering lawsuit against them in legal briefs that deride the allegations by its former clients as “literally incoherent” and “utterly implausible.”

Nov 5, 2024 3:27 PM CST

4th Circuit upholds $1M sanction for law firm that tried to ‘sabotage’ federal court’s authority

Updated: A federal judge had inherent power to impose a $1.05 million sanction against a national law firm for asking state courts to order an end to U.S. district court litigation, a federal appeals court ruled last week.

Oct 29, 2024 3:50 PM CDT

Your lawsuit against X is required to be filed in Texas, according to new terms of service

Lawsuits filed against X, formerly known as Twitter, have to be filed in federal court for the Northern District of Texas or in state court in the state’s Tarrant County, according to the social media company’s new terms of service.

Oct 23, 2024 9:11 AM CDT

With attorney fees, Gibson Dunn must pay over $725K to ex-partner who had earned $60M

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has agreed to pay a former partner more than $140,000 in attorney fees unless the amount is overturned in an appeal of his much higher arbitration award.

Sep 19, 2024 9:57 AM CDT

Did you read the small print? ‘Infinite’ arbitration clauses are on the rise

Companies tend to prefer arbitration over a jury trial for a number of reasons. In arbitration, there’s usually a quicker and quieter resolution, more confidentiality, no jury, limited appeal and discovery, and relaxed evidentiary rules.

Sep 6, 2024 11:46 AM CDT

Prosecutors and public defenders strike for higher pay in this California county

Public defenders and prosecutors are among about 250 government attorneys who went on strike Monday in California’s Sacramento County following two years without a contract.

Aug 27, 2024 12:31 PM CDT

BigLaw partner was demoted and later told to hang up his spurs, age-bias suit alleges

Fox Rothschild no longer has a mandatory retirement age of 72. But the law firm nonetheless discriminates against older equity partners, a lawsuit alleges, by demoting them, transitioning their role as billing attorney to younger partners, and making them sign renewable one-year contracts.

Jun 3, 2024 1:18 PM CDT

BigLaw firm and client sanctioned nearly $275K after judge sees ‘nasty litigation tactics’

A federal judge in Colorado has ordered Seyfarth Shaw and its client, a subsidiary of the Stryker Corp., to pay nearly $275,000 as an additional sanction for improper discovery tactics.

May 29, 2024 10:16 AM CDT

Dentons and Boies Schiller face $300M racketeering suit after client loses international arbitration

A Massachusetts businessman has filed a $300 million racketeering lawsuit against Dentons and Boies Schiller Flexner alleging that the law firms failed to inform him that his contract to develop a power plant in Senegal, a country in West Africa, was invalid.

May 2, 2024 2:12 PM CDT