Corporate Law

Corporate legal departments spend more in-house than on outside law firms, survey finds

Corporate legal departments are spending 54% of their budgets in-house, outpacing their spending on outside counsel, according to a survey released last week by the Association of Corporate Counsel and legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa.

Jun 22, 2022 12:13 PM CDT

How to apply business principles and legal tech to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Jeroen Plink, the chief operating officer of the Legaltech Hub, a board member at Casetext and the former CEO of Practical Law; and Jeroen Ketting, the founder and CEO of the Lighthouse Group, a provider of management and trade support to Western companies doing business in Russia and Ukraine.

Jun 21, 2022 8:37 AM CDT

Taking on unauthorized practice of law regulations to expand access to justice

A professor talks to the ABA Journal’s Victor Li about New York-based company Upsolve’s lawsuit regarding UPL rules and access-to-justice issues in general.

Jun 15, 2022 8:33 AM CDT

These 3 Supreme Court justices each earned more than $100K from book projects last year

Financial disclosure forms indicate that three justices on the U.S. Supreme Court each earned more than $100,000 in 2021 as a result of book deals.

Jun 13, 2022 8:38 AM CDT

Stroock is in a ‘precarious position’ after loss of bankruptcy group; is a merger needed?

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan is in a “precarious position” following the loss of one of its two crown jewels—its bankruptcy and restructuring group—to Paul Hastings this spring, according to an analysis by Law.com.

Jun 8, 2022 3:25 PM CDT

Law firm partners accused of ethics violations for ‘anti-competitive’ employment contracts

The name partners of the law firm Tully Rinckey have been accused of ethics violations for allegedly adding anti-competitive terms to attorney employment agreements and impeding clients’ ability to follow departing lawyers.

Jun 7, 2022 3:40 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Michael Avenatti sentenced in money theft of Stormy Daniels; Reagan shooter released without restrictions

Lawyer Michael Avenatti gets more prison time Suspended lawyer Michael Avenatti was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison for stealing nearly $300,000 in book-deal payments intended for his client, adult film actress Stormy Daniels. He had taken out a loan to pay back half the money after Daniels inquired…

Jun 3, 2022 12:41 PM CDT

Food Fight: Do lawsuits challenging product labels benefit consumers?

Legal actions against food and beverage companies over the wording on their labels have exploded in recent years, from just 19 class action lawsuits in 2008 to a record 325 cases filed last year. And lawsuits over whether a “foot-long” sandwich is really 12 inches or whether the unfilled space in a food package is cheating consumers have also grabbed headlines over the years.

Jun 1, 2022 12:00 AM CDT

Legal malpractice payouts reach ‘troubling new heights;’ 4 insurers contributed to claims above $300M, survey says

Legal malpractice insurers are reporting skyrocketing payouts of tens of millions of dollars, even as claims frequency remains relatively flat, according to a survey by insurance broker Ames & Gough.

May 31, 2022 8:57 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: SCOTUS approval rating plummets; Trumps lose deposition appeal

SCOTUS approval rating drops 10 percentage points Only 44% of the public approves of the way that the U.S. Supreme Court is handling its job, according to a Marquette University Law School poll. The survey was conducted soon after the leak of a draft opinion overturning the right to abortion.…

May 27, 2022 1:44 PM CDT

Exxon can’t use ‘right of petition’ law to block climate change suit, top state court rules

The top court in Massachusetts on Tuesday refused to dismiss a lawsuit contending that the Exxon Mobil Corp. misled consumers and investors about the impact of climate change.

May 26, 2022 1:17 PM CDT

Patient billed about $230K for surgery after $1,300 estimate is protected by contract law, state supreme court says

Contract law protects a patient who was billed about $230,000 for surgery, despite being told that her cost after insurance would be about $1,300, the en banc Colorado Supreme Court ruled last week.

May 25, 2022 12:50 PM CDT

Nonlawyer paraprofessionals couldn’t jointly own law firms under revised licensing proposal in this state

A revised proposal for licensing paraprofessionals in California eliminates a provision that would have allowed the nonlawyers to own law firms with lawyers.

May 25, 2022 9:12 AM CDT

BigLaw partner’s hourly billing rate of nearly $2,500 draws objection from bankruptcy trustee

A U.S. bankruptcy trustee is objecting to the hiring of a Hogan Lovells partner who would charge nearly $2,500 per hour to handle appeals in the Chapter 11 case of a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary.

May 25, 2022 8:31 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: McDonald’s, Wendy’s sued over burger ads; ICE is ‘a domestic surveillance agency,’ report says

Ads exaggerate size of McDonald’s, Wendy’s burgers, suit says Food stylists for McDonald’s and Wendy’s undercook hamburger patties portrayed in advertising to make them appear 15% to 20% larger than the food sold by the fast-food restaurants, a May 17 lawsuit alleges. The would-be class action suit, filed in Brooklyn,…

May 20, 2022 2:12 PM CDT