The National Law Journal

How Paul Weiss Clients Are Receiving Brad Karp's Return to Litigation Partner Ranks | Law.com In Big Law, as with most industries, the ideal scenario is about pleasing the client and keeping business, and Law.com interviews with some of Karp’s clients indicate they want him to stay on their matters.

Jerry Speyer of real estate giant Tishman Speyer said he “would work with Brad as long as he is practicing law.”

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'No Choice': US Judge Rules Trump's White House Ballroom Project May Continue | Law.com Unfortunately for the National Trust, the court's equitable power to enjoin constitutional violations does not extend to this kind of statutory dispute! U.S. District Senior Judge Richard J. Leon wrote in a memorandum opinion denying the National Trust for Historic Preservation's motion for extraordinary relief in a lawsuit challenging the legality of President Donald Trump's White House ballroom construction project.

“Unfortunately for the National Trust, the court’s equitable power to enjoin constitutional violations does not extend to this kind of statutory dispute!” Leon wrote in his decision. https://loom.ly/0_AYcPU

Maduro’s Counsel Says Government Is ‘Outright Forbidding Payment’ for Legal Defense | Law.com Barry Pollack argued that his Maduro will not be able to receive a fair defense against the narco-terrorism conspiracy case the U.S .has brought against him, if the U.S. government continues to block Venezuela from paying his legal fees.

Barry Pollack explained in his motion to dismiss that Maduro—who maintains he is Venezuela’s rightful leader, a status that the U.S. disputes—expected Venezuela to cover his legal defense. Maduro lacks the personal funds to do so himself, Pollack said. https://loom.ly/o3moMZo

Crowell, Polsinelli, Hogan Lovells, Holland & Knight, Pillsbury Among Big Firms in Tariff Refund Battle | Law.com Dozens of cases have been filed in the week since the U.S. Supreme Court decision, with many more expected to be filed in the coming weeks and months.

Dozens of cases have been filed in the week since the Feb. 20 Supreme Court decision, with many more expected to be filed in the coming weeks and months. https://loom.ly/b5BY8IE

Law Firm Taps AI to Increase Settlements by 300%: 'Issues My Team Was Missing' | Law.com A Houston personal injury firm that was initially skeptical of artificial intelligence says AI spots details that now Zaid attributes this to the language and key details the AI identified in the medical records his team had previously overlooked.

John K. Zaid, once skeptical of artificial intelligence, now credits it with maximizing payouts and strengthening negotiations. https://loom.ly/8FN4A0g

9th Circuit Reinstates Trump Order Ending Union Bargaining for Federal Workers | Law.com The federal appeals court said the six federal worker unions that sued over the executive order failed to show it was likely issued in retaliation for their constitutionally protected public criticism of the Trump administration.

The Ninth Circuit said the six federal worker unions that sued over the executive order failed to show it was likely issued in retaliation for their constitutionally protected public criticism of the Trump administration. https://loom.ly/HF6PdOM

Trump Administration Asks Justices to End Protected Status for Syrian Refugees | Law.com U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the justices Thursday that a Manhattan federal judge improperly blocked the government's move to terminate temporary protected status for Syrian refugees, which will end their U.S. work authorization and make them eligible for deportation.

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the justices that a Manhattan federal judge improperly blocked the government's move to terminate TPS for Syrian refugees, which will end their U.S. work authorization and make them eligible for deportation. https://loom.ly/HSEizUw

Walmart to Pay $100M to Settle FTC Charges It Overstated Delivery Drivers' Earnings Potential | Law.com The FTC and 11 states allege that the retail giant engaged in a variety of deceptive practices that collectively deprived the independent contractors who deliver for the company's Spark Driver program of tens of millions of dollars in earnings.

At issue in the suit were representations Walmart made to drivers for the company's Spark Driver program, which uses an army of independent contractors to fulfill customer orders. https://loom.ly/x5KAIG8

'Stunning Fall From Grace': Prosecutors Seek Tom Goldstein's Detention Pending Sentencing | Law.com His exposure is certainly federal prison in addition to significant restitution, fines and things of that nature, a Cole Schotz member and white-collar criminal defense lawyer said of SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein after a Maryland federal trial jury found Goldstein guilty of 12 white-collar criminal felonies.

“I don’t see a universe where he gets no jail,” Andrew M.J. Bernstein, a partner at Fox Rothschild. https://loom.ly/w6-Irpg

Trump Lost Big on Tariffs. What Next? | Law.com On this podcast edition of Supreme Court Brief, Supreme Court reporter Jimmy Hoover and Law.com litigation reporter Alyssa Aquino break down the landmark ruling striking down President Donald Trump's tariffs and discuss what comes next.

Jimmy Hoover and Alyssa Aquino discuss the tariffs decision and what comes next, plus more in this week's Supreme Court Brief. https://loom.ly/SQUYqc8

How a Kobre & Kim Partner Stayed in Touch With Epstein After His Plea Deal | Law.com Matthew Menchel, who left the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2007 and spoke and dined with Epstein on multiple occasions between 2010 and 2018, maintains that his private-practice relationship with Epstein was strictly business.

Kobre & Kim partner Matthew Menchel got in touch with Jeffrey Epstein after prosecuting him in the U.S. Attorney's Office. After being introduced by Epstein's former defense lawyer, the pair exchanged messages over a period of eight years. https://loom.ly/P12LRPk

New Teeth? Pregnancy Discrimination Law Tested | Law.com A decision in favor of a pregnant worker against her employer is believed to be the first case to reach a conclusion under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which took effect in 2023.

An independent arbitrator found PermiaCare, a regional provider of behavioral and developmental health services, discriminated against and harassed a pregnant employee, which led to her resignation.

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Blockbuster Mergers Are Adding Fuel to an Already Hot Lateral Market | Law.com “Anytime there’s a merger or a new entrant into the market, that volatility creates movement among lawyers,” explained Major Lindsey & Africa partner David Schwartz.

While laterals are looking to both leave and join firms that have recently announced mergers, the geographic footprint of any given major merger will also determine how likely it is to prompt partners to look for new opportunities. https://loom.ly/Pl6A-Zc

Pentagon Orders Anthropic to Drop Its Ethics Safeguards, Spurring High-Stakes Showdown | Law.com Anthropic does not want its models used for autonomous weapons or for surveillance of Americans, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the company to drop its objections by Friday afternoon.

Anthropic is refusing to comply with an order from the Pentagon that it drop its prohibitions on using its technology to power autonomous weapons or for domestic surveillance of American citizens. https://loom.ly/2jD8dxg

New FTC Guidance Aims to Remove Legal Cloud Over Website Age-Verification Tools | Law.com Some sites have been reluctant to deploy the tools because of concern that the data they require children to input might violate data-collection restrictions in the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998.

The FTC said it will not bring enforcement actions under COPPA against operators that collect, use or disclose personal information solely to determine a user’s age, provided they put in place reasonable safeguards around data use, retention and security. https://loom.ly/8mFyvqw

End of EPA's Endangerment Finding Creates Regulatory Cloud for Businesses, Lawyers Say | Law.com The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Endangerment Finding underpinned Clean Air Act regulations meant to combat climate change by limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called removing the “Endangerment Finding” the “single largest deregulatory action in U.S. history” and said it would save American taxpayers more than $1.3 trillion. https://loom.ly/2A-jiyw

Former Cravath business development and communications chief and current founder and president of Farone Advisors, Deborah Farone, discusses her new book, "Breaking Ground: How Successful Women Lawyers Build Thriving Practices," on this episode of Legal Speak. https://loom.ly/hGse2ws

Linklaters Calls on Clyde & Co to Issue London High Court Claim | Law.com Linklaters has filed a claim against Inter Shippping SARL and are being represented by law firm litigators Clyde & Co.

A Part Seven claim is generally used in civil litigation for a factual dispute. Although details have not been disclosed at this stage, disputes of this type can relate to unpaid debt or monies owed.

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Deluge of FedEx Driver-Overtime Lawsuits Highlights Risks Employers Face From Using Contract Workers | Law.com Patricia Prezioso of Sills Cummis & Gross said demonstrating that a worker is genuinely a contractor can be tricky, especially if that person is doing work that's the same or similar to work performed by employees.

FedEx is facing more than 160 lawsuits accusing it of using contractors as “intermediary employers” to avoid paying drivers overtime—a legal onslaught that highlights the risks companies can face when they turn to contract workers in hopes of saving money. https://loom.ly/VDG-Do0

‘Injuries are Self-Inflicted:' 6th Circuit Tosses Bias Case Over Grants for Black-Owned Businesses | Law.com Progressive and Circular Board did not cause Nathan Roberts’ injuries. Roberts caused them, the divided appeals court stated in explaining why the plaintiff lacked standing. Had Roberts submitted his application, he would have formed the application-stage contract with Progressive and Circular Board.

"[P]rogressive and Circular Board did not cause Roberts’ injuries. Roberts caused them," Judge Andre Mathis wrote in the court's majority opinion.

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'MAGA Nation Ripped Me Apart': This Atlanta Attorney Got Trump's Lawyers to Settle | Law.com After taking on President Donald Trump as a defendant and achieving a favorable outcome in a copyright infringement dispute, Atlanta entertainment attorney James L. Walker, Jr. reveals why other artists are likely to benefit from his settlement strategy.

"MAGA nation ripped me apart for months on Twitter," James L. Walker Jr. said. "Howard Law School trained us to be fearless, so I wasn't even thinking about the repercussions or the fallout." https://loom.ly/GuPAOZI

'Forced Labor' Trial Against ICE Contractor Can Proceed, Supreme Court Says | Law.com The Supreme Court refused to throw out a class action from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees who claim that a private contractor forced them to perform work duties in violation of federal and state law.

In a unanimous decision, the high court refused a request from The GEO Group, which operates a detention facility in Aurora, Colorado, to scuttle the case on the grounds it was acting under the direction of ICE.

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Full DC Circuit Weighs Order Blocking Trump's Alleged CFPB Shutdown | Law.com “What you want us to hold is that the CSRA Civil Service Reform Act has tentacles that reach across the entire litigation system to prevent courts from even ordering the government to comply with the Constitution by keeping functioning the offices that Congress has created and funded,” said Judge Cornelia Pillard.

Judge Patricia Millett questioned whether courts can issue orders to ensure agencies carry out statutorily mandated services when third-parties—not employees—bring claims. https://loom.ly/oG1zyQ8

Supreme Court Upholds Bar on Lawyer Discussing Client's Testimony During Overnight Recess | Law.com The Supreme Court held unanimously that a Texas trial judge court did not violate the Sixth Amendment by barring an attorney from conferring with his client about his ongoing testimony during an overnight recess.

The Supreme Court held Wednesday that a Texas judge did not violate the Sixth Amendment right to counsel by barring a defense attorney from conferring with his client about his ongoing testimony during an overnight recess in the middle of trial. https://loom.ly/6MR_Po0

10th Circuit Judge Tymkovich Announces Senior Status Plans | Law.com Timothy Tymkovich becomes the third federal appellate judge in a week to announce Semi-retirement plans.

Timothy Tymkovich has become the third federal appellate judge in a week to announce plans to take senior status, giving President Donald Trump another vacancy to fill on the circuit courts.

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Supreme Court Says Texas Couple Gets State Court Do-Over In Baby Food Trial | Law.com The U.S. Supreme Court agreed that Sarah and Grant Palmquist should get a do-over in their case against the maker of allegedly spoiled baby food in Texas state court, resolving a thorny procedural question in the couple's favor.

The case came down to a thorny procedural question that had divided federal courts of appeal: What happens after a federal court improperly dismisses a defendant whose presence in the case would strip the federal court of diversity jurisdiction. https://loom.ly/Qnh0-ME

Full DC Circuit Hears Constitutional Challenge to Canceled Clean Energy Grants | Law.com The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has cited concerns about conflicts of interest and lack of oversight over the funds in terminating $20 billion in now-repealed statutory grants to several nonprofits, which claim the EPA has violated the separation of powers.

The en banc D.C. Circuit pressed a DOJ attorney on whether—as the lower court found—the Trump administration sought to dismantle the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that was established by statute to provide funding for investment in clean-energy projects. https://loom.ly/1ZF754o

Postal Service Immune From Lawsuits Alleging It Withheld Mail, Supreme Court Rules | Law.com In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court broadly interpreted the Federal Tort Claims Act's exception for lawsuits against the U.S. Postal Service.

The decision hands defeat to Lebene Konan, who filed a lawsuit alleging her local post office intentionally withheld mail from two of her rental properties because they did not like that a Black person owned the properties and leased them to white tenants. https://loom.ly/MqCLFlo

SEC Doubles Time for Targets to Respond to Potential Charges | Law.com In what is called the “Wells process,” SEC enforcement staff notifies possible defendants of any potential charges and what charges staff will recommend to the commission.

“The SEC staff do not always get things right the first time, and the Wells process is a valuable procedural device that helps to guard against plain mistakes, extreme legal theories, misinformation, biases, and conflicts of interest,” Atkins said.

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US Supreme Court Is Asked to Limit SEC Disgorgement Orders | Law.com Haynes and Boone argued that their client Ongkaruck Sripetch's disgorgement order couldn't stand as the Securities and Exchange Commission hadn't shown that investors were harmed by Sripetch's alleged misconduct.

In his opening salvo in a closely watched securities case, Ongkaruck Sripetch argued that his disgorgement order could not stand, as the SEC hadn't proven that investors were harmed by his alleged misconduct. https://loom.ly/jijuPzE